"Where I come from, where modesty is a sin, Flintoff 's book would be called 'The Indispensable Guide to Giving an Unforgettable Speech'."Jay Heinrichs, New York Times bestselling author Most of us dread public speaking. But at some point we find ourselves forced to make a speech. And we worry: Will my jokes fall flat? What if I freeze? Is it okay to read notes? What if people walk out? This book won't magically transform you into a fast-talking corporate hotshot. But it will show you how to think about public speaking in a new way, and with a spot of luck, you will achieve adequacy. Or better! Drawing on ancient principles of rhetoric and his own entertaining successes and failures on the speech-giving circuit, John-Paul Flintoff provides simple but effective techniques to help you to speak with confidence to any crowd, whether it's a work presentation or a best friend's wedding. Humble but motivating, this is a guide to finding your voice, even if it's a bit croaky at first, and a reassuring affirmation that we all have something to say.

The whole of life can be found in the psalms. It can also be found in our cities. Psalms for the City is a beautifully illustrated book of poetry that offers comfort, inspiration and encouragement for the heart and soul, as John-Paul Flintoff puts into vibrant, captivating and sometimes heart-wrenching words the pockets of peace he has found in the midst of the non-stop noise and colourful chaos of the city. Inspired by the psalms - some of the oldest and most soul-stirring poetry in the world - Flintoff's fluid style and technical skills take us on a private tour of our most-loved urban landscapes and reveal the spiritual nourishment in some of its most famous sights. In countless churches and sacred spaces, he shows us locations to lament; he teaches us to discover joy in crowded marketplaces; and shares how he found hope searching the horizon atop Hampstead Heath. With his own hand-drawn illustrations to accompany the poems, Psalms for the City is a book that poetry lovers will treasure and is perfect for fans of Charlie Mackesy. Presented in a beautiful hardback format, it will also make a wonderful gift for friends and family, and for those who love the diversity of city life. Open and honest, these are modern day psalms that chart John-Paul's discovery that the extraordinary places welcomed the ordinary, and that when we're looking closely, the ordinary places can become extraordinary. Psalms for the City is an invitation to take your imagination on a pilgrimage across the city, experiencing the full depths of what it means to be human today.

Every family has a story to tell. This is yours. Think of your favourite family holidays, recipes, jokes and often repeated tales. Wouldn't it be great to record them before they're lost to history? Harriet Green and John-Paul Flintoff are journalists who have spent years drawing the best out of their interviewees. Here they prompt you to do the same with your nearest and dearest - whether it be re-enacting an old family photo or crafting a letter to someone you miss, remembering much-loved family pets or quizzing your parents about their earliest memories. You'll become a doodler, detective, cartographer, historian, anthropologist, peacemaker and author. And most importantly of all, you'll be talking things over with the people that matter to you most, from grandparents to children. The more you put in, the more valuable this book will become; a moving, unique record of the people who came before you and something to pass on to future generations.

We all want to live in a better world, but sometimes it feels like we lack the ability to make a difference. Author, broadcaster, and journalist John-Paul Flintoff offers a powerful reminder that through the generations, society has been transformed by the actions of individuals who understood that if they didn't like something, they could change it.
Combining fresh new insights from history and other disciplines, this book will give you a sense of what might just be possible, as well as the inspiration and the courage you need to go about improving and changing the world we live in. The School of Life is dedicated to exploring life's big questions: How can we fulfill our potential? Can work be inspiring? Why does community matter? Can relationships last a lifetime? We don't have all the answers, but we will direct you toward a variety of useful ideas--from philosophy to literature, psychology to the visual arts--that are guaranteed to stimulate, provoke, nourish, and console.

Windsor Castle. 1714. Queen Anne is nearing the end of a life filled with tragedy and grief: plagued by illness and cursed by her father to lose all 17 of her children, she now lies dying with no living heir. The question of succession is thick in the air. Will it be James Stuart, the half-brother she has always refused to acknowledge? Or George of Hanover, the cousin who once turned her down for marriage? Neither is ideal: she hates them both. Over the course of one night at the Queen's Elizabethan ball, courtiers, politicians and ladies' maids alike seize the opportunity to steer the succession to their own advantage, changing the course of history forever. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to them, imperial spy Daniel Defoe creeps through the castle gathering intelligence on their every move for the Earl of Oxford. Before the night is over, Queen Anne will finally have to face the past-for nothing can be resolved until she comes to terms with her children's deaths and repairs the terrible wrong she committed many years before...