Dear Amy,

I know exactly how you feel. I am the person who convinced Congress that it should pass a law to change the primary mission of the Internal Revenue Service from Enforcement to Service. There is now a federal law that states: the IRS' primary mission is SERVICE. I did get a letter of thanks from the then chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. (It was very hard work and I had lots of other recommendations adopted). But that is it! Who knows or remembers that William Stevenson is responsible for changing the mission of the mighty IRS. Hardly anyone.

Lots of deserving, creative and hard working people do not get credit for what they've done. In some cases, people have been killed for doing good work. I'm reading a book called "God's Secretaries" (don't get scared, I am not a religious person). The book is historical and it's about how the 50 Translators picked by King James I set out to come up with a new translation of the Bible in the early 17th century. I also learned that many people were put to death for their beliefs. One important man did an excellent translation that was used by many in the 1500's. He had to hide in Europe and was ultimately put to death for his work.

Keep your spirits up, Amy. The wonderful work that you have done is not minimized by the fact that you weren't recognized. Your work is a monument of skill, love and creativity. No one can change that. No one!

Now, a word about copyright. You do not have to officially copyright a work in order for it to be copyrighted. It is my understanding that it is automatically copyrighted upon your creation. There are attorneys who specialize in that field. They probably are expensive, but you might want to consider paying for an hour's consultation to set your mind at ease. I don't know if your work is considered public domain. It doesn't matter that it is a hobby.

My book is a story about how a success business runs into tax problems and what happens inside and outside the IRS.

Lots of human interest and enough sex sprinkled in it to make it interesting. =)
Bill