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Well, this should be interesting I got a journalism gig! A Norman Rockwell Monent<tm> Rate Topic: -----

#1 User is offline   Rich Engle 

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Posted 19 November 2009 - 06:10 AM

Man, I am pretty stoked on this one...

One of the main papers here in Florida is called the News Press. They have a weekend insert called "Tropicalia."

I'm writing this for two reasons... One, just because I'm excited to share, but secondly (more importantly) to show how getting writing gigs can go down weird.

I live on a farm with this amazing family that kind of adopted me (I teach guitar to the dad and son); it's called the Evergreen Alpaca Farm. What we do here is horses, and raise/breed Alpacas and Jack Russell terriers. What happened was this... They just had a litter of Jacks, 4 puppies, right? So they place a classified ad offering them and we proceed to sell them off (I was screening most of the inbound calls). And this lady calls up wanting one. I talk her up and find out she is a reporter for the News Press/Tropicalia, and is an AP stringer. Not only that, but she is overhit with work, and her husband is a reporter there, as well. I sent her some samples (couldn't leave out that I write, Hell no!), and she liked them. When she was here getting the puppy, she fell in love with the farm, and started talking about doing a feature story. So, back and forth emails... I finally just went for the close, and she said "yes, yes, yes." Windup is that I get the Xmas weekend feature story, including the cover! It is, truly, a Norman Rockwell Xmas type story. I fully expect that it might get picked up by the nationals, so unique and Americana it is.

Moral of the story: a great gig, all over a puppy.

You gotta love that!

rde

This post has been edited by Rich Engle: 19 November 2009 - 06:23 AM

"There is no way that writers can be tamed and rendered civilized or even cured. the only solution known to science is to provide the patient with an isolation room, where he can endure the acute stages in private and where food can be poked in to him with a stick." -- Robert A. Heinlein
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#2 User is offline   anonrobt 

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Posted 19 November 2009 - 04:14 PM

View PostRich Engle, on 19 November 2009 - 06:10 AM, said:

Man, I am pretty stoked on this one...

One of the main papers here in Florida is called the News Press. They have a weekend insert called "Tropicalia."

I'm writing this for two reasons... One, just because I'm excited to share, but secondly (more importantly) to show how getting writing gigs can go down weird.

I live on a farm with this amazing family that kind of adopted me (I teach guitar to the dad and son); it's called the Evergreen Alpaca Farm. What we do here is horses, and raise/breed Alpacas and Jack Russell terriers. What happened was this... They just had a litter of Jacks, 4 puppies, right? So they place a classified ad offering them and we proceed to sell them off (I was screening most of the inbound calls). And this lady calls up wanting one. I talk her up and find out she is a reporter for the News Press/Tropicalia, and is an AP stringer. Not only that, but she is overhit with work, and her husband is a reporter there, as well. I sent her some samples (couldn't leave out that I write, Hell no!), and she liked them. When she was here getting the puppy, she fell in love with the farm, and started talking about doing a feature story. So, back and forth emails... I finally just went for the close, and she said "yes, yes, yes." Windup is that I get the Xmas weekend feature story, including the cover! It is, truly, a Norman Rockwell Xmas type story. I fully expect that it might get picked up by the nationals, so unique and Americana it is.

Moral of the story: a great gig, all over a puppy.

You gotta love that!

rde



Congrats!!
Robert
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#3 User is offline   Ninth Doctor 

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Posted 19 November 2009 - 09:13 PM

Good luck with your piece. You write that you’re based in Florida, but your profile says Cleveland. Perhaps contradictions do exist after all…
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#4 User is offline   Rich Engle 

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Posted 19 November 2009 - 09:41 PM

Oh yes, sorry...I haven't updated my info on OL. I am in N. Fort Myers, Florida, way out in the sticks part.

This is my first Fall here, and I must say the weather is lovely (not that I minded the heat, after giant ice storms in OH and such). It was beautiful here this a.m., light fog, birds migrating. Little lizards running about, like usual.

But it is very remote. Just to get to civilization is about an 8-mile bike ride. So, I have been averaging about 12-18 per day. I took today off from riding, waiting for catchup. Not sore, but fatigue got in. I had a 9am guitar lesson to teach, just started off a 74-yr. old guy who wants to play fingerstyle country (I know both kinds of music: country AND western...heh).

I'm recovering from a couple of injuries (my ex-roomates went tribal); I just got over a broken sternum/rib thing, then the other guy broke the left side while I was sleeping (yeah, long story, go figure). I hate not being able to sleep on my left side!

But, all in all, farm life is wonderful (but for getting used to the scents, which kind of grow on you). Lap of luxury, to be true. I even get to pick between a Mac and PC when I work; all wi-fied up.

I'll have to put up some pics soon, this place is wild.

Best to all,
rde
"There is no way that writers can be tamed and rendered civilized or even cured. the only solution known to science is to provide the patient with an isolation room, where he can endure the acute stages in private and where food can be poked in to him with a stick." -- Robert A. Heinlein
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#5 User is offline   anonrobt 

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Posted 20 November 2009 - 06:00 AM

View PostRich Engle, on 19 November 2009 - 09:41 PM, said:

Oh yes, sorry...I haven't updated my info on OL. I am in N. Fort Myers, Florida, way out in the sticks part.

This is my first Fall here, and I must say the weather is lovely (not that I minded the heat, after giant ice storms in OH and such). It was beautiful here this a.m., light fog, birds migrating. Little lizards running about, like usual.

But it is very remote. Just to get to civilization is about an 8-mile bike ride. So, I have been averaging about 12-18 per day. I took today off from riding, waiting for catchup. Not sore, but fatigue got in. I had a 9am guitar lesson to teach, just started off a 74-yr. old guy who wants to play fingerstyle country (I know both kinds of music: country AND western...heh).

I'm recovering from a couple of injuries (my ex-roomates went tribal); I just got over a broken sternum/rib thing, then the other guy broke the left side while I was sleeping (yeah, long story, go figure). I hate not being able to sleep on my left side!

But, all in all, farm life is wonderful (but for getting used to the scents, which kind of grow on you). Lap of luxury, to be true. I even get to pick between a Mac and PC when I work; all wi-fied up.

I'll have to put up some pics soon, this place is wild.

Best to all,
rde



Interesting - didn't know there are sticks south of Tampa ;-)
[thought they all up in the panhandle [heh, heh, heh]...]
Robert
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#6 User is offline   Rich Engle 

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Posted 23 November 2009 - 04:34 PM

Oh, Florida is all flat and you can find foliage and critters just about anywhere....last nite I was getting rid of frogs and spiders from my bedroom. It's just so lush. Florida is tropics, you know? All kinds of everything. You can be going through all the regular stuff, and find hickory trees. Every morning, the scents are different...if only one could bottle them. Or, the overall combinant of the scents, which change every few dozen yards.

rde

This post has been edited by Rich Engle: 23 November 2009 - 04:36 PM

"There is no way that writers can be tamed and rendered civilized or even cured. the only solution known to science is to provide the patient with an isolation room, where he can endure the acute stages in private and where food can be poked in to him with a stick." -- Robert A. Heinlein
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