Echoes of the Storm You may recall that my first ever published story was “A Glimmer of Hope” in the Star Wars Adventure Journal. I always planned to write a sci fi novel, but I fell in love with 12th century British history (and with the two knights Sir Henry & Sir Stephan). Some of…
Richard was born in Oxford in 1157, the third son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. He became King of England in July 1189 on the death of his father, with whom he’d been fighting, and not for the first time. He inherited an empire that stretched from the Scottish border across the English…
Eleanor of Aquitaine b. 1124, d. 1 Apr 1204 Queen of France, married to Louis VII from 1137-1152. (Marriage annulled, though she & Louis had 2 daughters.) Queen of England, married to Henry II, 1152-1189. She and Henry had 8 children, including Richard (the Lionheart) and John (of Magna Carta fame). Eleanor makes appearances in all…
An excerpt from Swords of the King 26 March 1199 Châlus-Chabrol was bleak and cold that twenty-sixth day of March. Days of nasty weather and the recalcitrant traitors inside the castle were trying the king’s patience. Hammers beat steadily throughout the day, and siege machines loosed one barrage after another. While the sappers dug ever…
25 March 1194 The chronicler Roger de Hoveden tells us “that those who were in the [Nottingham] castle…were astonished, and were confounded and alarmed, and trembling came upon them; but still they could not believe that the king had come, and supposed that the whole of this was done by the chiefs of the army for…
Check out the full review on the HNS website. And then pick up your copy: Available in print and ebook on Amazon. You can also purchase copies on Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, AppleBooks, and other online retailers.
I am thrilled that readers with indieBRAG have honored Swords of the King with a B.R.A.G. Medallion. Swords is the third book in my Battle Scars series to receive this wonderful award. WOW!! indieBRAG – the Book Readers Appreciation Group – recognizes self-published authors through a tough review process. Several independent readers must give…
May you have a wonderful holiday seasonand the best to you & yours in 2019. I hope you enjoyed Helen Hollick’s short story extravaganza on Discovering Diamonds this month featuring stories from more than 20 writers. Scroll down for the list of authors and links! I contributed this contemporary Christmas-themed story – Love in 140 –…
Check out my post on English Historical Fiction Authors about the Lionheart’s attempt to return home after his departure from the Holy Land in October 1192. Pirates, shipwrecks, evil dukes, emperors, kings, and a dastardly brother… Truth. Not fiction.
I hope you aren’t missing the series of character interviews on Helen’s blog every Friday. Authors are always getting interviewed, but Helen, with the folks at IndieBRAG, had the brilliant idea to interview characters from novels. I was lucky enough to be invited – rather, Sir Stephan l’Aigle from my medieval novels was invited to Helen’s…
November 26 – December 3 Get Men of the Cross (ebook) for 99c/99p on US and UK Amazon ><><><><><><>< Charlene Newcomb recently published Book III of Battle Scars, 12th century historical fiction filled with war, political intrigue, and a knightly romance of forbidden love set during the reign of Richard the Lionheart. There will be more to come,…
King Philip of France and John, brother of King Richard I (the Lionheart), colluded to keep Richard a prisoner of Henry VI, the Holy Roman Emperor. Sounds like fiction, doesn’t it? Something out of Hollywood? Hard to believe, but it’s true. Roger de Hoveden, a contemporary chronicler, wrote about the evil conspirators’ offer to the…
