Since my little announcement last week (in case you missed it and/or don’t want to click over, I am moving to Bali this January for the best job ever!!) I’ve gotten a LOT of congratulations.

You are all amazing. I wanna cyber-squidge your cheeks and bear hug you for your kindness.

I’ve also gotten a LOT of questions. On a lot of different topics. I have been trying to field them on a case-by-case basis, but many of the same ones keep popping up.

Seemed like the best way to answer them all is to just do a big FAQ list about the job and Bali to ease curious minds that want to know.

I am nothing if not a bridge over these troubled waters.

Location Independence/Travel

• Don’t you hate location independent people? – Um, no? I’ve been very vocal (well, literal) in the past about location independent people not being jerks about their location independence, but I don’t hate them. True, it has not always been my dream to travel the world and live independent of any one location. Interestingly enough, though, people change.
• Did you take this gig just so that you cold move to Bali? I am so in love with the potential for this brand that I would work in the tundra of the Arctic Circle if Dan told me I had to (Note – Dan, please don’t make me move to the tundra of the Arctic Circle). I’m a very lucky girl in that I am a writer first who can work from anywhere.  Fortunately, even though my office is in San Diego, my work with Dynamite also affords me a mobile lifestyle so I can trek to and visit tons of different places (Bali included) without batting an eye.
• Have you ever even lived outside the State of Maine? (Also Known As: Wow, this is so out of character. Aren’t you afraid you are going to be a big flopping flailing on the floor failure?) No, I have lived in various parts of Maine (a state in the US) for my whole life. In fact, I had to apply for an expedited passport the Monday after I confirmed this gig with Dan because I only had a North American Passport Card to get into Canada and Mexico (and I’m not sure if it even works for Mexico!) Could I end up completely and utterly failing at this? I guess so. But I don’t plan on it.
• Are you ready for Bali?  Oh hell no. I don’t think it is easy at all to just throw all your comforts and plans for life out the window and realign to move to the other side of the planet. It’s possible. And exciting. And terrifying. I’ve fortunately got some time to get my shit together. To be truthful, the reality and gravity of what is about to happen STILL has not set in for me. I’ll let you know when that bag of bricks hits.
• How Long Will You Be There?  Well, I’ve got 90 days guaranteed at the house. After that, it’s negotiable. I could stay if they don’t need the space and we all don’t hate each other (meaning I don’t leave dirty dishes in the sink so often that there is a revolt and I am voted off the island). Plus there is a lot of exploring and fun to be had in paradise!

The Gig

• What are you going to be doing again? (Also Known As: Are you SURE you aren’t going to be sold into a brothel once you get out there?)  Funny you ask that. The details, as posted, are only a piece of what I’ll be doing with Dynamite Publishing (Dan & Ian’s digital publishing start up – didn’t even know it had a name, didja?!) Some of that stuff has already been outsourced to freelancers. I’m working with Dan, David and Ian to build the start up into a powerhouse in digital publishing in 2012. That means lots of writing, lots of editing, lots of branding, lots of community management, and lots of Skype calls between us on a shotty Balinese internet connection. PS – If someone asked me even a month ago to create my dream position and write it down on paper, it would pretty much be this gig.
• Isn’t this an internship? Is that a step backwards in your career?  Sure, it is called an internship. When I’m being bitchy at 11:30 PM to Dan and Ian, I tell them that they can’t call me an intern. Then Dan announces in our private mastermind group that I’m the editor-in-chief. Ian writes “I Have A Dream” emails about my vision for the company. If we need to label it, I tend to just describe it as a Managing or Content Editor.
• Every other TMBA Intern has worked w/Dan & Ian for a few months on a project then moved on – is that what you are doing?  I made it very clear that the future I saw in Dynamite Publishing did not involve me ditching them to only do my own thing after 6 months. With their other internships, this was a natural progression and no one really ran away. Dan said from the beginning that this was unlike any of the other TMBA gigs he has posted.In his own words: I’m looking for somebody who wants a job. An awesome job with a crap-ton of perks, freedoms, and learning opportunities. That said– I’m not running this internship to help you get your business off the ground. This time it’s me who’s launching something new. In my own words, I warned Dan, David and Ian that they wouldn’t be able to shake me that easy.
• How does it feel to be the first girl to work in the TMBA?  I don’t know, you’d have to ask her. Tammi has been doing design and development for the TMBA and Dynamite for a long while now. She’s just a lot more modest than me and doesn’t talk about it all the time.
• Did you get this gig because you are a girl? I told Dan during one of our conversations that I’d be pissed if that was the only reason selected me. I fail to see how giving a woman an opportunity merely because she carries two-X chromosomes is any better for the advancement of our gender than not hiring her because she doesn’t have a Y one. I prefer to believe the guys when they tell me they chose me because I was the best person for the job.

