Your Questions

High praise for your adventuresome history thrillers. I have found the Saxon series particularly enthralling and like how Uhtred and you have developed the story (with now, Uhtred having flashbacks about these war torn periods). I especially love the biology that comes into subtle play. It is just one of the many nice touches that make your stories appear authentic for the times. Uhtred has turned into quite a savvy tactician. The honeybee surprise was just truly ingenious. I can just see those mud/cowpie plastered hives hoisted upon the rival's fighting space. Yowie! My simple question is about Uhtred's quest for Bebbanburg: When do you pick up the threads again and give us the next edition? And how many more books do you anticipate in the Saxon series? I suspect more, as I've not yet read about Aethelfled's Aethelstan and that seems like such an important detail.

Janet Shellman Sherman

I just finished Burning Land .Is there another book coming that will continue the story of Uhtred?I have read the Arthur Stories and the Saxon Stories and I am hooked .I need more Thanks Gary

Hello Bernard! I'm a big fan of your work, and want to know when or if you will come back to Brazil... Best regards, Gabriel Linhares

Hello Mr Cornwell, I am a huge fan of your work, if fact just lately I have become an addict, having just got a Kindle I find it so easy just to pick up a book and read at any time, having finished all of the Sharpe series in 4months (I have turned the television on only for the news and question time....), I have now read the first two books in the Alfred series, the first was a paperback bought for me(£4.50) and the second Pale Horseman a kindle edition (£4.49) I now come to buy the third book in kindle format I notice the price is more than the paperback(Paper£4.44,Kindle£4.49), whilst I value the story at more than this price and will buy it anyway, I am interested in your opinion(from the other side of the debate - Writer instead of reader) of the merits of pricing the paperback lower than the electronic version, I know sending electronic mail around the world has its own carbon footprint and costs but I cant believe these are greater than the cost of printing, packaging, delivering and all of the unseen costs to the planet of the paper version, as well as this when I buy an electronic book I cannot then sell it or pass it on to anyone outside my immediate family thereby reducing its perceived value in my opinion, this to me will discourage people from buying electronic versions, some people will always prefer paper but I think e-books are the way and to have access to such a library from anywhere in the world can only encourage more readers which is in all our interests I believe. Sorry to bother you with this, dont let it stop you writing or researching. Best wishes for the year ahead. Jeff Cavanagh

Dear Bernard, I just wondered if you had ever considered writing about the Anglo Zulu War of the 1870's? Isandlwana, Rorke's Drift, Ulundi, Red Coats, Boers and hordes of Zulus, there must surely be enough there for a hero in the Sharpe mould to find himself in the thick of one of your thrilling trilogies? Kind Regards Justin

Dear Mr Cornwell, good evening. I'm writing from Italy, and I'm a fan of history usually . I've just finished to read the archer of Azincourt (great Novel , my compliments ) and now I buy The lord of war (about England of VIII Century D.C. ..this is the title translation in Italian ..) A curiosity, as you describe so well various part of UK history, don't think to write also something about a UK period important , for me, but not so observed, as Lord Oliver Cromwell, the inventor of commonwealth ? many thanks in advance and I wish you a special 2011 . Best Regards Danilo Fumagalli Desio (MB) Italy

Hi Bernard - I have all your books and constantly await new releases. As an avid historical fiction reader there is a void of chinese historical fiction. With many eras and fantastic heroes and epic battles - your thoughts? regards Rod

Hello... I will of course start out saying I love your works, though I'm sure you hear that every time you open an email. It's true, nonetheless, and I await your new books with baited breath. Speaking of which, "The Saxon Series" is my favorite of yours so far... However, that aside, I have a question for you. I am, as I'm sure you hear every day, an inspiring writer, hopefully an author one day, but I am fairly certain I not only lack the time but also the skill to produce a novel at this point. Many of my favorite authors, Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, and so on got their starts through short stories published in literary magazines, which not only gained them pay but also served as a means to obtain some publicity. But, this was generally in the 30s to the 60s, and, it appears to me, the literary magazines that allow new authors to gain a foothold are extinct. Would you happen to know if this is true? Are there any magazines or similar forums by which I can submit short stories that will circulate enough to give me something of a name, if they have merit of course. If so, do you have any suggestions as to what I should write? Not ideas mind you, but genre, style, etc? What would be most likely to attract a publisher's interest? Finally, if not, how would you suggest I go about establishing myself? As I say, I am uncertain whether or not I could successfully write a novel at the moment, as I'm still dealing with the later years of school and work besides, but I do have time for some short pieces, generally under 12000 words. Thank you for any help you can give... Jonathon

