Your Questions

Q

Gallows Thief....
If Lord Christopher (Kit) is executed, what happens to the entailed estate?
I thoroughly enjoyed your book, thank you, even the horrible gallows descriptions.
I certainly will be searching out some more titles.
Best Wishes for 2013.......

Ngaio Hanson

Submitted December 31, 2012

A

Oh, the lawyers get hold of it, they argue it, a case that would make Jarndyce vs Jarndyce look simple. The lawyers will get rich, and no one else will get anything.

Q

This is a very very very very belated appreciation of Azincourt which I read ages ago, but never got around to sending you the notes I wrote about it at the time:

What a good book - exciting, funny, warm, savage, entertaining, engrossing, educating...  And a sympathetic and amusing treatment of some Christians.  Was that a response to some readers' comments or just necessary for the period?  ...When everyone's a Christian, presumably some of them are alright!

Di Mond

Submitted December 31, 2012

A

Well, thank you . . . though in truth my books are full of good Christians (no, seriously, they are!). It’s just that some folk only notice the bad ones and draw all sorts of conclusions from that, but of course the medieval church, being almost the only route for the clever and unprivileged to rise up the social ladder, attracted unscrupulous men. So it had more than its fair share of the ambitious, the greedy and the ruthless; which more or less caused the reformation.

 

Q

Hello Mr. Cornwell,

It's a pleasure to have the opportunity to ask you about your books. I would like to know a little bit about the book 1356, what is the relationship with the series Grail Quest ? It's the same Thomas of Hookton ? The story happens before or after the Grail Quest?

Best Regards,
Cristhiano from Brazil.

Submitted December 26, 2012

A

Yes, it is the same Thomas of Hookton and 1356 takes place after the end of the Grail Quest series.

Q

Dear Mr Cornwell,
Well, first I note what you say above so will be very general about my idea.
My question really for you is whether if writing in a vein of historical fantasy one needs to follow the historical record with accuracy as to a historical character? Now one aspect I notice is that sometimes what passes in the historical fiction section can be very a-historical and/or depart from historical fact quite a bit (not always acknowledged). So, the counter-factual gets into the frame but in a mild or contained manner but I guess if one were to introduce the uncanny or unreal one then breaks the frame or moves outside it; and one could not in any sense then be in the genre of historical fiction?? Do you know of historical fiction titles which include fantasy elements but are not of a fantasy section title? A good example of a historical fiction book I have read recently is The Bleeding Land (Kristian) but which at the close in his description acknowledges clear departures on the edge of counter-factual. At another more clearly fantasy extreme is Lachlan's Wolfsangel
trilogy. So its difficult to find an intermediary case but one example might be Humphrey's the French Executioner. My point I guess is that in a way if one is between the genres does one have choice as to how to place a book or more than one? Or is for instance any fantastical element (as in Humphrey) bound to place one in the fantasy camp? A novel for instance might be in many ways solidly realistic but acknowledge the uncanny. I find for instance a little of this aspect in your shift towards using relics as a theme in the Hundred Years war books. I do hope these points have not sprawled. Also, if in a category between fantasy and history (one might say in a sense that invented characters may always be construed as that but are simply contextually placed in a realistic setting rather than unreal?) what fidelity to actuality of research for characters (if real) might be required and is that fidelity going to be greater if in one genre or another (this tries to rephrase my more
general thoughts). Well, sorry to be vague in closing but I am conscious that you have asked not to define a precise idea.

Regards.

Stephen Sheard (Dr)

Submitted December 26, 2012

A

I think it probably depends on what era the novel is placed?  I think an historical novelist has a duty to history and if he or she is using a real character then that character should be drawn as accurately as possible, though of course the novelist also has a duty to embellish, but that should be done within the limits of what the real person did and said. Now that’s easy enough with a character who is well documented, like the Duke of Wellington, but it’s much more difficult with a character about whom very little is known.  But the same rule sort of applies, it just means that if you’re writing about a character from the Dark Ages then you have far fewer facts to serve as anchors, and you just have to use the imagination more!  As for the crossover between fact and fantasy? Again it depends. I found that writing about Arthur pushed me into fantasy more than I really wanted, but I enjoyed it all the same. Those books certainly aren’t history because, beyond one or two meager facts, there is no history. Are they fantasy? Yes, but within the constraints of history, so nothing too supernatural! So I guess the answer is that the further back you go the more imagination is needed, and thus the likelihood that you’ve slid from history to fantasy!

Q

I have read most if not all your books. Enjoyable reading.
are you planing to complete the saxon chronicles in the near
future?

How do you decide which series or idea to follow ?
they are fun to read....  Thanks for many enjoyable hours.

joe d

Submitted December 26, 2012

A

Well, I am writing the next book (but not the last)  in the series now.  Not sure when the series will be done?

How do I decide? Mainly by what appeals to me - simple as that!

Q

Hello Mr. Cornwell,

For me you are a god of history books, I like all your stories, but my absolute favourite is Derfel the mighty in your Arthur chronicles.  Here a question and a wish:
why don'tyou write a celt story during the roman times in britania or before, maybe in the so called hallstatt time, or la`tene when some celtic tribes arrived in britania.
I think you would make it much better than Simon Scarrow!!!

I wish you a merry christmas and a happy new year!

greetings from salzburg - austria

Volker Schiller

Submitted December 26, 2012

A

I long ago made a decision to avoid the Romans, not because I’m not fascinated by them, but it’s nice to have one period which I’ll never write about and I can then read about for my own pleasure!  So I doubt I’ll look at that period, sorry!  I’ll leave it to others and enjoy their work.

Q

Hi,

I was wondering if you have ever had any writers block and if so how you got past it.
Robert

Submitted December 26, 2012

A

Writer's block???? writer's block is nature's way of telling you you're not a writer. If a nurse could have a block, then I could have one: that's how I feel. Nursing is much more difficult than what I do. And they're not allowed to phone up and say: Awfully sorry. I've got nurse's block today.

Q

Hello Mr Cornwell

I was wondering what happened to characters like Nimue and Morgan and Derfels children.
could you also tell me if the saxons ran into sansum and killed him.

Ryan Lakey

Submitted December 26, 2012

A

I honestly don't know what happens to my characters once a story is done....and I do not plan to add to the Warlord Chronicles. I guess the rest is up to you to decide!

Q

I have read all the sharpe novels several times and now have just finished the Warrior chronicles, all six. Have you any idea when the next instalment will be ready and have you come up with a title.  many thanks for an informative read

Tony.

Submitted December 26, 2012

A

No title yet, but we do hope to have the book ready for publication in September 2013.

Q

hello Bernard

just finished 1356 and loved it ,I hope Thomas has a few more tales to be told ?  I like the use of the sword in the story ,he's like an Indiana Jones of the era in a strange sort of way, have you thought of covering the ww2 era or is that too recent?
thanks again for a great read and have a merry christmas and happy new year 2013 to you and your family.
Rich from Evesham

Submitted December 22, 2012

A

I don't have plans for a WW2 book - you're right, it's too recent for me.