Your Questions

Dear Mr. Cornwell, First, let me say THANK YOU! for giving your fanbase the chance to ask you questions so informally. You have responded to two of my personal questions in the past, which I am truly grateful for. I received The Last Kingdom as a Christmas present last December, have devoured every book in the series, and just finished reading The Burning Land. Consider me waiting patiently, with countless others, for the next installment of The Saxon Stories. Apart from heaping you with well-deserved praise (you've become my favorite author), I must beg a question: I've heard in interviews that you prefer to write in long segments over fewer days during the week, which helps your writing process. Having hit a recent snag in my own writing, I was curious if you listen to music when you write? Or perhaps have a specific routine that gets you in the mindset to write?

Jay Littlejohn

Hi Bernard, quick question regarding Badajoz - in Sharpe's company you show the third attack by the British, but I can't find any accurate information regarding the first two attacks. Could you point me in the right direction please? I'm just trying to find out about the attack strategy, casualties, why they failed etc. also, why did Wellington attack after two Brit failures? did something change strategically which made him think it was do-able now, or was it just a case of "we're attacking because we have no option"? also, why didn't he have any sappers?

Matthew Williams

Hello I am a great fan of your Sharpe books and recently came across your riddle revealing who Sharpe's father is and from looking at it I was wondering if it had anything to do with the Baron and Viscount Mountjoy's of Ireland? Keep up the brilliant work and thanks for many hours of reading. Devereux Hutton

Dear Mr. Cornwell, I am greatly enjoying the Saxon Tales, and I also enjoyed The Winter King and Agincourt. You have obviously put some serious time into doing scholarly research about all aspects of your subject matter. So I have one question about a technical detail mentioned in the Saxon Tales that doesn't jibe with my own studies. In several places, including, for example, the re-hilting of Serpent-Breath in Lords of the North, you describe the grips of swords of that era as being made in two pieces riveted to the tang. I have a lot of literature on swords, and I have seen a lot of specimens in museums, but I have never seen a medieval or Viking sword made that way, either in pictures or in actual specimens. The handles of many old swords have rotted away, leaving the bare tangs visible for inspection. I have never seen a sword from that era with rivet holes through its tang. In The Sword in the Age of Chivalry, R. Ewart Oakeshott, perhaps the leading scholar of the medieval sword in the 20th Century, describes how grips were made. In one method, the grip was made in one piece and a central hole was bored through it, with the final exact fit accomplished by heating the tang and burning the hole out; in the other method (the "moulded method"), the grip was made in two halves and fitted around the tang. The two halves touched, rather than being slabs on the sides of the tang as in some modern cutlery. The moulded method seems to have been the more common method in the Viking period. Oakeshott doesn't say how the halves were secured together, but I infer that they were glued. His illustration does not show rivets. Also, the grips were wrapped with wire or some other covering, which would have helped to hold the halves together. The pommel was fitted over the upper part of the tang (sometimes shrink-fitted by heating), and the end of the tang was peened over the top of the pommel to hold everything together. I have an embarrassing number of sword replicas made that way. In The Sword in Anglo-Saxon England, H. R. Ellis Davidson describes how some Viking-era pommels were made in pieces riveted together. But the rivets in such pommels do not pass through the tang. They are oriented parallel to the tang, and they just pin the pieces of the pommel together. The hilt is still held together by the peened end of the tang. Are you aware of any specific example of a Viking-era or medieval sword in which the grip is held on by rivets through the tang? If so, I would be interested in knowing about it. Still, though, thanks for a rousing bunch of stories. Sincerely, William Terry

Dear Bernard In response to Tony Pells query on book recommendations I thought I would post a few, 1) in regard to the Buenos Aires expedition Waters of Oblivion by Ian Fletcher is worth a read about that subject. 2) For New Orleans try The British At the Gates by Robin Rilley 3)Finally for Washington (and Baltimore) its covered in Jon Latimers 1812 and Don't Give Up the Ship the Myths of 1812 by Donald Hickey. Which brings me to my question Bernard have you ever considered writing a a book or two on 1812. It seems to be like Burma in WW2 the forgotten theatre of the Napoleonic wars and it was British Troops who played a key role in saving Canada from conquest. For instance Stoney Creek and Chryslers Farms happened in the Same year as Vittoria in Spain and while one is rightly praised the other two most people are not even aware off yet in one sense could be argued as arguably more brilliant (not to take away from the victory at Vittoria) as it was just a few soldiers (disobeying orders in one instance) fighting it out and with no Military Mind like Wellington to command them to plan the tactics. I wondered if you were tempted to write even just one book about that war and you would not even have to use Sharpe, Fredrickson could easily fill his shoes in Canada and he did end up there after Sharpe's Revenge??? Yours sincerely Geraint

In April I pre-order Mr. Cornwell's newest book to be released in Sep, 2010. The title I recall was "Captivate, Kill or Destroy", however I see the book is now called "The Fort" for both the US and UK releases. I'm curious to know what happen? I read my 1st Bernard Cornwell book in Aug 2009, and less that 1 year later I've read 18 of them. Each one has been a page turner from beginning to end. I love the way the rich characters are developed, and you learn to care about them. Its amazes me that Mr. Cornwell can keep this high level of writing going for almost 30 years. Thank you, Shawn Trahan Stafford, Virginia

Hello Mr.Cornwell. You are my favorite author. I anticipate each new book of yours. A quick question. Why does your new book "The Fort" have different titles for the U.S. and the U.K?

Bart Brown

I won't ask about Starbuck, but have you thought about any Patrick Lassan novels?
Joel Watson

Hello Mr Cornwell; I just wanted to thank you for the endless hours of enjoyment I've got from reading your novels; first Sharpe, then the Grail Quest and finally Starbuck (I do hope you will write more at some point!). Reading 'Copperhead' the other day, a thought struck me - have you ever considered doing a novel based around Patrick Lassan's military career? Thank you once again for the stories

Harry

Hello Mr Cornwell, would like to say firstly that I'm a massive fan especially of Sharpe and Starbuck.Not really fussed on the tv stuff as i dont think they do the books justice. I was just wondering if you had noticed some of the slight mistakes in the Sharpe series such as in Devil Sharpe makes the thought that he has never fought on a ship but obviously he was at Trafalgar which he wouldn't have forgotten. Would it be possible to release the entire series re edited as a whole boxed set maybe as an e book set at first to test the water? I hope I haven't stepped over the line but would love to read the the series from Tiger to Devil in order with no contradictions. Many thanks, A fan. PS Please write a conclusion to Starbuck!

Nathan Scully

I'm fifteen and a big fan of your books. I've read the every book in the Saxon Stories except the newest one, Agincourt, the first two books in the Grail Quest, and the three Sharpe books in India. you're a big inspiration for me because I want to be a writer some day and i love history. Even though I'm from America I love reading about British history. I had one question though about the Grail Quest and Agincourt. Both of the main characters in the books are British archers whose names having something to do with Hook. Thomas of Hookton and Nick Hook. Is this a coincidence or is it intentional?
Cole

I was wondering if you are ever going to do books on 9th-10th Century Ireland and if you do I recommend that you write about the Kingdom of Ui'Maine of which my ancestors were rulers from 936 ad onwards until the kingdoms conquest by the English. Jordan O'Kelly Ashford. Ps Love all your books