Welcome Guest Goddess Miranda Neville!
Mar 11th 2009
Your Friendly GoddessesGuest Goddesses & On Writing!
Please welcome Miranda Neville! Miranda just released her very first book, Never Resist Temptation, a regency historical with Avon books.
Hello! First let me say how privileged and terrified I feel to be visiting this Pantheon. Call me a major fangirl.
The heroine of my debut novel Never Resist Temptation is a pastry cook. My next is a rare bookseller. Not that I have anything against nicely brought up young ladies who don’t do much of anything—they are found in some of my favorite books. But as a writer I find a girl with a job and some independence gives me more scope for various activities. Especially not having to escape the chaperone.
Finding interesting occupations for women in a historical context can be challenging. In the Regency you are kind of stuck with governess or companion if you’re keeping your heroine within the bounds of proper society. If you want to be improper there are actresses and singers (who I am told don’t sell well) and courtesans. I love the fact that courtesan is now an acceptable occupation for a romance heroine (thank you Diane Gaston, Anna Campbell, Loretta Chase, Claudia Dain and others whom I can’t remember off hand).
I was discussing this with my friend Kathy who loves to collect books on weird aspects of women’s history. She came up with volumes about females in several different occupations. 
When she mentioned Petticoat Whalers I thought it was a monograph on corset makers. In fact it’s about women on whaling ships. A heroine on a whaler? Lots of men to chose from: good. Lack of privacy: bad.
Female lighthouse keepers. This one has possibilities. Imagine Hugh Jackman washing up on your rock.
And lastly, my personal favorite, female abortionists. I’d like to see that one get by an editor.
What is the least likely occupation you can think of for a heroine in a romance novel, historical or otherwise? Could it be made to work? And what occupation makes you glad you are at home with a deadline, two inches of dirt on the floor and an entire room full of dirty laundry? Speaking for myself, I am incredibly happy I’m not a meatpacker.
Miranda is offering up a prize! One commenter will win a signed copy of her debut novel, Never Resist Temptation
68 Comments »
68 Responses to “Welcome Guest Goddess Miranda Neville!”
Laurie G on 11 Mar 2009 at 3:25 am #
In historical England, a female politician in the Parliment/House of Lords.
I know they have had ruling queens and a female ex-prime minister Thatcher….
Could it work? Maybe with a very clever disguise.
Bad jobs for me:
Dairy farmer
Plumber
Septic Tank-emptier
Porta potty cleaner
Garbage collecter
Bill collecter
Carol L on 11 Mar 2009 at 3:26 am #
Good morning Miranda,
First I’d like to say a big “Congratulations” on your book.
Being an early bird today my brain is still fuzzy lol, I can’t remember if there were lamp lighters at that time but I’ll just say a lamp lighter and I don’t think it would fly because who the heck would want to picture a lady lighting the lamps.
Anyway, I wish you much success with your ook Miranda.
Carol L.
I know when I fully wake up I am so going to regret this idea lol
Kimberly W on 11 Mar 2009 at 4:18 am #
First off, I would like to welcome you and give congratulations on your debut. Here is hoping that it does leaps and bounds better than your highest expectation. Now off to the questions at hand.
The least likely occupation I could think of in period, besides the obvious ones in a historical, would be a female tanner. Tanneries were and still are rather disgusting and most of the men who worked in them hated it. I could never imagine a woman wanting to work in one no matter how hard up they were.
The only way I could think that it would work in a book is if the heroines father owned the business, he dies, and she’s stuck with it. Otherwise, no dice. HAHA!
Another would be a female clergyman. Other than being a nun, woman were not allowed to take positions of that sort until rather recently actually.
As for occupations that I am supremely glad I do not have to partake of, here is my list:
Anything to do with sanitation or plumping
Foundry Worker
Pig Farmer
Chicken Farmer– they smell worse than piggies
Telemarketer
Kim on 11 Mar 2009 at 5:05 am #
Welcome Miranda!! I loved Never Resist Temptation:D
I’m so estatic that I’m home with several deadlines looming, 5 inches of dirt on the floor and a mountain of laundry instead of still working in a factory running that stupid sewing machine. Yay!! Getting up at 3am does not suit me in my old age. LOL
Angela on 11 Mar 2009 at 5:22 am #
Any kind of animal farming: pigs, chickens (bad smells)
sanitation (again bad smells)
Least likely heroine: (modern) data input clerk
Least likely heroine: Ship captain
So glad I don’t have a dirty job and I have a nice warm furry cat to come home to.
