Thank you so much - I can see I had those letters - but several overwritten mistakes confused me - I should have put it down and left it - but got fixated on the wrong letters - thank you so much - and relax !!
Thanks to Phi. By chance, I was listening to an interview with the author just before starting the puzzle. I could have saved myself some trouble if I had been less determined to shoehorn “g*n” into 30a.