If reality was no option...

An interesting article came across my news feed last week: Why do you hate your job?

What intrigued me wasn't that most of us hate our jobs, it is called work, after all. No, what got my attention was the sudden realization that I didn't know whether the characters in my latest WIP hated their jobs—or what their dream job would be for those one of those days.

If you know me, you’ve know my escape-it-all job is to wait tables in a diner in a small Southern town on the coast or in the Keys. Over the years, I've had this discussion with a number of friends, who has 'dream' jobs ranging from ghost busters or wine tasters.

But I hadn't asked my characters. So I did. 

The hero of my current, if-I-every-finish-this-self-torture WIP has inherited the family’s small construction and renovation business. Yet he fantasizes about specializing in retrofitting green technology on home while living deep in a red state (most of his clients quietly ask for the retro and don’t want the neighbors to know—ha, ha)

When he wants to chuck it all, his dream job is to run river-rafting tours in Idaho.

Days later, I still don’t know how my heroine would escape. It’s driving me nuts. The job has to be borderline crazy, yet in complete keeping with her personality. She’s driven, ambitious, and likes people more in theory than in actuality. So waiting on tourists is not going to be her thing. Ha, ha.

But she’s not the type to hermit away either, even if she’s currently avoiding everyone in her home town as if she were in the witness protection program. I've come to the conclusion that she's not the type to ditch it all. She's the one who's going to dig in until it kills her.

What about you and the people in your heads? Do they dream of leaving it behind or would they dig in?

Keena Kincaid writes historical romances in which passion, magic and treachery collide to create unforgettable stories. She's attempting her hand at a contemporary, but it's not going so well. In fact, she's dug in and it will likely kill her. 

If you want to know more about her as an author, visit her Facebook page.

These flip-flops were made for walking

So what’s your dream job?

I don’t mean the job of writing bestsellers in a coffee shop overlooking the Seiné, but the job we threaten to take when the day is too long and the hours too short and we are “sick to here” of all the angst and BS and obstacles.

So after one of “those” days—you know the type. Everything goes south by 10 a.m. and 12 hours later you are still shoveling your way through a dozen emails—my escapist job is to wait tables in a diner somewhere in the Keys.

Slinging hash or pulling beers in a tourist trap would let me meet lots of new people, and give me plenty of writing inspiration. Plus I'd relish the ability to wear flip-flops everyday and never again dig out a pair of sock.

And I’m not alone. When deadlines became too much, a former newspaper editor of mine used to say she was going to restock shelves overnight at Kroger. Another boss occasionally waxed poetic about life as a Wal-Mart greeter.

I’m sure dreaming of escaping to a no-pressure job is fairly common experience, but what I find fascinating is that our escapist jobs rarely stray far from our basic personalities.

My newspaper editor was extremely organized, planned everything to the last detail and could find story notes on anything in less than a minute. She would’ve been a great shelf stocker. And my current boss is probably the friendliest, most outgoing person I know. He’d make an excellent greeter.

In the realm of fiction, my next book (ENTHRALLED) to be released next month by PRP features a chivalrous knight who adheres to the rules with fervor best reserved for martyrs. But when the pressure mounts, he fantasizes about getting drunk, kissing all the girls, and doing very unchivalrous things with the heroine.

Yes, those are extremes, but William is an all-in kind of guy. So whether he obeys the rules or breaks them, he will do both will everything he has.

So… what is your escapist job? If you decide to shuck it all for a new, no-pressure career today, what would it be? Tell us what your hero or heroine would do if they decided to run away from it all?

On Thursday, I’ll draw a name to win a copy of one of my books with PRP, ANAM CARA or TIES THAT BIND.

Keena Kincaid writes historical romances in which passion, magic and treachery collide to create unforgettable stories. You can find out more about her books at: http://prairierosepublications.com