Jessica Ruddick is a 2014 Golden Heart finalist for her new adult novel, Letting Go, which was inspired by her own college experiences. She lives in Virginia and is married to her college sweetheart—their first date was a fraternity toga party (and nothing inspires love like a toga, right?). When she doesn’t have her nose in a book or her hands on a keyboard, she can be found wrangling her two rambunctious sons, taming two rowdy but lovable rescue dogs, and battling the herd of dust bunnies that has taken up residence in her home. To learn more about Jessica, please visit her website at www.jessicaruddick.com.
School’s out! It’s summer! Oh, summer memories are so sweet. Staying up late, lounging at the pool, narcing…say what?
Many teenagers and college students work summer jobs, and I was no different. Most summers I was lucky enough to work in a law firm, but after I earned my shiny new M.A., I found myself unemployed in a new city. So I did what every twenty-three year old has at the top of their bucket list: became a narc (in between my shifts as a Target team member, but that’s another story entirely).
I’ve been graced with a young-looking face. When I was twenty-five and pregnant with my first child, my OB’s office mistook me for a pregnant high school senior. I pretty much stopped aging at twelve. When I was a tween, I looked eighteen and had Navy guys trying to pick me up on the Virginia Beach boardwalk. When I was eighteen, I looked—you guessed it—eighteen. When I was twenty-one, I still looked eighteen and got carded for rated R movies, much to my indignation. I’ve aged a little since then, thanks to my kids, but in my job as a teacher, I still get asked for a hall pass at least once a year.
But I digress.
My point is that the people at the temp agency thought I would be a perfect narc since I looked underage. My job was to try to buy cigarettes at various gas stations, and if they failed to card me, then I would throw a little red card at them and get the hell out of there. So okay, okay, I wasn’t a real narc. Instead, I worked for a company that tested employees at various gas stations and restaurants to see if they were carding customers appropriately. And let me tell you—there is nothing more awkward than getting a table for one, ordering a margarita at two in the afternoon, then calling the server back a second later to cancel that order, and skulking out of the restaurant. And all of this was in Northern Virginia traffic (suburban D.C. for those of you not in the know) while driving a stick shift with shoddy air conditioning to assorted businesses in shady parts of a town I was not familiar with, all without the aid of GPS on a smart phone (because that hadn’t been invented yet).
Good times.
I’d like to hear about more interesting job experiences. They don’t have to be summer job experiences, but the quirkier, the better!
How long do you hold on?Cori Elliott likes order. Her schedule, her social life...even her GPA is perfect. Then she finds out her high school boyfriend's death wasn't an accident—it was suicide. The devastating revelation is enough to fracture her perfectly structured life, sending Cori in a downward spiral of self-doubt and impulsive decisions.And right into the arms of Luke Evans.But Cori's life isn't perfect anymore. In fact, it's all coming apart. The only way she can save herself is to let go of everything—including the girl she used to be. Even if it means losing the one guy who might just be perfect for her in the process...
Check out what's up for grabs.
Up For Grabs:
- 1 eBook copy of Letting Go (Amazon or B&N)
To Enter:
- Please fill out the Rafflecopter form to enter giveaway.
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Special thanks to Jessica Ruddick for sponsoring this giveaway.
The worst summer job, as a teenager, was walking beans. We had to walk through the rows of soybeans and cut down weeds. We would start super early, to try to avoid the summer heat. Yuck. I also worked in the cafeteria, running the dishwasher, at a local community college, during a football camp. Fun times. As an adult, one summer while off from teaching, I worked at an Energizer battery factory. Running the machines and packing wasn't that bad, but when it came time to clean the machines....disgusting.
ReplyDeleteBeing a waitress isn't great or very interesting. But your book sounds fun & I'd love to read it.
ReplyDeleteCute topic! I got lost in DC once...who knew there were two Roosevelt bridges??? Scary time.
ReplyDeleteI had very typical summer jobs...babysitting, retail, one long summer of cold-calling members of a professional organization and requesting their member lists...good times. I can't wait for this THIS summer to slow down so I can read Letting Go!
Cute topic! I got lost in DC once...who knew there were two Roosevelt bridges??? Scary time.
ReplyDeleteI had very typical summer jobs...babysitting, retail, one long summer of cold-calling members of a professional organization and requesting their member lists...good times. I can't wait for this THIS summer to slow down so I can read Letting Go!
I also got lost in DC once! We drove by the Lincoln Center and saw it from every level and vantage point possible. My craziest job was in a garlic packing shed, sorting garlic as it went by on a conveyor belt. Within a week, everything reeked. Not just my clothes. My car, my bedroom, my sheets. Ugh.
ReplyDeletewas that in Gilroy, Carrie? I had garlic ice cream there once during the festival. ;)
DeleteDoes shoveling a lot of horse manure get me points for anything?
ReplyDeleteFun post! Can't wait to see you. :)
I started deejaying at a radio station when I was 16. That was fun. I worked at a med school library during college. Not fun. I convinced myself I had every disease in the journals (which I read because the job was so boring.) Fun post Jessica!
ReplyDeleteBeing a narc sounds like fun. I lived out country, so just chores for a summer job.
ReplyDeleteI adore this cover!
ReplyDeletenice blurb
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your debut release, Jessica! Fun post.
ReplyDeleteI worked at a cinema as a teenager. Picture this: all-you-can-eat popcorn*, all-you-can-eat Baskin-Robbins ice-cream*, free movies, a steady stream of celebrity patrons at weekly premieres. It was my best job to date (not including being a writer, of course.)
*Not actually sanctioned by management.