Your Questions

Hello,

As Sharpe was intimate with Lady Farthingdale/Josefina Lacosta, did they ever have any children or was or could there be a possibility of Sharpe fighting alongside his child/children in future books or at the very least meeting them later in his life? I enjoyed the series with Sean Bean and am currently rewatching it. It's ironic some filming was done in the Ukraine/Crimea with the current situation.

Thank you for reading this email!

Regards,

Brian Burton

Dear Bernard,

I hope this note finds you well.

Honestly it feels a bit silly to write to you about this, but I’m rather curious. First and foremost, thank you so much for the Last Kingdom series, some of my favourite books of all time.

 

Now to the silly part, in Sword of Kings Uthred sees a swan flying and takes that as an omen. In my family there is an old story about my grandfather’s brother, which shot and stuffed a swan because it was such a rare sight around year 1900 (we still have the swan in our salon by the way). I believe swans did not exist in England in the 10th century?

 

With best regards,

Hannes

Hello Mr. Cornwell.

I have enjoyed the Sharpe series; it helped motivate me to visit Spain and finish my foray into graduate history that I began forty years ago. In June, I am headed to Edinburgh to do archival research. I’ve been thinking of examining Scotland’s part in the Peninsular War, specifically, Scottish feeling towards the English and their reactions to the Portuguese, Spanish and French. Are you aware of any collections of letters from Scottish soldiers describing their experiences on the Peninsula?

Thanks and Best Wishes,

John Cardoza

Dear Mr Cornwell,

First, I absolutely love all your books! Second, since working on my dissertation many years ago, I wrote an historical novel based on a main character. My question is, after having read your books, does the main character have to be in every scene even though it's their story? I'm in a critique group that writes mainly "cosy" mystery books and want me to discard any historical backdrop and put the character in every scene. But this seems unreasonable and doesn't provide any substance to the story. I've reread the Sharpe and Uhtred books and recognize that you provide wonderful input within the storyline. I'm working at making the book the main character's story, but there are other characters necessary to the story whose backgrounds, even slight, enrich the plot. I value your opinion- am I on the right track to include significant history?

Thank you so very much for your advice (in advance).

Regards,

Gwenn Meredith

Dear Bernardo,

I hope this email finds you well. I am writing to express my admiration for your book, particularly "Chronicles of the Warlord." Arthur is such an incredible character, and his leadership feels truly natural. He serves as a great inspiration to me.

I am curious to know whether, when you were writing about his personality, you based it on someone you knew in real life or perhaps on a historical figure with a similar personality?

Thank you in advance for considering my inquiries. Sending warm regards and wishing you good health.

 

Best regards,

Luiz Henrique

Hello Bernard -

Of course I'm just another of those fans... Started with Uhtred, books and TV, then Last Fort (excellent story BTW sir, about that little known event, even to US Navy veteran here!), Agincourt, but now plowing thru all the Sharpes stories (saw the TV series an eon ago when my hair was dark and full). I digress.

One of I and my wife's favorite discussions, as she is an excellent cook who also prepped in cafes in Ann Arbor, have to do with the "french recipes", and others, that you sneak into your narratives. Always a bit cheek, too - lol. Who gives you these ideas? They are fun, and sound strangely believable for their time.

Thanks for the years of entertainment!

Gary

Hi Mr Cornwell,

Firstly, as a fellow Brit-voluntarily-exiled-in-America (Glasgow-Virginia), I would like to say that I very much appreciate your perspective, as read on your website and occasionally heard in podcast interviews and such (and sometimes in the books, particularly Sharpe), on aspects of life between the two countries.  While America is largely a familiar and friendly place, it occasionally just feels very alien and "not like home", and when I have a yearning for the Shipping Forecast or the classified football results, or the smell of a proper British pub (or to watch Scotland winning four Calcutta Cups in a row in said British pub...), some voices and influences are quite reassuring, among which is definitely yours.  Hope that makes sense!

Anyway, my question is this (and apologies if it has been covered before on the website):  Have you ever been tempted to publish an assorted collection of short stories?  Plainly the novel is your medium, and I do know a lot of authors don't do both (and a lot of publishers dislike them for financial reasons!) but I am thinking of Len Deighton who published many great novels and one collection of short stories, Declarations of War, which is still one of my favourite books.  Also Stephen King, who has repeatedly published collections.  It might be a convenient way to wrap up loose ends.  I can see why - with the climate surrounding US civil war memory having somewhat changed in the last 20-odd years - you may never write another Starbuck, but a short story might be a way to draw a line under his story and satisfy some reader curiosity on that subject.  Likewise for Gallow's Thief and any other business unfinished and unlikely to be finished in novel form?

Anyway, Kind Regards,

Mathew Annis

 

Greetings!

I just finished Sharpe's Assassin and immensely enjoyed it! I'm very glad that before I read it, I had previously read Went the Day Well? and Waterloo: The Aftermath. These books both added to my overall enjoyment to the story. Did you use either of these in your research? Additionally, I really enjoyed Sharpe finally getting even with Morris. That was long over due, but worth the wait. I really liked seeing a tender side to Wellington in the epilogue. I also seem to remember somewhere you said that you regret writing Sharpe's Devil? That's another book I enjoyed. It leads me to wonder if in your mind, Devil is still cannon, or do Sharpe's adventures end after Assassin? I feel either place is a good note to leave him on.

I just started Sharpe's Command and I'm really enjoying it. However, I'm curious, am I remembering this wrong, or is Sharpe still technically supposed to be a Captain right now? I thought he made brevet Major around Christmas, 1812. Regardless, he's always been able to do the impossible, so backdating his promotion isn't beyond his abilities.

Best wishes, and I hope for more wonderful stories from you.

Cameron Stewart

Dear Bernard,

Like all of your other fans I sincerely want to THANK and CONGRATULATE you, for all  your novels from your first to your last. I mentioned in a previous post I first got into you through the story of Uhtred. What initially attracts me to any book is the book cover graphics, then I read the brief outline of plot and subject. Being a son of Wessex myself the story of Alfred and the unification of England has been of interest since school days and, like you, bemoan the fact that it gets (or did) barely a mention in our school's history. Therefore this series quickly consumed me. So I'm extremely excited to learn that you are considering another novel in this series and implore you to do so. It would make all your many readers very happy!

I understand from a recent reply to another fan's question that your next novel will be a Sharpe. Eagerly looking forward to it. Are you able to give us a hint as to what that one is about? Or do we have to wait until much closer to the publication?

Any chance you might get to Canada (specifically Vancouver) at some point in the future for a talk/book signing event?

Yours sincerely,

Martin

Dear Bernard

I wondered if you had read Jonathon Sumptions' final volume on the Hundred Years War Triumph and Illusion and whether you had any plans to cover some of the English defeats like Patay and Formingby from the British Perspective. After all you've done the wins it's only fair to do the losses

Yours sincerely

Geraint

 

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