Dear Mr. Cornwell, Greetings. My name is Joel, and for a year now I’ve been a fan of your creations. It started when my father, an Amazon junkie, purchased the Sharpe DVD box set. After watching the first few episodes I became hooked and created a Sharpe group on Facebook. The group is now the largest Sharpe group on Facebook, at over 1000, and we our offering support to NOS and Sharpe Chefs. I also read your books, and just recently picked up the Saxon Tales. From the first paragraph of The Last Kingdom to the last line of Lords of the North, I was not able to put the books down. I would be nose deep in Sword Song, but it has yet to be released over here in the US. Yes, I am an American, and this brings me to my point of inquiry. As an American my understanding of the Sharpe series has been challenged by an English native who verbalized his disappointment that the group was not founded by an Englishman and said, “It is our history and culture and I defy you to truly identify with it in the same way.” What are you views on this? Is there a preferred lens in which Sharpe should be viewed and identified. As Sharpe’s creator I would find your thoughts most enlightening. Thank you very much. Your fan Joel D. Castro