What Do You Do All Day?

Recently, I met Los Angeles mystery writer Rachel Howzell Hall at the Mystery Writers of America National board orientation. I read Land of Shadows, featuring LA homicide detective Elouise "Lou" Norton. That novel deserved its starred review in Publishers Weekly.

Land of Shadows and Rachel's Skies of Ash were both on the LA Times’ Books to Read This Summer. The New York Times called her detective Lou Norton “a formidable fighter—someone you want on your side.” I can't wait to read Trail of Echoes this May. You'll enjoy Rachel's blog as much as her books. -- Elaine Viets

What Do You Do All Day?

By Rachel Howzell Hall

Confession: I’m behind. I should be finishing the last bits of my fourth draft for my fourth novel in the Lou Norton series. I blame my day job – lots of changes and I’ve had to adjust my novel writing life as a result.
See, in my daytime life, I am a proposal writer at City of Hope, a national leader in cancer research and treatment. Doing this helps with writing fiction -- I take difficult, science-y stuff and make it into plain English for regular people so that they donate money to advance cancer research. Writing proposals and reports have helped me slow down in my writing, break language down into its simplest, be compelling while still sticking to the point, and not assume that the reader knows what I'm talking about.
Despite the time suck, I like what I do. And I’m not alone in my day-job hustle.
Stephen King taught high school history.
Jack London was an oyster pirate.
Langston Hughes worked as a busboy at a hotel in D.C.

Dan Brown taught high school English.
J.K. Rowling taught English as a Second Language.
And Harlan Ellison was a short-order cook and a nitroglycerin truck driver.
I always fantasize about writing novels full-time. But working a day job, and being away from my personal writing, can be both a blessing and an inspiration.
What type of crack am I smoking, you ask? Have I gone around the bend and off the cliff? Drank the Kool-Aid about how awesome day jobs are? (And FYI, they drank grape Flavor-Aid on that unfortunate day.)
Think about it, though.
Does your house feature as many 'characters' as The Day Job?
Are there more interesting characters in your living room as the folks at The Day Job? You know who I’m talking about. The guy who steals teaspoons of your coffee creamer and never says thanks? That woman who refuses to learn how to use the copier and so she comes to your office and asks for your help and you glare at her because you just helped her two days ago but she apologizes and says she just doesn't understand cuz there are just so many buttons? The woman who wears the cologne, that cologne that makes your fingers numb and your nose run?
At home, you don't have stupid rules like 'No heating fish in the microwave' or require signs that say ‘Please wash your hands after using the toilet.’ If you ever become bug-eyed and shake your head and mutter, who are these people, that means you have great material for your book.
At one of my jobs, there had been a never-ending e-mail string about how to kill the mice in the building -- traps, bring in a cat, let them be? Attorneys, paralegals, fundraisers, support staff going on and on and on and on and on and on about killing mice.
You can't make this stuff up.
And really: why should you? It's RIGHT THERE, in that memo, in that supervisor, in the way you never hold the elevator for that creepy guy from Accounting cuz what's his deal and why does he look at you like that and you heard things about him and his wife but that couldn't have really happened, could it, OMG here he comes?
A writer needs all of these crazy and needlessly dramatic shenanigans to populate a story's world. Don’t fret cuz you have a 9-to-5. Pay attention and start carrying your moleskin and quill pen! Start looking around -- the break room, the bathroom, staff meetings, the elevator, the computer where crazy comes in emails about how many Christmas decorations you can have in your cubicle. People are even having affairs, yo. You think they’re just having lunch and going to Zumba together all innocent-like? Pshaw. Your character, your chapter, your plot twist may present itself between ‘leaning In’ and webinars.
Embrace your day job, whatever it is! It may slow your writing pace, make your brain a little… blech but since you gotta work, make it work. And always, ALWAYS, change names. Cuz you know… you wanna keep your job, too!

 

Rachell is giving away a hardcover Skies of Ash and an ARC of Trail of Echoes, her May Lou Norton mystery. To enter the contest, leave a comment.

 

Comments

[Kristopher]

Land of Shadows is one of the best debuts I have read in years. It, and Rachel, deserve much more attention than they are getting, so I am so happy to see her here again on Jungle Red Writers.

Lou is a character I hope to follow for years to come. There is much discussion of the lack of diversity in crime fiction - in all entertainment really - and while I do agree that we still have huge strides to make, there is quality work out there by and about all types of people if readers are willing to give it a chance.

And look at those covers! They just keep getting better.

[Kristopher]

Losing my mind here. We are on Femmes Fatales, not Jungle Red. ;) Two of my favorite blogs to check each morning, but clearly I still need my coffee.

[Dru Ann]

Hi Rachel and thanks Elaine for giving Rachel a chance to shine. I love her books and her characters. Lou is an awesome character and having binged read her series, I can't wait to read the next one.

Love the idea of taking stock on what's happening around you to incorporate into stories.

[Rachel Howzell Hall]

Kristopher, thank you so much! You've always been a tremendous advocate for my work - and my status as an author! So glad you enjoy Lou -- and the cover for Trails is just INCREDIBLE, right?

[Rachel Howzell Hall]

Hi, Dru Ann! Thanks for stopping by -- and reading each Lou Norton mystery! And thanks for everything you do for authors and readers.

