Your Questions

Hello Mr. Cornwell. I have been a major fan of your books for some time having seen the television series when it first came out. May I ask if any of the Chosen Men from your Sharpe series were based upon real characters not only from the Peninsula War but also from other aspects of the Napoleonic Wars. I was just wondering, due to have read something about a Lietenant Colonel Sharpe in Richard Holmes book "Redcoats". If you could reply soon that will be brilliant. Thank you. Warwick Louth

Hi Bernard, While working in Malaysia my wife called meto say there saw a new book by you out. I knew which one it was even though I didn't even know the title at the tiem. "Buy it" was the excited response. So a shiny hardback copy of the Pale Horseman was waiting for me on my return to UK. I sat and read it from end to end in one sitting. Unsurprisingly I loved it and can't wait until the next volume appears. However, there was one fly in the ointment. The publishers saw fit to add black and white (ok, lets call it dark grey) images of the battlefield at Ethandun to the pages refering to that event. Then printed over them. This did not exactly enhance the reading experience, more encrypt the text. I know the publishers do things without you knowing but this had the effect of stopping be dead in my tracks. Until I found a magnifying glass to help me decrypt the affected passages. Thankfully not too many. Has Uhtred found his 'Harper' in Pyrlig? I do hope so. What a wonderful character. By the way, Hogan died of a fever. Yes, I have all the Sharpe books and must say, as an ex-soldier myself, I find Sharpe immensely easy to identify with. Steve Navesey

Dear Bernard, I recall several readers' questions asking you which actors might play certain of your characters, and your reply was that you would leave it up to the casting people. However, I was wondering if you do have any particular actors that you admire, not the actors themselves but their performances. I think actors and writers are very similiar creatures, both being charged with the task of protraying a story and characters to the audience/readership. Different methods of doing it, obviously, but with ultimately the same aim. To make for a good story. I personally will watch anything with Daniel Day Lewis in it, because of the sheer mastery he has of his craft. You possess the same gift. The gift of being able to absorb someone into the scenes you are creating. So, I was just wondering if you have a particular actor/movie/performance that sticks out in your memory. I'm just curious! Thanks. Paul Reid, County Cork.

Mr Cornwell, No need for continued praise as your work simply speaks for your excellence in this field. A simple question but I will attempt to re phrase it from those normally posed. Why, considering your natural conclusion to other series', did you never finish Starbuck? It certainly wasn't down to writers block, as history is written. Certainly poor sales would not be an issue considering your readership and new readers would only purchase the previous issues. As an avid reader, who fills his time between your publications with Scarrow (not really competition) and Conn Iggulton (an excellent author in your tradition) it really would be nice if you would conclude Starbuck, I (we) have after all been waiting for a number of years. Imagine you favourite author/director/tv producer doing something similar. With best regards and thanks for many endless hours of enjoyable reading and red wine. Matt

Have been going through your "Sharpe" series and I was having a grand time reading all the books until I came to "Sharpes Regiment" the scene where Button was killed left a bad taste in my mouth and I skipped to the end to see how at least 2 of the villians of this book fared ( going mad what a flat end I would have had him shot in such a way as to be given to the tender mercies of the field surgeons ) they got off easy. Simmerson should come to ruin somehow but I haven't seen that happen yet, does it? Liked the books so much I started getting the DVD series - what's up with "Sharpe's Gold" it didn't have anything to do with the book. Ken Martin

Mr. Cornwell: Firstly, your Grail series was truly engaging, with a mesmorizing balance of detail and action. There is a grit and a realness that is hard to turn away from. I am finding the same holds true for your Saxon books. I was curious as to what source you felt aided you most in researching Northumbria's "daily grind" sort of things such as eating, keeping warm, toiletries, etc.. Thomas Head

Mr Cornwell, I read Sharpe's Fortress and thought it a wonderful book but was it really necessary to kill off Ahmed? I think it would have been far more fitting to have him stay as Major Simerson's assistant, or become one of Syud Sevajee's followers, or even become a a redcoat sepoy. I would also like to know what happened to Syud Sevajee? Did he get to become Killadah of Guwillah? (under BRITISH!!!! command of course) Do you plan on featuring him in any more books? JAMES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dear Mr. Cornwell, I love the books! Any thoughts of doing a series based upon the Crusades?
Sean

Bernard, I'm sure you are asked this on a regular basis, but do you have any plans for writing a new Sharpe novel any time soon? It is rare that I find a book, or series, that I feel inspired to re-read (Tolkien's Shirelings not withstanding) so I hope you'll be pleased that I hold Richard in such high regard, and would like to follow him on another sojourn across the Spanish Peninsular. Kind regards Kevin

Hi Big and all that... Anyways you say that you are still writing Sharpe books and mother and I would like to know how long we have to wait for another installment if there will be one. Thanks Rhett Prentice P.S. You're the Man

Just finished Last Kingdom and thought it was up to your usual high standard. Sorry that you started a new series before finishing Starbuck though. Hope he makes it to Appamattox someday. My question was wether anyone owned film rights to Archers Tale? I think Director Ridley Scott did a great job with Gladiator and Kingdom of Heaven and could do so as well with Thomas. Any movie plans? Thanks, Michael Calkins