Administrative Professionals Day excerpt and giveaway!

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.

14 Comments

  1. Mandie on April 23, 2014 at 10:02 am

    My favorite thing about my boss is that she is a good person to go to for some advice. She has such a level head & gives me ideas on how I can move forward. 🙂

    My least favorite thing about her is that she’ll email me something to print out the attachments…seriously, it takes her longer to do it that way then it does just to print them herself. *sigh*

  2. Mary Rowen on April 23, 2014 at 10:29 am

    Love this excerpt, Meredith! I’m looking forward to reading BG soon! It sounds like a fun, smart read.

  3. Jessica M on April 23, 2014 at 3:48 pm

    My favorite thing about my boss is that she seems to like me and is very nice but my least favorite thing is that she isn’t always very helpful.

  4. Pauline Wiles on April 23, 2014 at 5:43 pm

    I’m going to share about a previous boss 😉
    My least favorite thing was, he was always on a roof when I needed to speak to him (the company sold solar panels).
    My favorite thing was his charisma and skill at influencing people.

  5. Chrissy on April 23, 2014 at 11:39 pm

    I am my own boss. I love what I do. It is so much better than my previous profession (family law attorney).

  6. Rosemary Huelsebusch on April 24, 2014 at 2:33 pm

    The best part is I have no boss! Retired and loving it!

  7. Lisamarie on April 24, 2014 at 4:48 pm

    The worst part of my boss… she can’t stand up for her team to her boss, especially when deadlines are more important to us than the big boss.
    The best part is she’s my friend (she was before she became my boss) which makes the worst part harder to take.

  8. tkrimms on April 25, 2014 at 10:58 am

    I’m a SAHM now, but it was less than a year ago I quit my job. One thing I hated about my boss at the time was how she would change her opinion/statement at the drop of a dime. I would hear one story one day from her and it would be totally different the next! Her opinion changed depending on her mood that day, making it difficult to do my job. One thing I loved? When she was out of the office! (Although sometimes that was worse with the amount of email I’d receive).

  9. CeCe Osgood on April 25, 2014 at 11:29 am

    I have a pal who has been a legal secretary for a hundred years. Drives her crazy but she’s paid well and stuck it out to raise her kids. As for me, I had a boss who would do nothing and take credit for work I did, and others did. Grrrr. I quit eventually…and went free-lance…best route for me no doubt.

  10. Maggie Le Page on April 26, 2014 at 6:48 am

    Meredith, this is a great excerpt 🙂 I want to know what happens next. You’re a tease!

    The boss questions? Well, my boss is my partner, so the best part of my boss is that my ideas and suggestions get plenty of airtime and are always given serious consideration. 🙂 I feel valued.

    The worst part of my boss is that it’s not unusual for me to get random work requests any waking hour, day or night (even though I’m part-time!), and toe tapping until it’s done!

  11. Hilary on April 26, 2014 at 8:30 am

    My favorite thing about my boss is his big heart. He is a very caring man who will do anything to help anyone out. My least favorite thing about my boss is his big heart. It sometimes causes him to make poor decisions which I usually have to clean up later… I also directly manage a team of 20. I am very lucky..I really love my right hand… The only problem is I often struggle to let go and let her handle things on her own…

  12. Patricia Mann on April 30, 2014 at 11:06 am

    What a great post and a great question! My boss, who has been the chair of our department for 8 years, is one of the kindest, most thoughtful, funny, accommodating people I’ve ever known. He takes everyone’s input into account and does his best to make us all happy. Sadly, this is his last semester as chair. But our new chair is a wonderful person and I know she’ll do a great job too! Thanks for the opportunity to reflect on this. So much to be grateful for!

  13. Glynis Astie on April 30, 2014 at 12:56 pm

    I am now a SAHM, but back when I had a boss, I greatly appreciated having a boss who not only kept track of how my work was going, but how my life was going. A little bit of personal conversation went a long way in helping me through the LONG days at the office.

    I am lucky enough to have read Blogger Girl already. Be smart and snatch it up right away! I highly recommend it. My nose was snuck in this book every spare moment I had from the moment I started it. Thank you, Meredith!

  14. Julie Valerie @Julie_Valerie on May 1, 2014 at 8:15 am

    I’m home with four kids so would my “boss” be the kids? (Because, hey, it’s certainly not my husband. Ah hem.)

    Anyhoo, I’d say my biggest complaint about my youngest boss is his utter lack of interest in tying his own shoes. He’s known how since kindergarten BUT REFUSES to do it himself. Refuses. I’ve tried everything.

    Now, I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking: I’m enabling him every time I tie them for him, but my gosh, he’s got to get to school or we’ll all be late. This morning, he tucked the tips of his shoelaces into the top of his SOCKS. Tucked them in. It looked ridiculous. So I said, “Fine. Get your backpack and get in the car.”

    When he gets to school, the teacher will tell him to tie his shoes and he will. (BECAUSE HE ALREADY FREAKING KNOWS HOW.) He’ll learn that in the real world, life is hard, and you’re expected to take care of yourself and your needs. And yes, he’ll probably also learn that at home, mom still does an awful lotta stuff for you when you know darn well she shouldn’t have to.

    What I love about my youngest boss? The very sight of him. His eyes, his cheeks, his voice, his smile, what he says, what he does, the way he looks when he’s asleep, the crazy shit he does . . .

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