A while back I had the brilliant idea of starting a regular blog feature about what writers did before they were writers. Mainly because my prior life has seemingly
nothing to do with my writing career. (Except in the way that all experience benefits a writer. Anyway...) Today I am officially launching this feature with a dear friends as the guinea pig-- er, debut featurette!
Alexa Young is the author of the fabulously fun
Frenemies series (which so far includes
Frenemies and
Faketastic). She also writes a deviously witty blog,
Alexicon, which you should read every day. Or at least whenever she posts.
What was your favorite job ever?I've been pretty lucky in that I've loved almost every job I've ever held (and I've been hired for almost every job for which I've ever applied—crazy but true). If I had to pick just one, I'd say it was working as an editor for JUMP—a teen magazine "for girls who dare to be real"—back in 1999-2000. While most teen magazines at the time were all about boys, fashion and beauty, JUMP distinguished itself by focusing on ALL kinds of relationships (with family and friends especially), as well as devoting a lot of pages to things like sports, nutrition and exercise, young entrepreneurs, lesser-known/up-and-coming musicians and celebrities—that kind of thing. Today, I feel like the few teen magazines that are still around have figured out how to do a decent job of addressing teens as more complex individuals—but I think JUMP was really one of the first to do that (or at least to pick up where SASSY left off). This was basically my first job for a national consumer magazine, which was really exciting. To be able to write articles and see them on newsstands was awesome, but even more than that, I loved tapping back into my own adolescent self, hearing from excited young readers and figuring out how to make a positive difference in their lives. I always knew I'd somehow wind up writing for that audience again—and now, with the FRENEMIES series (and hopefully many more books to come!), I am.
Your least favorite job?My least favorite job was working for the cafeteria (sorry, food service) back when I was a freshman at U.C. San Diego. Having to wear a bright turquoise t-shirt and navy baseball cap was only the beginning of the torture. I lived in constant fear that I'd be put out on THE LINE—spooning out helpings of bowtie noodles and beef stroganoff to my classmates. Fortunately that never happened, but I will never forget the afternoons spent peeling literally hundreds of pounds of potatoes and dousing them in grease before putting them in to bake to a mushy heap of starchy goo.
Your hardest job?Being a MOM. Seriously. I always thought there was this huge conspiracy of mothers who banded together and convinced the world that they had it rough. I never believed that hanging out with a kid, telling them what to do, cooking for them, cleaning up after them—whatever—could really be THAT difficult. Come on! It's supposed to come as second nature. You're hanging out with a CHILD. YOUR child. And you get to be the boss. Right? Uh. Not so much. It's everything the clichés say it is: Hugely rewarding, the most gratifying thing you'll ever do…and the toughest gig ever. Hands down. No question about it.
What is the biggest job perk you've had?Free music. My first job out of college was working for Capitol Records—first as an intern, and then as the assistant to the executive VP of the company. As such, I had access to not just the Capitol Records catalog, but the entire EMI family of artists. I got more free CDs than I could possibly fit into my tiny apartment—from the Beatles and Beastie Boys to Sinatra and Supergrass. I also got to see Radiohead, Everclear, Blind Melon, Foo Fighters—all these incredible bands, sometimes at tiny clubs and other times at huge arenas. As if that weren't enough, after working for Capitol, I got a job working for HITS—a music trade magazine that was hugely influential back in the eighties and nineties. Even as a lowly assistant to the editor-in-chief, I could pretty much call any record company and request the CDs I wanted them to send me. When I became an editor, I also got to interview bands, I wrote album reviews, and I saw as many free concerts as I could squeeze into my schedule (oftentimes I would see two or three bands play in one night—sometimes at three separate venues!).
What did you like least about working in an office job?The thing I've never liked about holding down a "real" job is the hours. It's one of the many reasons becoming a freelance writer was so appealing to me. I am NOT a morning person, and even working for record companies and magazines, I struggled to drag myself in by 10am. More often than not, I was barely able to function until about 11am. Even as a mom, my husband winds up handling most of the morning duties—and I take care of everything from about 11am till midnight!
What did you like most about working in an office job?Um…the free coffee? It definitely wasn't the mind-numbing meetings that never got us anywhere…or the, um, eccentric people I'd encounter in the company kitchen…or the parking Nazis…!
What you would do if you weren't a writer?Well, my dream would be to become a vintner in Tuscany. But apparently that's the sort of thing people do AFTER they make the big bucks—not in order to make the big bucks. Sigh. So, I guess if I had to pick some form of gainful employment, I would probably go back to working as an editor—possibly a magazine editor, or maybe a book editor. (If they'd have me after my comments about meetings and parking Nazis, that is!)
What you would do if you were independently wealthy and didn't actually HAVE to work?If I didn't actually HAVE to work, I think I would still write—but I'd spend a whole lot more time at luxury spas and retreats, traveling the world. Oh yeah, and I'd buy a vineyard and make wine (and drink a lot more of it, too)!
Thanks Alexa for that drooling-with-envy Prologue. I mean, seriously, who gets to do that kind of stuff? Not me. Free CDs and hanging with headliners
right out of college!?! So. Very. Jealous. Although, I totally think our current jobs are untopable. (Mainly because we get to make up words like
untopable.)
By the way, Alexa came up with the fabulous questions she then answered. These will be the kicking off point for all future Prologues. Tune in next Tuesday to read about
Tina Ferraro's Prologue!
Hugs,
TLC
Or, if you want to be one of those insanely technical people, I'm a Peach nominee. The Georgia Library Media Association has announced the 20 nominees for the 2009-2010 Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers and OH. MY. GODS. is on the list!!! Really. You can see the whole list on their blog if you don't believe me. (But you should. Believe me.)
