Dear Mr Cornwell,
I hope this finds you happy and in good health!
I have wanted to write to you for a number of years and – having just finished a rereading of The Fort (brilliant!) – am finally getting around to it.
In short, I would like to thank you for your (in my view) truly wonderful contribution to historical fiction. It is no overstatement to say that your books have been a source of great comfort to me for many years now. I was handed a copy of Sharpe’s Triumph by my grandfather at around age 10 and (now 32!) have never looked back.
Particularly at times when day-to-day life is stressful or otherwise challenging, it brings me endless joy to escape into one of your books. Whether harassing a French skirmish line with Dick Sharpe, hurling white-feathered death at charging knights alongside Thomas of Hookton, or standing shoulder to shoulder with Uhtred in the shield wall, reading your work never fails to put lightning in my bones.
You have brightened many a dull day, and even helped inspire me to attempt a novel of my own (with battle sequences that I dare hope might one day capture some of the same vivid colour and urgency as yours!).
Thank you for your many years of wonderful work!
With warm regards,
Luke Monro