May Madness

 

Well… this post is definitely fashionably late! Starting a new job has taken more out of me than I expected, so writing has had to take a back seat for a little while. But I’m back now, and it’s finally time to talk about May Madness.

Now that I’m working in an admin-heavy role within the NHS, I can actually see why I wasn’t the perfect fit for many of the publishing jobs I applied for. Is that a reason to dismiss me completely? Absolutely not. And does it mean I never made it through the recruitment process? Not at all. I progressed to the later stages for several internships and a handful of jobs, but one thing I consistently lacked was recent, relevant administrative experience.

The past few weeks have been packed with training, challenging days, the occasional bad day, and—perhaps most importantly—obsessively refreshing my inbox to see if I’ve made it to the next stage of Hachette’s Next Chapter Internship. The application said that if you hadn’t heard back by 15th June, you should assume you’d been unsuccessful. As I’m writing this, it’s 8th June, so I genuinely don’t know what to think.

Knowing my luck, you’ll probably find me wrapping up June with a dramatic update and a few tears over the outcome.

This new job has honestly been brilliant for my routine, my mental wellbeing, and, perhaps most importantly, my bank account. During my breaks, you’ll almost always find me scrolling through BookTok or Bookstagram, hunting for the latest entry-level publishing role or trying very hard not to get sucked into watching the Off Campus series on Amazon. I keep telling myself I need to read the books first… whenever I eventually get around to them.

What I have been devouring, though, is Rivals. I’ve been completely hooked, and the latest episode left my mind racing. With the next instalment not arriving until November, I’m genuinely on the edge of my seat. I’m usually not much of a TV or film person, but Rivals? That’s prime-time television at its absolute best.

On the book front, I still haven’t picked up Fever Dream by Elsie Silver. If I’m being honest, Wild Card disappointed me enough that I’m hesitant to invest more time in the series. Maybe I’ll change my mind one day, but for now, it’s staying firmly off my TBR.

We finally got the official book art for the final couple in Ana Huang’s God of Games series, and I’m talking about none other than Noah and Carina! The Keeper will be our last trip back into this world before we (hopefully!) get to see Blackcastle brought to life on the big screen sometime in the next decade. Until then, I’ll be counting down the days and soaking up every little teaser we get.

As I come back to writing this blog on 14th June at 7:53 p.m., I actually have a few more updates.

First things first: the job itself. I have to admit, I’m not loving it. The 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. days seem to drag on forever, the work can be pretty monotonous, and I often find myself counting down the hours until I can head home.

That said, it’s a means to an end, isn’t it? I’m genuinely grateful to have a job in the current climate, even if it’s not my dream role. Sometimes you have to take the long route and do work you don’t necessarily love to get where you really want to be. For me, that destination is still a career in publishing, and I’m not giving up on it anytime soon.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get the Hachette internship. To make matters worse, I’ve also been completely ghosted by the Talent Acquisition manager who seemed so promising when we spoke last December.

I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t disheartening. It’s frustrating because I’m genuinely at a loss as to what they’re looking for at this point. I know publishing is incredibly competitive, but after putting so much time and effort into applications, silence can feel worse than rejection.

I’ve reached out for feedback, and I’m hoping to get some clarity. I know over 3,000 people applied, but I also think candidates deserve some consideration and constructive insight where possible. So yes—I’m chasing that feedback, and I’m not going to apologise for advocating for myself.

It feels like every month brings at least one piece of good news, and I’m hoping June still has something positive in store for me. So far, it’s brought a rejection from Hachette, which definitely wasn’t the update I was hoping to share. But we’re only 14 days into the month, so I’m not writing it off just yet. There’s still plenty of time for something unexpected to happen, and I’m choosing to hold onto a little bit of hope.

The one thing that made the disappointment even marginally easier to swallow was the release of the first stills from the The Love Hypothesis adaptation. We also finally got a release date, so it’s safe to say I’m absolutely over the moon. Every new update just makes me more excited to see one of my favourite romances brought to life on screen.

So, that’s been my May, and admittedly, a little bit of June too. I suppose this is a bit of a cheat post since June has sneaked its way in, but I’m going to allow it.

As for how the rest of June is going to pan out, your guess is as good as mine. Hopefully, by the time I’m writing next month’s update, things will have sorted themselves out, and I’ll have some happier news to share.

In the meantime, I’m planning to finally start The Deal by Elle Kennedy during my breaks at work. If nothing else, it should make those long days fly by a little faster. Who knows, it might even become my next obsession.

As always, My Let’s Connect page is where it always is, so don’t forget to give it a quick look to see where else I’m active.

See you between the pages,
Vivian