This is just a brief note to say that “nobody helps” is a much much broader statement than “nobody will give you help and support you”—which would be an absolutely false statement. Nobody has emailed me to take issue with this point, but I feel it’s worth a quick clarification.

I would not be anywhere close to where I am right now without significant help from a number of people. From work experience to weekly meetings to phone calls to hours and hours of advice, all kinds of help—which I’ve received from numerous folks, always for free, and sometimes where I’ve even been paid—has been generously given to me.

I will forever be grateful to Natasha Bardon, Jane Johnson, Lorena Goldsmith, Emily Sweet, Hannah Hargrave, Libby Alderman, James Gillam, Ben Henley, and LT Brookman for the considerable time and effort they’ve invested in me and my ideas, and that’s before we even get into the patience of all of the authors I’ve represented and published. To say “nobody has ever helped me” would be extremely wrong.

My point, paraphrased from the mighty bearded wizard Alan himself, is larger: ultimately your ideas belong to you, and while others can and will help you, only you can help yourself by making them a reality.

Your friends and family have one huge flaw: they still love you whether you do The Thing or not.

I very much regret the idea that anyone listed above (or anyone else I’ve left out here, like my long-suffering husband) might read what I’ve written in my earlier newsletter and get the impression that I don’t think they’ve helped. They’ve been everything.

I had plenty of time to consider how badly I explained that concept on the drive back from picking up this lesser-toed being:

Please do forgive, friends.

Yours,

Angel