Bulletin Board

Mr Cornwell

I would like to say how much my wife and I enjoyed your talk at Newcastle. As an ex 3 RGJ rifleman I am obviously so glad your planning another Sharpe’s book and hopefully a book tour will follow. I hope you put your Green Jacket diary to good use and input any planned dates for 2019/20. It was an honour to meet you and I thank you so much for signing my 1st edition of Sharpe’s Sword. I brought my whole collection of Sharpe’s 1st editions with me on the off chance you would have time to sign them but alas this was a ‘forlorn hope’. It was a pleasure, thank you.

Anthony Jennings

Dear Mr Cornwell,

I just wanted to say that I think it's wonderful that you spend so much time answering questions and engaging with your readers, on your website.

What a splendid chap you are!

Thanks, too, for your books - life would be so much more dull with Uhtred, Sharpe, Derfel, Starbuck and Thomas!

Bye for now.

Shaun Hourston-Wells

Well, Mr. Cornwell - I'm on holiday (or so the Memsahib has informed me) with effect from Monday the 8th October; "War of the Wolf" is released tomorrow so I only have a couple of days to track down a copy to take with me to Turkey. I have a feeling that this is going to be a more than usually enjoyable holiday! I'll raise a glass of raki ("aslan sutu") to your continued good health - and writing - and in thanks for the entertainment you have brought me and No.1 son over the years. Could I just say that we amateur sailors could do with another yachting story?

Yrs aye,

Chris W

I am an Australian traveling in Scotland when on a bus sitting next to me was a young Scot reading one of the Sharp series. I loved them and we talked. He said how he feared coming to the end of the series,for what would he do? I realised that I felt the same and was remiss for not letting you know how much pleasure you have given me and many others. Several years ago I was in Port Macquarie NSW and came across the grave of the first governor listing the Peninsular War battles he took part in including Badajoz and I recalled your account of the forlorn hope. History comes to life!

Thanks and all the best to you and yours.

Harry Jones

Ps. Bumped my motorhome into the bank getting a better look at Bamberg Castle. Such is life.

 

Hi Bernard,

Just wanted to let you know I am quite enjoying reading The Last Kingdom. Just can´t stop! Thanks!

Fernando

You are my favorite author. I don’t read your books, I devour them.

My favorite is Agincourt. I started archery because of it. Went out and bought a recurved bow, spent 2000 Dollars on it because of your amazing book. I think of the book every time I shoot it. Please keep writing. God Bless you.

Corrado.

A recent post by Adrian brought up the point of planning out plots and characters in your novels. He also mentioned roleplaying and video games. I'm actually an amateur (I've always hated that term, it really means 'unpublished') gamebook writer with also a keen interest in computer games varying between open world/RPG/action/stealth/FPS genres. While it may seem very slapdash, I too largely employ a 'write on the fly' method, developing characters, background, and plots to the story as I go. With it being a gamebook, however, the mechanics such as items collected, information learned, besides certain other factors affecting future encounters or choices, are always noted down so I can keep track of the overall gameplay. A general idea is laid down before writing itself commences, although it's never necessarily set in stone, and always prone to author editing prior to the final version being made available to public viewing. Nevertheless, one of many examples 'on the spot' creativity: in one gruesome location, the player has the choice to venture further inside to retrieve a gold cross necklace. However, the chamber is plagued by the lost souls of those piles of bones littering the floor! The player must fight them off - both mentally and physically - to claim the prize which would prove handy in a later encounter. It was only here that three ideas were then formulated: what would await in the chamber itself, what would the artefact be, and how would it affect the adventure gameplay? Like I said, 'on the spot' creative writing. But it can't be too bad a technique since your bestselling novels employ the same device - backed by painstaking historical research. I also sympathise with your urge to get on with the actual story; instead of having to spend so much time researching all the facts, despite the fact they're necessary for authenticity. All of us here have a passion for history (amongst other interests and hobbies) yet there's only so much time allowed us! On that note, wouldn't it be great to be able to live for much longer as described in Peter F Hamilton's 'The Abyss Beyond Dreams'? Just imagine all the books we could write! :) Ah well, the comfort blanket of possibility....

Robert Douglas

Dear Mr. Cornwell,

First, let me say thank you for writing such great, well-researched books. They are a joy to read and to re-read! The Sharpe series is my favourite. I am sending you this link to an article on an archaeological discovery of a cache of rockets thought to belong to the Sultan Tipu. I thought that you might enjoy learning about it.

Best regards,

Christine Caroppo (Toronto, Canada)

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/tipu-sultan-mysore-rockets

 

Hi Bernard

You're probably tired hearing this.  Please could you write some more books about Nate Starbuck and the dangerous Truslow.  It has been such a long time since Battleground.

Yours in eager anticipation.

John.

Dear Mr Cornwell,

Having read through the questions section of your website, I realise that what I’m about to say will not be anything new. Therefore I merely wish to add my voice to the vast volumes by requesting that you please write more Sharpe, and more Thomas of Hookton!

I also recently read, and loved, Gallows Thief so more of Rider Sandman and Sam Berrigan would also be most welcome.

Thank you.

Rhys