IT’S BEEN TOO LONG.

After a long spell of essay-writing and reading-for-study (which is still ongoing, until early June at least), there has been very little writing for fun.

Fortunately, I have a very hands-on assistant who we all know as the Great Beta Reader, i.e. I’ve mentioned her before. She’s a real person, not a voice, although in some circles she’s known as The Mouth.

Over a cup of tea and a ciggie (otherwise known as an informal meeting), and with both of us bored of my whining abou...