Ivano Massari
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After 16 years of teaching in primary and high schools and at
North West University in South Africa, I was fortunate enough
to be able to fulfill a lifelong dream when I joined READ
Educational Trust as a writer-editor. In 2010 I immigrated to
Ireland with my wife and daughter to take up a position as
Instructional Designer to the Yahoo/Microsoft Search Alliance
Project, after which I worked for different companies as a
Learning / Instructional Designer and Technical Writer.
I have always had a great love for history, warfare, theology,
fantasy and language and have sought to combine these with my
other great love—that of writing. The result is my first
fantasy novel, Sirion. I have been extremely fortunate in being
able to have my wife provide all the illustrations for my book.
It was a joyful experience watching her bring the characters
and the world, which existed only in words, to life with her
extraordinary talent.
I hope that readers enjoy their journey through Mendleburg.
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/ivano.massari.92
Congratulations to Ivano for being in the 2013 Preditors and
Editors top ten in Other Novels Category for Memoirs of a
Jobseeker. |
New Title(s) from Ivano Massari
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When Ian Mason’s contract with Snapper
Search, Inc. in Dublin, Ireland is not renewed, he embarks on a
journey of desperate job seeking that carries him across the
Emerald Isle and beyond. His search for a job and for security
for his family becomes a journey of self-discovery and increased
faith as he is forced to call upon all his faculties and
strength of will to stay the course and retain his sanity while
groping his way to a new job in the foggy unreality of the
twilight zone world of the jobseeker.
Excerpt
Word Count: 12300
Buy at:
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Price: $3.99 |
| Excerpts |
Memoirs
of a Jobseeker |
The Dark Clouds Appear
“So you see, Ian, we won’t be able to renew your contract.”
There was an awkward pause on the other end of the line, and
since I had recently been retrenched I felt no need to relieve
it.
“You’ve done a great job, Ian,” the voice continued kindly, “and
we really are sorry to let you go, but I’m sure that with your
experience and our excellent references you’ll find another job
soon.” There was another awkward pause and then the voice said
tentatively, “Well so long, Ian Mason. If there is anything I
can do to help, let me know. Bye!”
I put the phone down and stared at my computer screen. My desk
occupied a central position on the first floor at Snapper
Search, Inc. in Dublin’s South Side Business Park. The office
was, as usual, resonant with the sounds of virtual life.
Salesmen, phones in hand, flattered and cajoled, secretaries
chattered inanely and search engine optimisers optimised as best
they could while bawling directives at each other. I sat in the
midst of this joyous, noisy scene oblivious to it all. A cold
icy hand of fear had closed around my heart, making it difficult
for me to breathe.
“You too, eh, Ian?”
I turned towards the voice. Serena Hammond, Snapper Search,
Inc.’s Temporary Vice-Senior Training Team Leader, stood at my
desk. She smiled seductively and brushed her silky brown hair
back over her forehead, releasing a rain of dandruff that
parachuted around my feet.
“Excuse me?”
“We all got the sack, honey,” she drawled in a fake Texan twang.
Serena had lived in the Lone Star State while taking a course in
Business Psychology. She had not really been sure what the
course was about when she signed on, but it looked like the kind
of course one would take in order to get on in the business
world; like Business English or Business Maths or such like. The
course lasted 32 weeks, but Serena lasted only four. Still it
looked good on her CV, and she put on the Texan drawl act to
remind everyone that she had once lived in the New World. The
act was pretty good and one could see through it only when her
Limerick accent peeped through, on those occasions when she got
drunk—not more than once or twice every weekend.
“Ah, shucks, Ian” she said. “You’re not the only one not to have
his contract renewed. None of the Training Team has had theirs
renewed.”
I must have looked stunned because she leaned over my desk, put
her face close to mine and said wisely, “Recession!”
“Yes of course,” I said, trying to sound as wise and worldly as
Serena; not letting her know I knew that she knew the real
reason was the unfathomable and bungled decision made by someone
in management in some office somewhere, that had affected our
lives.
“How are the others taking it?” I asked, not really caring, but
trying to get her to move on to another subject and maybe move
off my desk at the same time.
“Oh, very well, really,” she said thoughtlessly, and then after
thinking about it for a second she said, “Quite well, actually.
Yes, quite well.”
Her face went blank and I thought to myself: Am I the only one
that’s worried? I smiled at Serena. “Well, time to start job
hunting I suppose.”
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