Here to Stay by Mark Edwards - Book Review

Reviewing Here to Stay by Mark Edwards

On a sunny spring day in West Dulwich, an area in south London, Elliot opens his garden to the public during the Open Gardens event; self-guided tours showcasing the private gardens of residents. He had no way of knowing that he'd meet his future bride surrounded by his wisteria and tulips. And he had no way of knowing that beautiful Gemma's family were the stuff nightmares are made of. Sometimes chance meetings and whirlwind romances are planned events with ulterior motives. By the time Elliot realizes this, the evil has moved in and is Here to Stay.

Warning: This psychological thriller describes the behaviors of cruel and/or dysfunctional people. This story involves threats, intimidation, and murders. 

Elliot - a 38 year old bachelor who lives alone with his cat, Charlie, at number twenty-six Cuckoo Lane. Socially clumsy, his dating life was nearly non-existent. He kept busy with remodeling his historic Victorian home and his career. Elliott is a good, albeit somewhat anal, guy. He is a science teacher who earned a significant amount of money selling an educational website. This income allowed him to start a non-profit that ran science workshops for underprivileged kids. 

Gemma - The beautiful Gemma. When she arrives at Elliot's open house (garden), he is immediately smitten. She reminds him of an American movie star. Little does he know that she carries a lifetime of scars, both outwardly and inwardly. She and Elliott very quickly fall in love.

The In-Laws - Gemma's family consists of her brother, Stuart, and his family who live in a nearby neighborhood. Gemma's Mom (Lizzy), Dad (Jeff), and sister (Chloe) are currently living in France but returning to the UK and need a place to stay.

Jeff and Lizzy are rude, intimidating, and dirty house guests. They immediately begin to foul up Elliot's immaculate home. Jeff and Lizzy are very quickly and easily disliked. Chloe is visibly ill. There is something very wrong with Chloe but Jeff and Lizzy keep her isolated rather than seek help. Anytime that soft-spoken Elliot attempts to make a stand, Jeff postures and physically intimidates. 

Fairly soon, innocent people are victimized. Dead bodies begin to turn up and when it is too late Elliot thinks he knows what the scheme is. Is there such a thing as love at first sight? Or is it only part of a plan created by a parasitic family who is trying to meet their own needs?




This author, Mark Edwards, has an increasing fan base and many online reviewers are raving about this story in particular. Some of the negative reviews state that the story line is unbelievable; that there aren't people like this (both naive Elliot and his evil in-laws) in the world. But there are. There are many, many people just like them. Naive people who are used as pawns and those who stop just short of leaving a trail of dead bodies in order to obtain what they want. This is the part of the story that kept me up and reading late into the night. This book may be for you if you like stories where the girl-next-door may really be something nightmares of made of.

Note: Edited for correction. The character's name is Gemma. Not Emma as written in the original review. 

Other Psychological Thrillers:

Stephen King's Misery is probably the best example of a plain, everyday neighbor who is someone you never want to meet. Someone who uses people to meet her own needs in a very sick way. While it is a bit hard to believe that good ol' Annie Wilkes is able to rescue a full grown man from a terrible car wreck and keep him alive despite his horrendous injuries, it is a gripping and frightening tale. Annie was able to get him "out of the cockadoodee car" and kept him alive in order to torture him until he completed a task for her. 

For more psychological thriller selections on Amazon click here.

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How to Display Artwork Without Hanging it on the Wall

A Review of 5 Ways to Display Artwork Without Hanging it on the Wall

When levels, hooks, hammers, and nails frustrate you, or you're not keen on marking up the walls, below are designer approved alternative methods to feature art:

1. An Art Easel

Art easels provide mobility. Place your favorite piece of art on an easel and move from room to room when you need a change. Easels come in numerous styles. Finding one to match your decor should be a cinch.

