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I am half way though 'Red Labyrinth', "They bring out armoured cars for graffiti?" That made me laugh out loud. :-)

I remember, Dominic, having a conversation with you some 10 years ago about writing. I had read your Cal Winter trilogy. Your advice was pretty much as you have written it here. One difference, I didn't have a pint whilst reading this. I took your advice. Thanks! Cheers.

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Wise words, as ever, Dominic. I am currently composing a memoir of my life and work, with a parallel appendix of my life as a rugby player. Initially, I was just going to include it in the same tome, but as each fact/exploit unfolded, it took me down a rabbit hole, out of which a return to the main narrative became increasingly difficult. My solution has been to chart my reasons for choosing the sport, through my various playing days at school, county, club and police rugby, with exploits from each. These are anchored to the main story by reference to important (to me) occurrences in either stream,such as; becoming a member of Harlequins, and then because of that, being asked to have a marketing role and playing for the rugby team, of the insurance company which was my first full time job. It is not as fascinating as it sounds, but the conflation of rugby and job gives a point of reference in time that links both narratives. At least, such is the intention. You are probably the inspiration for me embarking on this, along with a friend who has done a similar thing, but in a very different way. You'll both get a mensh in the acknowledgements, but no cash, soz!

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Noone bar me, and my supervisors I guess.

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Does starting a PhD at 59 count?

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That depends, I suppose, on who reads it?

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Very few, probably, other than other PhD students who want something to plagiarise! My copy of my important Master's dissertation got lost in a move, so I asked Portsmouth if they would copy my original. By return of post, the original arrived, thereby depriving academia of the results of my seminal research conclusions on an observation of crime rates vs complaints against the police in three different police areas. I know! Rude!

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