Days of our Work Lives

Many employees of companies across the country can relate to the idea that their office sometimes resembles the hot mess of a soap opera. Such a premise generated an interesting question: What happens if an employee and his manager showed up to work one day, only to find themselves inside the chaotic environment of a TV soap opera? The co-authored manuscript, "Days of Our Work Lives: The Incredible Journey of a Manager and Employee" explores that very idea.

"Days of Our Work Lives" is a single story written from two different perspectives. Designed as a flip book, it provides the reader with one angle written from the manager's view, while the other angle is written through the eyes of his employee.

Our main characters, Jack (employee) and Mark (manager), arrive at work expecting a typical day, only to discover that their office has inexplicably transformed into a set of a typical soap opera. Jack is now the star of the soap, navigating his new world while trying to find his true role. Mark is thrust into the role of the soap's director, delicately balancing the needs of his team with the pressures coming down from the network bosses.

Readers of self-help, motivational and business management books will appreciate the unique way each writer navigates through the sudden chaos of a TV soap opera production, complete with humorous and sometimes eerie similarities to the typical work environment at any company. The story showcases the tensions that exist between managers and employees when the heat is on, and how such situations can be resolved.

About the authors: Jack is a former actor and current corporate speaker who humorously addresses workplace challenges for audiences nationwide. Mark owns his own marketing advisory firm in Minneapolis and spent several decades as a senior marketing executive who managed people and projects for Fortune 500 companies.

As an added bonus, the book features two forewords from industry notables: one from the former longtime producer and director of "Guiding Light" and "Days of Our Lives," Roy Steinberg, and the other from Alice Hirson, actress from "Edge of Night," "Another World" and "One Life to Live," with primetime credits including "Dallas" and "Ellen."