Hi Bernard First I thought I would comment by telling you what an absolute pleasure it was reading the Starbuck chronicles. I have always been into my history and from a very young age started watching Sharpe on tv. For that reason I chose not to pursue the Sharpe books as I felt having already seen Sean Bean playing Sharpe it would be difficult to build up my own image. For this reason I chose to read the Starbuck chronicles instead and I can honestly say I had read all 4 of them within a couple of weeks and was disappointed when they finished. My brother on hearing me drone on about how good the books were bought me Sharpe’s Escape for Christmas. He pointed out that this specific Sharpe adventure was never on the tv and thought it would be worth getting me as a present. I was not disappointed when I started reading it and like with the Starbuck chronicles I cannot put the book down. Anyway I am emailing you just for a bit of advice/a few questions which I hope you might be able to answer for me. I am currently in the process of trying to write my own novel and obviously I find it hard and frustrating to find the time to actually sit down and get some typing done as I am trying to balance it with full time work and spending time with my girlfriend. There are some times when I just feel like giving up as it feels like I will never get it finished. How long did it take for you to complete your first novel and how many drafts did it take before you sent it off? My second question might sound a bit strange and without going into to much detail but the story I am attempting to write is set at the backdrop of the Anglo-Dutch war of 1665 but is also based around the Caribbean islands. I am trying to do as much research as I can but to make life easier on myself (mainly due to rarely having the time to do in depth research) I have invented a made up English Colony/island in the Caribbean islands and will use that as a key component of the story. Do you think this is a good/acceptable technique to use for Historical fiction or would it perhaps spoil my story or be seen as stupid by any publication companies? Sorry if that last question sounds a bit silly and I apologise for going on with my questions, but I would be delighted if you could get back to me with some advice or answers to my questions. Hope to hear from you soon Yours Sincerely Liam Murphy