[KcalvinHQ]

Thanks Rachel, this is what I needed this morning! I'm also an author with a day job at a nonprofit, struggling to meet competing deadlines. I plan to keep this line from your post by my computer as inspiration: "Embrace your day job, whatever it is! It may slow your writing pace, make your brain a little… blech but since you gotta work, make it work."
I hadn't discovered you yet as an author, so just ordered Land of Shadows, looking forward to meeting Lou Norton. Thanks again! Kris

[Sally Schmidt]

Thanks for the introduction to a new series that sounds like a must read. You are so right - I've been retired a couple of years so kind of forgot what a cast of characters are in the workplace. And how sometimes someone's backstory was a little more than we wanted to know and seemed like something that could only happen in fiction. I laughed at no fish in the microwave - yes! And we added no KFC boxes in your garbage overnight unless you wanted the wastebasket to be covered in ants in the morning.

[Charlaine Harris]

I enjoyed this so much. Everything you say is true, Rachel. I worked an 8-to-5 for years, and I used almost everyone later in my fiction. I confess, I had a moment of amazement when my mind popped in "Coben" for "Ellison" and I had dizzying vision of Harlan Coben as a short order cook and a truck driver. I look forward to reading your books.

[catriona]

Another fan here! Hi, Rachel. Just stopping by on my way to add "oyster pirate" to my Twitter bio.

[Shannon Baker]

Loved Land of Shadows and passed it along to someone who loved it so much she mentioned you in her well-read blog. I need to catch up in the series!

[Susan Neace]

One of the amazing things at my job as a legal aid attorney is how every year or so someone steals all the toilet paper in the bathroom. We used to keep baby wipes on the diaper change table but now we just have a sign that says we have it available.
I try to keep it in perspective. They must reall need it worse than we do

[MaryAnn Forbes]

Great post; who knew there was such great fodder for authors at their day jobs? I'm retired now but come to think of it I certainly did work with a group of characters in my career. Great giveaway; thanks for the opportunity to win.

[Rachel Howzell Hall]

Kris - Hey! Nonprofits, holla! Hope you enjoy LOS and Lou. Had a blast writing her before work, during lunch, at soccer practice, prior to doctor's appointments and on the 405 during rush hour.

[Rachel Howzell Hall]

Sally: no KFC? I'm stealing that SO HARD. My co-worker just stopped by to tell me that there's a guy in one of our 'We Spaces' angsting over the placement of pillows on the couches. Like, seriously, 'What feeling do we want to convey to whoever sits here?' Yeah... Thanks for stopping by!

[Rachel Howzell Hall]

Charlaine: Thanks so much for reading! People just present themselves to you at your dayjob. Like rams in a thicket and pennies in a parking lot. BTW, I'm a fan!

[Rachel Howzell Hall]

Cat: Hey! 'Oyster pirate'? Was there a guy from HR who told you that you weren't shucking as efficiently as you could, that you weren't 'thinking outside the box' and helping to 'change the paradigm' of your oyster 'enterprise' and that you must 'lean in' more to succeed? Yeah?

[Rachel Howzell Hall]

Shannon - so glad you loved LOS and passed it along. Yes, please catch up! Lou (and I) need you!

[Mark Stevens]

Very cool stuff. I'm proud to serve on the national MWA board with writers like Rachel (and had a great time chatting with her a couple weeks ago). Must check out her books.

[Rachel Howzell Hall]

Susan - the strange things that happen in an office. During the holidays, vendors send cookies, nuts, all that stuff, right? Well, someone stole from our area two jugs of mixed nuts/dried cherries -- and one had already been opened. Who DOES that??

[Rachel Howzell Hall]

Mark - It was great meeting you. Seems so long ago, our time in New York! Thanks for reading.

[Hank Phillippi Ryan]

LOVE you--and your books--as you well know!

Yes, that day job.

MARY the producer: Someone took my brush. I hate people.
Hank: Where'd you leave it?
M:In the bathroom.
H: Oh, you forgot it.
M: No, I left it there so I could use it later.
H: But hundreds of people go in there every day!
M: Yeah, well, they still shouldn't have taken it. I hate people.

[Hank Phillippi Ryan]

And someone has posted on a carton in the office fridge: SPECIAL MILK FOR HYPOGLYCEMIA.

[Kay Kendall]

Hi, Rachel. I enjoyed LAND OF SHADOWS very much and now look forward to reading its sequel and your next book, due out soon. LOS was very assured for a debut novel, congratulations!
It was a pleasure meeting you (and Elaine Viets too!) at the recent MWA board meeting. We were so lucky the blizzard waited for the following weekend...major understatement!

[Laura L. Cooper]

Whatever you are using to inspire your characters is working. Love Lou and the gang. Besides, writing can be good therapy for dealing with the stress of real people.

[Rachel Howzell Hall]

Hank - you've always been so supportive of me. Thanks so much for being my cheerleader. And I've never heard of special milk for that... but I'll one-up you. Someone stole a mother's breast milk out of the special little fridge for mothers who breastfeed. In that case, I'd rather for that person to just go ahead and steal my Vanilla Caramel Coffeemate.

[Rachel Howzell Hall]

Kay, it was great meeting you in New York! I lamented missing the snow by two hours that weekend. Not so much now. Thanks for reading LOS!

[Rachel Howzell Hall]

Laura, thanks so much. I try hard to find inspiration everywhere I can!