Cail on 11 Mar 2009 at 5:32 am #
Welcome Miranda!!! Congratulations on getting your first book published.
i’d be skeptical of a female crabber, like on that show. although she’d certainly have quite a few men to choose from.
Angela, every time an author makes her heroine a ship captain in a historical novel, she automatically puts her book on my TBB list.
Miranda Neville on 11 Mar 2009 at 6:00 am #
Laurie – you’ve challenged me on the politician thing. I love cross-dress roles. Could you have a girl disguised as a man run for Parliament? Or at least be “elected” to a rotten borough by some complicit male. Who is doing in on a bet. And is an amazingly hot marquis. And she only agrees to do it because she has six starving siblings at home. HEA (and let’s not worry about the unfortunate legal consequences).
I totally agree about the jobs *you* don’t want to do. Kimberley, Kim and Angela too. Although I’m not sure I’d put farming quite as low as sanitation. I kind of like pigs (perhaps not so much in practice, by the thousand)
Angela and Cail: If a woman could be an MP, why not a ship captain? Oh, I know. Ship captains, unlike politicians, actually have to know something to get the job. She’d have to be in disguise for years.
Carol: I think the lamplighter idea has appeal. A lovely woman walks the streets of London, posing fetchingly in the soft glow of the lamps as she offers relief …. OK. I don’t think she is a lamplighter after all.
Lisa H on 11 Mar 2009 at 6:24 am #
Welcome Miranda! I am a huge fan of Regency Romance and I tend to buy everything Avon publishes, so I will definitely be reading your book. I really like the idea your heroine having a job. I like the two you have chosen, and I am glad to see it did not hinder the publication. Laura Lee Gurkee in her book, “And then He Kissed Her” had the heroine as a secretary to the hero, who wrote a self help column for women something akin to Martha Stewart today. I really liked that characterization.
I think most of worst occupations for woman in history have been mentioned. But I’d like to see a woman disguised as a man, managing White’s, spotting the cheaters, tossing them out with her superior fighting skills and then falling in love with a tall debonair “Winner” who of course knew she was a woman the entire time.
Freedom Writer on 11 Mar 2009 at 6:26 am #
Welcome to Mt. Oly Miranda, and congratulations on your first book.
How about a Proctologist as your heroine? Or how about an Opium addict in the old days of Opium dens?
And the occupation that makes me glad that I am home with several deadlines looming, 5 inches of dirt on the floor and a mountain of laundry is running a sweet water truck.
nancyg on 11 Mar 2009 at 6:31 am #
Miranda:
Congratulations on the new book…may it be the first of many to come!
I’m pretty open-minded as far as heroines go – love the lighthouse keeper occupation! Must warn you though, you must keep your hands away from Hugh Jackman – that’s treading in Karen Hawkins’ territory. Then again, you might be able to relieve her for a few moments from her stalker’s position in the bushes next to the paparazzi…
Logistically speaking, I think a chimney sweep or blacksmith would be undesirable – too dirty. I’d like to see maybe a female horse trainer or perhaps a debutante who moonlights as a seamstress at night to help keep her family afloat. From the back workshop, she eavesdrops & hears her “friend” who she’s known since childhood, speaking ill of her while getting a final fitting. Afterwards, she loosely bastes the seams of the rival’s ballgown while putting the “finishing touches” on it, the skirt falls away turning a particularly zesty twirl around the dance floor, leaving the ton scandalized at the biggest “crush” of the year? That’s the way my warped mind works…
Current occupations? I’d rather not work at food service anymore…
Miranda Neville on 11 Mar 2009 at 6:52 am #
Hi Lisa. Loved that LLG (Harry was adorable – I’m a sucker for men who turn out to be completely helpless without the heroine). Also like the White’s bouncer idea. Maybe she grew up in the east and learned martial arts.
Freedom. We’ve seen heroes who were opium addicts (Lymond! Sigh) but I don’t know about heroines.
Nancy – When I have Hugh on my rock there aren’t going to be any bushes to hide behind. However, if KH absolutely insists, I’ll take Daniel Craig instead.
