Award-winning independent publisher Candy Jar Books is
delighted to announce the upcoming publication of the debut novel by Carry On
actress, Angela Douglas.
Josephine: An Open Book is a powerful and compelling
story of a young woman’s journey to stardom and the trials and tribulations of
showbusiness and celebrity. Set against the backdrop of London’s 1960s, her
paths cross with the likes of Kirk Douglas, Steve McQueen Elizabeth Taylor,
Audrey Hepburn and Neil Armstrong.
Though a work of fiction, the novel
draws extensively on Angela Douglas’ own experiences, weaving a story
which is at its very heart, universal in its themes: love, loss, the
breakdown of a marriage and the decline of health. Josephine is ultimately an
uplifting memoir of determination and conviction in the face of adversity, and
is sure to resonate with the reader.
Angela Douglas is best known as an actress and for her
roles in the iconic Carry On feature film series. Throughout the 1960s and ’70s
she made numerous appearances in theatre, film and television, including the
iconic series: The Avengers, The Saint, Z-Cars, Dixon of Dock Green, Doctor
Who, Holby City and Coronation Street.
In 1962 she met the British movie icon, Kenneth More.
They fell in love and married in 1968, remaining together until More’s death in
1982.
In 1988 she met acclaimed director and playwright,
Bill Bryden. They married in 2009.
Josephine is Angela’s first work of fiction, having
already worked as a journalist and author, writing two non-fiction titles,
including her autobiography Swings and Roundabouts, which received great praise
from audience and critics alike.
As Angela put it herself, Josephine’s life is set in a
world she knows well:
“I have described Josephine as ‘made up truth’. Many
of the characters with whom Josephine meets are famous names because they are
lifted from real-life experiences of my own. Josephine and I share many things,
but there are also many differences... She is very much her own woman, and she
finds herself in a lot of scrapes and circumstances, which I luckily did not.
Josephine is an ambitious, fiercely independent bundle of energy who never
settles for less than she deserves. As her father says: “when she was little
she tried to ride the rainbow. Her ambition was up high....her reality was at
times down there.”
What parts of Josephine’s life are based on truth and
what are a work of fiction? That’s what you’ll have to determine for yourself…”
Candy Jar’s Head of Publishing, Shaun Russell,
explains the book’s rare appeal:
“Josephine has so much for a reader to enjoy. There’s
the genuine insight into life of an aspiring young actress, struggling for
expression and self- fulfillment in an industry often more interested in
exploiting such ambition; a timely theme if there ever was one, and based on
life. And most of all, an emotionally honest, compelling, and moving central
story. That’s at the heart of everything: Josephine herself, a strong,
vivacious woman won’t settle for the life she’s been given, but instead shoots
for the moon. Does she make it? You will have to find out…”
Find out more about Candy Jar, and order your copy of
Angela's novel here: www.candyjarbooks.co.uk
Josephine: An Open Book is published on 11th October.
You can follow Angela on Twitter @ImAngelaDouglas
And Angela will be in conversation at The Kenneth More
Theatre on Sunday 4 November. Read more about that here
You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and
on Instagram
No comments:
Post a Comment