I’ve had a lot of jobs in my 39 years on this planet. Salad bar attendant. Fireworks vendor. Phone book delivery girl. Bakery assistant. Dog washer.
Incidentally, doing those last two jobs in back-to-back shifts was a great way to get spilled frosting licked off my shoes.
There are also the jobs that have kept a roof over my head for most of my adult life, including marketing/PR geek and romantic comedy author.
But on my big list of jobs, I never imagined myself as a jewelry designer. For starters, I’m not crafty. I once hot glue gunned my hand to my shoe, and don’t get me started on the time I used nail polish to paint daisies on my acid-wash jean jacket (which, for the record, looked way better than it smelled).
But something funny happened when I began writing Fiancée for Hire. That’s my new romantic comedy releasing this week as one of the launch titles for Entangled’s new Lovestruck line. It tells the story of Kelli, a feisty veterinarian, who agrees to a fake engagement for the sake of a top-secret arms deal orchestrated by her longtime crush, Mac. Both have vowed never to marry in real life, and both have damn good reasons for it.
In Kelli’s case, the reasons stem from a lousy childhood. She took a few good things from the experience, including her wicked sense of humor, her ball-busting attitude, and a silver necklace with a paw print charm and a freshwater pearl that belonged to her grandmother.
I could picture the necklace in my mind as I was writing about it. I cried when she lost it, and I rooted for Mac to get it back for her. The whole time, I kept thinking “I’ve gotta get me one of those.”
So I made it happen. I made a few of them happen, actually, and I’d like to share one with a lucky reader. Just leave a comment here sharing some of the odd jobs you’ve had over the years. I’ll choose one person at noon this Friday, July 25, and I’ll send you this lovely little necklace for your own collection. You can wear it with pride no matter what sort of job you have!
Well, maybe not if you’re a professional wrestler. That sounds dangerous.
But otherwise, I’m pretty sure you’ll dig the necklace as much as I do.
~Tawna
Get Lovestruck today! Click on the covers for more information. Special introductory price, just 99¢ each for the first week of release!!!
About Author
I applied for a receptionist job in my younger years and got invited to come and talk to them. It was only when semi-naked people walked through the interview room I realised it was a, err, house of ill repute shall we say? The interviewer wasn’t phased at all. I practically fell off my chair… ;)
Thanks so much to everyone who entered! I threw all your names in a bowl and drew a winner. Congrats to Xandra James! Email me at tawnafenske at yahoo dot com and let me know where you’d like your necklace shipped and I’ll get it in the mail to you ASAP. Cheers!
Tawna
does assisting my dad for free count? he studied mechanical engineering and is always tinkering around with stuff that needs to be fixed in the house. I’m girly (excuse for laziness) now but i used to be a tomboy and prided myself on knowing the name and purpose of each tool in his kit.
My favorite odd job was during college when I worked at a movie theater for 4 years – concession attendant, box office attendant and then finally assistant manager.
I haven’t had any strange ones but I remember when I was little one of my grandmothers cleaned the Planned Parenthood offices so sometimes when I’d visit her during the summer I’d have to sit there looking at the plastic anatomical vagina models, jars of condoms, and posters with pregnant women on them wondering what exactly happened in that place during the day. lol
You are seriously funny!!! I wish I was funny. I don’t think I’ve had any odd jobs. I use to make and decorate cakes when I was younger. Don’t think I can do any of the design stuff now.
But, I do have funny stories from being a receptionist.
I worked my way through college as a mannequin make-up artist. Each mannequin is modelled on a real person, sometimes without permission, so the style gets a different name. As a make-up artist I painted the faces on-eyebrows,lip color,shadow, touch of blush-what ever was needed to add depth to the blank form. They got false eyelashes and even nail polish. There were also hairdressers who made the wigs. It was more an art job than cosmotology.
Coming into work in the morning was creepy because the pieces would be all hanging on drying hooks (painted their correct flesh color). Arms, legs, torsos dangling in the workroom. I would get either a head or a torso, depending on the project, and work my magic.
I once was a telemarketer and was actually really good at it… not because I was annoying or rude, but because I took time to listen to the customer.
yadkny@hotmail.com
I haven’t had too many odd jobs, but a couple of my favourites are one job I had for a day was to babysit a workshop for a mechanic for a day. I want even allowed to answer a phone when it rang. So I read a book…..all day. Thank you Thomas Harris and Silence of the Lambs, and another was my first job, I worked at the local bowling alley and used to go between the kitchen and from desk helping where I was needed. It was fun for a first job.
My favorite odd job I have had is selling advertisements.
I have not had many jobs but one odd one was when I had to work on a health fair and we were passing teeth brushes and information, I don’t really know why it was odd but it felt odd because I don’t think people really wanted info they just wanted the free stuff we were giving away.