2. Frame TV

Frame TV transforms into art. Samsung's Frame TV turns into a beautiful piece of art when you're not watching it. This particular Frame TV should be wall-mounted. However, if you're planning to wall mount your TV anyway, an art tv provides two-for-one use. Display spectacular artwork from a list of established or up-and-coming artists. Oh, and one more thing, put a Frame TV on an easel for a display of rotating or static art.

3. Lean Art Against the Wall

There are two ways to consider doing this:

Leaning a larger piece on the floor

The trick to this is placing the art in a room without it appearing as a shortcut or after-thought. A very large piece of art should be positioned so that it's part of the design of the room. Avoid placing it away from the focus of the space. The decor and furniture in the room should tie into the piece.

Leaning and layering pieces on a cabinet, bench, fireplace or other furniture surfaces

Layering is exactly what it sounds like. You layer a variety of photos so they're slightly touching each other. As an example, on a cabinet,  layer multiple family photos in a collection of matching or non-matching frames against the wall.

4. Place Art in a Decorative or Non-Operational Fireplace

An unused fireplace insert area is ideal to display art. Choose at least one or more pieces to cover the entire back wall, then layer a few smaller pieces in front. The art completes the fireplace by giving it a distinctive purpose.

5. Use a Bookcase or Large Cabinet

If you have a large bookcase or cabinet, lean your art inside one or more of the shelves. It's especially lovely to use larger art pieces on a few shelves. Don't stop at one or two pieces, add several in varying sizes.

If You Decide to Hang Photos on the Wall, what are the Best Hooks?

If ultimately you decide to hang your photos, I HIGHLY recommend these hooks. They're the only ones I use. It's one of those 'As you see on TV' products and they're fantastic. They only leave a pinhole in the wall and you don't need tools (hammers etc) to hang your pictures. I can hang photos on my own now, no need to ask for help.

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Stellar Resume Writing by Gregory Austin – Book Review

Source: Pixabay Image enhanced by Fotojet

Secrets from a Corporate Recruiter on How to Land Interviews

Have you been sending out your resume in search of a job and never hear anything back? Have you wondered why, even though you feel you are qualified for the position, you seldom get a call for an interview or even that initial phone interview? Perhaps it is not your skill set or your experience, but your resume giving off the wrong impression. 

You may have all the  'right stuff' a recruiter is looking for in a particular job, but your resume does not impress them. Why is that? If it is not your qualifications that are lacking, then what about your resume doesn't say what hiring managers are really looking for and what they really want to see?

If you are a beginner at writing a resume, getting back into the job market after a long career, or a seasoned resume writer looking for some higher-level tips, you can find value in this book. 

Stellar Resume Writing

Available on Amazon

In Stellar Resume Writing, Secrets from a Corporate Recruiter: How to Land Interviews, Gregory Austin covers some very good 'best practices' and some things you absolutely must do. He explains what a personal brand is and how your resume can represent this and who you are. Even if you are applying for an entry-level position, making a good impression immediately with an outstanding resume can mark the beginning of what could become a wonderful career. 

Shotgun vs. Targeted Job Search

Source: Pixabay

Gregory explains the two ways to go about a job search. Each has its pros and cons and the author explains the differences. 

1. The Shotgun Method is quicker and may be fine for just “any” job. 
2. The Targeted Job Search Method is the best approach if you are seeking a job in a more specialized field that will utilize your skills and experience and give you job satisfaction in the long run. 

Each of these methods requires a particular type of resume, and this book will go into the details you need to write a resume that gets the attention of the recruiter or hiring manager.

Recruiters and hiring managers read hundreds of resumes looking for quality candidates for their companies. They 'key in' on particular points. For instance, some resumes may be from a well qualified candidate, but lack any contact information. This may seem unbelievable, but it happens more often than you would think. There is a circular file near the desk of these recruiters for such resumes, as you can imagine.  A recruiter spends hours upon hours reading resumes. Therefore, when writing your resume you need to be aware of a few “Must Do” points to include.

