Tuesday, June 09, 2009

Expenses scandal

Looking south towards Craster from Dunstanburgh Castle - I've just turned from sorting out some card receipts from our holiday, to writing a scene that takes place in Northumberland, and it occurred to me that if I were an MP, I could call my holiday a fact-finding mission, and set my holiday expenses against my tax bill.

After all, didn't I find out something important that I didn't already know?

In the book, Sol (one of the main characters) has to use the phone box in Craster, and he says to Frances - his wife - "and then I ran back to the phone box above the harbour, you know - that one on the corner - but it only takes credit cards now - what bloody use is that?"

When Dave and I were in Craster, I checked the box, and it takes coins. And now I am thinking - does it actually matter if such a trivial fact is correct or not? I'd rather have Sol complain about the need for a credit card...

2 comments:

Unknown said...

I'd say it doesn't matter in the slightest - what do they call it, poetic license?

Sue Hepworth said...

Thanks, Fiona! That's what I thought. (And anyway, BT might have changed the box by the time the book is published.)