The Writer's Life 1/1 - Fresh Start

RIP Wayne Rogers, 82, a true renaissance man. The Princeton grad, degree in History, was successful in several endeavors beyond acting. He has 73 credits listed at IMDb, which doesn't include multiple appearances on several series on which he either starred and guest-starred. He will be remembered best as Trapper John on MASH, of which he did 73 episodes. He did 57 of House Calls and 38 of Stagecoach West. He directed three episodes of House Calls and wrote two screenplays and two teleplays. He found huge success in the business world, particularly in an investment firm that carried his name. He was a regular on Cashin' In on Fox News. Here's a quote attributed to him: "Somebody once told me I shouldn't try to change Hollywood. That isn't my point at all. I don't want Hollywood to change me." Rogers spoke my favorite line from MASH. Taking a break from a particularly grueling stretch in the OR, Frank Burns seats himself next to Trapper and says: "Why does everyone take an instant dislike to me?" And Trapper says: "It saves time." Well done, sir.

Shades of Big Brother - NYC is reaping a bonanza from traffic surveillance, particularly that set up near schools. Only 140 cameras caught a million plus people exceeding the speed limit in those areas. The ticket is $50 and leads to points on one's license as well. If everyone pays, that's $50 million. Of course, politicians will claim the traps are designed to increase safety. Their real design is to fund the welfare state, the "freebies" many New Yorkers love. It is simply another form of taxation.

I had 74 direct sales of my books in 2015, a significant increase over last year's 48. I haven't tallied my Amazon sales, which have been extremely disappointing. I am $986 in the hole, a figure that will increase by hundreds when I purchase 50 copies of my new book. Killing and A Hitch in Twilight are profitable. I'm confident Rising Star soon will be. I'm not sure about Exchanges, especially since the publisher hasn't paid me for the 25 or so copies that have sold on the web. Close to the Edge and Adjustments would have to generate hundreds of web sales before they reach the plus side. Those two involved printing costs as well as the buying of copies. Create Space, which I now use, doesn't charge for printing, so authors have a much easier time earning money for their work. Of course, if I count the entire proceeds from the floating book shop, I'm thousands ahead. My thanks to all my customers.

I've gone through the 31 short stories, 201 of the 352 pages, of my next book. I found 32 errors and made corrections to the digital file. The works that remain are a one-act play, two screenplays and a teleplay. I expect to find several mistakes in the latter three.

Since the last of the holiday family dinners will not be until at least three-thirty, I was tempted to open the floating book shop today, especially since the temperature remains mild. Reason prevailed. My thanks to reportez.com, which sent payment for services rendered on its website.

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/

Website: http://vicfortezzaauthor.my-free.website/