Author Cathy Yardley Guest Blog and $25.00 Amazon Gift Card Contest LIVE Here!
“Before I was able to write and teach full time, I spent over a decade in a cube farm in corporate America, usually as a secretary, often as a temp. I had a few truly evil bosses… the one who called me up and cussed me out at eleven o’clock at night, for example, or the one who had me print out all of his daily emails (hundreds of them) because he “hated looking at the screen.” The one who had me work a thirty-six hour day. (At one point, I named my network printer Spartacus. When asked why, I replied “because someday the slaves will rebel.”) I learned how to repair a copier with a letter opener and begged a producer of a sold out show for tickets (I got them because I cried.)
I thought about some of the hapless people I’d assisted over the years, and a lot of my horror stories (which were a lot funnier now that I wasn’t living in them.) And bam! Like a flash, I got the idea: Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets The Office. And just like that, the idea for Temping is Hell was born.
I love this novel. Of all the books I’ve written, across all the genres, this is hands down my favorite. I relate to the heroine, Kate O’Hara, because she’s a half-step off. Her family considers her a flake because she can’t (or won’t) hold down a job, and she feels at loose ends because she can’t seem to get her act together. But when she’s faced with an extraordinary situation, she chooses between doing what’s smart – and doing what’s right. And she still manages to have a hell-raising good time in the process. As she would say: ‘I’m not evil. I’m just an aggressive problem solver.’
Author Bio:
After years in the corporate world, Cathy Yardley managed to tunnel her way out of her cubicle with a spoon she’d stolen from the break room. She now writes urban fantasy and romance, and celebrates her freedom from the cube farm in an undisclosed location somewhere near Seattle, WA.
♥ ♥ஐ ♥ ♥ஐ ♥ ♥ஐ ♥ ♥ஐ ♥ ♥ஐ ♥ ♥ஐ ♥ ♥ஐ ♥ ♥ஐ ♥ ♥ஐ ♥ ♥ஐ
Learn more about Cathy Yardley below
Blog: http://cathyyardley.com/blogs
http://cathyyardley.com
https://twitter.com/cathyyardley
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cathy-Yardley/12854466085
♥ ♥ஐ ♥ ♥ஐ ♥ ♥ஐ ♥ ♥ஐ ♥ ♥ஐ ♥ ♥ஐ ♥ ♥ஐ ♥ ♥ஐ ♥ ♥ஐ ♥ ♥ஐ
I have never heard the term cube farm before but it’s perfect. Is it your own? Who influenced you the most in becoming a writer?
I can’t imagine I came up with “cube farm” on my own, but I have no idea where I picked it up, LOL! It does describe it perfectly, though, doesn’t it?
As to who influenced me the most as a writer… tough one! For this particular series, I’d say I was most inspired by J.D. Robb and Jim Butcher — specifically the Dresden Files, which I absolutely adore.
Oh my Gods! As a former administrative assistant to both good and evil bosses, I feel I NEED to read this book. Your description of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets The Office” had me convinced. Definitely buying if I don’t win!
My worst boss story was my first job as a student worker while in college. I was told day one that my number one priority was to help out the Deans of the college if they needed it since our office was in the same space as theirs and they were short staffed at the moment.
Well, a new Dean was moving into an office and asked me to help set up their voice mail since they were in and out of the office all day and couldn’t answer. I told my boss and walked down the long hall to help. The phone in our office began ringing so I looked up. My boss exited her office and looked at the phone and let it keep ringing while staring at me until it went to voice mail. She then proceeded to yell at me down the hallway about how incompetent I was that I couldn’t answer a simple phone call.
Needless to say, I transferred to a different office the next week and was happy the rest of my working days there.
“My boss exited her office and looked at the phone and let it keep ringing while staring at me until it went to voice mail. She then proceeded to yell at me down the hallway about how incompetent I was that I couldn’t answer a simple phone call.”
Oh, my God. This is the sort of person I would kill off in a novel! Actually — I may use that in the sequel, if you’re okay with it! (You are totally going to get the humor in this book! )
Definitely use it! A good bit of extra back story, this woman was sleeping with the married president of the college while his wife was battling a type of cancer. I’d definitely read this book and smile if the character got some lovely karma.
“Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets The Office” This comment has me won!! will be looking for it for Kindle!!!
I really can’t wait to read this book! As an executive assistant / office manager for years it’s amazing how you get the office running smoothly and keep everything going and then they just don’t need you anymore!
Stacey, it’s a lot like being a Mom… everyone always asking “where is this?” (to which you usually reply “Well, where did you last see it?”) or “I don’t know how to do (the thing I’ve asked you how to do at least twenty times previously, like turning on the laptop projector)” or whatever. Except you can’t send anybody to their rooms or ground them. And they act like you’re the one with the “unimportant” job!
I can’t even tell you how much I love this book. And it’s so much fun to talk to fellow admins about it!
hi Cathy, thank you for sharing your info with us today
Thanks for stopping by, Dina!
Cube farm was a new term for me. You always learn something new!
I love the term cube farm. Glad you picked up a new term… I definitely learn something new everyday!
Just your description alone has me sympathizing and wanting to read this book. I retired from a cube farm…. where I’m sure to this day I have PTSD from constantly on guard for those next set of eyes to peek over the top…. egads. “Just because I’m paranoid doesn’t mean its not true” never made more sense. Peace ☮, Love ♥, and LIGHT ☆
I remember those days, too. I had one really skeezy boss, a guy who fancied himself a Hollywood player, always “taking lunches” and bragging about who he he had in his Rolodex. He drowned himself in cologne and had — I kid you not — the three-buttons-open-with-a-gold-medallion-necklace thing going on. And he was grabby. Once, he grinned at me and said “Oooh. I love Asian girls.” And I said “You know what I love? LAWYERS.”
This is why I’m glad I’m a full time writer!
“After years in the corporate world, Cathy Yardley managed to tunnel her way out of her cubicle with a spoon she’d stolen from the break room.” LOL! I love this, Cathy. I can’t share a horror story here, I have such an awesome, funny and creative boss right now that working for her has banished all the nightmares that came before. It’s good voodoo, ju-ju or whatever. :p
Glad you liked the bio, Denise! And your boss is incredibly, unbelievably lucky to have you!
Your book has been added to my “to read” list. I was a secretary/admin. asst. for 10 years and understand the trials and tribulations of not holding down a job. My temp assignments were hellacious mostly because I filled a seat at a desk.
My first job, though, was the worst. Never knew when he would arrive at the office, his pencils had to be sharpened, and the staples in the stapler. I should have read his mind to know he wanted katchup with his roast beef sandwich. It took me awhile to located his holiday card list and I ended up using his signature stamp to sign the majority of the cards that were mailed after New Year’s Day. Oh, and then there’s the time I had to fend off the IRS…. And, I was his personal secretary and wrote his child support checks.
My satisfaction was when I left I was replaced with two people.
When you were on the cube farm, did you experience the prairie dog syndrome? A former employer had installed low cubicle walls, so when something was going on, heads would pop up over the cube walls.
Diane — I temped for about three years, all told. It was my go-to, between-jobs thing, and generally where I got new jobs. The worst ones were the busy-work ones. I always wound up feeling twitchy and guilty. (I actually write about that in TEMPING IS HELL!)
Your “worst boss” sounds like a nightmare. Personal secretary is even worse than regular office admin. Oy!
And totally understand prairie dog syndrome. LOL. I wrote about that, too!
Congratulations on your new book! Temping Is Hell is definitely going on my reading list. Enjoyed the excerpt on your blog. I love your sense of humor. By the way, the bagel quote “I drink from the keg of glory…” is from The West Wing (Josh Lyman).
Thanks, Bonnie! And you did get the bagel quote right. I miss that show!
I’ve never really thought of my temp positions has horrible or action-filled until I leave and over drinks with girlfriends complaining about their problems do I remember my own. I wonder if it’s a suppression method, lol.
What motivated you to write a story about temping in such a position?