LOVE the falling skirt. A warped mind is a wonderful thing.
The horse trainer is a good idea (wave to Suzanne Enoch for Sullivan in After the Kiss. I adored those scenes). What about an historical version of National Velvet? Has it been done?
nancyg on 11 Mar 2009 at 7:10 am #
I’ve seen it once, in Stephanie Laurens’ Cynster series – I remember the H/H names were Harry & “Flick”….
let me go check…
A Rogue’s Proposal
I can’t remember if she actually raced the horses or not, it’s been years since I read the novel.
elsiehogarth on 11 Mar 2009 at 7:23 am #
Welcome Miranda! Congratulations, Jacobin & Anthony were a great couple. I loved that she was a chef. Excellent book and look forward to the next one.
In Kathryn Caskie book-Lady In Waiting she had the heroine, Jenny Penny(Lady Genevieve by day & Lady Eros by night), make homemade beauty products that she sold to all the Ladies of the Ton. Her night facial cream was a hit especially when they went and applied it to an intimate part of their body that caused them to have a “tingling sensation”.
Great jobs for a heroine would be matchmaker(like Claudia’s Courtsean books), archeologist, game hell owner, gossip column (Julia Quinn’s-Lady Whistledown), physician and land owner community leader(taking care of everything for sickly father, brother or hero who is away at war .
All you need to do is watch Mike Rowe, on Dirty Jobs, and there are tons of jobs that I am glad to be not doing. For now, I’d have to say garbage disposal and snow plower. Last week, all those poor people worked almost all day: plowing, sanding and salting.
SuzyQ on 11 Mar 2009 at 7:31 am #
Good morning Miranda and welcome to Mt. Oly! A big congrats to you for your first book – Whoo Hoo!
I think the worst jobs today would be anything I’ve seen Mike Rowe do on Dirty Jobs. Historically, probably scrapping barnacles off a boat. I don’t think they would work out too well.
I do remember Laura Lee Guhrke once had a heroine be a antiques expert that worked out very well. She was working for a Duke to help restore some artifacts. One of my favorites.
JudyPatooty on 11 Mar 2009 at 7:48 am #
Welcome to Mt. Oly! It’s always fun when Guest Goddesses visit. And big congrats on your first book! That’s a huge accomplishment (and I look forward to reading it!).
I’ve always been fond of scholarly women heroines – I liked Daphne in Loretta Chase’s Mr. Impossible (and I loved her interaction with Rupert!). So authors or professors or any other scholarly profession would be interesting to me.
As to jobs I wouldn’t want … I’m with Elise on this one … pretty much any job that Mike Rowe has had on Dirty Jobs would be on my list.
Karen Hawkins on 11 Mar 2009 at 7:48 am #
Good morning, Miranda! Wellcome to Mt. Oly!
Hmmm . . . best job. I love the idea of a female politician. That would have been so cool!
I guess perhaps I’d like to have been a chocolate maker. I know women were accepted in the cooking field and it would have been awesome to have been so good at it, that people came from the world over to check out my chocolates.
Heck, I know that I would go the world over to check out chocolates, so . . . it could happen!
I had a female stained glass maker/repairer in one of my books. Several women did well in the arts because their work became prized before people knew they were women. That was cool to write.
Worst jobs right now? I, too, looooove the show Dirty Jobs (isn’t that Mike HUNKY?) so there are a lot. Anything having to do with poo would be bad. Oh, and any sort of breeding operation is out, too. I’m not crazy about handling livestock either.
I suppose I need a desk job!
LoriHandeland on 11 Mar 2009 at 7:49 am #
Hi, Miranda and welcome! Congratulations on the publication of your first book. How exciting!!
The least likely job for a heroine in a historical that I can think of is prize fighter. Million Dollar Baby meets Jane Austin.
The job I’d least like to have is dairy farmer. My grandfather was one and he worked hard every day of his life, out in the sun and wind and snow. Shudder. No thanks.
I do think it’s easier now with all the technology, although small, family farms–those that are left–aren’t so easy.
Louisa Cornell on 11 Mar 2009 at 7:55 am #
Congrats on your debut, Miranda ! I can’t wait to read your book. I run a bakery so a pastry chef sounds intriguing as a heroine in the Regency.
How about a gamekeeper on an estate or even a head gardener? Or even a stablemaster.
