Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Maggie Michel. Well, for purposes of this blog it is. I still need to put food on the table, so I don’t want to advertise to my current employer that I’m planning to jump ship. I promise to disclose my true identity to any prospective employers.
Hire me.
Maggie is short for Margaret (also not my real name), which I have chosen to allude to for two reasons. First, when I was a child, for reasons still unclear to me, my dad used to tease me by addressing me as Margaret. This would always elicit giggles and an immediate retort shouted in feigned aggravation, “My name is not Margaret!” This silly little bit of ours has always stood out as a fond memory of my childhood.
Second, Gone with the Wind author Margaret Mitchell was famously secretive about her writing. Even her close friends were taken by surprise when her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel was published. I am protective of my writing much in the same way that Margaret was. Michelle is my middle name, which is common enough to maintain anonymity. I slashed off the last two letters to give myself a romantically French surname. Très magnifique, no? And thus concludes the origin story of my nom de plume.
Moving on…
I am a wife and mother to one, a daughter whose age in years can still be measured in single digits. She is very happily an only child; however, there was a very brief period during which she expressed longing for a sibling. I successfully squashed this desire by explaining to her that she had been created with such perfection that there was simply no room for improvement with a second attempt, so why bother? Oh, don’t worry. I feed her equal doses of flattery and humility. I’m not trying to raise a monster here. In fact, ask anyone who has met her – she is an incredibly lovely little human. I am very proud to call her mine.
As with my daughter, I could easily rattle off a list of a hundred great characteristics of my husband of thirteen plus years. Instead, I’ll share the two that I think will spark the most envy. (1) His ability to tackle various home improvement and repair projects approaches Bob Vila’s skill level. (2) He neverleaves the seat up and always washes his hands before leaving the bathroom. Sorry, Ladies. He is undeniably taken.
Let’s see…we’ve covered pen name, family – what’s next? Profession! The whole point of this blogging project. Okay, so, I am presently a paralegal, a career that I just sort of fell into at a time when I was pondering my future, aimlessly waiting tables while an unused bachelor’s degree in English literature collected dust on a shelf. It’s a job that I proved to be good at, thanks to my writing and organizational skills. For fifteen years, it has served me well, allowing me to take a lengthy hiatus to enjoy early motherhood, work remotely as needed, and adjust my office hours to prioritize parental responsibilities.
But it’s time for a change.
I was born to be a writer. It has always been a hobby of mine; I can trace the roots all the way back to grammar school. Speaking of grammar, if you are ever in need of an eagle-eyed proofreader to police your paper for grammatical infractions, I’m your girl.
Until recently, writing has remained no more than a hobby, and I never seriously considered turning it into a career. I’ve often said to others that, if given the opportunity, I would choose to stay home and write all day. Then, just the other day, it suddenly dawned on me that, although the opportunity will never be given to me, I can create the opportunity myself. I started scouring the internet, looking for leads on beginner writing, proofreading, and editing jobs. Fortuitously, I came across an article which answered the question, How do beginner writers make money? Item number one on the list of suggestions: Starting a blog.
So, here we are! Hire me!
My plan with “Hire Me” is to begin with a modest, achievable goal of a minimum of one blog post each month, exploring a wide variety of topics over the next year. A dozen articles over the span of a year may not sound like much, but don’t forget that I remain a full-time mom and paralegal. I’ve got a full plate already. This blog is my dessert.
So, with this introduction, I’ll leave you with a few tidbits of information to help you get to know me better and, hopefully, want to HIRE ME.
I’m a dog person. Cats are fine when they belong to other people, but I have no desire to tend to a litter box. Our current canine companion is my all-time favorite, probably because of how much she clearly loves us. Also, she’s like a teddy bear and gives the best cuddles.
I love Harry Potter and encourage everyone to read the series. I tend not to re-read books, but I have read each of the seven volumes at least three times. I love having my heart broken and then tenderly mended, with bits of humor sprinkled here and there. Aside from J. K. Rowling’s masterpiece, I’ll read anything by Fredrik Backman. His characters are well-developed, and his plots are woven with perfection.
I start planning my daughter’s summer birthday parties in January. (Remember – only child.) I have had more Pinterest-inspired successes than failures.
I’m a southern girl, born and raised, but New York City has my heart. My dream is to one day own a townhouse in Greenwich Village – that is, if I can ever earn enough money to afford it. You can help me achieve my dream! All you have to do is…
Hire me.