Maya Angelou
The revered poet and writer of this iconic autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings won Grammys Best Spoken Word Album On The Pulse of Morning, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom Maya Angelou Presidential Medal of Freedom. According to reports, a teenage Angelou Marguerite Johnson was the first black female to experience the ups and downs of this gig in "The City by the Bay San Francisco, California." Maya Angelou streetcar conductor.
Jackie Collins
Collins' racy romance novels are mainstays of the bestsellers list. But long before she created such literary characters as Lucky Santangelo Jackie Collins Chances, she partied across her hometown London, United Kingdom, prompting her parents to tame her with a dull first job. Jackie Collins packing mail order plastic raincoats.
Suzanne Collins
She penned the hit series, "The Hunger Games trilogy", which was adapted into one of this year's biggest movie blockbusters Hunger Games. Her previous writing job was a far cry from dystopic societies and teen warriors. Suzanne Collins head writer, Clifford's Puppy Days.
Junot Diaz
His "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" received the highest acclaim Junot Diaz Pulitzer Prize in 2008 and he teaches at a prestigious institution Junot Diaz, creative writing MIT, a stark contrast to the blue-collar work that helped him pay for college. Junot Diaz delivering pool tables.
William Faulkner
The Pulitzer Prize-winning, Pulitzer + The Reivers, Southern writer, still making headlines, William Faulkner estate, "Midnight in Paris" lawsuit, proved to be a man of letters way before he wrote such classics as "The Sound and the Fury" and "As I Lay Dying As I Lay Dying William Faulkner." William Faulkner University of Mississippi postmaster.
E.L. James
James's taboo guilty pleasure, "Fifty Shades of Grey," may have flown off shelves and spawned sequels Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy and even movie rumors Fifty Shades of Grey movie casting news, but the author real name Erika Leonard, E. L. James wasn't on track to be a novelist. E. L. James television executive.
Joseph Heller
Heller found inspiration for his beloved war novel "Catch-22" while serving in the military during World War II. Before that, he performed far less action-packed tasks, from filing to an age-old trade. Joseph Heller blacksmith's assistance.
George R. R. Martin
While Martin's "A Song of Fire and Ice and Fire" fantasy series (inspiration for this HBO hit Game of Thrones) is filled with feuds, sword fights and dragons, his past work experience is downright sedate. George R. R. Martin + chess tournament director.
David Mitchell
Mitchell's "Cloud Atlas David Mitchell" was just given the Hollywood Cloud Atlas treatment, making him a hit both in the States and back home England, United Kingdom. For years, though, he earned his paychecks in a different overseas spot. David Mitchell taught English Hiroshima, Japan.
Haruki Murakami
Japan's Murakami — the man behind "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle" and "Norwegian Wood" — is a self-professed jazz-lover and in the 70s he had a very hep job to prove it. Haruki Murakami jazz bar Peter Cat.
Vladimir Nabokov
The Russian novelist whipped the literary world into a frenzy with his most famous work, "Lolita Vladimir Nabokov". While that book addressed scandalous subjects, Nabokov's personal passion was as innocent as they come. Vladimir Nabokov lepidopterist study of butterflies.
J.K. Rowling
The Harry Potter books creator hand at adult fiction The Casual Vacancy has a "rags to riches story J. K. Rowling living on public assistance" that is, by now, well known. But she wasn't always unemployed in the years before she found fame. J. K. Rowling researcher for Amnesty International.
David Sedaris
This public radio star, his hit SantaLand Diaries and author of such witty memoirs as "Naked David Sedaris" and "Me Talk Pretty One Day, Me Talk Pretty One Day" spun tales of his many occupational misfortunes into fame. David Sedaris apartment cleaner.
Nicholas Sparks
Sparks has wooed many a fan with such windswept love stories as "The Notebook novel" and "The Lucky One novel." Back in the day, though, his job was about as unromantic as they come. Nicholas Sparks selling dental products.
John Steinbeck
Steinbeck is considered one of the greats, thanks to his Pulitzer-winning "The Grapes of Wrath novel" and "Of Mice and Men novel," but his beginnings were humble (and smelly). John Steinbeck, fish hatchery Lake Tahoe.
Cheryl Strayed
Strayed wrote her memoir, "Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail" Wild Cheryl Strayed — which earned Oprah's seal of approval Oprah's Book Club 2.0 Wild this year — after a few decades of drifting from one gig to the other. Cheryl Strayed waitress.
Kurt Vonnegut
It's hard to imagine that the author of such thought-provoking work as "Cat's Cradle Kurt Vonnegut," "Slaughterhouse-Five Kurt Vonnegut" and this recently-released collection of letters Kurt Vonnegut Letters once clocked in at a rather mundane job. Kurt Vonnegut managed a Saab dealership.