A position I would hate is anything that requires that I get up before 7 or 8 in the morning. They called me in to do donuts one morning @ 3 AM. I told them if they did it again someone would die.
Any sort of government position that deals with money or services these days as I am sure the people in the unemployment, welfare, social security offices are really catching it these days.
And if I ever even THINK about working in fast food …. JUST SHOOT ME!
Sabrina Jeffries on 11 Mar 2009 at 7:58 am #
Welcome, Miranda! We have to stop meeting like this. *G* I think women worked in many more positions than we’re aware of during the regency. They just weren’t always considered the sort of respectable women who would marry a lord. Women ran taverns, millineries, and shops of all kinds. A shopkeeper heroine might be kind of cool. There were a number of women writers, too–the gothic craze was in full swing and most of the authors were women. Of course, I tend to prefer spies and pirates and smugglers, so I’d go for that more than anything.
I also like women with interesting hobbies–that’s usually satisfying for me as a substitute for a woman with a profession. Actually, I suspect lots of women probably used their “duties” as a substitute for a job. Visiting the poor and caring for the sick (nurse), keeping the accounts of a household (accountant), managing a large family library (librarian) … lots of possibilities. *G* I’m just glad we get PAID for the work now.
My favorite non-traditional heroine was in Mary Jo Putney’s The Rake and the Reformer, where the heroine was a steward. I loved that!
RachG on 11 Mar 2009 at 8:01 am #
I think the hardest heroine job would have to be someone who owns or works in a mortuary…hard to make that look romantic!
Thanks for the contest!!
crp on 11 Mar 2009 at 8:09 am #
THe least likely oppucation for a female in a historical would be a lawyer. The worst job would be a debt collector or a nuse ( I gross out easily)
Julia London on 11 Mar 2009 at 8:17 am #
Welcome to Mt. Oly, Miranda! Congratulations on your debut. It’s a beautiful cover. The least likely occupation for a woman in an historical is…any occupation
. But I feel your pain in trying to come up with something for them to do other than sit around in the drawing room all day.
As for occupations I could never do — anything in an operating room or morgue. Augh. Just Augh.
nancyg on 11 Mar 2009 at 8:27 am #
Karen H -
*loved* your stained-glass maker – your take on Snow White – loved the 7 Scotsmen assistants. Bride Wore Plaid, right?
Miranda –
Were women professional musicians? I know so many of the women were “accomplished”, had musical tutors, and performed in public among their peers… That would be cool – maybe a group of young women debutantes forming a muscial group at their finishing school – maybe not getting paid professionally, but having an older “empty nester” society matron adopt a penniless young lady and sponsor her for the season after hearing her play at a salon, etc.
Each of the members of the trio/quartet meets their match – perhaps a dashing foreign musical professional sensation (i.e. downtrodden Italian Lord tenor having to work for his supper?) visiting from “the Continent”, one very proper lady falling in love with her music tutor (a la Dangerous Liaisons), a Lord who is a sponsor for the opera/symphony?, etc.
Just a thought….
dbrown3400 on 11 Mar 2009 at 8:49 am #
Welcome Miranda! Congrats on your debut. This would be during the Victorian era, but how about a female deep sea diver ala Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea? That would not only be daring and dangerous, but fascinating as well.
Laurie G, we had a septic tank once and the guys who came to clean it were nasty/filthy. You REALLY wouldn’t want that job. I wouldn’t want to be a long-haul truck driver handling one of those eighteen wheelers. Although I understand the food at truck stops is pretty good. Just can’t imagine going all that time without sleep.
Donna
Miranda Neville on 11 Mar 2009 at 8:51 am #
Wow! Writers have been really creative in coming up with things for women to do. Hi Elsie, SuzyQ and Judy – great examples. And Elsie, THANK YOU for saying you enjoyed NRT.
Lori and Rach – great bad examples, prize-fighter and mortuary worker. Hot glances over the cooling corpse?
I loved Karen’s hunky Scottish stained-glass assistants. Did they feed her chocolate? In my experience Scotsmen are more likely to feed you whisky.
Good morning Louisa and Sabrina: it’s been sooo long since we chatted.
As for a lawyer, crp. Shakespeare has given us the plot in The Merchant of Venice.
