Another in the famous Teach Yourself series, the book is packed with ideas that will drive you and the confidence you might be lacking to write well about sex. That is difficult even for the most experienced authors and the book helps you craft believable, steamy and readable erotic fiction whether you have written before or are a complete beginner. Think about your favourite sexual fantasy, right now. Did an image flicker across your mind or a series of images? There's a good chance that, deep down, the very thought of that fantasy tiggered a physical reaction. Humans are sexual beings with big brains. We love stories and this is the premise behind erotic fiction. Today there is a revolution with online shopping and the eReader which has changed the game. Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James was openly passed on to friends and the previously uninitiated gorged themselves and now we are all, frankly, hungry. The chapters have a practical outlook and there are several kinds of exercise - snapshot which are short and sweet carrying out fun tasks listing your sexual fantasies or likes; workshop exercises that are longer and more structured for a short story; writing exercises which are the most rewarding; editing exercises to help you review, critique and improve your work and focus points to help you hone in on the main ideas of each chapter. Get writing your Big Sexy List and enjoy the memories as you develop character, plot, setting, theme, scenes and point of view. With super quotes from published authors throughout and tips and excellent examples plus advice on self-publishing on an electronic platform, blogging, tweeting, raising your profile and generating that all-important word-of-mouth success. 240pp, paperback.

Set contains Get Started In Writing For Children, Get Started In Self-Publishing and Get Started In Writing Erotic Fiction. Buy all three in the Teach Yourself series and save even more.

The jolly good British guide to stress-free living is the theme of this celebration of life. Being Shabby is about spending less time fussing and clearing up and getting stressed about stuff that doesn't really matter anyway. It's more than an attitude, it's a quintessentially British way of life, tied and tested for generations and founded on messiness, dilapidation, clutter and bodged repairs. A great Christmas gift idea, we love the humorous photographs of that cluttered desk, piled high with papers and books and important Post-it notes stuck on the screen of the computer, the keyboard of which is grubby and full of crumbs. Underneath the desk is a large pile of shoes. Welcome to the Shabby living room, kitchen, bathroom, loft, landing and outdoors the garden, shed, on the move, sports, parenting, fashion, eating, entertainment and hobbies, pets and Christmas where you don't 'give a flying damn about a judgemental aunty' and simply crack open the homemade sloe gin instead. Letting pets run freely, eating a Fridge Lunch, the BBQ with at least one wheel missing, the plughole spider in the bathroom, the dodgy plumbing bandaged with Jay-cloths, unidentifiable and tasteless spices on the rack, packets and jam jars dating back decades in the cupboard, Shabbification is a natural process through which a home truly becomes a comfortable place to kick back, relax and snuggle up, where games are played and family discussions take place, often among the perpetually flaking and rattling window frames. 64pp, colour.

Featuring original text and illustrations from the 1919 first edition, this 100th anniversary volume presents a new generation of readers with every facet of homesteading in a very handsomely crafted book. Practical projects range from ridding a garden of poison ivy, organising a potato peeling contest, cheese making, catching runaway pigs, smoking and curing meats, selling nuts, leading a bull safely, raising guinea pigs, the simplest kind of milk strainer, scientific hand milking, how to tell what is killing the chickens, when bees are put outdoors, tree pruning hints, protecting your trees from mice and rabbits, an easy to build ice house, easily prepared dishes like Chicken and Buckwheat Spiced Cakes, Mock Cherry Pie and Scotch Oat Crackers, how to carve meat, look after babies, indoor games including resolutions for New Year, things for impatient children to do, make a hanging board for tools and much more. Written by US farmers and craftsmen who would have kept livestock, tended a garden, put up vegetables for winter and maintained a wood lot for firewood, here is all manner of advice on farming, cooking, entertaining and cleaning from the magazine Farm Journal, the definitive rural lifestyle magazine of the early 20th century. A marvellous piece of social history. 264 glamorous pages with patterned page edges and gold tooling on cover.

Rules of the game, skills and tactics, here is a guide to bridge, its history, playing on the computer, how to bid, card play and defence and all with 700 spectacular colour illustrations. Bridge has been one of the world's most popular games of the century and is well respected as a strategic game that can be as competitive and technical or as fun and sociable as the players decide. For players of all levels this essential source of reference explains sample deals, tips and professional strategies for intermediate and high-level players and a history of the great champions and famous players of the past from all over the world such as Ely Culbertson, Omar Sharif, Terence Reese, Zia Mahmood and Gabriel Chagas. These players' incredible skills and contributions to the game are described alongside entertaining anecdotes and photographs to delight all bridge enthusiasts. Promoting trump tricks in defence, unblocking honours in defence, counting declarer's points, clues from the bidding, when to delay drawing trumps, safety plays in a single suit, control-showing cue-bids, planning a suit contractor, the hold-up play, completing the auction online and more. This is a spectacular hardback of 256 large glossy pages, 700 superb colour photos and diagrams and tips from Charles Goren, Rixi Markus and Benito Garozzo.

