Dear Bernard,

Firstly I would like to thank you for inspiring my love of reading, I started with the sharpe books which I still love. Obviously Sean bean was greatly cast for the tv role and this is what initially sparked my interest. However sharpe was left behind when I read the stories of Thomas of Hookton and Starbuck, and of course now especially since I’m from the north east and a regular visitor Bambrugh as a child, Uhtred I think is your greatest creation to date. I just wondered how you felt about the casting of Uhtred, no doubt a talented actor but I can’t replace the image I have had in my head for years. I look forward to hearing from you.

Keep up the great work

Steven Forth