Geri Halliwell Spices Up Children's Lit
Geri Halliwell is joining the ranks of Madonna, Joni Mitchell, Leann Rimes and Billy Joel.
Not by singing, but by opting to pen children's books.
The former Spice Girl's authorial efforts will follow the adventures of nine-year-old Ugenia Lavender, a spunky, bright English girl who goes to school just like any normal kid but at the same time harbors a talent for solving mysteries and working her way out of sticky situations.
Sounds like a perfect endeavor for the mother of Bluebell Madonna. Halliwell's daughter will be one year old in May, still a few year's shy from indulging in her mum's prose.
Halliwell, who started writing these stories when she was pregnant, will also be providing the narration and voicing several characters for the tales' audio-book editions. The books will hit shelves at the rate of one a month, starting in May 2008, up until October.
"I had put my back out and was stuck on the couch. I have a massive amount of creative energy and love to write. I needed something to channel that energy," Halliwell told Reuters Thursday after inking a six-book deal with Macmillan Children's Books.
So as not to let her other talents get rusty in the meantime, Halliwell also has plans to record a theme song for her addition to the canon of pint-size literary heroines, a tune that will also be released on CD next year and packaged along with the books.
Halliwell characterized her upcoming books as a bit Raiders of the Lost Ark-meets-Alice in Wonderland.
Ugenia is "a very well-rounded human being," Halliwell told the Associated Press. "She's flawed. She's demanding. She can be a bit obnoxious, but equally she cares about the world she lives in."
Actually, that sounds more like a combination of Posh, Baby and Scary Spice.
Regardless, Halliwell said that acting like Madonna, author of the bucolic-sounding The English Roses and Mr. Peabody's Apples, has made for the perfect pastime since giving birth to Bluebell last year.
"I'm up in my office, so I can still be with my child, which is really important for me," Halliwell, 34, said.
Whether the ginger-headed songstress, who cited C.S. Lewis and Enid Blyton as her favorite authors, plans on going back to music fulltime remains to be seen.
"We'll see," she said. "At the moment, this is my absolute passion."
"It is time to hand on the baton of girl power through a different medium," she told Reuters.
Accordingly, there is a princess character in the Ugenia Lavender series who, Halliwell admits, is based on former group mate Victoria Beckham.
"She was very flattered, and I hope she is going to read the books to her boys," she said.
Other celebrities who have been bitten with the itsy-bitsy writing bug in recent years include Mitchell (Chelsea Morning), Joel (Goodnight My Angel), Rimes (Jag and Jag's New Friend), Will Smith (Just the Two of Us), Jerry Seinfeld (Halloween), Jay Leno (If Roast Beef Could Fly), Jamie Lee Curtis (Where Do Balloons Go: An Uplifting Mystery) and Sting (Rock Steady: A Story of Noah's Ark).
The Big Picture
Glassy Lassie Flashing some casual cool, Jessica Simpson shows off her big...sunglasses in WeHo
More PhotosMost Commented
- Twilight Rewind: Hot Dish From the Cast Last Year! (798)
- Costars and Suits Give Robsten Their Blessings! (648)
- Blab Blab Blab: Is Twilight Sexist? (551)
- Truth, Lies & Ted: Twilight Special (478)
- Why Won't Sarah Palin Go Away? (429)
- Bitch-Back! What's Brad Got to Do With It? (425)
- Is New Moon Even Good? (414)
- Is Ugly Betty Ending? And Who Gets the Girl? (382)
- Ridiculous Twilight Hookups in an "All Taken" Cast (348)
- Dishy Rob Pattinson: Kristen Stewart Cooks a "Mean Spam" (284)
Top 10 Stories
- Dr. Phil, Rachael Ray & More Continue Singing Oprah's Praises
- Michael Jackson's Doc Shipped Propofol From Vegas to L.A., Records Show
- Unleashed Fangirls Derail Justin Bieber Appearance
- Miley Cyrus' Tour Bus in Deadly Crash
- Good News for Miley: She's Officially Not a Racist
- New Moon's "Absolutely Freakish" Debut
- Snipes Appeals Overly Taxing Prison Sentence
- Carrie Prejean's Biblical Boobs Are A-OK!
- Project Runway: Everybody Cries, One Designer Wins
- Ellen: Oprah Will Always Be the Queen of Daytime TV
Fashion Police
Green With Envy?Not quite, but we do give Kristen props for this shot of color during her New Moon press tour
More Photos
Latest Movie Reviews
Get Your E! News Now
1 Comments
-
Show the next 1 - 0 of 1 comments
Now loading...