The Book That (Almost) Got Me Fired: How I (Barely) Survived a Year in Corporate America

“With a mix of openness and humor, James captures what it means to work in content farms that help small businesses with their online presence.” --- Library Journal

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You're 52. Divorced. Single mom to a teenaged son and a tween daughter. Happily self-employed but worried about the cost of health insurance, the inevitable impact of perimenopause on your body, and whether you should keep dating a sexy plumber who's sweet and funny but lives an hour away and doesn't seem that into you.

So, after 22 years of full-time freelancing, you take a day job as a tiny, creaky cog in the corporate American machine where you're decades older than most of your coworkers - and you write about it. The Book That (Almost) Got Me Fired: How I (Barely) Survived A Year in Corporate America is an entertaining, midlife memoir that shares what (and what not) to do when you make that corporate leap.

Available online at brick-and-mortar bookstores near you, and Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Upcoming Events

  • On Tuesday, June 18, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., join Kelly (and friends!)at Frugal Muse in Downers Grove for the official kickoff event for Fired! Brush off those cicadas! Or bring them along for a glass of sparkling wine or lemonade, and get a signed copy of the book!

  • On Thursday, June 27, Kelly will be speaking at Roscoe Books; the event starts at 6:30 pm and includes drinks and light snacks.

  • On Saturday, June 29, Kelly will host a “wine-down” at Cellar Door from 3:00 to 6:00 pm.

  • On Thursday, July 11, Kelly will be at the Barnes & Noble in Bolingbrook from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

  • On Sunday, August 11, Kelly will host a “Book Chat on the Porch” at Prairie Path Books in Wheaton from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.

  • Other events in the Chicagoland area are in the works! Stay tuned!

Recent Media Coverage

  • Kelly is interviewed by Sylvia Perez on Fox32/WFLD on June 26, 2024.

  • Kelly is interviewed in the “Coffee and Grief” podcast on different kinds of grief and how it informs her life today.

  • Kelly is featured in a “Q and A” in San Diego Metro magazine which was published in late May 2024.

  • Douglas Page of San Diego Metro Magazine interviews Kelly in this podcast, taped May 16, 2024.

  • Downers Grove Magazine featured Kelly in an article that ran in its print and online editions in May, 2024.

Book Clubs

Have a bookclub and reading Fired? Thank you! And contact Kelly for a list of discussion questions, and to have her visit your next book club meeting (in person or via Zoom).