Charlene Newcomb

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  • #OTD 1 April 1204 Eleanor of Aquitaine dies

    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…

  • Mini-teasers for Book III, Swords of the King

    Have a line or two… But first – voting is still open for the Summer Indie Award. Go vote, preferably for one or both of my books. Historical: http://goo.gl/zK9veqThen come back here to see what is in store for Battle Scars, Book III! Okay, now that you’re back… I want to get into the habit of…

  • Excerpt from Men of the Cross

    Book II? Well, I can’t buy that because I haven’t read Book I. Of course, I would love you to read both Battle Scars books, though I think – as does at least 1 reviewer – that For King and Country will work as a stand-alone. But let me entice you with a scene from Book…

  • The Lionheart’s fleet arrives in Acre, June 1191

    King Richard I of England had mustered his troops in March 1190 in Tours (now part of France) and set out for the Holy Land to answer the Pope’s call for the Third Crusade. After wintering in Messina, Sicily, his fleet – some 200 vessels strong – sailed east. Storms made the journey harrowing and…

  • Excerpt from For King and Country

    Henry tried to shut out Marian and Robin’s voices as he and Stephan left. The wooden stairs creaked beneath their feet. At the landing, Henry heard Hugh settling his father for the night. Edward’s muffled laugh sounded, familiar and comforting, reminiscent of days long past. Candlelight flickered beneath Bea’s door. She was singing softly, a…

  • Excerpt from For King and Country

    Chapter 1 Drums. Dear God, not the drums. Henry de Grey shuddered and blinked against the mid-afternoon sun. Streaks of light shimmered through the trees like blades of a hundred broadswords. Stephan l’Aigle stirred beside the young knight, but then lay still, like Henry, listening. At the water’s edge, the knights’ horses perked their ears.…

  • Coming soon! Battle Scars Book II: For King and Country

    I am waiting on the full cover from the cover designer for ‪For King and Country. With that in hand, I can order print proofs to share with some first readers, not only for their impressions of the novel, but also to have a few more pairs of eyes looking for those obnoxious typos. I have started formatting the ebook, too.…

  • A short snippet from For King and Country

    ‪#‎morethan1line‬ ‪#‎ForKingandCountry‬ ‪#‎comingsoon‬ “It may be in the king’s interest and in the interest of England that you take a wife.” Henry tried to make light of Eleanor’s comment. “Pity that poor woman. And here I believed it was only my father I need worry about.” Eleanor laughed, her voice husky. “There is always a higher authority.”…

  • Cover reveal – For King and Country

    I am thrilled to finally share the book cover for Book II of Battle Scars, For King and Country. with you! Many thanks to Travis at probookcovers.com for being patient and working through my list of suggestions. As we decided on the initial concept, which obviously needed a similar look to Book I, Men of the Cross, I…