Several readers – particularly those less familiar with London – have said that they would welcome a map of the key locations in the Plank books. Sam is quite a walker and covers a lot of ground, but his home turf is Piccadilly; it’s worth remembering that in his time (1820s), the “West End” was all under development – it was the fancy new part of town.
I’ve now checked, and it seems that I can indeed include diagrams in my interior template for “Plank 3”. Photos and anything coloured or particularly detailed would be tricky, but a black-and-white line drawing, like a map, is perfectly possible. I now foresee only two problems. One, London is huge and contains a gazillion streets and roads and lanes and alleys – even in Sam’s time. So any “map” I include would have to be selective and show only relevant highlights. And two, I have the artistic capabilities of an arthritic spider. So I will need to rope in someone with good spatial awareness, neat penmanship and a precise mind – luckily, I am married to just such a person. All of this means that this little project – the “Walking the Plank” schematic map – has miraculously leapt off my desk and onto that of my husband. It may still prove unwieldy, but he’ll give it a go. He’s already talking about royalties…
Susan Grossey 