"

I've mentioned before that Diamond reads my works in progress. Sometimes they're a little too in-progress. If my writing time is cut short abruptly, I might leave an open quotation mark where someone's about to speak. It frustrates Diamond, who's left hanging, wondering what was about to be said.

Here's what I sent her recently:

"I wish you to address me the way my intimates do. I am more than a pharaoh to you, more than a ruler, a deity. I am a friend, a partner, a husband, a confidante...