Thoroughly Modern Monsters... and Mistakes!

In Thoroughly Modern Monsters, I threw a handful of supernatural beings into everyday jobs. My vampire, Nadia, suffers at a department store while my werewolf, Harold, works in law enforcement. I made a reaper a nurse and even put a minotaur into a position at a water treatment plant!

But here are a few ideas that were left on the cutting room floor.

1. A troll who was moved from his place under a bridge to a corner office. He spent his shifts harassing, mocking and generally “trolling” on various internet forums. It was hacked because, while amusing, it would some day feel terribly dated.

2. A leprechaun whose diminutive size allowed him to repair factory machinery more easily. Not only did the concept not interest me much, it was a little too Industrial Revolution for my tastes.

3. A ghost who worked at an amusement park haunted house. A nice concept, but the plot just wouldn’t make itself known.

4. A mermaid who worked in an office building but had to spend her time sitting in a kiddie pool in order to survive. No, I’m not kidding. Blame sleep deprivation for that monstrosity, haha!

5. Something with Bigfoot. I tossed around a thousand jobs for Bigfoot! He could’ve been a hairdresser or a construction worker. I even had him working as a concierge for a bit. Unfortunately, none of them panned out.

The seven stories I actually chose for the collection were, in my opinion, the strongest. You can check them out on Amazon here.

But still, I can’t help but think about putting Bigfoot in skates and making him a carhop. One day, perhaps… one day…

~Jennifer Rainey (http://www.jenniferrainey.com)