James Goddard

ames Goddard wanted his first novel out by the time he was sixty, but missed the deadline by six weeks. Almost success. Of course a lifetime of supporting West Ham United has prepared him well for such a near miss.

James used to work in a truly excellent college of further education where, fortunately, most of his colleagues were nothing like the teachers in this novel. Though some, of course, were. These days he still teaches part-time, and almost all of his students are wonderful people with open minds.

In his free time, James still plays football and runs half-marathons. The rest of his time is devoted to whatever his long-suffering wife, Sue, advises. He has recently learned it is not advisable to polish furniture with air freshener.