Hi, I am a great fan of your books, The Grail Quest series being my favourites, but my wife hates it when I start one as she can’t get a sensible word out of me for a couple of days thereafter! I am also particularly fond of Patrick O’Brian’s Aubury/Maturin novels for, while they do not have the pace of your books, over the series it is impossible not to feel as though you had been allowed to vicariously live a fantastic life that modern suburbia (or wherever) simply does not permit. Now to my question (it had to happen eventually!). I once read a glowing recommendation you had written of that series of books whose success is undeniable, but later, on a radio programme you said that the language of the day (Give you joy, and so forth) would be difficult to sell to a modern readership. I just wondered why you thought that what worked for Aubury wouldn’t work for Sharpe? With kindest regards, JKM