Get to Know James McGowan

  • By: admin | Date: Feb 24 2020

Welcome back to the BookEnds “Get to Know” series. You’ve read our bios, follow us on social media, and you know which genres we represent. But behind the business persona, we are real people with real lives, hobbies, pet peeves, and passions. These are the people we want to share with you.

Besides being the Assistant, Social Media Manager and building my list at BookEnds, I am (sometimes) also a real person! Putting aside anything book-related, I am a sitcom-lover, a dog person, a trivia-nerd, a dreadful- horrible-no-good singer despite my best efforts, and a potato connoisseur. I love me some French Fries. More below!

HOBBIES:

I, uh… I don’t know that I have any? Which is kind of making me sad at the start of this blog post. I started jumping rope for fitness a year ago, and I don’t despise that like every other physical activity. (I’m looking at all the runners out there).

Erm… this is where I’m gonna sound like a 76-year-old. I am a huge Jeopardy! (and other trivia) fan.

I also spend far too much free time on YouTube.

PET PEEVES:

Now, these I have (and will probably come of no surprise to the people I work with):

I dislike lateness,
or when people don’t respond to emails.

I also really don’t like when people use a sink and leave the counter wet. Drives. Me. Bananas.

Vapers? Don’t do that.
Oh! Public video/music players? Get headphones.
Literally every licensed driver in the tri-state who does not use blinkers.
When I cc someone on an email and the recipient replies without keeping them cc’ed. Am I a joke to you?

I warned you that I was a 76-year-old. I really ascribe to the crankiness that comes with that title.

PASSIONS:

I love science. Which is weird because I always hated science growing up and going to school. But now I love anything that has to do with the ocean, or space, or nature, biology, physics. My former teachers would be very perplexed.

I really liked baked cheese crackers? Of the Cheez-It or Goldfish variety.

This blog post series made me realize I am literally the most boring person on the face of the Earth. Thank you, Jessica Faust.

16 responses to “Get to Know James McGowan”

  1. JOHN T. SHEA says:

    What are these “blinkers” that you speak of?

  2. Shira Zwiren says:

    I am so with you on the cc thing in emails! It drives me crazy when people don’t keep the cc’ed person in the email chain. I cc’d that person for a reason! Ugh. Lol.

    I also got totally into science as an adult even though it was not at all my thing as a kid. Life is funny!

  3. Kathy Halsey says:

    Cranky young/old men fit me to a “T.” LOL Love Jeopardy and Alex Trebek. When they announce him, I always think “Alex Very Beck,” w/ the French “tres.” Goldfish crackers are fun! Have you tried the pretzel ones?

  4. Deb Aronson says:

    oh, Ha Ha Ha!! I hear you with the blinkers. Also, for me, brakes on the highway. Does no one remember drivers ed? I remember you are supposed to only use your brakes as a last resort. Foot off the gas, maintain distance… of course I speak from a rural Midwest perspective these days and it might be harder out east, but still…. I am so exercised I’ve been thinking of writing a blog post about this kind of thing…

  5. Laurie Carmody says:

    The counter one. Ugh, makes me crazy!

  6. MB says:

    Can I say a big “A-men!” to all the above and add “Get off my lawn!”

  7. Thanks for these personal peeks. So much fun! It’s comforting to see the real people behind the brand, though you folks always come across as genuine.

  8. Kate Douglas says:

    I dunno…when I met you back when you were a baby intern, you kept me amazingly entertained. Can’t be TOO boring! Had to laugh when you said that you love science but implied you weren’t “good at it” in school–so do I, but I hated it in school because it always veered away from the cool stuff into things that required numbers. Go figure!

    So glad you’re now a part of the permanent amazing crew that makes up BookEnds. I’m waiting for you and Jessica to go on the road as a “comedy literary agent” team. Just sayin’…

  9. Laurie Wood says:

    I would like to know the name of your adorable Frenchie!

  10. Patrick Lewis (ancestry me for further McGowens and McGowans) says:

    Huh. I have a cousin named Penny McGowen (e not a).

  11. This made me laugh on a quiet evening at the library. 🙂

  12. Betsy Johnson says:

    Wondering if you’re still waiting for your dream PB about a chicken.