NancyG you are full of ideas. I actually wrote a book about a Regency opera star and the lord who was the chief investor in a rival opera house. My editor didn’t think it would sell, but maybe that will change.
Stonehawk on 11 Mar 2009 at 8:53 am #
Nice to hear from a new author in this website. At least I’ll consider looking at your book to check out sometime. Sorry don’t know what to say to answer your questions.
Ayse on 11 Mar 2009 at 8:55 am #
The least likely occupation I can think of would be a madam.
I can’t write so I have no idea how someone could ever make that work.
My evil science teacher showed us a video where a guys job was to gather cow sperm and he’d say this is why you should stay in school. EWW! That was some scary stuff.
Sabrina, I loved The Rake and the Reformer
loved the heroins I can do it myself attitude
Miranda Neville on 11 Mar 2009 at 8:56 am #
A woman I’d like to know more about is Eleanor Coade, a Lambeth woman who marketed Coade Stone, a treated clay used for various architectural applications. She seems to have started the business herself (in 1769), rather than inheriting it from a father or husband. After her death the business declined and eventually went bankrupt. Stupid man who took it over.
Hi db. Like the deep sea diving idea. A balloonist would be interesting too.
And to get back to modern ideas. Telemarketing is not without promise. I actually know a couple who met that way when the callee fell for the caller’s voice. The relationship lasted several years though the job did not
Ayse on 11 Mar 2009 at 8:57 am #
A lot of regencies I’ve read use American heroins in working roles
amy1242 on 11 Mar 2009 at 9:26 am #
Hi Miranda, and welcome! As a kid, our local grave digger had an air of mystery surrounding him. The people in town would refer to him as Diggero Dill, but said to never call him that to his face. The winters were hard on that man, he was very quiet, but had the same lunch in the same coffee shop at the same time every day. My grandfather and I would sometimes catch him at the end of his meal when we would do lunch together. I had all kinds of stories going through my head about him. I haven’t thought of him in years though, so thanks for the reminder!
Ruth on 11 Mar 2009 at 9:32 am #
I wander if you could create a woman land surveyor…
I probably don’t want any job at this time that would give my hands too many calluses. I have grown adjusted to the easy life of office work compared to farmers and ranchers in my family.
CrystalGB on 11 Mar 2009 at 9:34 am #
Hi Miranda. Great post. I think that a junk yard owner, a sewage plant operator, or a garbage collector would be a bad job for a heroine.
Nicole Jordan on 11 Mar 2009 at 9:53 am #
Welcome to Mt. Oly, Miranda! And congrats on the birth of your first fiction child! I’m sure the labor was worth it.
And what a fun post! You’re right, it’s hard to come up with an acceptable occupation for an historical heroine, or to put a new spin on governesses or teachers. A pastry chef is very unique!
There are tons of occupations nowadays that I would never want… someone mentioned pig farmer, lol. I used to work rotating shifts in a manufacturing plant in my previous life… which wasn’t great but not as bad as pig farmer or waitressing.
What more can you tell us about NEVER RESIST TEMPTATION and the sequel? Also, I agree with Julia, beautiful cover!
Suzanne Enoch on 11 Mar 2009 at 10:35 am #
Welcome, Miranda, and congratulations!!
I love the show on the History Channel called something like “Worst Jobs in History”. They go through different periods and demonstrate a handful of the less pleasant jobs. I would have hated being a chambermaid — emptying out the pee pots every day, etc.
As for unusual jobs for a woman, all I’ll say is that I’m taking notes today. Ahem.
Rachel Gibson on 11 Mar 2009 at 11:02 am #
Hello Miranda. Congrats on your debut book. Historical female artist interest me, especially the impressionist Cassatt and Morisot.
rachelg
ladydawgfan on 11 Mar 2009 at 11:39 am #
Hello Miranda. I can’t wait to read your book. I will try to pick it up today, if I can rouse myself out of my cold medicine stupor long enough to drive safely.
As to your question, how about a female boxer, wrestler, or trainer at Gentleman Jackson’s establishment? Or someone who teaches martial arts or self defense to women, but during the Regency period?
Miranda Neville on 11 Mar 2009 at 12:01 pm #
Hi Ayse, Amy, Ruth and Crystal. Seems like no one wants dirty jobs.