Author Gregory Austin

Gregory Austin

Gregory has been a recruiter for over 10 years, starting as an agency recruiter finding candidates who would be an excellent fit for a variety of organizations. 

Today he is a corporate recruiter finding quality candidates for the company he works for. After reading thousands of resumes over the years, he has nailed it down to the essential elements you need in your resume to really get noticed. 

During his career he has always found the most pleasure in helping candidates. Even if he cannot hire them at a particular time, he recognizes their potential and is passionate about helping them gain more confidence in their own job search and in giving them more tools to be successful. Thus, he wrote this book for that purpose, and is in the process of writing other helpful books aimed toward how to handle yourself in an interview and on counseling the job seeker.  

Summary

If you are looking for some excellent tips on how to create a resume from scratch or a needed tune-up to sharpen your resume, Stellar Resume Writing is for you. It is a short book that reads more like a workbook or a how-to document to give you some tangible and tactical knowledge to include in your resume and help you get noticed by a desirable employer. This edition also contains two valuable bonuses ~ a complimentary resume template and a social platform networking boost!

Discover How To Write Your Resume 

So Recruiters And Hiring Managers Will Call You!

Available in Paperback and on Kindle

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(c) Wednesday Elf. 8/17/2019

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Behind the Light of Golowduyn (A Cornish Romance Book 1) Reviewed

A Romantic Historical Fiction that I Could Not Put Down!

Behind the Light of Golowduyn certainly kept me spellbound. I do love to find a book that I simply cannot put down until I reach the end. This is the first book I have read by Deborah M. Hathaway, but it definitely will not be the last.

To start, I loved the setting of this beloved lighthouse that signaled danger of the cliffs to passing ships.  To a captain, the lighthouse is a light of salvation and survival.  A ship being tossed in a storm could end up being a pile of timber with a crew of dead men, surrounded by their worldly possessions. 

It is the duty of the historical lighthouse keeper to tend the lights, keep the oil full and the wicks trimmed for the next lighting, and to keep the tower's glass clean inside and out.  It is the cleaning of the outside glass that presents the greatest danger for the lighthouse keeper since falling could be as fatal to him as the cliffs are to sailors.   

For the lighthouse keeper, it can mean a lonely existence.  While his efforts are often greatly appreciated, he rarely hears the praise from the men on the passing ships, unless he has failed at his job and meets them face to face. 

Behind the Light of Golowduyn Book Synopsis

 Behind the Light of Golowduyn
(A Cornish Romance Book 1)Check Price When Abigail Moore was a child, she was taken in by her uncle, the keeper of a lighthouse.  He taught her to be his assistant and to help him tend the lighthouse.  Abigail loves Golowduyn, the lighthouse.  She prefers it to being in the city surrounded by people of society who are often cruel and harsh.  For Abigail, Golowduyn offers a safe haven of acceptance and peace.  She has been very happy growing up in her sheltered and protected world.

When her Uncle Ellis is hurt while cleaning the exterior windows, Abigail assumes the entire responsibility of tending the lighthouse, as well as caring for her uncle and their home.  Although she is overextended and often exhausted, she is more than happy to continue as the exclusive Golowduyn caretaker.  Then one stormy night, the very thing she has spent her life trying to prevent, happens when a ship wrecks.  Abigail races out into the storm in hopes of aiding any survivors.

On the Ship, Valour

Captain Gavin Kendricks is fighting to at least save the lives of his crew as it becomes clear that his ship is going to wreck into the cliffs of Cornwall, if it doesn't burn first.  

As the captain, Gavin will be the last to leave the ship.  However, as he and his friend, Lieutenant Harris, are waiting for the lifeboat to return for them, they are hit by a wave and Harris is knocked into the water.  Certain that his friend will drown, Gavin quickly ties a rope around his waist and jumps.  

