Songs About a Girl
The Fire&Lights Trilogy
Heartbreak, pop music and
teenage obsession.
For anyone who's ever dreamed of saying
“I'm with the band”.
Heartbreak, pop music and
teenage obsession.
For anyone who's ever dreamed of saying
“I'm with the band”.
Book One in a heart-thudding trilogy about first love, pop music and the power of teenage obsession.
Charlie Bloom never wanted to be ‘with the band’. She's happiest out of the spotlight, behind her camera, unseen and unnoticed. But when she's asked to take backstage photos for hot new boy band Fire&Lights, she can't pass up the chance.
Catapulted into a world of paparazzi and backstage bickering, Charlie soon becomes caught between gorgeous but damaged frontman, Gabriel West, and his boy-next-door bandmate Olly Samson. Then, as the boys' rivalry threatens to tear the band apart, Charlie stumbles upon a mind-blowing secret, hidden in the lyrics of their songs…
Book Two in a heart-thudding trilogy about first love, pop music and the power of teenage obsession.
Charlie Bloom is just an ordinary girl. Who happened to spend last winter hanging out with the hottest boy band in the world. No biggie.
But that's all ancient history, and now Charlie doesn't have time to even think about Fire&Lights. Or what went down with Gabe... until she's pulled into their world of glamour and paparazzi once again.
As old feelings are rekindled, Charlie notices that the band seems different this time. But then again, so is she…
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Book Three in a heart-thudding trilogy about first love, pop music and the power of teenage obsession.
Just as Charlie allows herself to succumb to Gabe's charms, the explosive revelation about her mother's death threatens to pull them apart.
Meanwhile, a media circus has exploded around the future of Fire&Lights – when they announce a US tour to show the world that they are stronger than ever, Charlie gets the opportunity to accompany them. New York City, here she comes! But it's not all fun and games. Charlie is still feeling all kinds of awkward around Gabe and knowing that her mother's last days were in America touring with her band, Charlie uses the opportunity to uncover some more truths about her mother's death.
As Fire&Lights try to win over the world again, and as Charlie and Gabriel uncover the true story that links their pasts, will Charlie finally be able to follow her heart?
PurchaseI absolutely loved this book! It was so good! I recommend it to anyone who loves music and drama!!! Amazing!!!!!!
A MUST READ for any one direction fan or similar. My daughter is hooked!!
WOW!! This book series is a must read as it is amazing!!!
Loved loved LOVED this book!
I adored this book. One of my favourite reads of the year.
I casually picked up the book we had bought for my daughter one Sunday afternoon and flicked through the first few pages, just out of curiosity. I didn't put it down again until 3.30am.
Possibly my favourite book. I found myself having to slow down the reading as it was too good to finish!!
Best Book Ever!!!!!!!!!!! Even though I am not a fan of big books and reading for a long amount of time, on this book I read for so long! It was impossible to stop!
This one really blew my mind. It made me laugh, it made me cry… it took me on an emotional rollercoaster, and Chris Russell, I truly admire you for it.
I felt like I was going to burst from pure joy.
I don't know how I'm properly going to put into words how much I absolutely love this series. I was sat there looking at the book for a while before I could close it... it is just so so so so so good.
OMG!!! I don't know where to begin! I freaking loved this book!! All the stars... all of them, everywhere.
At the age of thirteen, I formed pop/rock band The Lightyears with my best friends from school.
Since then, The Lightyears have toured all over the world, performing everywhere from Wembley Stadium to Glastonbury Festival and trashing a grand total of zero hotel rooms. In 2013, after a three-month stint ghostwriting for a One Direction fan club, I developed an obsession with boy bands and came up with the idea for SONGS ABOUT A GIRL – a young adult trilogy about an ordinary sixteen-year-old girl who discovers that the world's biggest pop band are, impossibly, writing songs about her.
The book series was published by Hodder Children's in the UK and in multiple territories worldwide. To bring my fictional boy band Fire&Lights to life, I also wrote and released a number of their songs, which you can find on my YouTube channel.
ps. I even came close to selling the film & TV rights to Simon Cowell and creating Fire&Lights for real – but that's another story...
Meeting young readers is one of the best parts of my job. I learn a huge amount from talking to teens, and always come away from school visits bursting with ideas!
Below is some further information on my event, including tech and travel requirements. If you are interested in booking me for a school visit, or have any further questions about the process, please feel free to drop me a line at chris@chrisrussellwrites.com.
My school event is a 45-60 minute presentation entitled You Have To Start Somewhere. The aim is to communicate to students that, no matter their goals in life, the secret to success is hard work, perseverance and learning from their mistakes. The talk is based on my touring experiences with pop/rock band The Lightyears, which took us from the schoolyard to Wembley Stadium and eventually inspired me to become a novelist. The event will be a mixture of live music, slides and anecdotes, and I like to encourage regular input from the students, where possible! If time allows, I'll also deliver a reading from Songs About a Girl (though this tends to be more effective with smaller groups).
Any size, in theory, although the event is most effective with an audience of 30-150, as this allows for interaction and discussion. In order to reach as many students as possible, I am very happy to deliver the presentation three times in one day. Alternatively, for larger groups (e.g. whole school assemblies), the duration of the event would need to be reduced to around 30 minutes.
Again, in theory, any age group at secondary level. However, the Songs About a Girl trilogy is best suited to Years 7-10.
I require basic Powerpoint presentation facilities: a large projector screen, a laptop into which I can plug my USB stick, a clicker for moving through slides and, ideally, audio playback. I also require a microphone, preferably wireless, a microphone stand and some kind of basic lectern or music stand for my notes. I don't require any tech support for my guitar or vocals, as I sing and play unplugged.
I will be travelling to your school by train, from London. Where appropriate, taxis will need to be arranged to and from the nearest station.
Only for situations where I am required to be on-site first thing in the morning, and the destination is more than ninety minutes' travel from west London.
Absolutely! In fact, it makes a huge difference to me if students are given the opportunity to buy my books in advance, or on the day. If you are able to make arrangements through your local bookshop, I will be more than happy to sign copies after my event.
Black, no sugar. I like to think that makes me look suave and continental, like James Bond.
“Chris was an absolute smash hit with our girls and we sold every copy of his book we'd ordered! From start to finish he was a consummate professional.”
“It was lovely having an author and musician visit our schools, and a real treat for the students. They got a huge amount out of your visit.”
“Chris is engaging and inspirational. He has been visiting my schools for over ten years, and the students are always eager to work with him.”
“We had such fun bringing our students to meet Chris Russell – we definitely recommend him for a school visit!”
“The head teacher came into the library to rave about your visit today. I haven't seen her that happy in a while!”
“Chris delivered a totally unique and fun event combining music, singing and student interaction. The children were fully engaged and it was an amazing experience for all. I have no hesitation in recommending him.”
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