EEEW Suzanne on the chamber pots. There are certain aspects of Regency life I think we prefer to ignore. Morning breath is something that I have decided (and I am sure I am DEAD wrong on this) simply didn’t exist back then. Our lovers always wake in the morning with mouths as fresh as though they’d just come from the hygienist.
Rachel. Loretta Chase did a great artist in Captives of the Night. Either Cassatt or Morisot would make great inspirations for a story. Too bad American and French historicals aren’t doing well. I can’t think of any 19th century British ones offhand – maybe something around the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.
ladydawgfan. Sorry to hear you aren’t well. But I can assure you that my book will not only make you feel better, it will cure cancer, bring about world peace, and restore prosperity to the economy.
Karen Hawkins on 11 Mar 2009 at 12:18 pm #
Nancyg, yup, that was the book! And I’ve had an antiques dealer, too, in Lady In Red. My next historical series is based on a less than affluent family so they’re going to be working, too.
Miranda, what are you plans for your next books? Do you have dates? We wanna know!
I’m going to pick up NEVER RESIST TEMPTATION today. I’ve been cloistered for the last month and desperately need a trip to the bookstore for some R & R!
Angela on 11 Mar 2009 at 12:22 pm #
Love the cover!
What does TBB mean?
If you want to see some really disgusting, dirty jobs watch Dirty Jobs on Discovery.
Mike Rowe is fun to watch. His facial expressions are priceless. He doesn’t take himself too seriously.
I like that in a man.
If Hugh isn’t available, Daniel Craig would be my first choice as a hero.
nancyg on 11 Mar 2009 at 12:29 pm #
Karen H -
I knew about Lady in Red – I’m looking at it on my shelf… I’ve read the entire St. John series!
Miranda –
another idea just as I fed myself & my constant canine companion lunch and let him out for his potty break. I thought – gosh, this dog is high maintenance!
What about a Regency dog whisperer? Like, the hero has inherited the title & estates from his recently deceased father. He moves into the ancestral home, and his mother, the dowager, has this totally hyperactive, out of control dog gallivanting around….last gift from his late father to his mother, so he can’t banish it to the stables. Something like the dog’s eyes “Remind me of your father,” etc. His sister visits from town, the dog comes down with his new riding boot in its mouth, she tells the lord, “I heard about this woman in town – she does wonders with animals, etc.” The heroine’s father could be a Regency-era vet??
Told you my mind tends to wander off in wildly wacky directions, lol!!
Karen Hawkins on 11 Mar 2009 at 12:33 pm #
NANCYG! That’s SUCH a great idea! I love it!
Miranda Neville on 11 Mar 2009 at 12:38 pm #
Thanks for asking about the books. Here’s the quick blurb.
Jacobin, my heroine, runs away from her uncle when he loses her in a game of cards. She’s learned to be an expert pastry chef and she gets a job in the Prince Regent’s kitchen, disguised as a young man. That’s all fine until her uncle – one of the Prince’s friends — is poisoned by a dessert she made. Someone’s setting her up to take the fall so she escapes again and ends up working for – the man who won her in the card game! Anthony, the Earl of Storrington wants to use her as an instrument of revenge but he’s soon torn between his attraction to her and his other goal. The two fight a lot, pair up to find the real poisoner, and learn to enjoy whipped cream.
My next book isn’t a sequel. I’ve sold two (in what I hope will be a trllogy) to Avon dealing with rare book collectors in Regency England. The first, almost finished, no pub. date yet, is another mystery. The heroine is a widowed bookseller, trying to make it in a male-dominated business. Then a RAKE (with a distinct resemblance to D. Craig) wanders into her shop, interested in buying a rare manuscript that may hold the key to his own past.
Miranda Neville on 11 Mar 2009 at 12:40 pm #
Karen – I loved Lady in Red. The antiques stuff was great fun.
nancyg on 11 Mar 2009 at 12:46 pm #
Miranda –
Those sound awesome!! pastry chef/whipped cream, bookseller – key to his past – LOVE IT!! Is he adopted or has amnesia…either way, it works!!
catslady on 11 Mar 2009 at 1:48 pm #
There are sooo many jobs i wouldn’t want to do – to narrow it down – nothing that is done on Dirty Jobs!!!!!
