Ask Mrs Bradley.

What you really need, when you’re writing or podcasting or plucking a harp, is a bulwark between you and the world outside your den. For me, Mrs Bradley is that bulwark.

Of indeterminate age, star sign and natural hair colour, Mrs Bradley shields me from the blast. She says things I would never say, in a tone of voice I wouldn’t dare employ. She it is who deals with contracts, royalties, grant acquittals, all manner of requests and feedback, including emails from nit-pickers and, even, from admirers.

Should you wish to contact me, Mrs Bradley is the conduit through which your communication must pass. If she likes the sound of you, she’ll pass your email on to me. Probably.