I have for many years harboured the idea of writing a novel (probably a contemporary political thriller). However, if I were to set it in a foreign country I simply don’t have time or funds to go to far away places to do research (as I would still have to work full time). Can I ask, when you first started writing, did you manage to get round this problem without actually visiting places or are there any solutions you can suggest. Also, can I ask, how long would you say it takes to actually complete a novel from conception of the idea to finish, and how much of that is actually spent undertaking research? I suppose the internet is now a vital tool for research. By the way, I only came accross this site today so congratulations on a great site. Thank you in advance, Andrew Rose.