Bulletin Board

Hello again Mr Cornwell I was looking through your reading club and noticed a few By Richard Holmes. Have you seen his War Walks books. I recently got two volumes there may be more, I'm not sure, and found them excellent. Covers battles from Agincourt to the 20th century, including Waterloo and accompanies his TV series. Two other books I didn't see in the club both by Mark Adkin are The Sharpe Companion, The early years and The Waterloo Companion. All these books should make good reading for anyone interested in military history or your stories in general. regards Nigel. P.S. Think the picture of you with the cannon Mark used should go in your image gallery. Great pose.

Dear Mr. Cornwell: I recently attended your lecture at the Science Center in Vancouver, B.C. I had a silly comment about smeared smoke. Remember? May I say what a pleasure it was to hear you speak and to watch you sign your name to three of my books. You have a remarkable ability to distill history down to the exciting bits, and you have a very keen grasp of human nature. Your body of work is truly the most entertaining fiction I have ever read. Well, I think Conan Doyle's "The White Company" is just as good, but frankly he's dead and I've shaken your hand, so there you go. With unending admiration, David G. Medlock

thank you for wonderful reading loved Harlequin and the series having read all the Sharpes and now into the Arthur ......wow ....... thank you thank you thank you from me and my sons, Glennys

Why, oh why has your agent not arranged for you to visit Winnipeg on your Canadian book tour? Please, if you have any influence at all (and I realize that the poor author is probably the last to be consulted!), please see if that can't be amended. I have been longing to see/hear/meet you in person! No, I am not a crazed stalker, just a devoted fan. There are several wonderful bookstores in Winnipeg, especially the locally-owned McNally Robinson (which carries all your books), and wages a successful battle against the giant chain stores.
Thank you for at least considering my plea, and whether or not you get to Winnipeg I continue to admire your work enormously (have just ordered Sharpe's Escape).
Jeanie

Dear Mr. Cornwell, two books missing from your Sharpe series, the first, between Trafalgar and Prey, where he actually joins the Greenjackets; and for me, I would like him to become a major general, when Wellington is PM. A Crawfurd type character. Thanks for Sharpe. Yours faithully, John C. Hayes

As a fan and a Rayleigh resident (Crown Hill) I am interested in your local connections - you presumably didn't keep in touch with your adoptive family, but would be interested to know if you maintain any contact with this neck of the woods. thanks a lot. keep up the good work. Dee

Having started the Sharpe books, albeit in almost reverse order (Copenhagen, Escape, Havoc!), and on which I congratulate you, I am slightly miffed to see that you only refer to Julian Paget's work as your major historical source. I would like to think that you also referred to the works of my late uncle the historian Michael Glover who was quite prolific in the eighties on the subject of Wellington and the Peninsular War - details of his books can be found at www.menchenbooks.com Anyway, I am glad to have found a land-based version of my maritime hero Patrick O'Brian in place of the awful Alan Mallinson! Christopher Glover.

Hello Bernard, My wife (a budding novelist) and I really enjoyed your talk in Toronto this week (I was the guy near the front who asked you to comment on walking the battlefields). I bought the British book 'Marching With Sharpe' . I've not seen it here in Canada. I think it would sell well . Following up on the question from the young man of the possibility of you ever writing a novel set in the War of 1812 in Canada and the US ('The war nobody won' as it's sometimes referred to here) let me put in my own plug. Most of those battlefields are still walkable (although sadly neglected) as are a lot of the homes, buildings and forts that were used are toursit attractions. Also sadly a lot of people on both sides of the border know very little of that war between neighbours and have a hazy perception that it was the local militia that really was the backbone of the fighting spirit. While there's no question that the men and women (Laura Secord ) were incredibly brave, all my reading of the war leads me to believe that it was the iron obstinacy of the British soldier that -once again- turned the tide. That story needs to be told I feel. (Sensitively obviously) Also there is the Indian side of the fight - where once again- their ferocious bravery was bought for so little in return after the war.(Most being herded onto the Grand River Valley's worst land) Also I find-Canadians as a rule have a crummy sense of history. (although a beautifully filmed and reenacted 4 part TV history of Canada and book was done a few years back). Granted a lot of it is boring-but I feel that period of time (starting really with the siege of Quebec in 1759) up and down the beautiful St Lawrence flowing down the Niagara and spilling ultimately into Lake Erie was really the battled bedrock of our current government in Canada. That story needs to be told- to come to life. And as far as I'm concerned-you're the only living historical writer that can do it. I hope your words will march in Canada one day. I'll keep buying as long as you keep writing. Warm regards David Sharpe (Even ythough my family came here from England originally-I don't believe I had a relative that was a greenjacket- but I like to think so!)

