Dear Mr Cornwell

Like all others here I’m a huge fan. I was part of the group that met you before the talk in Newcastle last fall. Let me just say that I’m from Uppsala and see if that rings a bell.

I have some questions regarding the development of the Sharpe series. I started reading them late in 2015 after thinking I had no interest in the period. Boy was I wrong. Loving every word in them and they’ve opened up a whole new field of interest for me in the Napoleonic wars.

I’ve been reading them chronologically naturally and not in the order published. Realising after a few books in what way you actually wrote them, filling in the gaps in the story with new books after releasing Sharpe’s Waterloo, I was mildly said impressed. It must be incredibly difficult to make it work and not getting any critical inconsistencies in the story. I don’t really care to much if one would be there, but I really can’t find any. The story works excellently for me and I would never have noticed without knowing. Sure Richard  travels a lot and participates in a whole lot of battles that a real person wouldn’t manage or survive but hey it’s a story.

 

My questions are

  1. Could you say something of how you worked writing the books to make sure the story stuck together consistency wise without to obvious logical errors like girlfriends, story plots, side characters, actual history and such?

 

  1. Are there any chronology errors or plot holes in the story that you are aware of that came from writing the story like you did?

 

  1. You hinted to us in Newcastle that you were considering writing another Sharpe that takes place right after Waterloo but before the French final surrender. I saw in another post here that you were open for the possibility of even two Sharpe books. IF that was the case, are there any specific “holes” in the story from 1803 to 1821 you would have liked to fill? Any battles he missed? Any adventures you wanted to send him on but never did? No commitments, I’m just curious as to what would tempt you to take care of.
  2. I’m personally fascinated by the French side of the Napoleonic wars and Napoleon as a person and general. Have you ever been considered writing of “the other side” of the conflict. The battles of Marengo, Austerlitz, Jena, Auerstadt, Wagram and so on (notice how I conveniently stopped right at 1809) would be a gold mine of stories to put on paper. Or is this just “not your cup of tea”?

 

Thank you again for all the stories. I can honestly not imagine how my life would look if I hadn’t picked up Azincourt, my first BC book, at Oslo airport all those years ago.

 

Best regards

Uppsala