Your Questions

I teach fifth grade language arts in Texas. My students love video games and stories about war. We are studying the Anglo-Saxon influence on the English language. I told them about the Uhtred books I have read. One student said there was a movie made based on those books. Is there? My husband and I enjoy your books. He likes reading them while I enjoy listening to the books on tape. Anxious to read the upcoming book. Susan Coley

Hi, read sword song it was great. I appreciate your time in answering all of my questions but I have one last question about the Saxon stories, what happened to Uhtred's horse Witnere after THE LORDS OF THE NORTH, is this horse the same horse as "SMOCA" in SWORD SONG ? thanks Adam

I have no doubt that your characters spring entirely from your own imagination - but is it coincidence that there was a Rifleman Harris in the 95th Rifles who served during the Peninsular War? I haven't read Sharpe's Company, but there's a brief shot in the film which shows Harris mending shoes, and the real-life Harris was a cobbler. It's also ironic that the real-life Harris is remembered for his memoirs, "The Recollections of Rifleman Harris", still on sale: while Jason Salkey has produced "The Video Diaries of Rifleman Harris", now on-sale. Apologies for sounding like one of those obsessives, scrabbling around on the internet for scraps of trivia - it was quite a coincidence!
Jen

Dear Bernard, If Richard Sharpe had actually existed, and if he had incredible foresight, what do you think he would have made of the cult of celebrity that now surrounds him, all those fans and fawning women and jealous men? I reckon he might swear... Paul Reid

Your Sharpe series continues to delight me. As I'm an aspiring author/storyteller I would be interested in how you go about writing a Sharpe novel or any from your other series. Do you consult history books first? Is there a particular month or season you start the first draft? Do you have 'weekends' or write every day?

Also, do you think in the future you would write a novel centered around Austerlitz, like Redcoat as a stand alone? Keith Bignell

In your book "Sword Song" at the end of the Historical Notes you make a comment "Yet dreams, as the more fortunate of my characters discover, can come true and so Uhtred and his story will continue." Are there going to be more books concerning Uhtred? Roger Johnson

Hello there! I have just finished reading Sword Song, and have all of the others in both that series, and the Sharpes, the Civil War and I think perhaps all of your other publications! I simply cannot get enough of them or put them down... You may hear this alot, however I am eager to know if, or indeed when in terms of numbers of books in the future Utred will make his move on his home, and depose his relations in Northumbria. Thank you very much for your stories, I eagerly await the next installment! Should you ever visit the South coast and fancy a sail, I live on a 41 foot Van de Stadt Rebel of 1966 vintage and would love to give something back to my favourite author in return for all the pleasure you have bestowed on me! All the best, Ben

Shameful of you to portray us Welsh people in the Saxon stories as anything other than the height of sophistication :) As a lover of history, which you also clearly are, I would like to thank you for making an important era in our country's past come so much alive - which is surely the goal of any storyteller. I have a hundred questions I'd love to ask but I'll limit it to one on this occasion. How did you come to your conclusions as to what the shield wall would feel like for the participants? Are there old, historic descriptions you referred back to? Or did imagination run riot and do the trick? Thanks again for simply bloody good storytelling. Fireside stuff for cold winter nights :) Diolch. Geraint

Apologies for constantly pestering you, but I was wondering - in a number of Sharpes (it may happen in your other historical works as well) you refer to various songs (quoting a line, for example). Where did you find these? Also wondering about the feasibility of Hagman carting a fiddle around with him during the campaign... Thanks again for deigning to answer the queries of lowly fans like me: much appreciated and very rare! Jen

dear Mr. Cornwell, at any time during research for the Sharpe series have you come across mention of a pow camp around the Bristol area? I have found references to a notorious camp at NORMAN CROSS near Peterborough which was a den of forgery and by the time the peninsular war ended held somewhere in excess of 4000 prisoners. Recently I was watching an antiques show on tv and a model of a french ship of the line was discovered and was confirmed to have been handmade (beautifully)by a french pow at the camp and was accurate to the minutest detail. Sadly I have unable to trace any record of the camp. Thank you in advance of any help you may be able to give. Adrian Leigh.