LOL. It’s like childbirth. If you didn’t suppress the memory, you’d never go through it again!
I loved the idea of a “super secretary” and I knew I wanted to write a story where the heroine was an admin. They’re always underestimated. And they are just really good at doing what needs to be done. Nobody seems to notice what they do — until they stop doing it!
So I’ve got this hot, handsome, master-of-the-universe billionaire guy… and he’s going to get his butt saved by his assistant. I just love that concept. (He’ll do his share of saving her, too. It’s the first book in a series.)
I hope you enjoy it!
note: Ugh, I need to stop hitting tab by accident.
What motivated you to write a story about temping in such a position, with a character who is just a half step off? Would you say that she can be a reflection to you or just how you felt in some of the position you worked at?
She’s definitely a reflection of me. I never fit perfectly into the corporate world. I kept trying to escape!
Which usually meant managing a few years with a job, then quitting and temping for a while. Somewhere in all of that, I collected enough experiences to feed this novel — this series, really.
Hi Cathy! I have been dying to get my greedy little hands on your book! It sounds absolutely fantastic! Buffy meets The Office, I love it!!! Thanks for the awesome giveaway!
Barb — thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
What movies or books (besides your own) are you most looking forward to being released in 2013?
Lisa — when it comes to new book releases, I’m itching to read Calculated in Death and Thankless in Death (J.D. Robb); House Rules (which just came out, SQUEE!) and Biting Bad by Chloe Neill; and especially Midnight Blue-Light Special, the next book in Seanan McGuire’s Incryptid series (March 5th… double SQUEE!)
Also, I wish the next Dresden Files book would come out this year, but that would just be greedy.
If you could live in any time period in the future or the past when would it be?
Honestly, I don’t think I’d feel comfortable in any time period but this one. I’d like to visit some — maybe check out the Middle Ages, or see what 100 years in the future looked like — but this is definitely where I’d want to live.
So, essentially, I need to hang out with The Doctor.
Buffy and The Office? Sounds like a read I definitely need to check out.
Thanks, Susan! I think you’d have fun with it.
Hi Cathy!
I got here by, link, link, link. I laughed out loud when reading your story and downloaded your book. I have a feeling I’m going to be up a while tonight.
Were you always writing while working these jobs, or did you just get fed up with skeezy bosses and start writing?
Thanks and glad to have found a new-to-me author!
Hi Shannon — thanks for finding me!
I was always writing, but it was something I pretended I didn’t want. I come from a family of accountants and engineers. As far as they were concerned, creative jobs like writing were something you did once you retired! So I wrote, but the closest I could come was a “shadow career” — I thought I’d be a publicist for other authors until I got “old enough” to write. It turned out to be good experience, at least!
But like they say: if you want to find out if you’re a writer…. try being anything else.
Hi, I was wondering if you had any particular stress relievers that got you through the cube farm (dart board with your boss’s picture pinned to it, jogging, wine?)
Friends, definitely. For a while there, it was like college all over again. I would temp during the day, and come home to find people camped on my couch or an inflatable bed. Movie marathons, lots of silliness. I wasn’t married and didn’t have my son at that point, so being a temp was an extension of the rest of my life: no career, few responsibilities. Just working to play.
That said — I do have a particularly handy voodoo spell that I learned at this hellish ad agency, working for the ultimate evil boss. Works like (excuse the pun) a charm.
Thanks for being here! So what was your favorite scene to write in Tempting is Hell?
Oooh. Tough one! There were so many scenes I loved in that book. But probably the scene where Kate meets Thomas, right in the first chapter. She’s in the office, trying to finish up an assignment, and it’s one o’clock in the morning. And Thomas is going home, and he sees a light under a doorway and hears noises, and he automatically thinks someone’s there for nefarious purpose — only to find Kate singing “Baby Got Back” and dancing by herself as she files.
Yeah. I loved that scene.
I have never worked in a cubicle, thank goodness. I am so pleased that you got out. It must be so exciting to see your work in print and see the result of all your hard work. anpa@gmail.com
Writing is the best job I’ve ever had. Thanks for stopping by!
so glad you got out of the cube.