'Work less, create more: how to make your side hustle work for you' this is a Sunday Times bestseller. The world of work is changing, so how do you keep up? The Internet and smartphones give you the ability to make money on your own terms, when and where you want, but where do you start? If you have been itching to convert your craft into a career or your hobby into a start up, award winning blogger Emma Gannon teaches us that it doesn't matter if you are a part time PA with a blog, or a nurse who runs an online store in the evenings, whatever your ratio, your mixture, we can all channel our own entrepreneurial spirit to live more fulfilled and financially healthy lives. The book reflects on how we will all work more intelligently in the future and is written with humour and good sense for total newcomers to freelancing. 280pp. Paperback.

Sleep is something of a mystery and we feel instinctively that it does our minds and bodies profound good. Generally the brain seems to use the hours of sleep to sort and analyse new knowledge, solve problems and make strategies, and we are primed to ensure that we get sleep when we need it. The effect of melatonin is not just to send us to sleep at regular intervals, but also to align our body clocks with the onset of night time. The good news is that sleep problems are treatable, and it may not be a question of taking medication. Many of the book's 50 strategies involve 'visualisations' and are drawn from three psychotherapeutic techniques. They are emotional brain training, cognitive behavioural therapy, and mindfulness-based stress reduction, which can be successfully used in conjunction with each other. We go through the sleep cycle four to six times a night - light, real, deep, restorative and REM sleep. Ensure your bedroom is conducive to sleep, you have a restful evening and avoid excessive alcohol or heavy foods which might end up disturbing your night. With a bit of dark time your body will learn to take the hint and make you sleepy before you go to bed. Breathing, tensing and relaxing muscle groups, loosen and relaxing your body, you will mentally prime your muscles to relax and enjoy the sensation of release. Clean sheets, getting up with the rooster, enchanted forests, skywriting, floating bed, pillow talk, mastering your dreams, here are checklists, positive thoughts, pain relief, and this book is the perfect size to keep on your bedside table and give you a helping hand to drift off. 160 beautifully designed pages, colour photos and decorations.

Have fun with faces, hands and feet, draw cartoon kids, birdies and animals, set about your friends and caricature them with big heads, small bodies and go on to famous faces, sport and TV figures like Buster Merrifield with an enormous circular beard! Line by line Mark Linley enthusiastically lets you move your pencil to capture the character of your 'victim', using swift strokes to create a face that has instant appeal and exaggerating features to make a comical caricature. 256pp, well illustrated paperback.

A thumping heavyweight complete reference of essential home decoration and maintenance including painting, papering, tiling, laying floors, carpentry skills, insulation, outdoor projects and repairs. From tiling a work surface, painting and varnishing wood, laying a foam-backed carpet, replacing window panes, fitting window locks, making a garage storage wall, insulating roofs, repairing guttering, laying decking, making pergolas, building rock gardens, installing water features, varnishing and creating 'distressed' floorboards, fitting concealed hinges, making up drawers, bookshelves, a CD rack, replacing cabinet fronts for a new look within a tight budget, discovering the warmest of tile floor coverings (cork), all about adhesive and grouting, fantastic faux wood finishes like pine or oak made with a paint brush, draught-proofing doors, repointing brickwork. There is a guide to tools including chisels, saws, drills, hammers, screwdrivers etc. and over 2,400 colour photographs illustrate each step-by-step project for instant reference. Glossy white pages and superb photography, this reference is for complete beginners to experienced do-it-yourselfers alike so that looking after your home will be a thoroughly satisfying activity. A reference to turn to again and again. 640pp.

A New York Times bestseller, we couldn't resist this very cheeky little green man to bring to a British audience. The night is dark, the streets are quiet, St Patrick's Day is near. I tap my hammer so you'll know the Leprechaun is here! I'll pull all your laces, put glitter in your hair. And when you walk around, you'll see my GOLD coins everywhere. You'll never catch me in your trap, but, yes, I'll make a scene! I'll turn your whole place upside down. Your toilet will be green! Setting traps around your house, the very naughty Leprechaun is only seen by his green hat as he does his fancy pantsy dancy twinkle toes escapes, causing havoc around the house. Without a four-leaf clover you don't stand a chance. Better luck next year! Ages four and up with bold colourful illustrations by Andy Elkerton. Colour board book.