In the summer of 1970 McQueen and Michael Munn took a road trip while the actor's film Le Mans was on hold. McQueen told stories of being a kid on the street, petty theft, rolling drunks and gangs. In this poignant and personal account Munn recalls the story of one of the greatest American anti-heroes of all time. Writer, actor, director and former journalist and Hollywood publicist, Michael Munn has written 21 books, including the best selling John Wayne: the Man behind the Myth and the acclaimed Richard Burton: Prince of Players. - 30 years after McQueen's death, this is a personal perspective drawing on conversations with McQueen, star of classic films The Great Escape, Bullitt, and The Thomas Crown Affair- Includes material on the King of Cool undisclosed in previous biographies, such as his reconciliation with Yul Brynner, low-key charitable works and issues with women- Munn has talked to McQueen's friends and colleagues such as Richard Attenborough, Sam Peckinpah, Yul Brynner, Donald Pleasance and close friends James Coburn and James Garner- Author of the acclaimed book, David Niven: The Man Behind the Balloon In the summer of 1970 McQueen and author Michael Munn took a road trip in England while the actor's film Le Mans was on hold. McQueen told stories of being a kid on the street, petty theft, rolling drunks, gangs and losing his virginity to a whore who took cakes in exchange for sexual favours. Munn met McQueen on other occasions, last speaking in 1980, and in this poignant, personal account, recalls the story of one of the greatest American anti-heroes of all time. Dubbed the King of Cool, his life was anything but. His childhood was hard - he rarely attended school and didn't like to sleep at home where his mother entertained men. Full of anger, the young McQueen suffered trying to control it - indeed, it became part of his acting persona. He once stole a knife from a butcher's store and went home to kill his mother and stepfather. McQueen spent time in a school for wayward children and joined the merchant navy, escaping to become a towel boy in a brothel in the Dominican Republic, before returning to the US to steal cars and break into stores and houses. He joined the Marines before finally falling into acting. This is the fascinating story of McQueen from boyhood to American superstar: a complicated man who could be difficult to work with but also a delight, have many famous lovers yet be paranoid and jealous. The author has interviewed a host of stars and directors to get closer to the true character of this extraordinary man. Writer, actor, director and former journalist and Hollywood publicist, Michael Munn has written 21 books, including the best selling John Wayne: the Man behind the Myth and the acclaimed Richard Burton: Prince of Players.

'I'm afraid of everything.' Stephen King Since Stephen King's wife fished his first novel Carrie out of the waste paper basket, King has written more than 50 books, selling 300 million copies worldwide. Here, for the first time, is the ultimate biography of this prolific and widely-loved writer. From King's childhood to becoming a successful writer, the author has interviewed friends, relatives and stars who know him. She follows the effects of abandonment by his father at an early age ('We were ashamed not to have a father'), and his mom giving him a nickel for every story he wrote. At the age of four he saw a neighbouring boy get hit by a freight train. At 13, he was sent to his grandmother's room to wake her but instead found her cold, lifeless body. His local Bookmobile which visited every week allowed him to take out Edgar Allan Poe, HP Lovecraft and he ran through the classics of horror. Haunted Heart is the story of one of the greatest horror writers, and his trials both as a young boy and, now 70, an ageing citizen. It covers everything from his love of buying scratch cards to the real-life stories and events that have provided the backdrop to many of his novels.