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You Heard It Here First (book 1 in the Haley and Cam Series)

This Just In! (book 2 in the Haley and Cam Series)

The Agency: a biographical workplace novella

The Story Behind the Story of The Agency

As you know by now, I wrote and released a little novella this week. But I haven't told you much about it yet.
"The Agency" is a fictionalized account of my months working for a "cutting-edge, Web 2.0, marketing and advertising agency" in Utah.
I worked there 3.5 years ago for a very dishonest woman. You can read all about her in other posts on this blog. (But because the woman LOVES to get litigious and threaten to sue people I will not be putting her name in any posts associated with the novella.) The woman I depict in the book is exactly how I remember her- from the Diet Green Tea, to the tennis outfits, fur coat, Post-it notes (oh yes, that part is very true!), erratic behavior, late night demands, evasive communication techniques, and dishonest behavior.
I worked there six months until the agency went out of business. Driven straight into the ground by our fearless, insane, and unethical leader. As depicted in the book, experienced a meteoric rise in job titles and responsibilities in those six months. I started out as Account Director and left as the VP. The job title I had with the company before that one? Marketing Coordinator. Yes, I went from coordinator to VP in just 6 months. But it had little to do with me, and everything to do with her firing people, lying, and trying to buy loyalty.
Trust me, it didn't work.
If I had written the book as an autobiographical account, with only the facts, no one would have wanted to read it. It would have been too depressing. Instead, I made up caricatures of some of the real characters. And obviously there was no Gavin or Jared in the real events. (There were, however, people those characters are VERY loosely based on.) Hopefully it is still the miserable experience that it was, but in a more enjoyable reading format!
Writing the book was somewhat therapeutic for me. It gave me the chance to shine a light on that awful experience.  And maybe just recoup some of the money my old employer still owes me. (Yes, the bounced paychecks part is VERY true. Right down to the how many and how often.)
So if you want to read a short story that makes the "Devil Wears Prada" look like a good day at the office, check out "The Agency!"

And just a reminder- you don't have to have a Nook or a Kindle to download it. You can download the free apps from their websites. As of right now, there is no "paper" version of the story. I may upload it to one of those sites later this week, if there is a demand for it. (So if you want me to do that, tell me!)

Buy "The Agency" on Nook here! 

Or from Amazon here-

The Agency - now available on Amazon for $3.99!

Get my novella, "The Agency" for $3.99 on Amazon now! 
It's just 50 pages, and a dramatic, fun, poolside, summer read!

 

These types of stories typically begin with a disclaimer that this is a work of fiction, and all characters portrayed herein are not real.
This is the somewhat not true story of what it was really like to work for Patty Malone at the Blue Agency, "a cutting-edge, Web 2.0, marketing and advertising firm offering the latest in digital services to advanced technology companies.”
If you, or someone you know, thinks there is a similarity between this work of fiction and a real life person, I feel very sorry for you. All situations and characters have been changed enough to not be recognizable or real. If you think I am talking about you, and you want to own up to that, just remember, you still owe me several bounced paychecks. I'm waiting.

Special thanks to  Juli Caldwell, Tammy Schmidt, and Misty D. Hudson for their help in making this happen!

And to the "Cobalt Crew." You know what you did. 

Life Interrupted

My life has been severely interrupted. Everything is on hold. I did a lot of work for a client a few months ago. That client is now over 70 days past due, and not returning calls or emails now (in spite of promises that I would be paid a week ago).
It's tacky to talk money, but let's just say the amount of money owed to me is what I had planned to live on for the next 6 months. Not kidding. All the money I needed for the next 6 months.
So my life is on hold. Cambodia? Not happening. Medical procedure I needed? Not happening. Nothing is happening.
I'm so mad I could could kick, cry, scream, and spit nails all at once. Why are people so dishonest?
Let's not forget this is the second time this has happened to me. My old boss, Tricia McGarry, still owes me about $10,000 for bounced paychecks. The illegal things she has done to avoid paying me and my former co-workers is ridiculous.
What I hate the most about this situation isn't just what it is doing to me. But it also hurts other people around me. I have to ask other people to have patience with my situation. I can't tell anyone if I will be here in a few weeks. The whole situation just sucks.
I'm putting a lot of energy into not being filled with hate. I don't have time for that. I'm trying to focus on a solution to my new problems. I'm hurt and angry. I worked so hard to climb up out of the unemployment hole and get back to stability. To work so hard and then be knocked down like this is not easy to handle emotionally, let alone temporally.
If I seem a little distracted or forgetful, please forgive me. There's just a lot of things on my mind right now. I'm trying to make up a new life plan, and try to find a way to be happy. 

