Jan 30, 2020
After surviving an early, abusive marriage in her native England, Deb Richards fled with her life and her young daughter for the dream of sunny skies in Los Angeles. It was there that she met the handsome and successful songwriter Jake Jake Hooker who was a very successful songwriter having written, “I Love Rock N Roll,” one of the greatest and biggest hits of all time, according to both Billboard and Rolling Stone magazines. The song has been covered by many artists, including Joan Jett and Britney Spears, creating worldwide sales in excess of 30 million records.
Jake also wrote and produced many hits for various soundtracks, including, Flashdance, Top Gun, Rocky 4, Iron Eagle, Wayne’s World, Charlie’s Angels (The Movie), Ghost World, Story Telling, etc. All told Jakes songs have sold well over a 100 million records or a staggering $1.6 billion in retail sales. Together, Jake and Deb put that dime in the jukebox of life and had a dream marriage where they balance Hollywood, famous execs and blending families.
Deb faced a second nightmare when some of her children began to experiment with drugs. In her debut book Richards shows how one mother’s love and courage shines through despite overwhelming odds. Deb needed her own lifelines after Jake’s tragic suicide.
Deb proves you can always reinvent, shift your thoughts and shine your light. Her book, Shift & Shine, is a must read for anyone who has loved an addict or lost someone to suicide. It’s an inspiring story of hope with tools to find a path through crippling adversity and emerge stronger and kinder. Deborah lives in a cottage on two acres in Santa Barbara with her dogs and horses.