We get letters...

I have been cleaning up my filing system, throwing things out, perusing old manuscripts, rereading letters sent and received.

Most writers are familiar with weird correspondence, simply because there are so many weird people out there.

I submit, for your consideration, a letter sent to my English publisher by one Dominic Pickin, of Brighton. It is dated October 9, 2000. It was then forwarded to me, and I have cherished it in secret for more than ten years.

But that was selfish of me.

So here we go. My transcription is faithful, misspellings and all:


Dear sir or madam, to whom it may concern.

Re Stephen O'Sheas book The perfect heresy.

The general thrust of his argument seems to be if you're sympathetic to the Cathar position your a fool, a crank or even a Nazi. This is reminisent of a point of view I've often heard in nightclubs when a woman declines a mans offer of sex and he says to his mates 'she's a Lesbian' Could you please refrain from giving a platform to appologists for genocide. Thanks.

Yours sincerely

Dominic Pickin