Your book sounds so funny!
Can’t wait to read it.
did you dream at night on what you wanted to do to your bosses?
No — but I did put $5 in when they passed the hat to have my evil boss kidnapped. I think we got up to $200 before saner heads prevailed.
Is there a genre that you have not written in yet that you would love to?
I’ve got some YA ideas that I’d like to try, but this is a projected 7 book closed series (as in, it ends at Book 7.) So I think I’m pretty busy for the next few years. (Unless I’m sneaky about it. Hmmmmm.)
I love the idea of naming the network printer Spartacus. It is amazing some people don’t realize it is the menial labor that keeps an office running, not the moron with the corner office and long lunch break.
I know, right? I had a few great bosses, but too many evil ones thought “I am the genius. You are here to recognize that genius.” And I’d keep thinking “if you’re the genius, why can’t you figure out how to use your calendar program?”
Have you ever written fan fiction? For what fandom?
You know, I was about to say “no, I’ve never written fan fic” when it suddenly occurs to me that I have. I wrote fan fiction for the Japanese anime Robotech. This would’ve been about — oh my God — like 25 years ago. Of course, this was before the internets really took off, so I never shared it with anyone.
Mind = blown.
What was your favorite childhood book?
Probably A Little Princess, by Frances Hodgson Burnett.
Hi!
Sounds like a totally cool and fun way to look at office life… if some of them aren’t aliens, they sure are something! LOL
Lois
and to your questions -
funniest – well, have nothing here, sadly… well, one of the doctors at the office where I worked was pretty funny at times (though, in a good way, he didn’t realize he was being funny at those times).
worst – well, nothing in the truly worst department, but left an office last year that had a head doctor and office administrator that just were not getting that things needed to change if they wanted to stay relevant and more than just afloat. Still probably haven’t gotten it, sadly…
That’s the worst — when you watch, Cassandra-like, and know that they’re headed for a train wreck, but they won’t listen when you mention things need change.
Thanks for commenting!
I’m not sure if this will be very funny for those who weren’t there, but here it goes.
I used to work as a receptionist, which included answering my boss’ calls when he wasn’t around. Once when my boss was away for several days on a business trip, my coworkers decided to relax from work and have some fun at my expense. One of them, who could speak German well, called the boss’ number, knowing that I’ll pick it up, and then he proceeded to demand a meeting with my boss, saying he’s just flown in and must meet my boss etc. As the firm had a lot of customers from various countries, I didn’t suspect anything out of ordinary, although I did notice that the ‘client’ had a slight accent, as if he was not a native speaker, but that was nothing unusual either. I didn’t recognize my coworker’s voice, so I proceeded to inform to ‘the client’ how sorry we are that the boss is away, but if they leave their contacts.. etc, the usual polite receptionist routine. In not too perfect, but understandable German, of course:)
Oh, I’d love to speak German! And co-workers pranks can be fun.
Thanks for sharing the story!
This sounds like just the pick-me-up I need for this cold, wet Singles Awareness weekend. Can’t wait to share this with my friends!
Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoy it!
Looking forward to reading your book
Thanks, Celeste! I hope you enjoy it!
My funniest job tale had to be from when I did an IT internship for college. I found a job on campus where I was basically one department’s own IT person who wasn’t affiliated with the actual IT department. I ordered new computers for the office and basically did troubleshooting for an entire semester.
Well, the secretary in the office considered me a student worker even though when it came down to it, we were equals who answered to the same supervisor. She was very bad about using peer-to-peer file sharing sites and had introduced quite a few viruses into the system. So, when she got her new computer, I set it up to need my password anytime she wanted to download anything since her job only required downloads of email attachments. The student workers had access to download since they needed it and were responsible and she hated it! Anywho, long story short. When the semester ended and I was leaving, she was pretty smug, expecting me to have to release her computer before I left. Instead, I walked into our supervisor’s office and handed him a file folder with all the password info and told her she had to ask him for the password from now on! She was livid!
Heh heh heh! Evil, yet righteous! My favorite!