On shore, Abigail sees the man fall from the ship through her telescope.  She can also see that the lifeboats are headed to shore, away from the ship and the man in the water.  Realizing they have no way of knowing anyone has fallen, she jumps into her own small boat, grabs the oars and heads directly for the man in the water, praying she will get there on time.  She is already distressed by the belief that she has failed this ship and it's crew.  Abigail has no way of knowing it was not her fault as the lighthouse keeper, that the ship has wrecked.   

Time for You to Read the Book

I hope this book review has piqued your interest and you are ready to grab your copy of the book today.  Just one warning, pick it up on a night when you don't mind staying awake.  I was so intrigued by the story, it was 4 am before I closed my eyes to sleep.  Even then, I did so, reluctantly.
 

 Behind the Light of Golowduyn (A Cornish Romance Book 1)Check Price

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How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body - Book Review

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Every once in a while you come across a book that reawakens the intentional use of a power you had forgotten you possessed.  Anyone dealing with chronic illness, pain, a life-threatening disease, or another condition seriously impacting quality of life could benefit from reading How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body.  This is a book I would also recommend to those who support others who are experiencing critical health challenges.

Anyone interested in the mind-body connection is likely to find something of value in Dr. David Hamilton's examination of the enormous healing capacity we hold within.  My hope is that today's book review will encourage the one reading this who is searching for a way to positively deal with an issue that is making life difficult or less satisfying than it could be.

The mind: Do we even have the slightest inkling of what it is doing for us at this very moment?  I hadn't gotten very far into this book before I was completely captivated.  As I write this review, and as you read my words, we are changing the very structure of our brains.  Every thought we are having is reshaping the most marvelous instrument ever created.  We are becoming something new even as we share this experience.

Starting with a review of applicable medical research, Hamilton provides the fuel to launch us into a place of wonder.  The studies he shares took me well beyond my earlier Psychology 101 introduction to the Placebo Effect.  I was especially intrigued by those control group participants who knew they were taking a placebo (a substance that has no intended therapeutic effect) and yet did nearly as well physiologically as the group getting the real medication.  This was something entirely different from the psychological effect of believing in a new treatment.  This was the mind actually healing the body without the assistance of any external chemicals.

You won't be surprised when I say this is not a beach read.  I found that I needed a change of pace after wading through the introductory chapters.  There was much of interest, but it was a lot of information.  Right when I was about to skip ahead, the author shifted gears and moved on to what it looks like to heal the body with the mind.  The profiles of individuals who used the mind to help shrink cancer tumors, to gain strength and mobility after a stroke, and to activate the immune system are the types of stories I find interesting.

It's all about visualization.  The brain doesn't discriminate between what is real and what is imagined.  In other words, what becomes real to the brain is what we imagine, and what we think becomes the basis for regenerating cells within our mind and body.  The good news is that we can experience regeneration every day of our lives.  This isn't a process that shuts down when we reach a certain age.

As an athlete, I was taught the importance of visualization.  Most of us have watched Olympic athletes, during their competition warm-ups, go through a visualization exercise (imagining the race, or gymnastics routine, and every move they will make).  I never really knew exactly why that worked or how the benefit came about.  Reading this book provided me with a better grasp of the why.  It really was astonishing to learn how imagery can elevate performance and strengthen muscles before they are even used.

For those of us who have worried at times about the health inheritance from our parents, there is encouragement about how we can use the power of the mind to impact whether or not certain DNA switches turn on or off.  We don't have to accept that it is inevitable that we will suffer from the same poor disease outcomes.  Where once we felt doomed by our DNA, we can now experience a greater sense of hope, knowing that we are not powerless.

There are many mind-body connection books from which to choose.  I felt this was a worthwhile read.  It set the stage for taking my learning even farther.  Anything that keeps us on the path to healthier living is worth the investment of time and energy.  I'm glad I read How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body.  It reminded me that there is more I can do to be an active participant in my own healing.  It also caused me to celebrate the wonder of the mind and to feel a sense of gratitude for what I have been given.  What more can you ask from a book?

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