Defence spending | Male authors | Time flies | Not very special | Colon advice

If only we were moving towards “war-fighting readiness” (Report, 1 June) in the defence of our country against climate change, which is 100% likely to occur, unlike a Russian attack. Although I don’t disagree with the need to do a bit of sabre‑rattling towards Vladimir Putin, the threats of disastrous floods, storms and droughts are what I worry about much more for my children and grandchildren.
Isabella Stone
Sheffield

• There are plenty of male authors being published (‘Men need liberation too’: do we need more male novelists?, 31 May). Richard Osman, the Rev Richard Coles, Graham Norton and Bob Mortimer are across all the supermarket bookshelves. All that we authors need to do is become TV celebs, and all our publishing issues are sorted.
Iain Parke
Self-published author, Carrshield, Northumberland