Grace Viall on How an HR Job Inspired (Mostly) Human Resources

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5p3UDplzTBQWPRDt82Q8va?si=bQ2pclXtQtyNchfzkBZstw

About (Mostly) Human Resources

A debut slow-burn work-nemesis romance set in a world where cryptids and monsters are a part of life . . . and someone has to do the paperwork.

Working in human resources was not what Alexys had in mind when she joined Entity, the private company that categorizes and manages the world’s cryptids. But after her dad was killed on the job as a Warden in the Appalachian Mountains, she was filled with noble ideas of carrying on his legacy . . . from the safety of a desk. Alexys dreams of climbing the corporate ladder while managing the Appalachian Wardens and sparring with Nic, the frustrating (and annoyingly attractive) Director of Research and Cataloguing.

When one of Alexys’ new Wardens goes missing after inquiring about a mysterious and highly dangerous monster, her chances of promotion disappear along with him. Determined to save her career—and to shield the Warden’s family from the trauma she experienced after losing her father on the job—she marches off into the monster-infested wilderness to find him herself.

Meanwhile, Nic, with ambitions of becoming the youngest Entity employee to discover a new monster, follows Alexys on her hunt. But the work nemeses are about to discover why the Appalachian Mountains are the last place you want to find yourself after dark. Among mountains older than bones, the jackalopes and ghouls are the least of their worries . . .

(Mostly) Human Resources

(Mostly) Human Resources is an incredibly fun book about cryptids and idiots in love.

I didn’t realize how much I wanted a funny corporate horror adjacent book. I love the comedy that comes from ridiculous company policies and the ways people work around the system. This book isn’t a commentary on corporate jobs or evil millionaires. This book is a beautifully straightforward story. Sometimes that is exactly what I need.

The book has a wonderful sense of place. The setting is deep Appalachia, which comes through with the side characters that Viall (sparsely) populates the book with. The setting really informs the tone of the book. There is a darkness, or maybe a secretive-ness that seems accurate to me, as a person who lives in the deep woods of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I’m not saying the areas are the same, just that there is an insular nature to small communities.

Anyway, I loved this book. I hope you do too.

You can find Grace on Instagram @GraceViallWrites and on her website GraceViall.com.

Preorder the book at Parks Books MD. You will get a signed copy and some extras!