Off the Record by Camryn Garrett (read more books TXT) 📕

I’ve been reading this article about how Boyz N the Hood got made. The door stays closed while I read, even as I hear the sounds of the front door opening, of people talking and laughing. I almost miss the sound of my email notification.

There’s the usual—spam emails about spying on my ex-husband, college ads…but.

But.

There’s one from Deep Focus magazine. I open it, trying my best not to scream.

Dear Josephine,

Congratulations! You’ve been selected as the winner of the Deep Focus Talent Search. A team of fifteen writers and editors reviewed this year’s entries and took part in the judging process. We delayed making our announcement because our judges had trouble choosing just one out of the 400 finalists, but they finally picked you. You should be proud of your achievement.

Oh.

My.

God.

I let out a scream. Downstairs, there’s a loud thud. I look back at my phone.

As you are aware, the grand prize is the chance to take part in a press tour for a new film, Incident on 57th Street, starring Academy Award nominee Art Springfield, Grace Gibbs, and newcomer Marius Canet. With Deep Focus partnering with Spotlight Pictures, you’ll have unprecedented access to the cast and crew, but you will be focusing on writing a profile about Marius, who has garnered rave reviews for his performance. You will be taking part in press events for two weeks in Los Angeles, Austin, Chicago, Atlanta, and New York, where our offices are located. Deep Focus will cover all expenses related to travel and lodging. You will also receive a $500 cash prize.

I’m so glad that you will be joining the Deep Focus team. I will be your supervisor during your assignment, which means I will organize interviews, events, and transportation during the press tour and be the first to review your final article before it’s submitted to our editorial team. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me!

I’ve also attached a contract to this email. Please review and sign, along with one of your parents, as soon as possible, as we can’t proceed without a signed contract. You will then receive an official Deep Focus press pass in the mail, which you must wear while on assignment. After the contract is signed, we will fly you to a screening of the film in Los Angeles next weekend, with a press conference being held afterward. If you accept, I will contact you soon with more details.

We look forward to working with you!

Best,

Lauren Jacobson Publicity Manager of Deep Focus

My hands are shaking.

Me. I won the contest. Me.

When they first emailed me about being a finalist, they told me two thousand people had applied before they narrowed it down to four hundred. And out of four hundred people, they chose me. It doesn’t feel real. The publicity manager of my favorite magazine just emailed me. I’m going to write a story for my favorite magazine. Me, me, me.

I don’t even know how many things this could do for my career. For the past forty years, Deep Focus has been the center of popular culture. Anyone who’s anyone has been on the cover, including, but not limited to:

Classic music stars like the Beatles, Michael Jackson, and David Bowie

Newer music stars like Adele, Kendrick Lamar, and Lorde

The Queen (Beyoncé)

Actors like Heath Ledger, Denzel Washington, Cate Blanchett, Natalie Portman, Keira Knightley, Andrew Garfield, Issa Rae…

Thinking about it all at once makes me dizzy.

I’ve always devoured profiles of writers and directors and actors, even though I’m sure most of them are staged. This is my chance to finally see for myself how it works. How do you even include this on a résumé? In a special box with shiny letters and glitter?

This could help me get more freelance gigs. This could lead to bigger things. It’s Deep Focus, for crying out loud. I could do whatever I want after this.

I hold my hand over my mouth. Nervous laughter mixes with another scream, which makes me sound like a nervous horse. I’m not even concerned. Sure, I haven’t told my parents that the grand prize entails hanging out in five different cities with a group of actors and a director and other moviemaking people. Sure, I have anxiety and hate being around too many people I don’t know.

But God, do the positives outweigh the negatives. This is my chance to do something exciting for once. This is my chance to do what I love on a bigger scale. This is my chance to be taken seriously as a writer.

I open up two different tabs: one with the name of the actor and one with the name of the movie. I start an email reply to Ms. Jacobson. But what do I say?

“Josephine?” Mom’s voice travels up the stairs. “Get down here!”

Oh, right. First things first: I have to ask Mom and Dad.

@JosieTheJournalist: my parents are actually the best in the entire world, don’t @ me

It’s torture waiting all night for everyone to leave. And when I say all night, I really mean it. Uncle Eddie doesn’t leave until eleven. Mom has to call him a cab. I sneak up behind her as she watches him through the screen door.

“Mommy?”

She raises a brow. “What do you want?”

I pull her back into the kitchen. There’s a mess: half-full containers and bottles, dirty dishes and silverware. Dad’s already organizing leftovers. We’ll be eating them for the next week, at least.

“Well,” I say, clasping my hands together, “I’ve been presented with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

“What?” Dad looks up. “A scholarship?”

“Uh, no,” I say. “Not that kind. But it’s even better.”

Mom folds her arms, both eyebrows raised in expectation.

“Okay,” I say, taking a deep breath. “Do you remember that contest I entered a few months ago? The Deep Focus Talent Search? It was for teen reporters.”

“Yes,” Mom says. “We remember that. Did you hear back?”

“I did,” I say. “And it’s really amazing news—I won. Out of two thousand people.”

“Oh my goodness, Josie,”