Your Questions

Dear Bernard,

Regarding Sharpe’s father: Did this person ever fly a kite (or have been rumored to have)?
Happy person: Yes;
Rogue: Most definitely;
In England at the time of Sharpe’s conception: To my surprise, Yes;
Not and Englishman: Yes, born in Boston, Mass, USA;
Not in the military: Yes;
Never rode a horse: Yes.
The horse in the name thing: Sorry, I have no clue what that is about.

Thank you again for your marvelous writings,
Steve Rose

Hi Bernard,

I was wondering how an author, such as yourself, chooses to whom they ascribe their work. In the front of (almost) all novels, an author will write someone's name. How do you decide whom that will be? Would you pick anyone simply because they showed an interest in having their name there or is it only reserved for the names of people who helped you in some way or to whom you are close. I suppose it depends on the nature of the novel as well?

Kindest Regards,

Cam

Hello again Mr Cornwell,

Thought I'd mention a great new series on the BBC, 'Alfred and the Anglo Saxons'. Michael Wood taking us through Alfred to Aethelstan in 3 parts. Available on the BBC iplayer for those that missed it or cannot get BBC3.

I am eagerly awaiting The Pagan Lord, advanced order already submitted. Are you planning a visit to these shores for book signing?

Regards

Nigel

Hello Bernard

I hope you're well and enjoying the Summer.
I'm definitely looking forward to the Pagan Lord. I love these Saxon Stories, and it also makes my Sister's job at Christmas easier! "Can you get me the new Bernard Cornwell, please? Its called...!"
I've recently finished rereading Sharpe's Honour, one of the best ones, and I don't think Sharpie is ever in more trouble than he is in that one! The personal stakes are never higher, are they? There is a certain lack of Harper-Action in it though, and I was wondering why you decided to give Harps a minimal role in that one and replace him with Angel? I'm not grumbling about that by the way. Angel's a great character!
I was also wondering if you ever considered killing Harper off? Or was the plan all along that Sharpe and Harper would march from Talavera to Waterloo together?
I'm not going to tell you too much about this, because of your warning above, but I am currently working on a Historical Novel myself. Its set in the 18th Century and features two Highwaymen. Your books have been a great inspiration to me, because of the Historical setting that you create so brilliantly, the juicy characters and the thrilling, bloody, violence!  These two fellows do have a certain "Sharpe and Harper dynamic" to their relationship, with one being more savage, more venomous and more frightening, while his mate is immensely strong, but also a more genial character. If and when I get it published, I'd love you to read it and I'm sure you'll appreciate what I'm trying to do with them!
Now, onto my mysterious Subject title.....
I've recently encountered a possible real-life Patrick Harper! I've become very interested in the Saga of Captain Scott of the Antarctic and have been reading about an Irish sailor called Tom Crean, who was with Scott and later Ernest Shackleton. I've become aware of  the similarities between him and Harper. I was wondering if you were aware of Crean and have spotted these yourself?
First, there's the Irish thing, (although Crean was a Kerryman, rather than from Donegal) then they were/are both huge, powerful men, with great resilience and mental strength, but also cheerful, warm, dispositions. The Gentle Giant is the kind of man I most admire! Neither Tom nor Pat are well-educated, but they're certainly not stupid! Crean and Harper both achieved "Feats" too, (Crean once marched for 35 miles alone across the ice to save his Officer's life. Took him 18 hours!) Like Sharpe with Harper, Scott and Shackleton knew that Crean was a fellow they could rely on in any tight spot! Indeed, it may have been Scott's decision to take Edgar Evans with him to the South Pole, instead of Crean, that ultimately doomed the Polar Party.
I don't know how much of this is already known to you, but I wanted to share it with you. For me Tom Crean is either the Grandfather or the Grandson (whichever way you look at it!) of Pat Harper! If you see a picture of him, I'm sure you'll agree!
I'd be interested in your thought about this.
Well, looking forward to my Pagan Lord Christmas!
Regards
Matt Copley
Oxford

Good night Mr Cornwell
First I'd like to say that I first heard about you here in Brazil when looking for some Arthur's book (I'm an Arthur addicted), and then I saw your books and it was love at first sight! You do such a wonderful job, I couldn't stop reading, neither your books nor about you. And, well, I'd like to know if you plan to visit Brazil someday and if you plan to write something about it. Again, congratulations for your books, thanks for your attention and sorry for my awful English.
Vivian P

Mr. Cornwell,

I stayed up very late last night, finished 1356, and spend some futile hours trying to remember my password, so I could order the rest of the "Grail" series.  Turns out I already had Vagabond and probably read it along with the Sharpe series and the other books you've written.  My question:  Will you carry us through the 100 Years War as you did the Napoleonic Wars?  Just so I can plan the rest of my life.

Keep writing.  And...do the battle and death scenes ever haunt you?  Just wondering.

Jill Ferguson

A sometime neighbor in Columbia, SC

I am a Brazilian fan of your books and a I have a question for you, who so deeply study the history of war and strategies.
Why did take so long to the adoption of the cartridges gun shells? Since the development of the first fire guns  it took almost 500 years for the cartridge to be accepted.
I’ve read that there are historical registers of some cartridges ancestors in the XV or XVI century, used by the Netherland's king's forces and wonder what has gone wrong with these beta testers, once the rapid fire seems to be a great advantage in combat.
Pedro de Assis

I have just finished 1356 and I enjoyed it very much. I wondered if you had come across the story of Sir John Chandos in your research of the hundred years war?  He was from Radbourne in Derbyshire (a few miles from where I grew up) and was one of the original Knights of the Garter. His life seems a fascinating one. Apparently he was not only a fierce warrior and skilled military strategist, he was also a peacemaker whose untimely death was regretted by both the English and French sides as he was seen as a key to finding a lasting peace. If you should ever return to the Sir Thomas Hookton stories in the future I hope you include a few lines about Sir John Chandos as his story does seem a little lost to history.
Timothy Stephenson

First I want to state that I'm American so this is all a little confusing to me.  Recently the BBC put on Facebook a rhyme that is supposed to help British school children memorize all of the British Monarchs in order.  Problem is they start with William the Conqueror.  Was all before William I not considered official?  I always thought that Harold was the first.
Don Sawyer

Mr Cornwell,

I would first like to take this opportunity to thank you for considerably more than a decade of reading pleasure and commend you for maintaining a consistently high standard of writing for a good deal longer than that.

Secondly, having only recently read Sharpe's wikipedia article for the first time and been shocked to discover allegations of recreational cricket on his part (and I must confess only after experiencing an unseemly outburst of hilarity due to the sheer cognitive dissonance involved when coupling 'Rough-and-Ready' Richard Sharpe with this particular, decidedly upper-crust sport) I felt that I had no other sensible choice but to beg you for confirmation of the fact that Sharpe played cricket for FUN.

Then I took a look through those queries which you had already answered and thought it more sensible to ask instead "What in the world does Richard Sharpe do for fun?" (besides give the more egregiously elitist fits).

Thank you in advance for being patient with both my delusions of humour and my query - all my best to you and to your own.
E D