MARK SEAL

A compelling story of African adventure romance and intrigue perfect for readers of bestselling true crime such as WHITE MISCHIEF and MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL WILDFLOWER is the gripping life story of the naturalist filmmaker and lifelong conservationist Joan Root From her passion for animals and her hard fought crusade to save Kenya s beautiful Lake Naivasha to her storybook love affair Root s life was one of a remarkable modern day heroine After 20 years of spectacular unparalleled wildlife filmmaking together Joan and Alan Root divorced and a fascinating woman found her own voice Renowned journalist Mark Seal has written a breathtaking portrait of a strong woman discovering herself and fighting for her beliefs before her mysterious and brutal murder in Kenya With a cast as wild wondrous and unpredictable as Africa itself WILDFLOWER is a real life adventure tale set in the world s disappearing wilderness Rife with personal revelation intrigue corruption and murder readers will remember Joan Root s extraordinary journey long after they turn the last page of this compelling book

This wickedly pacey page turner Total Film unfurls the behind the scenes story of the making of The Godfather fifty years after the classic film s original release The story of how The Godfather was made is as dramatic operatic and entertaining as the film itself Over the years many versions of various aspects of the movie s fiery creation have been told sometimes conflicting but always compelling Mark Seal sifts through the evidence has extensive new conversations with director Francis Ford Coppola and several heretofore silent sources and complements them with colorful interviews with key players including actors Al Pacino James Caan Talia Shire and others to write the definitive look at the making of an American classic Library Journal starred review On top of the usual complications of filmmaking the creators of The Godfather had to contend with the real life members of its subject matter the Mob During production of the movie location permits were inexplicably revoked author Mario Puzo got into a public brawl with an irate Frank Sinatra producer Al Ruddy s car was found riddled with bullets men with connections vied to be in the cast and some were given film roles As Seal notes this is the tale of a movie that revolutionized fil

With compassion and an unswerving regard for the truth, veteran journalist Mark Seal lays bare the deeply moving, inspirational story of Joan Root, a dedicated environmentalist and Oscar-nominated wildlife filmmaker. He covers her early days in Kenya as a shy young woman with an almost uncanny ability to connect to animals; her whirlwind courtship with the dashing Alan Root, their marriage, and the twenty years of nonstop adventure and passionate romance that followed, both in Africa and around the world; the shattering disintegration of the marriage and partnership; and Joans triumphant struggle to reinvent herself as the protector of her lakeshore communitys fragile ecosystema struggle that would lead to her tragic death in January 2006. Joan Root dreamed of a bright future for Kenya, a country blessed with unmatched beauty but scarred by decades of colonization and a culture of corruption. She spent her life fighting to make that dream a reality. Her life ended too soon, but thanks to Seals meticulous re-creation, her extraordinary life lives on. (People, four-star review)

NATIONAL BESTSELLERThis wickedly pacey page-turner (Total Film) unfurls the behind-the-scenes story of the making of The Godfather, fifty years after the classic films original release.The story of how The Godfather was made is as dramatic, operatic, and entertaining as the film itself. Over the years, many versions of various aspects of the movies fiery creation have been toldsometimes conflicting, but always compelling. Mark Seal sifts through the evidence, has extensive new conversations with director Francis Ford Coppola and several heretofore silent sources, and complements them with colorful interviews with key players including actors Al Pacino, James Caan, Talia Shire, and others to write the definitive look at the making of an American classic (Library Journal, starred review).On top of the usual complications of filmmaking, the creators of The Godfather had to contend with the real-life members of its subject matter: the Mob. During production of the movie, location permits were inexplicably revoked, author Mario Puzo got into a public brawl with an irate Frank Sinatra, producer Al Ruddys car was found riddled with bullets, men with connections vied to be in the cast, and some were given film roles.As Seal notes, this is the tale of a movie that revolutionized filmmaking, saved Paramount Pictures, minted a new generation of movie stars, made its struggling author Mario Puzo rich and famous, and sparked a war between two of the mightiest powers in America: the sharks of Hollywood and the highest echelons of the Mob.For fans of books about moviemaking, this is a definite must-read (Booklist).

