The Writer's Life 5/1 - Mayday

There have been a spate of bizarre arrests in Fort Lauderdale recently, according to the Weird But True column in today’s NY Post. Authorities believe they are due to a new, cheap synthetic drug called Flakka. One dude was busted for trying to have sex with a tree. Two others, believing they were being chased, were arrested trying to break into the police department. A drug treatment counselor described the drug as “Five-dollar insanity.”



I began writing my latest short story, Decisive, on April 20^th. It was originally 1100 words. I’ve read through it every day since then, adding thoughts, tweaking the language. Since it’s a work of complete fiction with no basis in personal experience, aspects were overlooked, such as blood splatter, fingerprints that may be on contact lenses, which I don’t wear. The story has grown to just short of 1300 words. It is now as close to finished as a work every gets. Since the main character is a thief, I decided to include that she lives in a rent-controlled apartment, and let the reader assume she scammed her way into it. I submitted it electronically to a magazine before I’d made the latest changes. If by chance if beats the long odds and is accepted for publication, I’ll ask the editor if I can send along the update.


I've reached a bittersweet milestone. Today, three weeks from my 65th birthday, I qualify for Medicare. I'd been without any health insurance since the institution of Obamacare about a year-and-a-half ago. At the time I had hospitalization only and the cost was about $170 per month. Enrolling in a government approved plan would have cost me close to $500. I decided to gamble, and I got lucky. And since my income was so low last year I didn't have to pay a fine for being without insurance. People younger than me have not been or will not be as fortunate. I've heard many complaints about what the law has done and not a single word of praise, although there surely must be a few who have benefitted from it. I have the minimum coverage and I'm not even sure what it does. I just can't motivate myself to read the catalog I was sent. I'll know more by the middle of the month, after a round of check ups.


Somebody tell the weatherman to look out the window. I just heard the same report I did before leaving the house before 11 AM -- cloudy with a pop up shower possible at any time. The sun has been shining since noon. My thanks to the kind folks who bought books and to the young man who donated five best sellers and a beautiful hardcover edition of Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe.

Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh

Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3

Vic's Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
Vic's Short Story Collection: http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tiny.cc/0iHLb Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tinyurl.com/l84h63j

Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp

Vic's Horror Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f

Vic's Blog: http://vicfortezza.blogspot.com/

Vic's Web Site: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/