Hello Mr. Cornwell,
I have been reading your material since I was in my early 20’s. I believe the first book of yours that I read was the Winter King and I have been hooked since. I am dying to ask about one scene in the Saxon Chronicles though. I believe it is early in the second book, The Pale Horseman, where Uhtred is forced to grovel on his knees to the king. Did you intend for that scene to be so funny? Or did it just kinda come out that way? It does seem slightly out of place in regards to the overall tone and feel of the rest of the series, which is the only reason I ask. The comic relief there is seriously one of my favorites of all the reading I have ever done, if not the absolute favorite. I shared the series with my dad, who also thought it was hilarious and we still mention it to this day each time you release a new installment in the series.  And to top it off, my wife also thought it was hysterical. To take up just a few more moments of your time, I have to tell you how she read it. She was sitting in one of my children’s classrooms reading in the back. When she got to that scene she literally laughed out loud and had to excuse herself from the classroom because then the “you’re not supposed to laugh, but I can’t stop laughing” effect kicked in. I then got a text half chiding me for not preparing her for the scene, but only half :). Anyway, thank you for the quality books throughout the years. So long as you keep weaving the tales, my family and I will continue to read them.
Joe