There is a memorable pub brawl in Robert Rankin's Book "The Brentford Triangle" in which the unfortunate barkeep is grabbed and lifted towards the counter bringing his more tender parts into contact with a beer spout. In a book replete with wonderful quotes, the phrase "Arrgh!" Wailed Neville as his cobblers smote the beer engine... always brings a smile to my face (tinged with a slight wince of sympathy pain).
The current editing process calls this particular image to mind as I battle to work and re-work a couple of sections of the book that stubbornly refuse to comply and just seem right. Furthermore, in an act of unforgivable self-doubt and stupidity, I undertook a major editing session without the proper precautions and now have to un-pick and reinstate a substantial section of book manually because actually it was a lot better before I started fiddling with it. Aaargh indeed!
So as my April publishing deadline slips unceremoniously away to be replaced with a less specific "soon" please be assured that, like the hapless Neville, I will not be deserting my post but will keep at it - painful though it may be.
