Hello Mr Cornwell,

hope you’re keeping well. Couple of questions. The first one is, I understand George MacDonald Fraser was working on a last Flashman book before he died – since you knew him so well have you any idea what period it was going to be about?

(Don’t tell me it was going to be the American Civil War at last – that would be too cruel, although I suppose to a Brit like Flashman the Civil War was kind of a side show).

The other thing is, when you created Sharpe, I guess Hornblower was the primary inspiration for the character, but were there any others? Flashman again, perhaps? Others? Or was he literally just born in a flash?

By the way, I loved ‘Wildtrack’ and I thought it was the best Thriller I ever read – you did what few thriller writers do: give the main character a personality!

Thanks!

Isaac Glynn