Your Questions

Cannot stop reading your books Mr Cornwell and I still continue to be amazed at the historical detail you include, Azincourt was a masterpiece. Surely there can be no finer way to learn about conflict and British military history through the ages than to read a Bernard Cornwell book! Any chance that you might be in the UK to promote your latest book, The Burning Land before the end of the year? Many thanks for continued fantastic fiction!

Kevan Timms

dear Mr Cornwell,I would just like to take the time to thank you for the Sharpe novels. I started reading Sharpe back in 1994 and was instantly hooked, when you decided to go back and do the Sharpe pre peninsular novels it made my day, I still read and re read the first three time and time again. I was just wondering if you had any plans to do a story about Sharpe's daughter (with Teresa) as I think she would have quite a fiery temperament, I think she would be a fantastic character. kind regards Matt Brooks

Dear Mr Cornwell, I am a huge fan of yours, am currently reading your books so far about Uhtred, fantastic. I have one question, how do you get such vivid and compelling descriptions of so many different aspects of life and warfare? When reading about fighting in a shield wall I can imagine it as you are writing it, similarly with the Sharpe series and so on. Do you do historical re-enactments or is it purely book research? By the way, can you please write more of the Uhtred books soon, I'm nearly finished the ones so far! Kind regards, Martin Pratchett

Hi Mr. Cornwell, I was wondering if you were still planning on writing more on the Starbuck Chronicles? I know your web site says you intend to but just wanted to know if you've given it any additional thought. Obviously I'm a fan. I've read the first three and I'm hooked. Thank you for taking time to read our email! Christian

hi Bernard, I had a question about the battle of Talavera- I know that the capture of the eagle was a fiction, but was the battle a British victory? I thought it was really inconclusive, yet (maybe to my eyes, of course) it seemed a victory in the novel (although it was not said what was the outcome of the whole battle) and did as many British as French troops die? I imagine the French suffered more casualties, but...

Teo

Hi Bernard, I've bothered you quite a bit of late with questions. I promise this will be the last one for a while. I'm just wondering how you harness your research?? What I mean is, do you simply underline passages in books or capture useful information in a notebook. I find I read something useful but then when I want to use it, I can't exactly remember the source or what exactly I read. At other times I hear a useful quip or expression in a pub but then can't remember it later. Is it a case of keeping a notebook to jot down ideas, research references etc?? Regards Willie

I read the book where Sharpe is on his way to England on board ship and he is a Sergent still. What I would like to know if there is a gap there? As the next book does not to cover how he became a Lieutenant and was in the Rifles and in Spain. Have I missed a book? I have read your Sharpe series with pleasure and I am starting over again. It is a great arm chair series of books and I enjoying them again. I am now reading "Sharpe's Enemies". Thanks- Ervin W Schrader

I have been a fan of the Warlord Chronicles for many years, I read them at least once a year. I just started reading Sword Song. I just read where Uhtred states "Fate is inescapable." Being a fan of the Chronicles Merlin quite often states "Fate is inexorable." Is this something that you live by?

Shannon Aldi-Hogan

Hi Mr. Cornwell, When you first wrote your Sharpe series, did you approach your publisher with one finished book and plans for others? Or did you have several done already? The reason I ask is I have finished the first book in what I plan to be a series on the Napoleonic wars from the French perspective (we write what we want to read, as you always say). I have a general outline for the other books and have started book 2 but was wondering if it's better to have several of a series done? Would it be hard to sell the idea of a series with just one book done and never having published one before? You're right, one page a day and you have a book in a year, and that's about how long it took, just over a year. Thanks for your writing advice on your site and for this forum where you interact with your readers. Such accessibility is admirable. Art

I finished Agincourt recently and was pleasantly surprised-I say that only because you have me chomping at the bit for the next in the Saxon Stories...and more Sharpe...So here is my question: Why are your books published first in the UK? I hope the answer is more logistical in nature because I would be very disappointed if the cousins were getting preferential treatment!

Robert Draper