Enter a world of prehistoric mystery and murder
  Pat Jackson
  • Welcome
  • On writing
  • Contact Pat

The Adventures of an ITIN Seeker

3/12/2014

0 Comments

 
When you bring out your books on Amazon or any other platform such as Nook, ibooks etc., your masterpiece will be sold in the USA. If you don't want to pay the 30% tax on these sales you have to get yourself an ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number). I have just been through this so I thought I would share what I have learnt.
Firstly, you need a letter saying that you are indeed an author. I got mine from Smashwords, presumably I could have got one from Amazon as well. I contacted Smashwords and they were really good. I got my letter very quickly. It came in a very smart envelope with a beautiful stamp on it - you'll be wondering why I bothered to say that, but it is relevant, believe me.
You have to fill out a W-7 form. In the first part you tick 'a' and for additional information you put the Treaty Country as United Kingdom and the Article is 12. This will save you hours of trying to find which Article it is! Then you fill out name and addresses etc as you would expect. Don't forget to swap the day and month round in dates (probably teaching granny to suck eggs here but the American do it differently to us). Your foreign tax ID number is what we call our National Insurance Number which usually starts with 2 letters, then numbers, then letter(s).
Now for the exciting bit - there are 2 ways for a citizen of the United Kingdom to get their ITIN. The first is to send off the form, letter, in my case, from Smashwords, and your passports to the States and you should have it back within 8 - 10 weeks. OK, I can here you gasping in horror! The second way is to go to the IRS office at the American Embassy in Grosvenor Square, London for them to take a certified copy of your passport. You don't need an appointment. It's very easy. I was in and out in 10 minutes and they were really helpful. When you get there, don't have a heart attack - you don't have to join the huge queue waiting outside. Go to the front and say you want the IRS office. You'll get in very quickly.
BUT, and this is why I'm writing this, I handed over the paperwork and the lady asked, 'Do you have the envelope the letter came in?' Much to her amusement I told her that I had kept it because it had a lovely stamp. Apparently there are a lot of fakes of the letters from, I don't know if it's only Smashwords or all publishers. She asked if I had anything else about my book and all I had was a home-made flyer which she kept. She said hopefully I would get my ITIN - I should know in 6 - 8 weeks, maybe longer because of Christmas - but she couldn't guarantee it and I might have to go through it all again.
My advice: take every piece of paper you have about your masterpiece, print out royalty reports, any emails, etc, but, above all, take the envelope, regardless of the stamp!
When I hear, I will post another blog, telling you about the next stage in the adventures of obtaining an ITIN!

0 Comments

Five top uses for obsidian, 30,000 years ago.

20/11/2014

1 Comment

 
1. Knife blade.
Knapped correctly, the edge of an obsidian blade is extremely sharp and therefore would have made excellent knife blades. The downside was its fragility but when it breaks, the jagged edges are still sharp and so it could be used again.

2. Mirror.
Obsidian is shiny and a flat section of the stone could have been used as a small mirror - a prehistoric compact!

3. Arrow head.
Due to its sharpness, an obsidian arrow head would pierce through the thickest of hides.

4. Beads.
If beads of obsidian were sewn onto tunics, they would have glittered in the fire light. Making them would not have been easy as the stone flakes when hit, so this would have made them valuable items.

5. A shellfish opener.
Formed into a wedge with a thin edge, this would have been perfect for prying open oysters and other shellfish. 

1 Comment

Who would read Too Long To Die?

14/11/2014

0 Comments

 
Too Long To Die (by Pat Jackson) should appeal to a number of audiences: those who love crime, particularly historical crime before DNA, finger printing and all the science that helps to solve modern day crimes; those who are fascinated by prehistory (this is set in the Upper Paleolithic era); those who love a bit of spiritual mystery and intrigue; and those who want good to win out over evil. 
One reviewer on Amazon said: 'I say it's a great 'cross-over' novel because this could easily be read by adults or children'. Someone else told me they thought it was a great YA novel. There is no graphic sex in it and the violence is real but understated.
I think this novel will appeal to most readers.
0 Comments

Obsidian / Death Stone

29/10/2014

0 Comments

 
Black Obsidian 

Black, shiny, and extremely beautiful, obsidian is molten lava that cools so fast it does not crystallize. This stone looks more like glass and its brittle nature causes it to fracture with very sharp edges, so much so that, with modern tools, it has been fashioned into and used as scalpels. For early man it could be knapped into tools and weapons far sharper than flint, although not as strong.

