Alrighty, for the next two months I am going to be incommunicado as I backpack around the pointy bits of Southern Europe.

I’m not bringing my laptop or mobile and shan’t be checking emails regularly.

Suffice to say – don’t fret if you get no replies to your stories from me – just imagine me sitting on the azure blue sea of the Mediterranean somewhere sipping whatever beverage the classy folk drink over there and feel confident I am with you in spirit.

Who knows I may even get some writing done.

Keep on writing and replying and I’ll see you when I get back (inasmuch as one can see you over the internets).

Ciao.

Baffling, I tell you. Ah well, enjoy yourself on the warm, sandy beaches that are probably free of noticeable puddles of crude oil. (I like to think US beaches are promoting a new round of evolution, as sea life desperately tries to learn how to walk out of the gulf of Mexico.)

I do hope you find it relaxing, and it's a bonus if you write any new stories. Of course, without taking a laptop with you, I guess we'll have to wait for your handwritten notes to be typed up, or perhaps take turns passing around the original manuscript. Still, whatever works.

Enjoy yourself!