Your Questions

Hello Mr. Cornwell. Like everyone else, I am looking forward to Sharpe's Challenge. Can you tell me if there will be anything true-to-life about the setting of the story, or will the whole historical context be ficticious? Alan Kempner

Hello Mr. Cornwell. I have been a major fan of your books for some time having seen the television series when it first came out. May I ask if any of the Chosen Men from your Sharpe series were based upon real characters not only from the Peninsula War but also from other aspects of the Napoleonic Wars. I was just wondering, due to have read something about a Lietenant Colonel Sharpe in Richard Holmes book "Redcoats". If you could reply soon that will be brilliant. Thank you. Warwick Louth

Hi Bernard, While working in Malaysia my wife called meto say there saw a new book by you out. I knew which one it was even though I didn't even know the title at the tiem. "Buy it" was the excited response. So a shiny hardback copy of the Pale Horseman was waiting for me on my return to UK. I sat and read it from end to end in one sitting. Unsurprisingly I loved it and can't wait until the next volume appears. However, there was one fly in the ointment. The publishers saw fit to add black and white (ok, lets call it dark grey) images of the battlefield at Ethandun to the pages refering to that event. Then printed over them. This did not exactly enhance the reading experience, more encrypt the text. I know the publishers do things without you knowing but this had the effect of stopping be dead in my tracks. Until I found a magnifying glass to help me decrypt the affected passages. Thankfully not too many. Has Uhtred found his 'Harper' in Pyrlig? I do hope so. What a wonderful character. By the way, Hogan died of a fever. Yes, I have all the Sharpe books and must say, as an ex-soldier myself, I find Sharpe immensely easy to identify with. Steve Navesey

Dear Bernard, I recall several readers' questions asking you which actors might play certain of your characters, and your reply was that you would leave it up to the casting people. However, I was wondering if you do have any particular actors that you admire, not the actors themselves but their performances. I think actors and writers are very similiar creatures, both being charged with the task of protraying a story and characters to the audience/readership. Different methods of doing it, obviously, but with ultimately the same aim. To make for a good story. I personally will watch anything with Daniel Day Lewis in it, because of the sheer mastery he has of his craft. You possess the same gift. The gift of being able to absorb someone into the scenes you are creating. So, I was just wondering if you have a particular actor/movie/performance that sticks out in your memory. I'm just curious! Thanks. Paul Reid, County Cork.

Mr Cornwell, No need for continued praise as your work simply speaks for your excellence in this field. A simple question but I will attempt to re phrase it from those normally posed. Why, considering your natural conclusion to other series', did you never finish Starbuck? It certainly wasn't down to writers block, as history is written. Certainly poor sales would not be an issue considering your readership and new readers would only purchase the previous issues. As an avid reader, who fills his time between your publications with Scarrow (not really competition) and Conn Iggulton (an excellent author in your tradition) it really would be nice if you would conclude Starbuck, I (we) have after all been waiting for a number of years. Imagine you favourite author/director/tv producer doing something similar. With best regards and thanks for many endless hours of enjoyable reading and red wine. Matt

Dear Mr. Cornwell, I love the books! Any thoughts of doing a series based upon the Crusades?
Sean

Bernard, I'm sure you are asked this on a regular basis, but do you have any plans for writing a new Sharpe novel any time soon? It is rare that I find a book, or series, that I feel inspired to re-read (Tolkien's Shirelings not withstanding) so I hope you'll be pleased that I hold Richard in such high regard, and would like to follow him on another sojourn across the Spanish Peninsular. Kind regards Kevin

Hi Big and all that... Anyways you say that you are still writing Sharpe books and mother and I would like to know how long we have to wait for another installment if there will be one. Thanks Rhett Prentice P.S. You're the Man

You made a fantastic 4 part documentary on the penninsular war-Is it available on DVD?
Mike Philpott

Dear Bernard, I am a hug fan of your books and have been for some time now. I have all your books and am hungry for more. As you wrote at the end of the historical note in The Bloody Ground, 'Starbuck will march again', do you have any plans to write any more Starbuck chronicles? Are there any plans to write about Patrick Lassan and his time in the Crimea? Keep up the good work! Stephen Hall, Durham

My husband and I have enjoyed all your books over the years, I especially enjoyed Stonehenge and Gallows Thief. We have also found another Author called David J. Horne from Scotland UK who has written a good story ( Publisher's copy reader not too good) We thought that you might enjoy his book. The Lord Keepers. Also I would like to know if there will be any more in the Gallows Thief books? Keep writing, Andrewina Henry