The Writer's Life 2/28 - Schedule C

According to an article in the NY Post, in the past decade, 21 people who have participated in reality TV shows have committed suicide. I don't know what to make of this. How does it stack up vs. the general suicide rate? How many people participated in those shows in that time frame? According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the annual rate is 12.93 per 100,000 individuals. To determine whether reality TV suffers a higher suicide rate than other areas, the numbers would have to be compared. I'm not defending the shows, which I find unwatchable. I just want to know if the journalism has merit or is merely sensationalism.

I thought doing my income tax over several days would make it less annoying than doing it all once. Wrong! Back and forth, up and down, in and out -- geez! At least it's finally done. For years I hadn't bothered to include any royalty forms I received from publishers, as the amounts were so little. I just added the aggregate to miscellaneous income. Since the online firm I've been using bumped me from a free filing to a fee, I decided to include the royalties, which qualified me for a schedule C deduction. So instead of having to pay the state/city a small sum, such as last year when I was hit up for $17, I'm getting cash back, The fee was $71, which means I'll be coming out ahead about $150. I owe zero to the feds. I chose to receive the money in the form of a gift card, which I'll use at Stop n Shop and CVS.

It was like mid spring today in NYC, but it didn't make anyone in Park Slope more interested in buying books than usual. It looked like it I would suffer a shutout for the first time in a while. Several people stopped and examined certain wares but passed, despite the terrific selection. The only interesting thing to occur was an attractive woman in her late twenties asking if I knew anything about a hit-and-run fatality that had occurred nearby in the early morning. She identified herself as "a reporter for the New York Times." I hadn't heard. According to a web report, the poor soul succumbed to massive body trauma. Perhaps that explains the heavy police presence. I'd figured the cars were on the prowl to make up for revenue short falls of a month with only 29 days. The prime parking spot opened up several times while I was there, but it would have required a U-turn to get to it, and I wasn't about to try that with so many blue and whites around. As I was packing up, a young woman approached and asked if I had any mysteries. She bought five, saving my day. My thanks, miss.

Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc

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

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