Pennies from Heaven! -or- please help me, I don't know what to do

Alrighty. As if I wasn't unschooled enough to write for a paper, I was just approached with an offer to write for a quarterly magazine. That is, of course, contingent on them liking my samples. I was recommended by a former co-worker who is head of their marketing production department. They are in need of someone yesterday, so if they like what they see, I'm in.

The magazine is a travel guide for the company I used to work for. And it's hilarious because I recently compared everything I had been writing lately to being as bland as a travel guide. Go figure.

The reason I'm putting up the "help me" flag is that I have no time to figure this out on my own like a good writer should. They have requested writing samples by 4 p.m. tomorrow when they have their next staff meeting. I have plenty of samples, but I do not know how to choose which ones to send. Is there a standard that I am just not aware of?

I asked them if I should just put some things together, considering I know this company and their properties like the back of my hand. They said, "No. Please send us a variety of samples so we can get a feel for your style and your abilities".

Well, poo. I doubt they would care to read any of my humor stories. Does anyone know what types of samples are appropriate for something like this?

This is a great opportunity. I would be the only writer for this publication. Although it is only seen by the people who own their timeshare and employees of the company, it's still great experience. AND a paycheck!

Thanks, and oh, I hope so! I was stunned when I got the news this evening. It could not have been more unexpected. I have nothing that is travel related, though. Not sure what to do about that unless I'm suddenly inspired to write in the morning.

I've gone through piles of stuff this evening, and I do have a pretty broad range. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

After much worry, a few edits and a big, heavy sigh, I sent them off about an hour ago. Now I can't stop checking my inbox! I considered trying to write something travel related quick-like, but decided that was probably a bad idea. The articles I sent are ones that I love for a reason. And they did ask for a variety. They know I haven't written for a travel magazine before, so surely it's understandable that I don't have those types of samples. At any rate, now I have to get back to work so that I can occupy my brain with something besides their decision. Thanks for the support and words of advice. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Gaaa! I waited all evening and still no word. But I got an email this morning saying that the meeting was postponed until today.

an-ti-ci-pay-shunnnnnnnnn

an-ti-ci-pay-yay-shunnnn

I'm going nuts, I say, nuts!

Most recent update:

Two people needed to review my samples. One person has read them and likes them! WoOt! Now, the next hurdle is Monday when the next person reads them.

Now for the weirdness:

Both people who are reading are people I have worked with before. This is both good and bad. I had no idea when I sent them in just who would be reading and making the decisions. Good part: They already know I can write, and they know my work ethic. They also don't have to be reminded that I know these properties like the back of my hand. Bad part: My department in general had a TERRIBLE relationship with their department. My old boss was fired over it, in fact. Basically we worked together on many things, my boss had some thing up her butt about cooperating and it made everyone's lives hell, and now I worry that there might still be a grudge. Good part, part II: They know how hard I fought against my boss to get the work done and to cooperate with them.

I've already crossed one hurdle because the head of the department is unbiased and likes my work. I'm just hoping that the person who would do the actual hiring is also unbiased. Hopefully tomorrow I will have an update.

I'm still waiting! Argh!

To recap, my samples were read by one of the two people who are in charge of decision making. He liked them. The next person took for-EVER to get around to it, but now she is interested too.

Then I learned that her husband got a job promotion that requires them to move to Texas. (Are you kidding me?) But as it turns out, that's not a real problem. She is still with the company and will just be telecommuting. She will still be the one to make the final decision. She asked for my contact info, and I guess she is in the middle of moving right now. I have no idea what kind of timeframe I'm looking at here.

But a new, interesting twist has happened.

I casually mention this situation to my boss over lunch recently. We both worked for that company before being laid off. She knows them, and I thought she'd be interested. Instead, she freaked out. Without missing a beatm she said, "You won'tbe allowed to write for them."

Then it was my turn to freak out.

She reasoned with things like non-compete, which is ridiculous, and the "fact" that our company won't allow it because of a conflict of interest. I still didn't see the correlation. The work we do for this company could not be less closely related to me writing for their travel magazine. And I didn't even sign a non-compete to begin with!