On the eastern side of northern Spain there exists an area called Garrotxa Volcanic Park. It has over 40 volcanic cones and evidence of at least 20 lava flows. For the sake of 'Too Long To Die' I have taken this area to be the source of the Death Stone.

So why did I call it Death Stone? I first came across obsidian a number of years ago. When I picked it up I instantly felt faint and a wave of nausea hit me. Now, when I touch it I still feel a bit queasy to start with but the effect soon disappears. Why? Obsidian is considered a very strong, healing stone. It works by bringing stress and problems to the surface so they can be faced and dealt with. Judy Hall, author of The Crystal Bible writes, 'It magnifies all negative energies so that they can be fully experienced and then released' and she says, 'many people find its effects overwhelming.' I obviously have a number of buried problems to deal with! 

Picture
0 Comments

Location setting of Too Long To Die

9/9/2014

0 Comments

 
Lonell's homeland is situated on the coast of what is now known as northern Spain. The prehistoric caves of Altamira were inhabited much later than the date of the book but perhaps the Pescovari were their ancestors! 
The land would have stretched out much further into the Bay of Biscay than it does now and I have taken advantage of this, making it into the long stony beach that leads to the deep underwater channels where huge whales and other marine creatures (Monsters) dwelt.

0 Comments

Survival in Lonell's world

4/9/2014

0 Comments

 
I've always wondered what it would be like to live in a world where everything you used and ate came straight from Nature, where nothing was pre-fabricated. Nothing would be easy. Would we survive today if we had to revert? I think the answer is that most of us would not. Are we now too individualistic or could we subjugate ourselves for the good of the 'tribe'?          
For that, in my humble opinion, is the only way early humans could have survived. Each person, in addition to the essential skills such as hunting, must have had their own speciality which they offered freely to the tribe. And yet, the paradox of Too Long to Die is that it is Lonell's own individuality which allows his tribe to survive.

0 Comments

Solving a murder

1/9/2014

0 Comments

 
How do you solve a murder? You might use scientific methods such as DNA testing and fingerprinting, talk to as many witnesses as you can find, look at past records, similar crimes, study camera footage, etc., etc..
Imagine trying to solve a crime where none of this is available. All you have is your instinct and clues that initially don't mean anything because you have nothing to compare them with. Your own superstition and beliefs might be blinding you to the truth or pointing you in the right direction - there's no way of knowing. And, in addition, every person you know has a motive.
This is Lonell's world.

0 Comments

Date setting of Too Long To Die

22/8/2014

1 Comment

 
I set Too Long To Die at 30,000 years ago, during Aurignacian period of the Upper Paleolithic. This stretched roughly from 34,000 to 23,000 years ago. It was a fascinating period when, suddenly, there seemed to be many innovative changes taking place. Weapons became much more sophisticated with advancements in stone knapping and the bow and arrow appeared for the first time. On a lighter note, painting, sculpture and music developed which may well have been used in religious rituals for the first time.

I felt that this was the time when early humans started to enrich their lives. Of course, survival in a harsh world was still priority but a sense of fun and enjoyment was emerging.  So I had to make their lives just a little bit more dangerous! 

1 Comment

Why I wrote Too Long To Die

20/8/2014

0 Comments

 
Why did I write Too Long to Die? Good question. Stubbornness, I suppose. At school, eons ago, I was always told that I could write well enough but had no imagination. Then I heard the advice we have all been given: write what you know about. So I sat down to write something that fascinated me but about which I knew very little and nearly all of it came from my imagination.

I have always wondered what it would be like to live in a world where everything you used and ate came straight from Nature, where nothing was pre-fabricated. Nothing would be easy. Would we survive today if we had to revert? I think the answer is that most of us would not.

0 Comments

    About Pat Jackson

    Clutching a degree in Hispanic Studies, I joined the Army. After six great years, my husband took me to live in Spain. My adventures in that vibrant country have lasted over 18 years.

    Now I'm back home in Dorset, happily married, with one daughter and numerous pets.

    My life is filled with writing, tarot, spiritual healing and golf. I'm also a terrible clarinet player! 

    Lonell's second appearance as the world's first detective is well on its way.

    Archives

    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed


Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.