villains in stories Audiobooks

Even in a lovely town like River Bluffs, Indiana, flipping houses can be a challenge. Especially when there’s the proverbial skeleton in the closet—and a literal corpse in the driveway . . . House-flipper Jazzi Zanders has her work cut out for her. Her latest flip, which she co-purchased with her fiancée Ansel and cousin Jerod, is a three-story fixer-upper that’s more of a droopy-downer. One corner of the house is sinking and needs to be jacked up with a new cement foundation. That costs money. And causes headaches. And creates a work environment that’s not only hostile, it’s downright deadly . . . Jazzi knows it’s a tough job. Which is why she hired Darby to lay the cement. But when Darby gets into a fiery argument with the furnace man—and then never shows up to lay gravel for the driveway—Jazzi starts to wonder if the rumors about Darby are true. Did he kill his wife and son and bury them in the yard like some folks claim? When Darby’s dead body comes pouring out of a gravel truck, murder upstages the real estate market as her biggest concern . . .

In addition to her house-flipping talents, Jazzi Zanders is breaking ground as a sleuth. But she’s going to need every tool at her disposal to solve two crimes . . . In their hair salon, Jazzi’s sister Olivia and mother are savvy businesswomen whose creativity brings fashion and flair to the folks of Rivers Bluff, Indiana. So when their newest hairstylist Misty is caught scamming clients’ debit cards and selling beauty products during off hours to pocket the profits, Olivia fires her. But Misty retaliates by hitting back with a defamation lawsuit—which she is more than happy to drop if Olivia pays her ten grand. But neither blackmail nor courtroom fees are accrued after Misty’s body is discovered in the salon with Olivia’s scissors stuck in her chest. Olivia may be the number one suspect, but her murdered employee had a reputation for making enemies. Then Jazzi’s ex Chad appears, asking for help with his marital strife. This already awkward situation worsens when Chad’s wife vanishes and the police investigate him. Now, it’s up to Jazzi to clear both her sister’s and ex’s names while the killer—or killers—could be a mere hair breadth’s away . . .

#1 Amazon New Release ─ Transform your relationship with your mother The best news on the planet is that your mother doesn't have to change in order for you to be happy. In fact, author Karen C.L. Anderson will take it a step further and say, your mother doesn't have to change in order for you to be free, peaceful, contented, and joyful. You can emotionally separate without guilt: Inspired by her own journey, Anderson's Difficult Mothers, Adult Daughters: A Guide For Separation, Liberation & Inspiration shows women how to emotionally separate from their mothers without guilt and anxiety so they can finally create a life based on their own values, desires, needs, and preferences. Not to mention being able to like and respect themselves during the process. Learn through the experiences of others: Through personal stories and experiences, practical tools that can used right away to feel better, and journal prompts, Anderson compassionately leads women who struggle in their relationships with their mothers through a process of self-awareness and understanding. Anderson's work with hundreds of women and her own personal work have resulted in profound growth and transformation. Anderson knows the results are nothing short of miraculous. Funny and compassionate: This book is about Anderson discovering and accepting the whole of who she is (separate from her mother), and making her discoveries accessible to women struggling to redefine their challenging relationships with their mothers. Her writing is relatable, real, funny, and compassionate. What you'll learn inside this book: Why mothers and daughters tend to have difficult relationships How to heal and transform your mother "wounds" from sources of pain into sources of creativity and wisdom How to tell your stories in a way that empowers you, rather than making you powerless How to handle the uncomfortable emotions that seem inevitable when it comes to your relationship with your mother The art of creating, articulating, and maintaining impeccable boundaries How to stop "shoulding" when it comes to yourself and your mother How to "re-mother" yourself and acknowledge, honor, and meet your own preferences and needs And much, much more

Wedding bells are ringing… Or is it a death knell? Rosemary Grey, professor of history at Paperwick University, and amateur sleuth, has never been busier. She and her best friend Jack Stone are hosting an exhibit on campus, Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and on Saturday, Rosemary is marrying the love of her life, Seth Maguire. A monkey-wrench is thrown into the works however, in the form of a long-lost uncle, a long-guarded secret, a robbery, and a murder. Rosemary and her friends will quite an adventure as they work together to solve the mystery before it’s time to say I do. Come spend the holidays in Paperwick, Connecticut, and be sure to enjoy the recipes and keepsakes included at the end of the book!

Take Your Leadership to the Next Level With This Award-Winning Business Book Winner, 2018 Foreword Indies, Adult Nonfiction/Career Award Finalist, 2018 Best Book Awards, Business/Careers Winner, 2019 International Book Awards, Business/Careers Winner, 2019 Discovery Award, Best First Book/Nonfiction Honorable Mention, 2019 Eric Hoffer Book Award, Business Strategic leadership is essential to business success: Strong leaders are those who successfully navigate a great shift: from tactical doer to strategic leader. Regardless of your industry, line of business, or sector, your organization desperately needs strategic leaders. A strategic leader is tuned in to the needs of the business, understands how his or her actions impact corporate objectives, and uses data to make smart decisions. Whether you're leading a department team or running your own company, a strategic leader clearly propels business performance. Building a ladder to strategic leadership: Stephen R. Covey famously explained strategic leadership via the metaphor of workers clearing a jungle. The strategic leader was able to climb a tree and tell everybody they were laboring in the wrong jungle. In this book you will start out on the jungle floor and build a ladder to give you that strategic view over the tops of the trees. You'll learn how to: Develop your strategic skills Set meaningful direction Build a strategic plan Make decisions to win Proven approach to strategic leadership: You'll get the training straight from the personal career journeys of two business women who have decades of experience and education. They come together to create a proven approach to understanding the big picture of what your organization is trying to accomplish and how to be an effective leader.