Step inside the mad, mad world of Johnny Deppone of the most famous, unique, and controversial actors of all timeand find the story of his unconventional life from Mark Seal, the New York Times bestselling author of Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli.In 1983 high-school dropout Johnny Depp and his rock band The Kids moved from Florida to Los Angeles to make it big. But after the band found little success, Depp stumbled into a career in acting practically by accident when in his first-ever audition he secured a leading role in A Nightmare on Elm Street. From there, he became known as a teenage heartthrob in 21 Jump Street and then an idiosyncratic Tim Burton collaborator in Edward Scissorhands and seven other Burton films, along with an astonishing array of other movies. But after the mega-blockbuster success of Pirates of the Caribbean in 2003, the Jack Sparrow actor was transformed overnight into, in the words of his former agent, the biggest movie star in the world.Pirates came at a steep costso much money and so much fame, and so very fast. Seemingly unconcerned with carefully choreographing a public image, Depp has become one of the last true renegades, mixing his internal and external chaos with his art. In recent years, that chaos has often taken center stage, with his divorce from Amber Heard and defamation suit against her, a livestreamed court battle that generated worldwide headlines and rallied millions behind #JusticeForJohnnyDepp. He was awarded $10 million in damages but emerged, in his words, shunned, dumped, booted, deep-sixed, canceledhowever you want to define it. Now, hes making a comeback with at least two forthcoming films, though Depp himself rejects that word (I didnt go anywhere). With insights from almost a hundred individuals who have known Depp in his former and present lives, this biography traces the timing, talent, trauma, and sheer luck that transformed a rock-and-roll kid from Florida into one of the most famousand arguably the most controversialactors on the planet.

A real-life Talented Mr. Ripley, the unbelievable thirty-year run of a shape-shifting con man. The story of Clark Rockefeller is a stranger-than-fiction twist on the classic American success story of the self-made man-because Clark Rockefeller was totally made up. The career con man who convincingly passed himself off as Rockefeller was born in a small village in Germany. At seventeen, obsessed with getting to America, he flew into the country on dubious student visa documents and his journey of deception began. Over the next thirty years, boldly assuming a series of false identities, he moved up the social ladder through exclusive enclaves on both coasts-culminating in a stunning twelve-year marriage to a rising star businesswoman with a Harvard MBA who believed shed wed a Rockefeller. The imposter charmed his way into exclusive clubs and financial institutions-working on Wall Street, showing off an extraordinary art collection-until his marriage ended and he was arrested for kidnapping his daughter, which exposed his past of astounding deceptions as well as a connection to the bizarre disappearance of a California couple in the mid-1980s. The story of The Man in the Rockefeller Suit is a probing and cinematic exploration of an audacious imposer-and a man determined to live the American dream by any means necessary.

With compassion and an unswerving regard for the truth, veteran journalist Mark Seal lays bare the deeply moving, inspirational story of Joan Root, a dedicated environmentalist and Oscar-nominated wildlife filmmaker. He covers her early days in Kenya as a shy young woman with an almost uncanny ability to connect to animals; her whirlwind courtship with the dashing Alan Root, their marriage, and the twenty years of nonstop adventure and passionate romance that followed, both in Africa and around the world; the shattering disintegration of the marriage and partnership; and Joans triumphant struggle to reinvent herself as the protector of her lakeshore communitys fragile ecosystema struggle that would lead to her tragic death in January 2006. Joan Root dreamed of a bright future for Kenya, a country blessed with unmatched beauty but scarred by decades of colonization and a culture of corruption. She spent her life fighting to make that dream a reality. Her life ended too soon, but thanks to Seals meticulous re-creation, her extraordinary life lives on. (People, four-star review)

A compelling story of African adventure, romance and intrigue, perfect for readers of bestselling true crime such as WHITE MISCHIEF and MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL.WILDFLOWER is the gripping life story of the naturalist, filmmaker and lifelong conservationist Joan Root. From her passion for animals and her hard-fought crusade to save Kenyas beautiful Lake Naivasha, to her storybook love affair, Roots life was one of a remarkable modern-day heroine. After 20 years of spectacular, unparalleled wildlife filmmaking together, Joan and Alan Root divorced and a fascinating woman found her own voice. Renowned journalist Mark Seal has written a breathtaking portrait of a strong woman discovering herself and fighting for her beliefs before her mysterious and brutal murder in Kenya.With a cast as wild, wondrous and unpredictable as Africa itself, WILDFLOWER is a real-life adventure tale set in the worlds disappearing wilderness. Rife with personal revelation, intrigue, corruption and murder, readers will remember Joan Roots extraordinary journey long after they turn the last page of this compelling book.