Any temp stories you’re willing to share, or is it safer just to read the book? (And did you ever read that zine TEMP SLAVE?)
Never read TEMP SAVE, but sounds right up my alley.
As to stories… I’ve worked in some really, really weird places (at a beach house for an athletic shoe designer, for example, or writing song lyrics — despite the fact that wasn’t what I was originally hired for — for an off-broadway show.)
The most hellish stories I have are from the world of advertising, though. That’s where I literally worked a 36 hour day… stayed overnight, overseeing a temp, and when he left at 6 in the morning I figured I’d just stay because my boss would expect me to be in by 8:30 no matter what. By noon, I was practically hallucinating. My boss’s response? “You don’t look so good. Maybe you should… I don’t know, take a quick walk or something.” REALLY? (I quit shortly thereafter. Returned to the temp agency that had placed me in tears — sneaked over there in the middle of a workday like someone trying to defect a Communist regime. )
What book/series do you wish you had thought of first?
Oooh, good question. Most of my favorite series I know I couldn’t have done justice (like Dresden Files or Harry Potter!) I wish I’d thought of The Hunger Games. Or possibly Bridget Jones’ Diary.
After working 17 years for the same company, putting in 55+ hours a week, covering for every pregnancy leave person (why should they hire a temp by the time they learned the job, the leave would be over), making a crappy salary, I finally called it quits. Found out later they ended up hiring two people to do my job and started them out for much more than I was making when I quit.
As the IT guy, I was always putting out fires due to stupidity. One night, one of the store managers was trying to rerun some reports with so success so called me at home. Was talking him thru a fix and he kept insisting that the command I was having him type in would not work so I had him read it back to me letter by letter. Then colon character that he was suppose to be typing in— he spelled out the word colon rather than : I almost peed my pants laughing at him.
D’oh! It’s hard to be a luddite. Spelling out “colon” — LOL!
I remember working at the ad agency, and one of my “superiors’ on team was in an office near my desk. I just kept hearing: “Dammit.” Thunk. “Dammit!” Thunk! “DAMMIT!”
Finally I popped in and asked what was wrong. He had a whole box of unformatted disks (yes, I’m dating myself here) and whenever he put one in, the computer would say “this is unformatted. Do you want to format it?”
He then assumed it was broken, and threw it out. He’d gone through half a box before I stopped him.
sounds like a great read. I’ve worked for a bookkeeper/secretary for a crazy boss for 4 yrs. When I left he had to hire two folks and call his wife back into work. Tickled me pink lol.
I’m definitely seeing a theme here. A good admin takes at least two people to replace her!
my worst boss story came from the last job before now and I had messed up on a check for an AP vendor and I went to tell my boss and he started cussing me. I just immediately left his office went to mine scarfed up my purse and pics and started out the front door. He came up behind me and asked where I was going I told him that I didn’t take that shit from my hubby and sure wasn’t taking it from him. He apologized profusely and asked me to stay.
Great reply! I love picturing that scene!
What author would you like to meet that you haven’t had a chance to?
I would love to meet Jim Butcher, although suppressing the fangirl “squeeeeee!” would be really, really difficult.
If I met Stephen King, I think I would pass out. Or J.K. Rowling. Just pass out cold.
To me the funniest story was the same boss that cussed at me. When I was pregnant with my first child about 6 months he came and stood behind me and watched me work never had before. I asked him politely the first time was there something he needed no just watching. Second time 10 minutes later I asked what do you want? He still said nothing. 15 minutes later I told him to go the hell back in his office because he was getting on my nerves. He held up his hands and said Whoa little momma calm down before you go into labor. I jumped up and started towards him and was muttering about how I’d show him nothing and going into labor lol. He ran into his office and didn’t bother me for several weeks. My immediate supervisor was laughing so hard he about peed his pants. That poor man had it hard my immediate supervisor that is. He had a pregnant wife and worker. Except his wife was having twins and they had a daughter not even two.
Hi there! What are your thoughts on audiobooks? Is this available in that format? If not, how well do you think it’d “read’?