So then her wheels started turning. She formulated a plan, and you won't believe it. The next morning, she greeted me and said that she figured out how I could write for this other company. It's tangled, so I'll try to not make it worse.

I work part time right now. Almost 40 hours, but not quite. She mentioned how I have wanted to go full time, but that the company just couldn't afford it right now. So she has decided that the OTHER company should pay MY company for me to write for them. In exchange, I would get to go full time with my company.

I said, "So what you mean is that XXXX company will pay our company what they would have been paying me, and in return I will get another 2 - 3 hours per week on my regular paycheck while our company pockets MY money?

She replied, "Well, you don't think they will pay you anything more, do you?"

I was stunned. She honestly believed I would love this idea. When I told her that writing for XXX company would be a lot more than 2 - 3 more hours per week, she said that anything I did on my own time for them would be on my own time and I wouldn't get paid for it.

Are you freaking KIDDING me?

I called XXX company and talked with the girl who originally approached me. After she stopped laughing, she told me that I should not worry, and that she will handle it. My boss likes to believe she knows everyone at XXX company. She has this need to be known, if that makes any sense. So I was terrified that she would pick up the phone and try to start negotiating MY deal with them. (A deal that doesn't actually exist at this point, by the way.) My friend assured me that not only would my boss have no say in this situation, the head of her department at XXX company would politely, yet firmly, tell her to mind her own business. She brought him up to speed on the whole thing to prepare him for what my boss might be planning to do. I wasn't so much worried that she would negotiate on my behalf. I was VERY worried that she would call and make an ass of herself and I would be dragged into it by association. My friend promises me that will not happen, especially now that they know what my boss could be planning.

I don't know what's going to happen now. *sigh*

I seriously need another job!

Last week, as I was pulling out of my driveway, my cell rang--it was my boss. She was in a panic. The story I deciphered was that her boss had been trying to contact me "all morning" about editing a letter for him. Since I wasn't in the office yet, he was "all torn up about it." He's in Orlando, we're in Knoxville.

I'm not full time. I'm almost never in the office at 8:00. He knows this. I smelled the smell of something smelly.

So I called him. I said, "XXX just called and she seems pretty upset. She said that you have been trying to contact me all morning and that you're pretty upset about me not being there yet because you need a letter edited."

He said (EXACT quote here), "She needs to get off whatever drugs she is on."

So we chatted about his letter, I learned that he did want me to edit it and that he needed it back some time the following day. But he was in no way "all torn up about it".

Then I got bold. I just asked him outright about writing for XXX company and told him about her idea. He said that was ridiculous and that I didn't need his blessing, "but if you want it, you have my blessing."

I do need another job. I have been contemplating a proposal to him, the VP of Operations, and another fellow, the VP of Development. I work for them on the side all the time. Nights and weekends, and sometimes during the days when my office is slow. I do research for the VP of Development and I draft contracts and edit/rewrite documents for my bosses boss. I do all of it remotely, of course, so I could theoretically create a telecommuting job for myself and stay with this company while not being under her. Most everyone in my company loves the whole telecommuting idea except her. She's pretty old school and thinks that no work can really be done from home. Conversely, I am actually twice as productive from home because I have almost no interruptions.

It's definitely a thought. Still no word from XXX company, but I did finally submit a few articles to that little alternative newspaper last night.

I keep swearing that I'm gonna write a book about it. She never ceases to amaze. She is known for being scatterbrained. Today, I got an offer to do extra work for her boss. She took me aside and said, "Now, you know how forgetful you are. You are really going to have to work on that because I can't be there to help you."

That, from the woman who once called me on her way to the airport to say that not only did she forget to make a car rental reservation at her destination, but she also forgot to reserve a room!! She also called me for hourly mapquest updates because the travel packet I put together for her was left lying in her chair at the office, mapquest printouts and all.

I have an article written about a little trip I took with her into Knoxville. The title of it is "Well, Shit!" (No kidding)