TAsha
Blog of E. Stewart Rhodes, ex-U.S. Army paratrooper, disabled vet,former firearms instructor, former member of Ron Paul's D.C. staff, Yale Law Grad, Research Scholar, and Montana lawyer. Stewart has written for Gerry Spence's The Warrior, writes for www.moreliberty.org, and is writing a book on the threat to our Republic from the application of the laws of war to the American people in the "war on terror." Stewart is NOT a liberal, unless you want to consider him a classical liberal.
At 41, I had a high-level job as an IT executive. I became 100% disabled from back injuries. I have been collecting SSDI, and more importantly, benefits from Hartford from a policy my employer maintained.
After two years of going nuts and waking up each morning thinking, “Now what do I do,” I decided to do something I always wanted to do, write a novel and be published. I only write on the days that I'm capable and only for short periods. I wrote 2.5 drafts of thrillers, and completed one after 20 revisions and help from a professional editor that I paid.
I did it. I received a contract to publish (with no advance, this is a small company), and my novel was due out on August 28th, 2008. I had to cancel the contract.
Hartford, my disability carrier, is now trying to terminate my benefits and leave me on the path toward being homeless because of my writing. They are trying to claim that if I can write and get a book published, then I'm not disabled.
It seems criminal, although I know there are no laws to that effect, that they can do this. Just because I can write for a few hours on my good days, and I have a published book does not guarantee I'll make a dime. Most novels don't, especially first time authors.
In essence, I found something I love to do, that may or may not be profitable, and I’m not allowed to do it.
I live in Florida. Has anyone else experienced this? Is there anything I can do?
Posted: July 25th, 2008 | Report This Comment