Dear Bernard, I recently re-watched the Sharpe TV series for the first time since it was originally released. I am also enjoying the novels for the first time (so many! – the next few months of my life will be bliss!). My question is: do you have Sean Bean in mind when you write new Sharpe material? I suspect not as he is your creation, but I’m afraid my imagination is somewhat more limited and I can’t help but see him (and especially Pete Postlethwaite for Hawkeswill) when I read the books. How, if at all, has the series affected your writing? Tom Sugden