New Novel Lifts the Lid on Office Drama, Team Bonding, and the Silent Wars of Working Women
Author Shirley J. Heinz
Set inside a fictional firm called Magic Wraps, the novel follows Connie Huntsman, a veteran employee navigating constant leadership changes, shifting administrative models, and a culture that rewards charm over character. When her colleague Paula Mills disappears under vague circumstances, Connie is warned by Human Resources not to pry. But the warning only deepens when Paula's eccentric replacement, Jean Rosecky, finds hidden papers buried inside her desk. What those papers reveal sends Connie tumbling deeper into the company's carefully controlled chaos.
This is not your average office drama. Heinz blends Greek mythology with corporate satire, casting coworkers as Gorgons, Titans, and Fates, while portraying the office as a kind of modern Olympus—where power is traded over coffee breaks and alliances shift with the seating chart. The story is told in sharp, self-contained scenes that mirror the fragmented way memory works after years of emotional exhaustion.
Through Connie’s eyes, we witness the slow corrosion of trust among women taught to compete for approval. Team-building exercises become absurd rituals. Workplace friendships reveal their limits. And behind every wellness email or celebratory potluck is the quiet tension of people trying to stay relevant without losing themselves.
What makes We Must Be Titans stand apart is its refusal to ‘dress pain in resolution’. This isn’t about climbing the ladder. It’s about looking around and wondering why the ladder was built in the first place. And it is told by a 70-year-old woman who is no longer looking for permission to speak.
With its blend of toxic workplace culture, hidden power structures, and the mental toll of surviving it all, the novel speaks directly to women who know the cost of staying silent and the risk of speaking up. It is fierce. It is funny. And it is painfully familiar.
We Must Be Titans: Office Mythology is available now on Amazon in paperback and ebook editions.
About the Author
Fate, folly, and revenge shape the heart of We Must Be Titans: Office Mythology, a fictionalized account of Shirley J. Heinz’s personal office experiences. The book emerged with the support of three Wisconsin writing groups and two computer systems—its final title significantly dialed back from the original draft, boldly titled Office Bitches.
Shirley studied journalism with the intent of becoming a newspaper reporter, but a major economic downturn led her down a different path.
Today, she is a writer, watercolor painter, and hometown historian. She shares her creative pursuits on Facebook through WORD Whistle, Ageless Art, and the Menasha Historical Society.
Her other published books include:
UNMAPPED: An Anthology, Tomas Is a Planet, and Playing with Matches (Amazon, 2024), published by SMITHworks, Elisha D. Smith Menasha Public Library.
17 Secrets, Buddy’s Bikes, and Unaccountable (Lakeside Books, Menasha, 2023), limited edition, SMITHworks, Elisha D. Smith Menasha Public Library.
To request a review copy or schedule an interview with the author, email at:
S.J. Heinz
Parker Publishers
contact@parkerpublishers.com
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