Happy Administrative Professionals Day to all the lovely Administrative Professionals! I hope your bosses buy you flowers, take you out to lunch, or both because you deserve it! (Unless you do nothing all day except read at your desk, write blog posts, and peruse Facebook and Twitter.)

Kim, the main character in my novel, Blogger Girl, is a legal secretary. Her relationship with her boss, Rob, is quite *interesting* – they constantly bicker but they share a fondness for each other and a mutual respect. To honor Administrative Professionals Day, I thought I’d share a scene from Blogger Girl focused on Kim’s relationship with Rob. At the end of the excerpt are instructions for entering a contest to win your choice of Just Friends with Benefits, A State of Jane, or Blogger Girl in either (1) signed paperback (limited to the U.S.) or (2) electronic format, for you or a friend:

     At both firms where I had worked with Rob, whenever our group took someone in the department out for his or her birthday, one of us (usually me) had to slickly tell the waiter. And then the birthday boy or girl had to pretend to be surprised when the waiter brought over a piece of birthday cake and we all started singing “Happy Birthday.”  After I tracked down our waiter, I went to the bathroom, ran a brush through my hair and reapplied my lip gloss. When I returned to the table, all of the plates had been removed.
      Rob cleared his throat. “Now that my right hand is back, I’d like to make an announcement.”
     Another one of Rob’s famous announcements. I chuckled and glanced at David. He gave me a knowing look and flashed me a wide grin. I covered my mouth with my hand in an effort not to laugh.
     “What’s so funny, Long?” Rob asked accusingly.
     I bit my lip and looked at Rob with wide eyes. “Absolutely nothing. Unless you’re gonna tell us about the time the electricity went out during your trial and even the backup generators didn’t work. And how the lights went back on just as someone from the other side was about to abscond with your exhibits, and your junior associate was held in contempt of court for wrestling him to the ground. That’s a funny story.” I paused dramatically. “No matter how many times you tell it.”
      Rob calmly nodded at me with his lips pursed. “Okay then. Well, I was going to thank my lovely assistant for organizing a wonderful 29th birthday lunch for me. But since my assistant isn’t lovely and it’s my 54th birthday, I think I’ll skip the thank you and announce that I’ve hired a lateral associate who will be starting next week.”
      I jerked my head back in surprise. I was generally kept in the loop on these things, especially since I was usually responsible for scheduling interviews, yet this was the first I’d heard of a new hire. “What’s his name?”
     “Her name is Daneen. She’s a third year coming to us from Cravath. Solid background in trademark litigation. She’ll be working closely with Nicholas on the Soap case.”
      I looked over at Nicholas to see his reaction to this new information but he was nodding at Rob and didn’t look at all surprised. Then he looked my way and winked.
     When our eyes locked, I felt my body flood with warmth and forced myself to look away. I still had no idea what the previous weekend had meant to him and I was trying to pretend I didn’t care either way. Even though I did. Of course. I turned to David. “How are the wedding plans coming along?”
      His cheeks glowing, David said, “Amy is already looking into venues. I wanted us to enjoy being engaged for a while before getting too caught up in wedding plans, but she’s so excited that I’m just letting her run with it.”
      “That’s so cool! We should get drinks or something to celebrate one night.” Although I was genuinely happy for David and his upcoming nuptials, I couldn’t shake off a feeling of discomfort about Rob hiring Daneen without even telling me. In all of the years we’d worked together, Rob had made me feel like an important member of his team, telling me all the big news before almost anyone else, but suddenly I felt like an outsider, a measly secretary.

To win a signed paperback or e-copy of any one of my novels, please share your favorite AND least favorite thing about your boss. If  you are the boss, share your favorite and least favorite thing about your assistant or “right hand.”  If you are self-employed, what is your favorite and least favorite aspect of that. I promise not to divulge any secrets 🙂 You do not have to be an administrative professional to participate! Please also leave the email address where I can contact you about the prize, which will be randomly selected. Giveaway will end on May 4th. Paperback option limited to the U.S. 

Like to party? Hop along the Hump Day Blog Hop on Julie Valerie’s Book Blog. Click here to return to the Hump Day Blog Hop.

The books:

Blogger Girl: What happens when your high school nemesis becomes the shining star in a universe you pretty much saved? Book blogger Kimberly Long is about to find out. With her blog “Pastel is the New Black” Kim works tirelessly to keep the genre alive, and help squash the claim that “chick lit is dead.” Not bad for a woman who by day ekes out a meager living as a pretty, and pretty-much-nameless, legal secretary in a Manhattan law firm. While Kim’s day job holds no passion for her, the handsome (and shaving challenged) associate down the hall is another story. Yet another story is that Hannah Marshak, one of her most hated high school classmates, has now popped onto the chick lit scene with a hot new book that’s turning heads—and pages—a cross the land. It’s also popped into Kim’s inbox—for review. With their ten-year high school reunion drawing near, Kim’s coming close to combustion over the hype about Hannah’s book. And as everyone around her seems to be moving on and up, she begins to question whether being a “blogger girl” makes the grade in her off-line life.

A State of Jane: Jane Frank is ready to fall in love.

It’s been a year since her long term relationship ended and far too long since the last time she was kissed. With the LSAT coming up she needs to find a long term boyfriend (or husband) before acing law school and becoming a partner at her father’s law firm.

There’s just one problem: All the guys in New York are flakes. They seemingly drop off the face of the earth with no warning and no explanation.

Should she join her best friend Marissa in singlehood, making cupcakes and watching True Blood? Or should she follow her co-worker Andrew’s advice and turn the game back on those who’ve scorned her? As Jane attempts to juggle her own responsibilities and put up with the problems of everyone around her, she starts to realize that the dating life isn’t as easy as she originally thought.

Just Friends with Benefits: When a friend urges Stephanie Cohen not to put all her eggs in one bastard, the advice falls on deaf ears. Stephanie’s college crush on Craig Hille has been awakened thirteen years later as if soaked in a can of Red Bull and she is determined not to let the guy who got away once, get away twice. Stephanie, a 32-year-old paralegal from Washington, D.C., is a 70’s and 80’s television trivia buff who can recite the starting lineup of the New York Yankees and go beer for beer with the guys. And despite her failure to get married and pro-create prior to entering her thirties, she has so far managed to keep her overbearing mother from sticking her head in the oven. Just Friends with Benefits is the humorous story of Stephanie’s pursuit of love, her adventures in friendship, and her journey to discover what really matters.