Miranda Neville on 11 Mar 2009 at 2:21 pm #
Catslady – I agree. But I suppose those who do the “dirty jobs” (I’ve never seen the show – need to check it out) get used to them. We should be grateful we don’t have to. In fact I’m grateful I don’t have to do any job that requires me to be in some place 40 hours a week!
Jeanne on 11 Mar 2009 at 2:45 pm #
How about a batman, a soldier’s servant not the caped crusader, or a valet? Either could put hero and heroine in close company where all sorts of madness and mayhem could ensue.
I’ve never even watched “Dirty Jobs” and I don’t like them! Most of my other top picks have already been mentioned, so I’ll add healthcare jobs where bed pans and tubes are involved.
Congrats on your book!
ladydawgfan on 11 Mar 2009 at 3:02 pm #
What about a dentist?? Digging in peoples mouths for hours on end just doesn’t seem to be the thing to do to me!! Yuck-o!!!
Maureen on 11 Mar 2009 at 3:19 pm #
I can’t imagine reading about a heroine who is a coal miner or a mortician but I guess a good writer can make any job look good.
JudyPatooty on 11 Mar 2009 at 3:20 pm #
There’s even a tie-in between romance novels and Mike Rowe on “Dirty Jobs.” Nïx the Ever-Knowing, also known as Nucking Futs Nïx is a very funny character (a Valkyrie) in Kresley Cole’s Immortals After Dark series. There’s a small running gag through the books about Nïx’s major crush on (and stalking of) Mike Rowe. She even mentions something about the restraining order against her being lifted.
Karen Hawkins on 11 Mar 2009 at 3:26 pm #
Ewwww! A dentist. That would be horrible! So would a midwife. I’m just not the blood-n-guts type.
Miranda Neville on 11 Mar 2009 at 3:32 pm #
Apologies to anyone in the dental services industry, but it isn’t IMO romantic. I remember way back in the LA Law days Jimmy Smits was dating a hygienist and he dumped her because she kept flossing *his* teeth in bed. Major Ewwww.
But, Jeanne, the woman dressed as a valet has real possibilities. You’ve got the servant thing – up close and personal! – and the cross-dressing thing.
Santa on 11 Mar 2009 at 3:44 pm #
How about a female mortitian? I don’t know if editors would find that too unsavory but imagine the historical romantic suspense you could come up with. She could be a female Sherlock Holmes of sorts. Or she could end up in the Wild West working for her father who’s under the thumb of the town’s unscrupulous mayor…..
Hmmm……
Great to see you here, Miranda!
Santa on 11 Mar 2009 at 3:46 pm #
BTW, I can think of quite a few things to do with Jimmy Smits in bed and flossing is most certainly not one of them, lol!
Yaya on 11 Mar 2009 at 4:35 pm #
Hi there Miranda. Welcome to Mt oly!
Never resist temptation is on my TBB list. When I saw it on BN.com the first thing that caught my eye was the cover. I love the cover. It has this rich purple color. The I read the sypnopsis and was intrigued.
Jobs that I would not like to have? I think the obvious that everyone else already mention plus for me a job that doesnt have interaction with other people and any job that has vaccumming. I hate vaccumming
Carlaree on 11 Mar 2009 at 4:54 pm #
Amanda Quick has had some really inventive jobs for women in historicals…seems like I remember a museum curator, and a scientist/explorer…Was there a potionist or pharmacist (apothecaryist? is that even a word? ). There was a bookshop keeper too, I think.
How about a translator, bookkeeper/accountant/financial planner, spy, inventor/tinkerer, therapist/psychologist or vet. Connie Brockway’s latest features something like an animal whisperer. Very funny book, btw. Loved it.
Occupations that would be hard to do, but interesting: lumberjack or knight/military soldier. I know! She could be the daughter of a brilliant tactical genius General who taught her everything he knew before he passed on. Now she’s the cunning strategist who’s delivered some of the most successful battle plans in history. But…nobody’s ever met her and everyone has assumed she’s a he! [She'll have used her initials, or maybe her father--craving a son--demanded that she be named Vladmir or something...I dunno] In desperation for a strategy to end the Battle of Yadayada, the handsome brave warrior Lance Pierce boldly determines to find the wunderkind military man and discuss maneuvers face-to-face. Egads!
Sweet Jane on 11 Mar 2009 at 5:10 pm #
Hi Miranda, and welcome!
