Tina is not only my sister bee over on the Buzz Blog, but she also co-hosts the YA Fresh blog with her pal Kelly Parra and is the author of three witty (and romantic) books (so far): Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress, How to Hook a Hottie, and the ABC's of Kissing Boys. (Trust me, if you're looking for a fun, tight read to get you through these winter nights you can't go wrong with one of Tina's books.)
What was your favorite job ever?For about 8 years, I worked as an office manager at a major university. Inside of that varied job, I discovered that I really enjoyed making travel reservations. I had a good mind for puzzles, and found it fun and challenging to create the smoothest itineraries at the lowest costs.
Your least favorite job?
For a few weeks, I had an office temp job at a mortuary. I thought it would be fun--that my co-workers would have wonderful senses of humor to keep them "alive" in that business. I was dead wrong. ;)
Your hardest job?
Although my oldest son is perfectly healthy now, he had epilepsy as a young boy. Being a 24/7 "special needs mother" is definitely the hardest job I've ever had.
What is the biggest job perk you've had?
Back to making travel arrangements at the university, for a time we worked with an agency that gave me travel perks. The best was 7 free nights at a five star hotel in Frankfurt, Germany. (Note: I would go on to use Frankfurt as a setting in How to Hook a Hottie.) My husband and I had just gotten married, and it was like a second honeymoon!
What did you like least about working in an office job?
In the winter, I would arrive at my university job in the dark and leave in the dark, giving me this sinking feeling that I was living my whole life under florescent lighting.
What did you like most about working in an office job?
The social aspects: the people I met and the exposure to new and difference experiences that they brought into my life. For instance, my best friend at work introduced me to my future husband, and of course, she became my matron of honor!
What you would do if you weren't a writer?
Well, travel agent is the obvious, but that career path lost much of its appeal with the invent of the internet!
What you would do if you were independently wealthy and didn't actually HAVE to work?
My dream is for my husband and me to buy a vacation home in Hawaii or Italy (wait--why not both?), where my friends and family come and go, and to continue writing...
Last week Alexa dished on her free-music-and-concerts job perk, this week Tina's flaunting free five star hotels. I'm starting to think I got the short end of the stick along the way!
Thanks for sharing, Tina.
Tune back in next week for Wendy Toliver's Prologue.
Hugs,
TLC
4 comments:
Tera, thanks so much for profiling me here! What fun!
And a PS on that horrible mortuary job? It was also completely frustrating and repetitive: I typed death information onto large pieces of card stock, on an old-fashioned typewriter. The card stock would slip around inside the rollers and the type would slip and smear. No no matter how hard you tried, you couldn't do a neat job!
Yikes, mortuary?? I'm with you--creep out! haha! Great interview Tina and Tera!!
My thoughts exactly, Kelly!
And seriously? Monotony *and* dead people. No thank you.
Tina, I'm so glad I'm one of the friends you're going to have over to your Italian and Hawaiian homes. :)
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