Your Questions

Q

Hi, I just wanted to say thank-you for getting me back into reading for pleasure. As a newly-qualified English teacher I have a lot of work-related reading to do, and I had stopped reading for my own enjoyment. And then I picked up Harlequin, and I was utterly hooked. I have now read the entire Grail Quest series, and Azincourt, and have just ordered the first Starbuck novel online. So thank-you for getting me back into reading for my own pleasure! Also - will you ever do a book on the battle of Hastings?

Karl Adamson

Submitted November 9, 2010

A

I'm really not up to speed on Hastings. Maybe one day I'll look at the period and be tempted, but right now I a few other things on my list!

Q

Where can I read the clue about Sharpe's father? Bill Ries

Submitted November 7, 2010

A

Type the words 'Sharpe's father' into the search engine at the top of this page - you'll see the riddle as well as all the (so far, incorrect!) guesses.

Q

Dear Bernard, I'm afraid I have to ask you a very obscure question, which you just may know the answer to. I once remember a conversation in either Sharpe's Trafalgar, or perhaps Sharpe's Fury, where a gentleman talked to Sharpe about his love of tea. He referred to it lovingly by a nickname, and then realized that nickname was actually intended as a name for falling sleep. Please, demonstrate an unmeasurable knowledge of your works and tell me the affectionate term he used. I remember thinking it was quite profound at the time, before it dissolved one night into my own peaceful rest. Your writing is fantastic. All the very best. - Adrian

Submitted November 5, 2010

A

Oh gawd - I have no idea. I'll try to riff through the books over the next couple of evenings, but maybe someone reading this can remember? HELP! Please!

Q

I have just finished "Killer's Wake" which I liked a lot. I am now in the middle of the "The Fort" What I am really concerned about, however, is when Uhtred's next adventures may arrive. Ross Cann

I have all of you books in the Sharpe, Starbuck, Arthur, Grail, & Saxon Series, and few of you single books. Have loved them all and would just like to know if you have a time for the next book in the Saxon Series to be out.

John Beach

Have just finished THE BURNING LAND and, therefore, all of THE SAXON TALES. Very much enjoyed! Wither Uhtred at this point?

greyhairkelt

Can you please tell me when the next book in the saxon series will be coming out ?Levi

Hi Mr Cornwell, How are you? I just finished reading all the Saxon story books and i must say they were just amazing. But my question is, will there be another book continuing after the last book "The Burning Land"? Please let me know. Thank you for your time. Hector

Submitted November 5, 2010

A

I am writing the next Uhtred now. If all goes well, we hope to see it published in Autumn 2011.

Q

I am a great fan and have read many of your books (I'm happy I still have some to go). I just completed The Fort. It is one of my favorites but I feel as if someone took my plate away in the middle of dinner. Are you contemplating a sequel? If so ignore the rest of this e-mail. If not: I became very fond of these characters. How did they get back to Boston? What happened to Lt Moore and Lt General McLean? Did Paul Revere get his just desserts? How long did the British stay in Penobscot Bay? Did Cmdr. Dudley Saltonstall have to answer to a Naval Court of Inquiry? Finally how can I find out what happened to Gen. Peleg Wadsworth? I'm not lazy. I'll do my own reading but can you recommend the best books to answer these questions? I hope you do plan a sequel, it will allow me to spend my time reading your books instead of doing research. Your devoted admirer, Carolyn Miller

Submitted November 4, 2010

A

I thought I'd answered most of those questions in the Historical Note - but maybe not explicitly enough, sorry. Moore went on to great fame and died defeating the French at Corunna in 1809, McLean died of sickness just two years after the siege, Paul Revere never got his just deserts, but instead was elevated to the pantheon of immortal American heroes. The British stayed at Penobscot till the end of the war (it was the last post to be handed over to the victorious rebels), but retook the fort in the war of 1812. Saltonstall was summoned to a court-martial, but there's no evidence it convened, but he was dismissed from the Continental Navy, and Peleg Wadsworth survived the war and lived to a ripe old age. There's no one book that describes all that - you have to scratch about, but I listed the most useful sources in that Historical Note!

Q

I would like to know if you are planning to write any more Richard Sharpe books. It seems like there should be one just before Sharpes Rifles when he is fighting with General Moore and explaining how he becomes a Lieutenant. Mitch Roemer

Hello Bernard.. I love the way you write books it just captures the readers attention and gives you ideas on your own story. I love the Sharpe books that you have published, by any chance are you writing any more Sharpe books? That would be great!

Kathryn

Submitted November 4, 2010

A

There will be more Sharpe.

Q

Dear Bernard, May I ask, as you are an author of a huge portfolio of work at this stage, if you've ever struggled when writing a novel, as in, if you've reached a point where your initial excitement has blunted somewhat and you're starting to feel less enthusiastic about the project? If so, what do you do? Have you ever abandoned a novel, for example, or do you always stubbornly see it through? I had my first novel published last April, and I am not struggling as such with the second, just slightly anxious that it is not falling together as fast as I had visualised. Any tips on how to keep spirits up (and focus) whenever the shadows of doubt loom? Your advice on this would be massively appreciated. Many thanks, Paul Reid, Co. Cork.

Submitted November 4, 2010

A

I've struggled . . . but a long time ago, and yes, sometimes a book doesn't work (I've abandoned two, but neither was an historical novel). If you feel your enthusiasm flagging - well, maybe you've never written a book before, in which case you can be forgiven for the nagging suspicion that it's all a waste of time, but don't give into it! Keep going! Every successful author endured that ordeal, and you just have to keep faith in yourself and keep writing! If you're more experienced and feel the enthusiasm draining away then you're probably writing the wrong book. It ain't always easy, but it should be fun!

Q

Me are my friends love the viking history and I'm a huge fan of the Saxon stories we were both wondering will there possibly be a movie or show made on it like the Sharpe novels? We would love for that to happen in the near future.

Travis Abbott

Submitted November 4, 2010

A

I guess any thing's possible, but no plans for it at the moment.

Q

Hello Mr. Cornwell, I am a great fan of your novels, and just wondered if you have ever considered writing a something about the Battle of the Plains of Abraham. As a Canadian, I feel as though it would be most interesting. Cheers, J S

Submitted November 4, 2010

A