When it comes to her job, well, I’m not such a big fan of making her work hard or clever at all costs, since my personal dream job is that of housewife… 
However I’m all for risks and originality in literature, so getting unusual jobs for your characters is def. something I could enjoy as a reader. If only because it opens up to worlds we’re often very slightly acquainted with. And I like learning new stuff, esp. if it can all be done in the course of a lovely romance novel… ;-D
Speaking of heroines, “Miranda” just happens to be my last-found name for the heroine of yet another book I have planned to write but cannot see started!
I’m happy I’m not anything that has to do with medicine and biology. This is (or at least is supposed to be) such serious and important stuff, but I swear I cannot stand any bit of it! Makes me straight sick.
ladydawgfan on 11 Mar 2009 at 5:29 pm #
Hey!!! How about a female TAXIDERMIST???!!!! Now THAT has to be the ultimate EWWWWWWWW!!!!
Miranda Neville on 11 Mar 2009 at 5:33 pm #
Hi Santa. I’m not writing the mortician book! But I agree Jimmy Smits doesn’t get any worse with age.
Thanks Yaya and I hate vacuuming too (though I suspect I’d have hated pre-vacuum cleaning even worse). And I love my cover too. Purple is my new favorite color.
Caralee, that’s a great idea, the military strategist. But like so many other suggestions it involves the heroine dressing as a man, or at least keeping her gender secret. That’s why historical novelists have to be so inventive to give women interesting occupations!
Hi Sweet Jane. There’s nothing like reading a great story that also has some new information. World building is a big part of every subgenre, not just paranormal. I love reading contemporaries set in places or settings that are new to me. Researching Regency food, kitchens and cooking methods for Never Resist Temptation was fascinating.
Miranda Neville on 11 Mar 2009 at 5:36 pm #
Gee ladydawg. Now we have to introduce DEAD animals? Next someone’s going to suggest scratch-and-sniff romance novels.
Karen Hawkins on 11 Mar 2009 at 5:44 pm #
Miranda, I don’t think being a dentist in today’s world would be anything like being a dentist in the days of yore when they were ALSO general physicians and did everything from lancing boils (shudder!) to removing people’s teeth without the use of either antiseptic or painkillers (eek!).
Today’s dentistry wouldn’t bother me. But the way they used to do it — foot on your chest, big ole pair of pliers on your tooth — uh uh. Wouldn’t do it.
Caralee — Your hero, Lance Pierce (bwhahahaha! on the name, btw), sounds divine!
ladydawgfan on 11 Mar 2009 at 5:56 pm #
Blame it on the cold meds, Miranda!! My mind keeps wandering in strange directions!!
Scratch and sniff . . . I wonder what a Duke smells like . . .
Miranda Neville on 11 Mar 2009 at 6:03 pm #
Ouch Karen. You just explained perfectly why I’m glad I don’t actually live back then.
Kim on 11 Mar 2009 at 8:00 pm #
LOL @ Lance Pierce! Too funny.
ewww, I do NOT want to know what a Duke smells like. No way.
Miranda-thanks so much for visiting with us today! I hope you’ll come back to play with us often!
Kammie on 11 Mar 2009 at 8:14 pm #
Congratulations on your first book! I’m a big fan of historicals and always on the search for a new favorite author.
My first thought on your questions, is I can’t imagine a heroine having a job that requires her to pick up road kill. haha! Especially in a historical, because I’m pretty sure they just left the animals in the road. I wouldn’t want to do that job ever!
Santa on 11 Mar 2009 at 8:32 pm #
Really, Miranda? No mortitian book in your future? Ah, well, one for the files I guess.
And Kammie, I don’t think they’d leave road kill on the road. I mean, it could be dinner…..
I was also thinking a barber would be an unusual job for a female but then I remembered Kate Bridges wrote a novella featuring one. From what I remember, it was quite good.
Miranda Neville on 11 Mar 2009 at 9:33 pm #
Thanks Kim and Goddesses for the play date. I had a blast.
One last note. Have to be careful of that road kill, Kammie, or it can cause one of those carriage accidents much loved by historical writers for killing off inconvenient relatives.
Karen Hawkins on 12 Mar 2009 at 3:14 am #
Miranda, it was lovely having you here! I bought your book this evening and I plan on taking a nice, loooong bath, and enjoying it, one delicious page at a time!
Thanks for visiting!