Spies Take Their Time On Revenge

It's my other favorite time of the year...not. August 15, when my extension runs out and yes, it's paperwork time again, folks. And with all the covert operations mileage I took in 2004, I have plenty of deductions, yeeha. I figure if I don't spend it, it's going to the Other Agency That Even Spies Despise.

Doing your own business taxes is very eye-opening. You get to see exactly how much money goes to the government, and if you read every word in fine print there is out every year, you learn how the big corporations go bigger and why the small businesses stay small. I, fortunately or unfortunately, am in the latter category.

You also learn a hell of a lot about the nuances of corporations, S-corporations, LLCs, LPCs, sole proprietorship, etc., and then you begin to look at things A LOT differently. for example, you see a certain neighbor with all his new cars and toys, and you sort of could calculate what is happening, with the help of a good accountant. Heh. Not that I'm that curious, but I like to create worlds, remember? So, I'm always figuring out how certain people live their lives and how they arrive at where they are. It doesn't matter if I were wrong, since it's all in my head anyway! ;-)

I do have a neighbor that I've sworn vengeance at, though, and I don't care if he knows. My first Advanced Readers Copies ever, three years ago, and the UPS messed up the address on the label and delivered it to his house. THIS AWFUL man signed for a package that was labeled to Gennita Low (that's how I traced it to him) on a Friday. I was waiting, excited as a puppy dog, allllll Friday for a package that had been delivered to this AWFUL MAN. I called my editor and she told me it should be there already. By Saturday, nada. On Monday, I called UPS who checked and gave me the name of this AWFUL MAN.

The phone book clued me in on the location. My house was number 28. His house was 20. Mr. UPSman missed the little line in the middle of the 0, I guess. I ran down to the AWFUL MAN's house at noon and asked politely for my package.

His answer: I THREW THE BOOKS AWAY in the trash this morning.

When I gasped out that they were my books, he said, "SO? I didn't know who Gennita Low was."

"Then why the hell did you sign for the package then?" I asked.

He slammed the door on my face. So I lost my first 9 precious ARCs.

I swore vengeance. I will get it ;-).

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