a nice piece of haggis

Scottie Bowman (bowman@mail.indigo.ie)
Tue, 25 Aug 1998 13:03:39 +0000

	Tim has told us he wants quietness & loving kindness. 
	Being a guest in his house, I must comply.  Pity.  It's not 
	really my style.  Am I allowed just a couple of responses ?

	The books "Malcs" questions are indeed a source of great 
	embarassment to me.  It wasn't just good manners - always 
	my strong point - that prevented me from flogging either them 
	or my personal CV all over a list devoted to another writer.  
	(Though I did reluctantly & privately supply details to one or two 
	interested members.)  It was the awareness of what absolute 
	tripe they are.  How many of *you* would like your juvenilia 
	spread out before the mocking eyes of the world ?  All those 
	wonderful reviews, all that flattery by household names... they 
	have done absolutely nothing to allay my deep shame at inflicting 
	such piffle on an innocent public.

	In mitigation, I can only say that the next two, now in course 
	of construction, will go some way to undo the offence.  I can 
	already see Jerome's eyes filming over with a greenish tinge 
	when they reach the stores.

	In the meanwhile, "Malcs", I can only offer my posts to the list 
	as evidence of that menacingly potent talent which so many others 
	have detected beneath my friendly & benign surface.

	Scottie B. - who, like your own Dorothy Parker, has always found 
	himself fwowing up when weeding Mistah Milne.