As someone who often goes for long periods of time with little or no contact with anyone it still amazes me that people even remember me sometimes. Take Stephen Drisoll for example...

I met Stephen many years ago - in 1995 to be exact - in London. I met him again in America in 1996 and again in the States in 1998. We were good friends.

After that?

Well, I drifted. I became a professional actor and life moved on and that was that. The years rolled by and I often wondered how he was getting on and I thought back to those happy days with a wist and a sigh...

Then I got my first computer in 2009 and bang!

Suddenly I had access to what everybody else already had - information on a scale barely dreamed of! I could type my stories on a screen for the first time; find vintage books from childhood that I had long since lost; I could find old friends...

And so I found Stephen. Thank you Facebook! We kept in touch and I vowed this time to stay in touch.

In 2014 I took my mother to America and we went to see him perform as Shylock in The Merchant Of Venice - he was brilliant!

In 2015 he came to Glasgow! It was amazing to see him again and in my home city too!

And this morning he sent me a cheque. To help fund my novel.

Once again I am touched by kindnesses such as his. And I am reminded of a time when I was young, naive, but full of courage. Somewhere along the way I began to lose that. This past few months has saw that courage return and it is thanks to the likes of you, the patrons of my book, the readers of my work.

And that includes you Ian Clarkson. Thank you for your pledge today!

Keep spreading the word guys.

Best Wishes,

Ian.