Your Questions

Q

After having read 20 of your 21 Sharpe books back-to-back I know now that Sharpe became something of a reader courtesy of Lady Grace and Madame Lucille but that his writing was somewhat hesitant. So when I stumbled across a penciled note left in a mid-19th-century volume on Wellington's Peninsular Wars in an ancient book shop in a back alley in Greenwich, signed 'R. Sharpe, wondering if his elder daughter still looked like him and who his father might be, I thought I would ask you if it could possibly be a note from one Richard Sharpe?

I also read the fascinating book by Linda Blandford on the making of 'Sharpe's Challenge' and she mentions that a character in your Starbuck Chronicles, Patrick Lassen, is Sharpe's son. Is that true? If so, I'm going to have to broaden my reading schedule as I am now suffering Sharpe withdrawal until 'Sharpe's Fury' finally arrives from amazon. Yours in history, Susan James

Submitted September 13, 2006

A

Must be - man now has a separate life from me.

It is true that Patrick Lassan is Sharpe's (and Lucille's) son. You will find him also mentioned in the short story 'Sharpe's Ransom' (found in the Sharpe's Christmas booklet).

Q

Dear Sir, I have just completed Lords of the North and am very impressed by your understanding of Norse thinking and religion. But would you please refrain from using "Valhal" in the genitive case, i.e. "Valhalla" and which spoils a little of my pleasure reading your novels. And I wonder if there is a fourth novel coming on Uthred's coming home at last(?) Year and Peace A Valiant Viking - Henrik Mortensen -

Submitted September 13, 2006

A

I'm truly sorry it spoils your pleasure. There's a problem here. I don't doubt what you say, but nevertheless Valhalla is the usual English form, and that's the language I write in, and it's sanctified by the OED. The vast majority of readers know it as that, and would find the form Valhal a bit odd, which isn't necessarily a good reason not to use it, but I chose to go with the English form and I fear (oh dear) that I'm going to stick with it. The Old Norse is Valhall, but in German it's Walhalla, similar to the English, so I'm not convinced that I'm way off course with it. Sorry.

Q

Just finished The Pale Horseman (Great!)and was wondering where the back cover photo was taken. My wife and I both think the land in the background looks like Great Island in Wellfleet. I'm guessing the photo was taken off Chequesset Neck Road or near Mayo Beach in Wellfleet. Am I close?? Thanks - I'm looking forward to Uhtred's next campaign. Garrett Moynihan Eastham. MA

Submitted September 13, 2006

A

That picture was taken on Pleasant Bay in Chatham (that's Strong Island in the background).

Q

Dear Bernard After noticing a lot of the debates about the Baker Rifle and US rifles. In Donald Hickeys book Don't Give Up the Ship The myths of the war of 1812. He did compare The two main rifles (Sprinfield Rifle and Pennsylvaia rifle) used by US forces against the Baker. Cannot remember the conclusion. But the gist was while the Sprinfield was essentialy a poorman's version the Pennsylvania could shoot further than the Baker but was not as tough under combat conditions. btw You have said you will not bring Sharpe to the war of 1812 but have you considered bringing an American rifle unit over to fight Sharpe in Spain/south france and so bringing the war to him. All the best Geraint

Finally is it likely that a future Sharpe book will cover the battle of ST-Pierre on the Nive a very near run thing??? Geraint

Submitted September 13, 2006

A

I would if they had, but they didn't so I won't, is the quick answer! It's a nice idea, but a bit out of left field for me. The frogs are bad enough without adding a group of vengeful American riflemen!

More than likely!

Q

Greetings Mr. Cornwell I know you get this alot, but thank you for the many, many hours of enjoyble reading. I have read them all at least once, if not twice. In the next year or two, I want to travel to Great Britain and visit the sites you have written about. If you would be traveling there for the first time, knowing what you know now, what would you want to see if you had maybe a week worth of vacation? Would you use, or could you recomend, a touring company? Thanks for the help and hope you and your family have many enjoyable years to come. Jim J.

Submitted September 13, 2006

A

I probably wouldn't recommend a touring company, but that may be because I know the place too well! It isn't difficult to hire a car and do it yourself (driving on the left is easy, though the gas (petrol) prices are horrendous!). I'd recommend hiring a car at Heathrow and heading away from London. Do a week in the west country - Stonehenge, Avebury, Salisbury, Maiden Castle in Dorset, Corfe Castle, Sherborne - dozens of other things to see down there. Get a good guidebook - the Michelin Green Guide is good, and have fun!

