Dear Mr. Cornwell, I am a huge fan of your Sharpe books and have read many of them. I am amazed that the books were not created sequentially. My question: How much of his story did you know or had you fashioned before you began writing the first book? And how important is it to know the whole story if you’re writing about merely one year or one period in a character’s life? Incidentally I really enjoyed your discourse on that perilous voyage of writing a first novel. I too am interested in writing historical novels. If you could get back to me I’d greatly appreciate it. Thanks, Bob