Love your Saxon stories. Initially very skeptical. The detail is marvellous and the plots are exciting. Alfred has long been my personal hero. I wish the Alfred in your books was a little less of a religious nincompoop and a bit more of a warrior but he is an excellent foil for Uhtred so I forgive you. My question is; were you influenced by the author Alfred Duggan, who wrote a number of outstanding historical novels decades ago, including one about Alfred? Neil McTaggart