Ophelia’s Webb

• Ugh. Are you going to become one of those annoying travel bloggers?  I hope not! But you should be prepared for a lot of writing and pictures and stories of Bali life. I’ve always written about what is happening in my life, and my musings on lessons learned from those experiences. To not share SUCH a big and amazing experience would not only be a disservice to you, but it would be a disservice to me. I’m fairly certain it would pretty much stunt my writing.
• Are you still going to do the love series in February?  It warms my little blogger heart to tell you how many people asked me this (and frankly surprised me!) Yes, the series will be back up in February with 28 more stories.  I will probably be requesting submissions in December though (there will be a post with details in December). I think January will be a little busy for me. 😉
• What is that piggy bank thing on the side of your website? Are you begging for money?  Short answer, yes.Longer answer, that little piggy bank is the savings account I set up for Bali. It isn’t purely for people to give me money, it is the savings account I dump money into. There’s just a feature to the site that allows me to accept contributions as well. I’m kind of amazed that people are already sharing (blown away and humbled is more like it – and need to thank my SPIRLBFF Jenny Blake for telling me about it, even if the way she told me was “If you don’t set this up for yourself I’m setting one up for you!”)
• Does this mean you are going to start bugging me to buy these guys’ stuff?  Probably. I’m not gonna lie to you. That would by sucky. But like the Bosley Hair Club for Men commercials, not only am I paid to make people fall in love with their content,  I’m a member and contributor to their sites as well. Way before I was working with them I was reading, listening, and paid a membership fee to be part of their private Inner Circle/Mastermind site.
• Ok, but you aren’t giving up writing, right?  Absolutely not. The great thing about this position is that it allows for me to continue to grow and build my career and writing while working on Dynamite. I don’t think the guys would be ok with the arrangement if I gave up all my dreams and ambitions to only work on theirs. Word on the street is that there is already a book proposal in draft form…

(Obligatory) The Eat, Pray, Love-i-ness

• OMG!! Are you gonna be like the woman in the Eat, Pray, Love book?!?!?!!? *Squeal Squeal Squeal*!!!  *sigh* I know, I know, I’m weird. I hated that book. I attempted to read it 6 times (SIX TIMES) but could never get past the part where she ate. I get that she spent the final part of her story in Indonesia (in the movie she went to Bali) but I have absolutely no desire to re-enact that storyline. I’m glad that it had such an impact on you. I feel the same way about The Alchemist and Leaves of Grass.
• Are you going to Bali to find yourself?  I was unaware I lost myself. Did someone find me on a milk carton?
• Are you running away from your problems “like that chick in the book did”?  To a degree, I suppose. There is something inherently appealing about moving someplace that barely anyone knows you and starting fresh. Getting over my broken heart, jumping from the cliff of comfort into the chasm of WHAT-THE-HELL-ARE-YOU-DOING, trying to figure out how to run my own business…working my dream job from a bean bag chair by the pool or beach chair by the ocean doesn’t sound like such a bad way to find some new directions in life.
• You are gonna fall in love in Bali, aren’t you? AREN’T YOU!?!?!  I cannot put a numeric value on the number of times I am asked this. It is probably one of the 3 MOST frequently asked questions.To be honest, falling in love is the furthest thing from my mind in the next 18 months. I’ve got stuff to do between my work with Dynamite, my own business, exploring and enjoying Bali, and having lots of fun. Plus my life is in SUCH flux right now bringing a partner in on that shenaniganry would be nuts. That isn’t to say that if the opportunity came up, I’d run away screaming or slap it across the face. I suppose it could happen. I could also get bitten by a snake, win the lottery, get a literary agent without queries, problem solve for world peace…lots of coulds in life.

WHEW! And there you have it.

A nice little compendium/pocket-reference-guide of questions about this whole thing.

I’m sure that once I get to the other side of the planet in January there will be a whole new set of FAQ’s about this adventure. You’ll note this is only Part I.

There are many more parts to this adventure, I’m quite sure!

Did that answer your deepest darkest secretive questions? Still have more? Ask away in comments!