A clinical psychologist specializing in behavioral medicine presents a dozen practical approaches to transforming loss, pain, and suffering into positive growth and hope. Just as some flowers only bloom in the dark, so too, some people only grow by experiencing tough times. Each chapter explains an empirically based principle for handling adversity, followed by writing prompts designed to help readers experience the axiom personally. Tools such as self-reflection, meaning-making, narrative creation, benefit-finding, and inspired value-based action help readers move through their trauma toward a new exuberance for life.

A Cornucopia of the Best New Mysteries If you're a fan of The Best American Mystery Stories series, Sleep No More: Six Murderous Tales by P. D. James or Her Body and Other Stories by Carmen Maria Machado, you’ll love The Book of Extraordinary Amateur Sleuths and Private Eye Stories . Collected by one of the genre's eminent editors, Maxim Jakubowski: One of the best mystery books of the 21st century, this volume features outstanding new stories of crime, derring-do, fast-paced adventures, and puzzles, featuring hardy amateur detectives ranging from young to old and grizzled private eyes whose patches cover the city streets, all in the hallowed tradition of Sherlock Holmes, Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot, and Philip Marlowe. Never-Before-Seen Stories from Your Favorite Mystery Authors: Jakubowski’s many anthologies, like The Book of Extraordinary Historical Mystery Stories , have attracted plenty of attention and awards. His newest collection, The Book of Extraordinary Amateur Sleuths and Private Eye Stores , features never-before-seen stories by some of the most renowned American and British crime and thriller authors of today. Whether the victim was done in at the party uptown or discovered in the other room of a particularly difficult woman or man, these mysteries will have you reading at the edge of your seat.

The charming homes of River Bluffs, Indiana, make perfect projects for house-flipper Jazzi Zanders. Less charming is her hothead brother-in-law, who's a bit of a fixer-upper himself. But could he also be a murderer? Jazzi married her gorgeous contractor Ansel— not his family. But somehow she keeps living with them. So she's delighted to help Ansel's brother Radley move out of their home and into his own place, in the same building as his work supervisor, Donovan. But when Donovan is shot and his apartment ransacked following an argument with Ansel and Radley's older brother Bain, their sibling becomes a suspect—especially after his missing gun turns up as the murder weapon. Told not to leave town by Detective Gaff, big brother moves in with . . . Jazzi and Ansel. Now Jazzi needs to prove Bain's no killer, not only to keep him out of jail—but to get him out of their house. What was the killer looking for in Donovan's apartment? And what will happen to the next person who gets in the way?

Become a Writing Hero A creative writing mentor in inspirational book form. Imagine having your own personal mentor―someone encouraging yet honest, supportive yet empowering, who could help you set and achieve your goals, turn your moments of doubt and fear into sources of strength, and discover what you’re truly capable of when you’re at your best. Kendra Levin is that mentor. And with The Hero is You , she’s here to help you do the best writing of your life―and live your best life while doing it. A motivational self-care book for writing aficionados. Using a fresh new approach to Joseph Campbell’s archetypal Hero’s Journey, Levin reveals how to be a hero in the narrative of your own process. She weaves together wisdom drawn from her years as a life coach for writers and an editor at the world’s biggest publishing house with behind-the-scenes stories from a panoply of best-selling authors and career entertainers. With over thirty exercises designed to help you reinvent your creative process from the inside out, this book will show you how to: Identify your biggest challenges and render them powerless Start a project that you love―and stick with it Design a structure for writing regularly Great motivational book for anyone dealing with writer's block or other writing obstacles. Whether you’re a first-time writer with a brand-new project or a seasoned pro, you’ll reach the end of this book feeling fulfilled, inspired, and ready to mentor the next writer on their creative journey. Readers of self-help books and personal development books for writers and creatives like The Artist's Way , Bird by Bird , The Artist's Way Workbook , and Big Magic will be inspired and encouraged by The Hero is You .

Achieving and sustaining success is difficult. Why do some people struggle to get started or stay the course? Why do others seem to sabotage their hard-earned victories? What makes some people stumble and fall, when they seem to possess the requisite skills to soar? Most importantly, what can be done to change these patterns and their outcomes? Based on years of research, Mastering Fear answers these questions and many more with its surprising perspective on stress, fear, and the single most important skill necessary to achieve maximum results. Studies worldwide have tracked the lives of hundreds of individuals over decades in search of the foundations of excellence. Dr. Maurer has culled and refined this data, dispelling current myths and revealing practical strategies to maximize passion and performance in any individual, team, or organization.