Mr. Cornwell, thanks for the detailed reply to my inquiries of 10/06. Hope you enjoyed “Angels in Iron.” I was wondering when the next Sharpe tale is slated to appear, and where you see his next adventure taking him. Also, I am curious to know if you’ve ever envisioned having Sharpe and Harper travel “east”, perhaps on some mission involving them with the Austrian or Russian armies? (If it could be made to fit the stories’ timeline, of course. Even Sharpe can’t fight in two theaters at once.) Britain’s “other” allies haven’t figured as much in the novels that I recall. It would likely be interesting to see Richard interact with Russians, Swedes, Austrians, Piedmontese, etc., and maybe take a part in some of those battles? Indeed, as Archduke Charles is reckoned Bonaparte’s most gifted opponent next to Wellington and handed the French some stinging setbacks, I suspect he would be an interesting fellow for Sharpe to meet.

One last question: have you ever considered addressing in fiction the Anglo/French/Spanish war of 1778-1783? The global aspect of our Revolution is sometimes overlooked in the U.S., and the French forces turned in probably their best performance of the entire 18th century. The reconstituted Marine Royale seems to have more than held its own with the British fleet. The lesser-known Spanish efforts were equally critical in their own right. There’s so much rich soil to be mined for great fiction–Gibraltar, the war in India, the West Indies, fierce naval actions such as Ushant, the Saintes, etc. I enjoyed ‘Redcoat’ and wondered if this other aspect ever crossed your mind. I look forward to ‘Sword Song’, plenty more Sharpe and of course the return to battle of Nate Starbuck! Thanks again. MARC New York , U.S.A.