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I'd really appreciate a steer with 3d. Also, though I'm pretty clear I have the message, that does require me to have different correction letter for 7 down than I'd expected (I originally had F)

3d is an odd name I hadn't seen before - synonym of the first word (after correction) plus the obvious abbrev with another obvious abbrev inside.
7d a 3 letter word for the first word (after correction [not an 'f']) plus the obvious abbrev.

Thank you. Both now clear

Thankfully I have managed to find the name but, given the difficulty that will follow have thrown in the towel. A very clever puzzle.
If you go to the 'P' in column 9 and add the three letters that follow in a southwest diagonal you get an anagram of a fish; there is an author of that name. One of her books has a seven letter title beginning with G which can be found as an anagram in the fourth column.
No wonder I was perplexed. My congratulations to those who succeed.

I've had a full grid and the author since Sunday. Since then, I've found one title- related to a beating organ - but nothing else. Could anybody help?

Ortolan, I've been trying to think of any way to help you - but anything I have thought of would be far too specific! 'Gentle nudges towards the theme' are hard enough - directing to aspects of the theme, the answers needed is really difficult. I did find a good long stare at the relevant Wiki pages helped me enormously.

ortolan - not sure you have the right author

Ortolan, the author's name (first and last) makes 12 letters. Hope that's not too much.

Thanks for the tips. The author I thought I had is very famous and his (brief) name appears twice in the grid, as does an anagram of his first name. There's a reasonable cryptic clue to one of his most famous stories in the first row. Have I been suckered?
I'll start a new grid search.

Ortolan, from you;ve said, you have definitely led yourself astray....