Hi Bernard Your replies to those fans who clamour for more Sharpe are starting to sound frighteningly like the replies you give the Starbuck fans ie – “will get back to it one day”! I’ve always taken this to be a euphemism for “I’ve moved on now why don’t you?” so I am getting a bit worried as I love Sharpe! You’ve stated that he is one of your favourite characters so I’m hoping that there will indeed be more stories. Personally I’d love a collection of short stories perhaps post-war where Sharpe gets to meet up with men he’s befriended over the years ( from both sides).

On another note entirely I understand that filmakers buy the rights to books and then adapt them for movies/TV – and you always say you have no problem with the way your Sharpe books have been adapted- but what happens when there is no book to buy eg Sharpe’s Justice which wasn’t based on anything you’d written? Do they buy the rights to the characters rather than the book? How do you ensure the integrity of your characters? Just curious…. best wishes, Fiona