Bulletin Board

Wicked, wicked man. Suffering as she does from chronic BBD (Busy Brain Disorder) and having a compulsion to solve any puzzle she sees, Aunt Susan was dismayed to run across the following yesterday: Take you out, put me in, and a horse appears in this happy person! It was no help at all that she does not wish to know the identity of Mr. Sharpes father; that she believes a key component in Mr. Sharpes claim to a place in the pantheon is his character as an orphan unencumbered by paternal legacy as an unexpected sport flowering sweetly at the back of the cosmic compost bin. She was helpless. She was lost. The universe must come to a screeching halt while she puzzled. She was also saddened to think that her rage for a solution must inevitably result in the destruction of something she loves. As it turned out, she need not have worried, and she forgives you the time that should have been spent doing the dishes. It could not be helped. Let me urge you, Sir, to resist any temptation and all entreaties to burden Mr. Sharpe unnecessarily. For one thing, it is one of the joys of your stories that you do not stretch your characters or their circumstances to the point of melodrama. Knowing what we already know about his mother, it seems unlikely that she or her customer would have had any notion as to her childs paternity. To produce a village explainer a long-remembering beggar or barmaid at this late date would draw a large bill on ones credulity, and to produce an aging Sharpe look-alike would be rather sad. For another, there are some questions that simply should not be answered (as the estate of Mrs. Mitchell should have known). For her part, Aunt Susan is perfectly content to love Sharpe as he is the result of the unremarkable congress between a whore and some gay and carefree rogue, perhaps a jolly tar or a plowboy. Encouraging you to remain resolute and, as ever, grateful for the pleasure you never fail to provide, I am yours etc., Aunt Susan P.S. Please do remember that we are still waiting for you to extract Sweet William from the wilderness and set him gently down on the Bridge of Angels.

Correct me if I am wrong but I think I know why you have enjoyed writing and been so successful with the Sharpe series so much. For such a long time ago the military history is so well-documented that you have an extensive supply of resources. The technology of the time and relatively small number of participants allow you to depict a heroic or determined individual as the key to victory in many conflicts. In your Afterwords you often refer to actual individuals whose actions were key to or inspirational for success in a battle as well as to your most valuable resources. I have all your books and re-read most of them but these two elements make your Sharpe Series the best Re-Reads of any of your collections.

Ted Goldenberg

As you can see from my address my husband and I reside in Portugal. It has just been in the local paper that just outside Lisbon the site of Wellingtons command post has been discovered by archeologists at Forte Sobral de Monte Agraco located between Mafra and Torres Vedras. Just in case you have not heard the news yet, we thought you might be interested. We love your Sharpe Novels and have just finished reading them all again.
Gillian Hansford

Mr. Cornwell, While I'm sure you are inundated with numerous e-mails like this on a daily basis, I nonetheless wanted to send you a note of thanks and encouragement. A voracious reader as a youngster, I have always devoured books - especially those that have a historical fiction basis and are combat related. I am a 17-year career Infantry officer in the Army and have enjoyed several of your books immensely. My favorites include Agincourt, the Grail Quest series, and Saxon stories. I always wonder how my favorite authors (you, Steven Pressfield, Conn Iggulden) are able to capture the nuances of combat so well. I have deployed too many times and have been put into combat situations that I am unable to share with anyone who wasn't there - not because I don't want to, but more because it's difficult to articulate the emotions, fears, joys that accompany those unique and seemingly indescribable scenarios. You Sir, come the closest. I feel the same adrenaline and enhanced situational awareness when I read the battles of my favorite character, Uhtred of Babbenburg. January 2010 seems like a long time away for his next adventure but like a dutiful Soldier, I will be patiently waiting and look forward to immersing myself in his next book in order to share that warrior mentality once again. Thank you for your dedication and vision. I wish you the best of luck in future novels and will remain a devoted fan. Very respectfully, Eric Weis LTC, Infantry

Thank you so very much, sir. I so greatly enjoy your novels, and have collected/read every novel I have been able to find. I am happy to say I have almost the whole collection. I just wanted to say thank you very much, and express my respect for you and your work. Your books are inspiring, entertaining and above all, addicting. Thank you for hours upon hours of wonderful plots and intriguing characters. With Highest Regards, Shane Veenstra

Please finish the Starbuck series. You can't leave us hanging! Just plain mean!

Andrew Lee

Mr C,like many,many others I have read( I believe), all that you have had published and devoured each and every novel that you have written. I know I am not the first and will by no means be the last to emplore you to put me out of my misery, and give us all another another dose of Nathaniel Starbuck. Please.
Chris Mears

Hi our family have really enjoyed your Sharpe series - all in books & audio books (our son is dyslexic so gobbles up books on tapes & my husband listens to them while driving to & from work) AND on DVD - our family have had quite a few months of living Sharpe. I hope you do not mind - but we are cat breeders & name the litters after books - so we now have a Sharpe litter - funnily the litter was mainly females ( a Jane kitten didn't get named - what a terrible character!) Our blog of Kittens is at http://mandaburms.blogspot.com/2009/08/unnamed-litter.html. Thank you very much for your work! You have given our family hours of pleasure. Love, Leanne Morris, New Zealand.

Mr. Cornwell: I have read all of your books and am looking forward to the next one in The Saxon Stories--"The Burning Land". I am currently reading the The Sharpe Books for the fourth time. The first time I read them by publish date and the last three times by chronological order. Each time I read them I find more to savor. You must be wondering if I have more to do in life-----actually I do, but the ability to lose myself in your books is so relaxing. Thank you.

Bill Dussling

Hi, your Arthur books are a masterpiece as they are. I'm glad you aren't going to add to them.Your other books are quite good as well. Ken

Dear Bernard, I'm an Australian currently residing in Denmark. I have recommended many of your books to my Danish colleagues, in particular The Saxon Stories, with commendable feedback. Before I began reading your books I was oblivious to any British history throughout the Dark and Middle Ages. Now I have this entirely newfound interest in this period of time and cannot stop reading about it. I even spend my holidays in the UK visiting significant historical sites when I could be surfing and chatting up good-looking women along the southern coast of France, haha. I have read all your books and applaud every single one. Keep up the good work. Wyrd bi ful aræd. PS - Any plans in the future to drop by Copenhagen for a promo? Brgds, Rohan.