Inspiration for The White Lie came from many places, but none was more profound than the Apollo 11 mission to the moon in 1969. Just like Scott’s Expedition, that of Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins left civilisation behind, relying on a small capsule not unlike an Antarctic ‘Cook’s Tent’, and travelled through an almost featureless desert to reach their goal. I was particularly struck by Buzz Aldrin’s words on the surface of the moon, when responding to Armstrong’s famous ‘One small set for man, one giant leap for mankind.’ That was scripted, Aldrin’s ‘magnificent desolation’ was not, and as so often, it was Aldrin who felt confident enough to tell the truth. It had been a long way for such a sublimely barren spot. The echo – of course – was with Scott’s own ‘Great God, this is an awful place….’ when he reached the Pole, and found himself the loser of the Great Race. It was then that I thought it would be revealing to tell my new story about Scott from the point-of-view of 1969 – one journey retold in the past, while another is retold in the present – although my ‘present’ was that summer of ’69. Both stories mirror each other. Now that the book is almost out I decided to track Buzz Aldrin down. He is 93 – although newly married – and via his online platform I offered to send him the book, or an Ebook, or an audio book. I thought he’d like to know that he’d inspired me, even from the distance of fifty-four years. I live in hope for a reply.