Charlene Newcomb

Blog

  • Talking All Things Medieval on E.M. Powell’s Blog

    Please stop by E.M. Powell’s blog and check out Medieval Medley – my guest interview there. We talk of Men of the Cross, medieval times, and me. I hope you enjoy it. And don’t forget: Men of the CrossSweeping battles, forbidden love, and Richard the LionheartA 2014 B.R.A.G. Medallion honoree and Readers’ Favoritee-book now on sale now…

  • Teaser: Men of the Cross

    I hope you enjoy this snippet from Men of the Cross. I don’t think it needs any set-up. ============== THE WINDSWEPT CLIFF STOOD like a lone sentinel guarding a gate. The horses pawed the ground nervously. Henry stared across the darkened valley. Lights glimmered on the horizon to the east like a thousand torches guiding…

  • Third Crusade history – 4 October 1190 – the capture of Messina

    On their way to the Holy Land after the fall of Jerusalem to Salah al-Dīn, Christian armies gathered in Messina, Sicily. Today, I am guest posting  on English Historical Fiction Authors about the political background, intrigue, and events that led to Messina’s capture by Richard the Lionheart. Many thanks to Debra Brown for inviting me to…

  • Faced with a scene that just isn’t working? What’s a writer to do?

    Battle Scars Book 2, For King and Country, centers on events in Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire from April 1193 until Richard the Lionheart’s return from captivity and the subsequent siege of Nottingham Castle in 1194. I am about 2/3rds through edits on my first draft, and approaching a mini-climax that I have been stewing over for weeks.…

  • Fifty shades of…12th century England

    Forgive the “fifty shades” reference. I almost called this “fifty shades of de Grey” – de Grey being the surname of main character Sir Henry in Men of the Cross, but I thought better of it. 🙂   I’ve intended this to spark interest/amazement/horror for those who aren’t so familiar with the 12th century, and I’ve…

  • moments in Third Crusade history – 7 september 1191 – the Battle of Arsuf

    Richard the Lionheart’s crusader army marched south from Acre on the 22nd day of August. Estimated to be 15,000-20,000 strong, they advanced slowly at first, marching 2 or 3 miles a day. Saladin wasted no time: his cavalry harassed King Richard’s troops every step of the way. As the men became acclimatized to the heat,…

  • Feeling war through a character’s eyes

    Let me take you to Outremer with the knights of Richard the Lionheart… The term PTSD  – post-traumatic stress syndrome – was given its name in the 1970s during the Vietnam conflict. Shakespeare has a scene in Henry IV, Part 2¹ (written in 1597) that describes it, though generations have ignored or glossed over it for…

  • Moments in Third Crusade history – 20 august 1191 – the massacre at Acre

    When the city of Acre surrendered to King Richard and to King Philip in July 1191 after a two-year siege, terms of the surrender included payment to secure the release of 2,700 hostages. The deadline for payment came and went – Saladin failed to meet the terms. Richard had options: release the hostages, sell them…

  • a great review of Men of the Cross

    A wonderful review of Men of the Cross posted on Tales of the Fiction House and copied here. (Thank you, Mark!) WAR’S TENDER MERCIES Posted on July 25, 2014by Mark Rogers, Editor (Taking a break from Mr. Raji Singh’s whimsical Lore of the Lindian Woods animal tales: They’ll return next week. A national news commentator’s sad remarks…