No affront at all.

You are welcome to use the editor’s comments, suggestions and corrections as you see fit.

It is usually a good idea to consider that the editor had a good reason for a correction or a suggestion.

For example: He seemed to be dozed off is just not the right usage. He seemed to be dozing off is – but then it can be seen as if he was pretending to be drifting to sleep which is not what you were trying to say. Therefore: he was dozing off…..

Etc.

Hood/bonnet controversy is not really related to BE versus AE. Hood is not a soft top but someone might read that sentence as: Hartman slid across the female period cap and against the windscreen…


Not a second later is a rather shallow phrase. A second later…. Is shorter if nothing else.

Yes, I was aware of the “Duel” connection. Note that Spielberg makes sure that we know that there is a driver and he wears cowboy boots. But, I was rather thinking in terms of King’s Maximum Overdrive… (he said thatricaly …. )