PS: (Do people still use PS?) do you think on the message submission form on your webpage you could add an audio method to the image verification? I'm blind and use a screen reader, and therefore couldn't see the image... It flummoxed me until I got a sighted person to help out... *grins*.

Jonathon Taylor

reading=studying=enjoying again your Grail quest books == simply superb !! minor correction for perfectionist == calix is not latin but greek= correct is - kalyx - please,do not be offended,i have the benefit of greek classical education. your work is marvellous !! wishes for happy 2011 -- poitiers battle ? george margaritis chemical engineer n.m.t.u.

Dear Mr. Cornwell, I know that the LAST THING you need to hear from another devoted reader is a suggestion about another book, but I wonder if you might consider the ultimate prequel to the Sharpe series. It seems to me that Richard has quite a story to tell from his days in the orphanage, the rookery and with Maggie Joyce and your favourite Sargent (and villain) Obadiah Hakeswell as his recruiter. We know that Sharpe murdered the man who attempted to kill Maggie and that Sharpe ran to the Army as an escape... right into Hakeswell's clutches. Sounds like a winner to me. I have thoroughly enjoyed all of your books (The Fort was #40 in my Bernard Cornwell collection!!!) so hope to have #41 to look forward to soon. (... and it goes without saying that I will buy whatever you release, so you can probably ignore my suggestion after all... but wouldn't a Sharpe novel be just the ticket right now?) Thank you for your time, your books and allowing all of us to enjoy your great talents. Sincerely, Paul Higgins. Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada.

Dear Mr. Cornwell, You are, without a doubt, my favorite author. My most-beloved are the Saxon Stories, Grail Quest series and the Arthur books. My Son and I are avid board gamers and stumbled on a great game you have probably heard of called Britannia. The game covers a thousand year timeline from the Roman invasion to the Norman Conquest starring several of the real characters you brought to life in your novels. I especially enjoyed your latest venture The Fort. Prior to its release, I put it on reserve at two of my local libraries (thinking if one gets it in before the other, I can read it sooner!). When I received the first call, I was right in the middle of Jeff Shaara’s The Glorious Cause. What a great lead-in! My Son blew through your book in a couple of days while I finished up Shaara’s. The Fort was terrific!! I love reading about obscure, little known history. It was little known to me anyway. While I’m on the Revolutionary War, we have some little known history here where I live in East Tennessee. Nearby is a place called Sycamore Shoals where a fort was built in the mid-1770s. The local militia, known as the Overmountain Men, gathered here and marched across the mountains to join up with men from the Carolinas. They met and engaged the British Loyalists at Kings Mountain in 1780. Anyway, the point of all this is it would make an interesting novel and should you decide to write about it you are welcome to stay at my house during your research as long as we can play a game of Britannia while you are here. I get to be the Danes!

Finally, I love the Sharp novels made for TV. What do we need to do to have more of your novels put on the small screen? Sean Bean will be starring in the upcoming HBO series A Game of Thrones this spring based on the GRR Martin novels. The series should be a big hit (it’s been described as Frodo meets the Sopranos), and if so, the genre will be launched. Consequently, Derfel, Uhtred, and/or Thomas of Hookton could become bigger than life. Other cable networks will be watching closely such as Showtime, Starz, AMC, FX and so forth. You would make a lot of money and fans, like me, would be in heaven! Take care and keep working on the next Uhtred chapter. I’m dying to find out how he re-takes Bebbanburg. But please, not too quickly; maybe three or four novels from now. Sincerely, Michael King Johnson City, TN