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Mr. Melancon was quiet for a moment, but she could hear something tapping on his end, maybe his pen. “Actually, Hollyn, I don’t think the mystique is what drives the posts. Your writing and attitude do. Readers like your humor and how straightforward you are. I think we could get a lot of momentum if we build up to a reveal and then unveil the real person behind the posts. Then that frees you up to be on video.”
Hollyn went hot all over and then bone cold, a rush ofno, noandhell nogoing through her. “Mr. Melancon, I’m a writer. I don’t know the first thing about editing videos.”
He grunted. “We have an intern who can edit the videos and put the graphics in. It will be the same type of content. You’ll just have to speak it instead of type it.”
Her hand was trembling, and she flattened it against the notepad to stop the shaking. “I don’t know if—”
“I’m aware that this will take a lot more time and work on your part and that you do a lot of freelance work,” he said, oblivious to her silent panic. “So if you agree to this, it would be a promotion. A salary instead of per-article pay. Full-time benefits. I don’t have the office space here in the building, but we could chip in a little for that office you rent since I know they have video rooms.”
Hollyn closed her eyes. The carrot he was dangling was what she’d been working for since moving to the city. An actual writing job with full-time pay—writing about things she loved. But this wasn’t writing. It was writingwith video. It was Miz Poppy coming out of the shadows and being on camera. The thought made her want to hurl herself into traffic.
Mr. Melancon hadn’t noticed her tics during her follow-up interview. She’d taken an anxiety pill and had worked to exhaustion to suppress them as much as possible for the hour. But if he knew he was hiring someone like her to be on camera, he’d never be making the offer.
“Mr. Melancon, I really appreciate the offer. That sounds amazing, but I do think the anonymity is important and—”
“Hollyn,” he said, voice underlined with impatience. “I don’t mean to be blunt, but this is the direction we need to go in. If you’re not willing to do the videos, I’ll be forced to recruit a new Miz Poppy. One who can take on this extra work and do videos. We can’t be left behind and lose readers to Buzz of the Bayou.”
Her hands went to the arms of her chair, gripping hard. “A new Miz Poppy? But that’smypen name.”
“In your contract, it states that we have the right to keep the name if you leave,” he said matter-of-factly. “It’s part of the site’s brand now.”
Hollyn tilted back in her chair like he’d shoved her. “Oh.”
Oh.
“Hollyn,” he said, his gruff voice softening, “I’m not trying to get rid of you. I’m trying to promote you to a bigger job. I believe you can do this. But I need you to be willing to learn some new things and move with the market.”
Her fingers were tapping in her four count on the arm of her chair, her thunderous heartbeat hurting her chest. “I understand.”
“So what do you say?” he asked.
Hollyn’s skin was damp, and she wanted to cry. She didn’t want to lose this opportunity, but how the hell was she going to do this? Video? She froze up talking to people face-to-face. How was she supposed to talk to thousands through a video camera? And she could already imagine the Internet comments.That’s Miz Poppy? What’s wrong with her face? God, what a disappointment.
But she couldn’t afford to lose this job right now. Without it, she was going to be headed straight back to her hometown to move back in with her mother.
No way.
“Can I have some time to work on my skills?” she said, scrambling to come up with a way out of this. “There are a number of video bloggers here at WorkAround. I’d like to partner with them and learn some tricks of the trade first. If we’re going to do a Miz Poppy reveal, I want it to be polished. Otherwise, I’m going to look like an amateur next to Billy Blues, and that won’t get us anywhere.”
Mr. Melancon made a humming sound like he was pondering and then cleared his throat. “That’s probably a wise plan of action. Let’s put our best foot forward with the launch video. Take the next six weeks and work on your video presentation skills. I want upbeat and fun, but don’t lose that signature snark. Miz Poppy is your wry best friend telling you about what’s worth seeing and spending your money on. Keep that brand. Don’t try to match that blue kid’s over-the-top enthusiasm. I don’t want a goddamned cartoon character.”
Thank God for small mercies.
“Right. Got it.” She swallowed hard. “And thanks for the opportunity, Mr. Melancon.”
“You’ve earned the chance,” he said firmly. “The new position will be effective once the reveal goes live. I’ll email you with the specifics. I look forward to seeing what you come up with.”
The phone call ended before she could say goodbye.
She watched her phone screen go dark and then put her elbows on her desk, her face in her hands.Reveal herself on camera. Be on video. Be a freaking vlogger.
He may as well have asked her to build a spaceship and land it on Mars.
She sat there in a panicked, wallowing spiral, not planning to move for a while, but her phone dinged and had her lifting her head a few seconds later.
She glanced over at the screen.
Jasper: Handsome decafs are back in stock. U want?
