by Warren Johnson @haversackhisto1

Do you pay taxes to either your state or the federal government? Most of you probably went pfssst, or some such response. If you are in the business of writing (not the hobby of writing), your tax accountant has already told you to track business expenses. If you are now getting started translating between a hobby and a business, there’s a fair learning curve to figure out what is and is not deductible.

I’m neither a tax accountant nor an attorney, so what you read here are thoughts based on suggestions I’ve heard over the years. If it gets a little bizarre, you should take all of this with a grain of salt. No guarantees!

One of the simplest things to deduct is mileage. If you drive for business, the mileage is deductible to fifty-two (52) cents a mile as of June 2022. https://www.irs.gov/tax-professionals/standard-mileage-rates Note mileage deductions for medical, charity, and moving expenses have gone up as of 09 August 2022.

The bigger question for a wordsmith may be, “How do I keep track of all the mileage to a million different places a writer goes?” Well, there’s an app for that.

Rather than tell you what’s best for you, I’ve found this handy comparison that shows versions for Android or Apple products. https://dollarflow.com/best-mileage-tracking-apps-free/

Most of these apps can generate an IRS-friendly report of which trips were for business, length of miles driven, and an approximate deduction. Your question may then be, “What is business mileage?”

Well, it’s not when you go to the grocery store because every writer has to eat to be in business. However, driving to a restaurant to interview an agent would be, and maybe even the cost of the meal. Again, check with your tax accountant or attorney. You can think of a million ways to make a trip a business expense. One guy told me a long time ago he wrote off every trip his car took because he always bought a pencil. That may be a little beyond your particular bailiwick, but you can see there are possibilities we don’t often think of.

The tax code of the IRS is meant to collect taxes owed. There are a zillion situations where you shouldn’t pay more than the code dictates. All are legal deductions. With the advent of 87,000 new IRS agents about to hit the streets to find all the bad apples in the middle class, you may want to tone back your deduction, like buying a pencil. It’s a little late for that, though, since they’ll be looking at your last seven years of filing

From being the owner and creator of Haversack History—an historical re-enactment program—to traveling the world researching his books, Warren Johnson keeps Jesus Christ his foundation as he ministers to those he meets.

Warren’s articles appeared in online magazines at the Journal of Emergency Medical Services, Splickety, and Southern Writers. Christian Devotions, a part of Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas, published more than twenty-five of his. A church network magazine also published an article.  He attends Word Weavers, Int’l and American Christian Fiction Writers critique groups, DiAnn Mills mentored him, and he attended Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference for the last 10 years. He has also attended the Carolina Christian Writers Conference and the American Christian Writer Conference.

Warren self-published “A Pheromone Affair” in January of 2011. It’s found on Amazon (although not available due to Cindy Sproles’ suggestion to remove it) under ISBN-10 #1935079875. The intent of self-publication wasn’t to market, rather it was to have a book on my shelf. The Amazon account paid $45 after three years. I purchased ninety units and gave away two-thirds of them. This book started the three-book-series now available for consideration.

Warren’s work history and research prepared him for authoring this series. His platform stems from Haversack History presentations, international training sessions for over one hundred and fifty distributors’ organizations, and fencing lessons to learn the thrust of the sport. He’s walked the streets of Jerusalem researching locations.

Warren’s wife, Barbara, helped him celebrate their fifty-first wedding anniversary in 2022 by driving across the nation on an adventure to Yellowstone National Park. They wandered away from three adult children, twelve grands, and two great grands.