A recent MBA graduate from the University of Minnesota lands a job at an up-and-coming coffee shop company, and immediately faces the uncertainty of a first career-making job.
That's the premise behind Megan Preston Meyer's first novel, "Firebrand: A Corporate Elements Mystery." Of course, Meyer adds elements of intrigue and surprise, but the former Minneapolis supply chain and operations manager wanted to explore the questions every young professional faces: Am I good enough? Are my experiences as valuable as the other fresh graduates who are both peers and competitors? What to do when you face ethical questions at work?
Meyer, a Duluth native who now lives in Switzerland, took a year off corporate life to write her first book, a children's book explaining the supply chain. She followed with a second illustrated book about the adventures of Supply Jane and her dog Fifo.
Since then, she has jumped into writing full-time and self-publishes her books.
Meyer, who graduated from the U, said there's a lot of herself in Supply Jane and Currant Kepler, the main character in "Firebrand."
She's not alone in taking a break from work life to focus on other passions. Research has shown that people take workplace sabbaticals for a number of reasons. A 2022 survey by the pay and benefits firm WorldatWork showed the number of organizations offering unpaid sabbaticals has increased from 18% in 2016 to 29% in 2021.
If Meyer ever goes back to corporate life, she envisions a more strategic role because of all she has learned since being self-employed.
Meyer said she doesn't make as much money writing books as she did when she held a corporate job, and she's OK with that — and, more important, she said she planned for it. "The most fun that I had, I think, in the entire process, was recording the audiobook [for 'Firebrand']," Meyer said.