What a Difference a Year Makes

It was one year ago that I was unceremoniously, and illegally, fired from my job by Tricia McGarry. She made a slew of false and ridiculous accusations (including how ALL of my clients hated me and wanted me off their accounts- all of those same clients would call me personally within the week to offer me jobs, or offer to help me find a job). At that point in time our paychecks were seriously late. We hadn't been paid in full in several weeks. By Utah law, she had 24 hours to pay me in full. It took her over a week to get me my check. Even then it was short several hundred dollars, and it bounced.
If you have been following this blog for the past year you know that I still have not been paid. I've been to court where I tried to sue her, but her lawyer made up some total lies about a claim I supposedly had through a different system (I didn't, but I do now!), and my case was dismissed. The state has now passed on my claim (and the claims of my co-workers) to a collections agency. I won't go into great detail on how that is the biggest disappointment ever. We're still looking at years before I may or may not ever get the money she owes me.
This experience over the past year has taught me a lot. I've learned that there really and truly are totally dishonest people in this world. And people who do not care in the least about how their selfish actions effect other people. If just once my old employer had apologized for the situation, and explained how the company was bankrupt, I could have accepted things, walked away, and never asked for my money. But instead, she's lied to us, avoided us, and even gone out of her way to threaten us and hurt us. Its truly ridiculous.
My faith and desire to trust other people has dwindles significantly. I used to believe that for the most part, all people were good, but that some people are just misunderstood. I didn't really think that there were truly bad people out there who want to hurt you.
The stupid part of this is that I have been hurt in the past by people who wanted to hurt me. But those were people with grudges, or were operating under a misunderstanding. I can forgive those people (no matter how stupid they are, and how much they hurt me). But this is the first time I have ever been hurt by someone who had no reason to lash out at me. Its a strange and unfortunate feeling.
One of the unexpected side effects of this experience has been a significant change in my political leanings. I have been a libertarian for many years, but rarely voted as one. The Libertarian Party rarely offers up a strong candidate. After my dealings with the state, and realizing what a strong big business political policy can do to individuals, I'm more and more a Libertarian every day.
Other unexpected side effects have included making new friends, and finding which friends would be there for me in a bad situation. I was forced to learn more about the welfare system, the court system, the banking system and unemployment laws than I ever cared to know.
Have I come out on top? Am I a better person for this hardship? Part of me hates to say yes. I don't want to give my ex-employer that ammo in her arsenal that somehow I am better off because she fired me. But, I will say this. When she fired me she told me she wasn't surprised I hadn't made it far in life, and that she didn't think I would ever get far. She made up some crap about how my work style and personal affairs would keep me at the bottom of the food chain professionally.
Well, since then, I have doubled my salary, and worked my way up to a much fancier job title. I've moved out of my little (but nice) 1 bedroom apartment, and into a beautiful home. I'm on my way to becoming a foster parent, something that never could have happened while working for her and her ridiculous hours. Some of my best professional contacts are those same clients she claimed wanted nothing to do with me. And I haven't had one panic attack worrying about whether or not she was going to fly off the handle over something stupid.
So yes, I'd say I'm better off now than I was a year ago. But not because she fired me. But because I'm rid of her.

Utah Wage Laws Favor Bad Employers, and Hurt Employees- HELP US!

While the country turns it's attention to the Wall St bailout, it is time for Utah to turn it's attention to the laws that allow these things to happen. With many of Utah's start up businesses and new companies financed not by profits, but instead by venture capitalists and loans from outside interests, many companies are suddenly facing going under. Many of these employers will choose to use the Utah code to their advantage and just walk away, never paying their employees. With our current code, employees may never see a dime.

This isn't just about Wall St or bad investments. This is about a bad law that protects employers, while doing nothing to protect employees. Say an employer decides it is in his or her best interest to walk away from the business and go find other employment, leaving the employees without a paycheck or employment. Utah actually protects the employer from having to pay the employee!

According to Utah Admin Code R610-3 Filing, Investigation, and Resolution of Wage Claims employers who fail to pay their employees are first sent a letter, and then sent another letter, and another, and another. Eventually, after 90 days, (assuming the Wage and Labor Commission moves quickly and efficiently), the claim gets moved to the Attorney General's Office, where, you guessed it, another letter is sent. Eventually, when these busy agencies have time, the case is moved to an arbitration and mediation court. It then takes about 5-8 months to get an appointment with that court. And if and when that magic day ever arrives, it will be determined that yes or no the employer owes the employee. If it is determined that in fact they do owe them wages, a lien is placed against the employer's assets.

How long does it take for that lien to produce anything for the long-suffering employee?

Utah Admin Code R610-3-14-2. The docketing of an Order shall constitute a lien against the real property of the defendant situated in the county for a period of eight years.

Yes, you read that right. An employee may have to wait EIGHT YEARS to get their wages! There is no “golden parachute” to help these employees who are suddenly both without a job and screwed out of their wages.

When we go to work we put our trust in our employers that they will provide for us in exchange for the labors we perform. We put our livelihood in their hands and rely on the fact that as long as we do our best, we will be paid, and in turn be able to provide for our families.

But Utah employers who get tired of running a business, or lose financing, or simply decide that there is more money to be made elsewhere can walk away from the business and the employees that depend on them, with little consequences.

This is not moral and this is not right! Employers should face criminal charges for running faulty businesses and failing to pay their employees. Men and women CEO's who chose to leave their businesses for higher paying salaries with other organization with no thoughts or cares to the employees they screw over in their wake should face public punishments, and not just inconvenient fines.

Utah, take a look closer at home and ask yourself if you will be protected if your employer goes under or walks away from the business. Will you be paid? Will you be prepared to wait eight years before seeing those wages? Will you be able to survive on unemployment at a fraction of your past earnings?

Don't just sit and watch Wall Street. Take action here at home. Let's change these laws that protect employers and not the employees. Let's make it criminal to not pay employees! Ask the state legislature candidates what they plan to do to protect employees. Challenge the law. Stand up and make it clear that we will not allow employees to be taken advantage of!

Help me and my former co-workers who have been so hurt by this law (having not received a cent of the money our past employer owes us, since July, and will probably never see our duly earned wages), by "Facebooking," Digging, bookmarking, linking, whatever it is you can do. Help us spread the word about this bad law, and bring attention to a subject that deserves notice. You don't have to be in Utah to help spread the word! But if you are in Utah, you can send a link to this article (or copy and paste it) to any of the candidates currently running for State Legislature. All of their names are RIGHT HERE.