Q

Dear Mr Cornwell: I, like so many others, am a huge fan of all of your novels, but what interests me is what is that motivates you to choose the periods of history and the conflicts that you do. Have you ever considered basing novels around other conflicts, such as World War I? I think your style would so suit a novel set around Flanders, Ypres and the Somme! Many thanks, Mike Taylor

Submitted September 13, 2006

A

I think you have to be interested in a period to write about it, and for some reason the First World War has never engaged me, and I doubt it ever will. Perhaps our engagement with history, or my enegagement at least, is romantic - and I find the Napoleonic and early mediaeval much more appealing.

Q

Hypothetically speaking, where chronologically will Richard Sharpe be appearing next? I think it would be safe to assume that 1809-15 would be difficult to add another book to? How about having Sharpe In 1804 where the Holkar army successfully defeated the British army in Kota and forced them out from Agra. The British somehow managed to defend Delhi. However in November 1804 the British army somehow managed to defeat a contingent of Holkar army but they were defeated at Bharatpur in 1805. (British)? Hope you don't mind me making a suggestion, just thought it would be interesting to see how Sharpe would have reacted to being in that type of situation during the Second Anglo-Maratha war?
Joshua Selig

Submitted September 13, 2006

A

I shall keep him going chronologically, so I shall just have to deal with the 09-15 difficulties! I messed up the continuity sufficiently by writing a second series overlaying the first, without compounding the difficulties by adding a third series! So the next book will be post Sharpe's Fury, probably sometime in 1811.

Q

Dear Mr Cornwell, is there any Chinese version of your publications? Kay Faan

Submitted September 13, 2006

A

There are not, currently, any Chinese translations of my books.

Q

I'm not too sure where or to whom this is going to but here I go. I'm twenty years old and currently a student (just begining my final year). I'm looking to write my first book over the next couple of years and am in need of some advice. I've heard of few if any succesful authors that have begun at my age, is this because young people generally produce poor books and or will the industry not take a chance on someone my age? Am I wasting my time? I have barely begun writing as most of my knowledge is from the many books that I have read, I'm dubious of investing too much time commiting words to paper before I have the neccesary knowledge. I have read the advice on this website for first time writers and have resolved to put into practice some of your advice. At what point in the writing of the script should I consider contacting an agent? Will it be a costly (to me personally) legal process in order to get a book pubished? Andrew

Submitted September 13, 2006

A

Don't give up! Your last question first - there is NO legal cost to publishing a book. The only cost to you is time, paper, computer, etc. There are, in truth, no legal tangles at all. Copyright is automatic, and unless you plagiarise (don't) then the foul swarm of lawyers will leave you entirely alone, concentrating their ire on vulnerable widows and sad orphans instead.

The usual reason that young authors find it difficult to be published is really quiite simple. Most of us write what we know about, and when you're young you don't know as much as when you're old. But some do get published, because they write a good book, and that's honestly the key to the whole thing. You may not have the experience of the world that infuses a book with realism, but you have experience of a world, and if you can bring that to life, and tell a story, then publishers will be interested. As to when you submit a book to an agent, my advice is when it's finished. You can, if you like, submit, say, three chapters with a synopsis of the unfinished rest, and that can work just fine. But if you really want to write, then you will write, and in the end it will (might) work. Good luck!

Q

I'm an English teacher in Louisiana, and I was curious as to what evidence exists that suggests Alfred the Great may have had Crohn's disease. I have this disease myself, so I'm intrigued. If you could point me to the research I'd be grateful. By the way, EVERYONE has been telling me to read "The Last Kingdom" because I researched the Anglo-Saxon period for my Master's (my thesis was on "The Dream of the Rood"). I finally have done so, and I LOVE it! Thank you.
James Houston

Submitted September 11, 2006

A

I have an idea, which could be wrong, that I read a discussion of this in Alfred P Smyth's book The Medieval Life of Alfred the Great, but I can't check because the book isn't here. But Crohn's is only a guess - making diagnoses over the distance of a thousand years is tricky at best, and dependent on scanty information, but Crohn's does seem a viable suggestion.