Summer reads we think you will love

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1950s, America, An Anonymous Girl, BBC 1’s Gavin and Stacey, best life, betrayal, books, brave, Camp Macaw, Catherine McKenzie, conquer our fears, dangerous, debut novel, deliciously dark debut crime novel, Dr Shields, dreams, epic thriller, escape, experiments, falling apart, falls in love, fantastic read, game changer, Gay Hendricks, going away, Greer Hendricks, Hollie Bourne, home, How Do You Like Me Now?, I’ll Never Tell, iconic book, Jessica Farris, love, MacAllister, manipulative, money, move on, Mrs. Everything, must read, My Lovely Wife, Never Green, passion, pick this up, psychological suspense, psychology study, questions, reading, reality, regret, relationship, Ruth Jones, Samantha Downing, Sarah Pekkanen, self sabbotage, seriel killer, sitting by the pool, small town, summer, The Big Leap, The Wife Between Us, time out, Tori Bailey, troublesome past, twists and turns, winner, young women

Summer is when many of us devote extra time to reading, so if you are going away, sitting by the pool, or just taking time out at home for you, we have a few books we hope will let you get away and escape from it all.

Ruth Jones is best known for her award-winning television writing for BBC 1’s Gavin and Stacey show, but her debut novel, Never Greener is outstanding. A story of love, passion, regret and betrayal, Jones shows the that the grass isn’t always greener and that going from one side to the other, can have long lasting, devastating results. Spoiler – if you pick this up, you might not put it down.

Samantha Downing’s, My Lovely Wife, is an epic thriller set in a small town that has a serial killer on the loose preying on young women, and one man’s daughter is playing up out of fear because of the situation. When he goes to bed one night, and lies next to his wife, he starts to questions his marriage and wonders if the secrets it holds run deeper than he ever thought. This is a deliciously dark debut crime novel, but only for the brave!

The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks is a total winner at any time of the year. This iconic book is about how we self-sabotage ourselves and Hendricks explains how we start to notice it, and make changes so we can conquer our fears. It’s a game-changer and a must read if you really want to move on and have the best life for you.

Hollie Bourne’s, How Do You Like Me Now? follows Tori Bailey, who looks like she has it all, and some. The reality is very different because behind closed doors, her relationship is falling apart and her best friend is close to leaving her behind, and so she must find the courage to follow the path untrodden.

Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, the authors of The Wife Between Us, have written An Anonymous Girl and it is a fantastic read. It tells the story of Jessica Farris, who signs up for a psychology study conducted by Dr Shields. Jessica thinks, as you would, she will need to answer a few questions, collect her money and leave – what she doesn’t know is Shield’s experiments get more manipulative as they go on, but where will they end?

Mrs. Everything is the story of two sisters living in the 1950s and trying to get to grips with finding their place in the world, while diving into an ever-changing America. When Jo and Bethie Kaufman were born in Detroit, the opportunities for them seemed to be endless, but as the twists and turns in this book show, the truth ends is very different from the dreams.

I’ll Never Tell is a tantalising novel of psychological suspense and Catherine McKenzie has written it so well. Twenty years ago, Amanda Holmes was found dead in a boat at the MacAllister family’s Camp Macaw. No one is ever arrested for the crime but after the McAllister parents die, their adult children want to solve the death before they can settle the estate.

Got a book we should read? Drop us a line, would love to know about it.

Team Pure Beauty

Make 2018 the year to go freelance

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accountant, activities, basics, best friend, Blogger, book keeper, boring, Breakfast meetings, buffer, business opportunities, business plan, cake, competition, creative, cylinders, daily commute, design websites, dream, equipment, evening event, excitement, finance, flexibility, fly solo, focus, freelance, full time freelancing, full-time job, growth, hard cash, holidays, HR, insurance, investment, IT, location, logo, love, lunches, magazine, Marketing and PR, marketing plan, mistake, money, name, new venture, offerings, out there, own boss, people, PR, professional, realistic goals, reality, research, school mate, skills, small print, social media, synergy, tax, think, unexpected costs, up and running, VAT, water cooler conversations, website

Fed up of the daily commute?

Had enough of mundane water cooler conversations?

Sick and tired of Sarah in IT and Jo in HR making your life a misery?

Then maybe it is time to go freelance.

While you might not have the security of a 9-5 role, a monthly salary or 21 days holiday a year, being your own boss does offer you flexibility and the chance to do what you love but on your terms.

We aren’t saying hand your notice in now, but have a think about what you want to do and if you consider the points below, we think you might start making that dream a reality.

Have a plan
Create a business plan that looks at finance, growth, location, activities and skills. This don’t need to be anything long or fancy but setting things out in black and white can give you a focus and realistic goals.

Network
Breakfast meetings, lunches and evening events are all greats ways to start making connections even if you are still in a full-time job. If you are nervous, why not go with a friend and then swap notes at the end of the session?

Contacts
The old saying, ‘it’s who you know not what you know’ is very true when you start a new venture. Maybe your best friend works on a magazine, your old school mate is a blogger or you know a couple of people who design websites or do PR? Make the most of the people you know and it could well be there is synergy between you and them that could lead to business opportunities.

Look at the Competition
You might be able to make a mean cake or write a really creative marketing plan – but so do loads of other people out there. Do your research, check out the competition and work out what makes you different and where your offerings would site in the market place.

Think About the Money
Let’s not beat about the bush, starting out requires hard cash investment and you are going to need this, so start planning. Look at how much money you need to start your business, what equipment you would need, and before you make a start make sure you have a buffer saved up for those unexpected costs and quiet patches. It might even be that you need to work part-time for a while to get things up and running and keep money coming in, but it will be worth it in the long run.

Marketing and PR
This is something you can do as you get ready to take the next step of full-time freelancing. Decide in a business name, get a logo, set up your social media feeds and ensure you have a website in place. All of this takes time, and money, but if you get the basics set up in the background, when you are ready to go, people will be able to find when you when you are open and firing on all cylinders.

Small Print
The excitement of setting up something new can mean the details get left behind, but this isn’t a mistake you want to make. Finding an accountant or book-keeper, registering for tax, considering VAT status and researching professional insurance might seem boring, but they need to be done and will make you more efficient and professional in the long run.

Location, Location, Location
When you work for someone else, you go to their premise day in and day out but when you fly solo it is a very different matter. You need to make sure you have a base to work from and one that is ideally close to local amenities, has a decent internet connection and phone support as well as good transport links.

Whatever you do, if you have a dream, go for it.

Team Pure-Beauty