Bernard –
I am not one to write fan emails, but your books have been such a constant source of pleasure that I feel compelled to reach out to simply thank you for your adventures. In an interesting way, your books (and I am very much an avid reader of your stories) take me back to my time as a child (I am 69 now!) when I was swept away by such flights of historical imagination. Your stories have had a similar effect; quite remarkable. I also appreciate your advice to new writers. I am a relatively new novelist having published my first novel in 2017 called Bronxland, a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age story set in the Bronx, circa 1960s. It was a labor of love and frankly it was hard to let go of these pages. It’s probably not a good idea for an author to be too immersed in his words, but there is this wonderful, strange intimacy in the storytelling (I hope that makes some sense.) In any case, just a thank you note for the many years I have spent with your storytelling. I’m looking forward to the next and the next.
All best,
Paul