I don't meet with well known authors / bloggers (who are also nationally syndicated career columnists) every day but today I had the chance to meet Penelope Trunk and spend about 45 minutes talking about life and her new book, BRAZEN CAREERIST - The NEW RULES for SUCCESS, that I am reviewing.

I have a copy of the book that I am almost done reading - and I really read it carefully and like the book a lot - in fact, Penelope has her own point of view about success for Gen X and Gen Y job seekers that is different than anything else I have read anywhere - it's almost like she's written the real guide to what you need to know to succeed in today's job market.  I'll review it in another post - it's too close to bed time for me now to go in detail about the book.  Instead, I'll talk a little bit about our meeting today.

Penelope Trunk looked much like her photo, below, and was rushing from a conference she spoke to and publishers she's in town to meet this week.

What I did not know - Penelope was living in NYC with her husband during 9/11 and went though a pretty rough time - as did I, but she was at Ground Zero and got buried in rubble and had to be rescued; we shared some stories of living after 9/11, FEMA, the United Way, etc….all the stuff you had to do just to pay bills.

We also talked about children - and learning disabilities and how I wished she write a book on how kids with learning disabilities can grow up and hold jobs and have a life…not an easy book to write.

Also, I gave Penelope some MOO Cards of my Artwork - and, unlike anyone else, she looked at all of them and arranged those that went together to tell a story - I let her have three that she felt related to one another.

As far as what her book is about - BRAZEN CAREERIST - reflects Penelope's idea that you get hired because people like you - if people don't like you, they won't hire you.  In order to get hired you need social skills and to be genuinely interested in other people while also growing your own interests.  While none of that is new, it's the way that Penelope expresses her opinions of what works and what doesn't that's unique.  Everything she talks about, she's lived - it's her life and it works.  I happen to agree with everything she wrote - and a lot of what she writes about is valuable for anyone to read, not just Gen X or Gen Y Job Searchers.

After about 40 minutes, Penelope had to run; it sounds like she's got a lot happening for her and I know her book, BRAZEN CAREERIST, will be successful - and I hope, very successful and will lead to more great books.

Also, you can read Penelope Trunk's blog; I often read it.  

Now it really is time for me to go to bed - I have this rule that I must write an interview the same day, if at all possible - to keep it fresh and immediate - and I usually manage to do succeed at this - but when I haven't, I often lose something of the appeal and immediacy of the meeting - and I certainly don't want to lose any of that….so this is the best I can write now.

I'll have a detailed review of the contents of BRAZEN CAREERIST in a couple of days.