Your Questions

Dear Mr. Cornwell, I have read every book you have published, thanks. Please allow me a pedantic question...in " The Fort " you use the term "port", would it not have still been larboard? I read that "port" came in circa 1844, at least with the Royal Navy. Rgds Robert Marsh

The First of your books which i read was "The Lords of the North" back in May. After that I've been hooked. I love your books.I have read The Saxon Stories, The Warlord Series, Redcoat, Azincourt and just finished The Grail Series. I really do love reading your books. From all that I read so far The Saxon stories are my favorite.Now I am waiting for a copy of The Fort. How Do you come up With The ideas for Your Books? And when you Start to write them do you think ahead of the current book too what's going to happen in the next one? Or do you just take the story were it goes?

Reading The grail stories and Azincourt I could not help but notice the similarities. For Example Thomas of Hookton and and Nick Hook. Both Join the English Army as a last resort, both find bastard women in captured towns and make alliances with their fathers, and both have heavy rivalries. Don't get me wrong I loved the books but could you explain this? Thank you For reading this and Have you ever thought of coming to Toronto,Ontario,Canada? Paul

Mr. Cornwell, I have just this minute finished reading "Agincourt." It was wonderful! I really liked the love story between Nick and Melisande. I also felt military kinship with Sir John Cornewaille. However, I have one statement and one question. I wish you had included more of what happened to the English/Welsh survivors when they returned home. My question is that William Ap Thomas Raglan was completely missing from the book. I am a descendant of his and thought that he was integral to the employment of the archers in the battle. Was I misinformed? Thank you very much for reading this and for writing your wonderful book! Sincerely, Mike Smith

Dear Bernard In regards to Sharpe and whether you could get him to the battle of Albuera you have replied in the past you'd like to but its a question of whether it can be done as it would take place after Sharpe's Battle and Fuentes do Onoro In reading of the battle there were actual companies of the 60th present who had fought at both. Also a certain Dulong was also at the battle (and took command of the French rearguard on there retreat) one wonders if that tempts you more to have him and Sharpe go up against each other again? Also in Sharpe's Company Sharpe does recall being present at the previous Siege of Badajoz so it would be break chronological order if he wasn't. Please consider as it would seem ironic (to say the least) to write about the Peninsular war and miss the largest fight of that war.

Finally one section you have avoided up till now is the war of 1812 have you ever thought of battles in Canada Chryslers Farm and Chategeauy 1813 Americas largest invasion during the whole war? Yours sincerely Geraint P.S If you have not read it I can recommend Dragon Rampant on the 23rd Welsh Fusiliers and there time in Peninsular War by Donald Graves worth a read if your interested Yours sincerely Geraint

As a frontispiece for your Arthurian novels you show a map purporting to be England and Wales in the sixth(?) century. It shows Powys extending as far east as modern Leicester.Where does this map come from? I know that Powys at one time extended to modern Six Ashes, a village on the Shropshire/Staffs.border as this was the eastern limit of Wales as defined in the Tripartite Indenture between Owen Glyndwr,Percy and Mortimer, but this is a long way from Leicester!

David Reynolds

Dear Mr. Cornwell, I am writing a manuscript about 1810- As you already wrote I wont bother you with the details at all, due to authors rights lawyers (I happen to be one, sorry)etc. I am facing a bit of a problem. I like to be utterly thorough in my research and one of the main characters is a major in the army at the Peninsula wars. I write 1810, February, the major is a Scottish war hero and has an assignment in his TENT. For most of my research I read ALL of your Sharpes because it gives me such a better idea about the real warfare stories than all the biographies of Wellington and others together. (This is a compliment). February 1810 behind the Torres Vedras lines is terribly cold. On the other hand I cannot imagine Wellington built barracks to make his soldiers more comfortable, but billeting must also have been a problem. (Due to all the fugitives, privates etc behind the lines) So is a tent feasible for my hero major of the 42nd? I know they were quite static, but so was the stay behind the Torres Vedras lines. Shortly after wards my hero sits at a regimental diner visited by Wellington, I placed it in Lisbon, but is this in accordance with Wellington's movements and the movements of the 42nd? Would it be possible to find out where the 42nd was based/billeted in February 1810? As you described a few times: info about times when there was nothing happening in those periods is terribly scarce. I wonder if you would have suggestions about research centers. I will be writing sequels until after the battle of Waterloo. Hoping not to intrude/ask too much, Sincerely, Constance van Laer. PS I am suffering a temporary addiction to Sharpe. Bear with me please.

I just finished "The Fort" and enjoyed it very much but kept getting jarred by the word "forrard". You used "forward" in several places and spelled out "gunwale" so why "forrard" even when it was not dialog?

Gerald Martin

Hi again, Mr. Cornwell. Was Sharpe's father English? Alan Kempner

Is Richard Sharpe's father General John Burgoyne? Anaxagoras

Just finished The Fort and enjoyed it very much! Thank you for bringing to life a skipped over piece of history. What a great story! As I read it, one question did pop into my head....The Fort takes place about 20 years before Sharpe's Tiger...I don't remember how old Richard Sharpe was in Tiger (18?, 19?), but is Moore Sharpe's father?

Tom Stewart

Dear Mr. Cornwell, it is always a pleasure for me to read your books about Uhtred. I just finished reading - once more - the 5 saxon stories and can't wait for a new adventure of him. Have you already started writing the 6th part? If yes, when will it be published in Germany? I look forward your reply. Have a nice day! Regards Constanse Martin from Germany