I always enjoy a Bernard Cornwell story, Sharpe being my favourite. For the reader who is also a romantic how about, not exactly a happy ever after, but one where we learn a bit more about Sharpe's life after the war. Having just read Sharpe's Escape, it got me across the Atlantic, when can we look forward to the next! Mary G. O'Hara

Hi Bernard. Attended your talk in Toronto last night. I was the guy who asked about William Wheeler. I followed him on paper as an undergrad 30 years ago. My dream is to retrace his steps in 2015, albeit on a bike or motorized wheelchair , ending at the reenactment of Waterloo. (I'll be 62 yearts old then.) Anyway, you've enspired me to pursue a WWII short story based upon the last living Canadian VC, Smokey Smith. A charming rogue, whose eyes still sparkle when he recounts some of his less herioc incidents. What really inspired too, was the fact that you've had the opportunity to go over the battlegrounds of which you write. I've been to Dieppe on its 60th and have made friends with several of the combattants. All have great stories, and I actually have their stories on video, which I can use as raw material. I've also recorded stories of a dozen WWII veterans locally. Been to the DDay beaches, and even tripped over armour plating in the Juno sand, which now sits in my "War Room", as my wife calls it. Also written the outline for a local play based upoon the locals' experiences for Remembrance Day at a high school where all of the football team signed up in Sept. '39. Thank you for your inspiration! However, I will look forward to spending Christmas with my future grandchildren. PS Started reading Sharpe's Skirmish this am, and have browsed Marching with Sharpe. Good as they are, I have to start writing instead. Sharpe's Escape gets reserved for the beach, when I can do it in one or two sittings whilst listening to the surf. Are you going to attend any of the D-Day ceremonies in Fance? Do you have any interest in WWII? By the way, your reference to the Holy Grail and the fact that you were a BBC producer twigged something. Have you ever read "Holy Blood, Holy Grail", co- written by a former BBC producer? A lot of claptrap about the Knight Templar, Masonry and such, but still interesting speculation. Also interesting to hear whose autographs you have. Mine are, Gordie Howe, Bob Rae (former socialist premier of Ontario, who wrote a book called, "The Three Questions " of Rabbi Hillel relating to globalism), and Pierre Berton the Don of Canadian historical writing, and of course, you. Have to stop. You've stimulated too many thoughts, which are keeping me from my writing. As B.H.Liddell Hart said, " The hardest part of writing is putting your seat to the seat of the chair." Just happened to go to BB on site. Sharpies are much like Trekies. I guess I'm included now. Did you happen to see Obadiah in TO yesterday? Postlethwaite has been doing some work there lately. Actually I was hoping to hear his"Ooooh Sshharpie" voice form the back of the hall. Yes, it was your "stupidiest mistake" to kill him. Wouldn't it be great if you were to take him on a book tour?

Currently watching History channel. program on scientific studies of Waterloo (It was an episode of Battlefield Detectives Prod.: Jeremy Treeston Granada Television DF
), eg. topography, effects of weather on soil, artillery, etc. Program not finished, so don't know if they will include effects of hemorroids and migraines upon Nap's judgement. I mention this becuse I'm writing during a thunderstorm, and I've got a migraine. Apparently a low weather front went through Waterloo the night previous. Lows and highs can affect migraine sufferers. Perhaps this accounts for him complaining of stomach pain and leaving the battlefield mid afternoon. Dan Frank