Monday, January 23, 2017

Taxes and Anthology News

It's that time of year when we start thinking about those taxes. Those of you who are self-employed (writers) know there can be a lot of paperwork involved in trying desperately to hold onto your earnings instead of handing them over to the government. It's easy enough to google what you need to know about taxes as a writer, what forms to use, what deductions you can claim and learn that the wine you drink while writing isn't one of those deductions.

“The taxpayer: that’s someone who works for the federal government, but doesn’t have to take a civil service examination.” – Ronald Reagan

I've been doing it for almost ten years now, so I pretty much know what is what. One thing I learned back at the beginning is to organized all year long. I keep every minor postal receipt, ink receipt, travel mileage, paper purchase, membership dues, conference fees, ... you get the idea. I fill out a ledger every few weeks and mark them in their proper category. When January arrives, all I have to do is add up columns. All the receipts are kept in a folder, all in order by date. It's easy because I keep up with it. My advice for taxes, stay organized and be grateful that you have income so that you have to be concerned about deductions.

If Patrick Henry thought that taxation without representation was bad, he should see how bad it is with representation.— Farmer’s Almanac

Now for some good news. The next IWSG anthology will be released May 2nd in print and Ebook. I love having those print copies on my bookshelf. Here's a blurb and the lovely cover.

Hero Lost
Mysteries of Death and Life
An Insecure Writer’s Support Group Anthology


Can a lost hero find redemption?

What if Death himself wanted to die? Can deliverance be found on a bloody battlefield? Could the gift of silvering become a prison for those who possessed it? Will an ancient warrior be forever the caretaker of a house of mystery?

Delving into the depths of the tortured hero, twelve authors explore the realms of fantasy in this enthralling and thought-provoking collection. Featuring the talents of Jen Chandler, L. Nahay, Renee Cheung, Roland Yeomans, Elizabeth Seckman, Olga Godim, Yvonne Ventresca, Ellen Jacobson, Sean McLachlan, Erika Beebe, Tyrean Martinson, and Sarah Foster.

Hand-picked by a panel of agents and authors, these twelve tales will take you into the heart of heroes who have fallen from grace. Join the journey and discover a hero’s redemption!

Fell back a little on my word count this past week but it was for a good cause. I hosted a baby shower for my upcoming granddaughter on Saturday. It meant a lot of prep work and a lot of shopping. Babies are expensive. I'm not glad to be old but I'm also happy not to be juggling all those expenses. Fun was had by all and the expectant parents received some wonderful gifts. One of the best parts was all of Team Gourley showing up to help with setup and cleanup. They even helped transport to and carry in all the gifts to my son's home.

The mild temperatures means more outside exercise than I usually get in January but that's a good thing. I know it probably doesn't mean good things for the planet, but I'm feeling selfish about it in the short term.

Are you ready for tax season? Do you do your own taxes or pay someone? Do you try to sneak in some questionable tax deductions? Is winter acting out of character in your neck of the woods? 

Bonus quote:

People who complain about paying their income tax can be divided into two types: men and women. — anonymous 

24 comments:

nashvillecats2 said...

Who ever invented taxes I ask myself?. It can be time consuming filling in all the forms.
I know the new anthology will be a huge sucess when released......something to look forward to.
Grand post Susan, have a happy week.
Yvonne.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

I have the gift of organization, so I've already done my year-end bookkeeping and have it all ready for my accountant. (I'm great with numbers and could do it myself, but this saves me time and my sanity.)

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Susan - keeping up is essential and makes life so much easier - good advice. The Anthology looks to be amazing ... and it's great to see many authors happily being involved, then Diane with her publishing skills ... cheers Hilary

Madeline Mora-Summonte said...

You are so organized! Staying on top of all the taxes/money-related things throughout the year is smart.

Yeh for a fun baby shower!

I try to get outside for a walk/run rather than do the treadmill. I'd much rather get the fresh air.

messymimi said...

Outdoor exercise can only be done here when we aren't melting from the heat and humidity -- at least, for me that's the case. Hope you get a refund this year! We most likely will not.

Maria Zannini said...

I'm overly cautious when I do my taxes. When we had a tax consultant she found us deductions we never considered before. Now that we're retired taxes are a little simpler.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Glad you had help with the party.
I try to stay organized with my taxes. At least for my CPA's benefit.

Pat Hatt said...

Keeping everything is sure the way. Nothing hectic at the end of the year. I do mine myself, not that I have much in the way of writing haha

M.J. Fifield said...

I pay someone to do my taxes for me. I did attempt to do them on my own last year, but that lasted about twenty minutes before I ran back to my CPA. I wonder if I could deduct peanut butter cups...I totally need them to write. They're vital to the process...

Tamara Narayan said...

Thanks for the reminder on the taxes! I think Uncle Sam is going to be more than a little disappointed with my contribution, but too bad.

Winter is out-of-whack. The past weekend we were shrouded in fog instead of snow. This is so wrong.

Christine Rains said...

My hubby is my tax guy, and he keeps great records. Winter definitely does not feel like winter here. I would be surprised if we saw any snow this year at all. It still makes me want to huddle under a blanket with a good book, though! :)

Chrys Fey said...

"the wine you drink while writing isn't one of those deductions." Bahahaha! Being organized is important, especially for something like taxes.

I'm glad you had fun at the baby shower. :)

A Beer for the Shower said...

I have a computer program to figure all of my tax stuff out, and it assures me I won't be audited, despite me having zero idea what I'm doing. It's all worked out well so far, and I definitely make all of those individual deductions count.

J E Oneil said...

That Farmer's Almanac quote feels all too accurate. Ugh, what a month.

Susan Kane said...

Taxes are serious busy in my husband's family. Complicated, esp. after Mom's death a year ago.

cleemckenzie said...

I got such a chuckle reading those quotes!

Anonymous said...

I had a little craft business for a while and being organized like that made things real easy. Plus, my tax guy loved it because it meant less work for him.

Liza said...

Congratulations on the new grandchild to be!

mshatch said...

Not looking forward to tax time as I'm self-employed. Congrats on the new member of the family. I'm getting one of those in a month or so :)

M Pax said...

I'm not as organized. I throw all my reciepts in one folder for the year. I print them as they come up, though.

Congrats on the grandbaby! I wish we were having a mild winter. I'm happy to share some of our 5 feet of snow.

Denise Covey said...

Hey Susan, okay, I'm being a smartass, but I didn't think citizens of the US had to pay taxes any more, following the example of their esteemed President and all...would make life easier!

dolorah said...

Ha; I am technically self employed and preliminary Turbo Tax says I'll get a very little bit back. Weird, but cool. I don't make anything on writing though. Glad someone has to keep track of all the expenses to make the profit an income :)

Crystal Collier said...

Thankfully my husband was an accountant in a former (career) life, so that one is covered.

I'm so stoked about the anthology. Seriously. Can't wait to read it.

Babies... No kidding they're expensive! But, I think people spend way more than they could get away with. =) Congrats on the grandbaby, btw!

Patricia Stoltey said...

Winter does seem to be acting a little crazier than usual. I think the wild temperature variations contribute to all these illnesses I see around me. It doesn't stay cold long enough to kill all the bugs.