Well, it’s happened. You write the  novel, you edit it, it goes to press and then before you can get it onto the bookstands one of your characters escapes. Or in my case, two characters.

A Humble Companion is due out on June 7th, an everyday story of 18th century London, Royals and mere humans. You may imagine my horror when I discovered that my protagonist and narrator, Nellie Buzzard, has slipped her chains and begun Tweeting @nelliebuzzard. And as if that isn’t headache enough she’s taken with her her coachman, Dick Morphew, a blowhard if ever I met one, and has set him up Tweeting @dickmorphew.

On my lawyer’s advice I’ve publicly distanced myself from their pronouncements. So far they appear to be confined to the year 1820 but with today’s technology who can predict what they might manage next?  The characters I created were harmless, certainly as long as they remained between the covers of the book. Now it’s a different story and I’m unable to vouch for them. Some of my readers have already been approached. I can only say, you Follow them at your own risk.