I am a 15 year old school student and I began reading your novels at the start of the year and have been enthralled by them all. First I read the Arthur books and I am trying to read the Sharpe books in near chronological order. I love how you have made me feel as if I am in the story. It almost feels as if I can actually hear the bullets flying past me. Another thing I love about this series of novels is that whilst telling the story you educate the reader so you can almost think like a soldier. There are three questions I would like to ask you. My first question is how did you fit the fictional characters into the story around the real characters whilst still keeping it story as close to the actual battles as you can? You have obviously put a lot of resarch into making these novels. I would love one day to visit the locations for the battles of the Sharpe series but have you visited every location for the battles and are they exactly as they are described in your novels? Finally are your ideas for each series something that you have been interested in since childhood? I eagerly await your reply, David Hart