Dear Bernard.
A quick note of appreciation for the joy and inspiration your writing has given me (and countless others) over many decades. I have immersed myself repeatedly in Sharpe and The Last Kingdom series and admire immensely the depth of your research and the hard yards that go into crafting the finished story. I have recently resumed a writing career that began in the early 1990s with two books published by Hodder & Stoughton. A novel, The Soul Stone, was generously endorsed by author Morris West, but then life and a career that paid a living intervened until recent times that have, after a long hiatus, produced two new novels. I mention this merely to acknowledge the hard graft that goes into story telling even before you put a finger on a keyboard. I hope 2025 is a return to a less fraught year than your description of 2024 and that slowing down can be taken off the agenda.
With kind regards
Brad Collis, Melbourne Australia