Charlene Newcomb

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About Charlene Newcomb
Librarian.
U.S. Navy veteran.
Mom to 3 grown, amazing children.
I live in Kansas. Yes, Toto. Kansas.
Born & raised in South Carolina, I wanted a life of adventure and travel. I realized my dreams of hitting the big time with the all-girl rock band Liberation were just that - dreams. And becoming an astronaut wasn't in the cards. So I joined the Navy to see the world and spent six years as a communications technician/voice language analyst. I fit college into my life (BA in History, and many years later an MA in Library Science). That desire to travel in space translated into writing science fiction: I published 10 short stories in the Star Wars Expanded Universe between 1994 and 2009. Check out my novels: new in 2020, a SciFi space opera - Echoes of the Storm; a contemporary drama, Keeping the Family Peace; and, my medieval historical fiction series Battle Scars, which allows me to share my love of history with readers.
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Blog postI am thrilled to have M.K. Tod on my blog today to talk about her new novel, The Admiral’s Wife. Take it away, Mary! Many thanks to Char Newcomb for her kind offer to guest post on her blog. Char and I have connected many times over the years both in person and online. In…2 months ago Read more
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Blog postI’ve had the pleasure of working closely with Amy Maroney on our anthology, Betrayal, and never tire of finding ways to celebrate successes. I am excited to share Amy’s new novel – Sea of Shadows – published on April 12. Sea of Shadows by Amy Maroney 1459. A gifted woman artist. A ruthless Scottish privateer.…3 months ago Read more
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Blog postI was thrilled when I learned Echoes of the Storm advanced to the long-list of the CYGNUS Book Awards for Science Fiction. It then advanced to the short-list. But it gets better! Echoes has moved to the semi-finals! CYGNUS recognizes emerging new talent and outstanding works in sci-fi, steampunk, alternative history, and speculative fiction. To…4 months ago Read more
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Blog postA huge welcome to author Cryssa Bazos, who comes celebrating the publication of her third novel. Let’s dive into my questions for her about the book, writing and research, favorite characters, and more! Your new book, Rebel’s Knot, takes place in Ireland in the 1650s. What inspired you to write about this time and place?…6 months ago Read more
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Blog postWelcome to Annie Whitehead, well-known author and historian. Annie’s works of fiction and non-fiction center on pre-conquest England. I’m delighted to have Annie writing today about historical research. Take it away, Annie! My latest novel is Book 2 of 2 in the Tales of the Iclingas series, which began with Cometh the Hour and the…9 months ago Read more
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Blog postI’m delighted to welcome Anne Barwell to the blog to talk about the re-release of Comes a Horseman, the 3rd and final book in her WWII Echoes Rising series. Take it away, Anne! Pawn Takes Knight As a chess player I’ve played against opponents who prefer to methodically wipe other players from the board, but…10 months ago Read more
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Blog postI am thrilled to announce that Echoes of the Storm has been longlisted by Chanticleer Book Reviews for their 2021 CYGNUS Award. “These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from all 2021 CYGNUS Science Fiction entries … [and] are now in competition for 2021 Cygnus Shortlist.” Forty-two books made the long list, so I…10 months ago Read more
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Blog post14 authors. 14 fabulous #lgbtq romance reads.Check them out now. Men of the Cross is on sale for $1.99 until August 11. They risk their lives for the king.Will they risk their hearts and souls for each other?11 months ago Read more
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Blog postKing John didn’t wait long after agreeing to the provisions of Magna Carta to begin plotting revenge on his rebellious barons. Magna Carta was signed at Runnymede in June 1215, and shortly thereafter, King John “sent letters to all the governors of his castles throughout England, ordering them each and all to furnish their castles…1 year ago Read more
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Blog postTitle: The Rush’s EdgeAuthor: Ginger Smith A bit about the authorGinger teaches high school English, but has managed a book store and worked in a record store. She’s a gamer, with a collection of RPG books and sci fi novels, of course. She’s written fantasy, including her first book which – she claims – will never…1 year ago Read more
Titles By Charlene Newcomb
"Loyalty breaks as easily as a silken thread."
Misplaced trust, power hunger, emotional blackmail, and greed haunt twelve characters from post-Roman Britain to the present day. And betrayal by family, lover, comrade can be even more devastating.
Read twelve tales by twelve accomplished writers who explore these historical yet timeless challenges.
AD455—Roman leader Ambrosius is caught in a whirlpool of shifting allegiances
AD940—Alyeva and cleric Dunstan navigate the dangers of the Anglo Saxon court
1185—Knight Stephan fights for comradeship, duty, and honour. But what about love?
1330—The powerful Edmund of Kent enters a tangled web of intrigue
1403—Thomas Percy must decide whether to betray his sovereign or his family
1457—Estelle is invited to the King of Cyprus’s court, but deception awaits
1483—Has Elysabeth made the right decision to bring Prince Edward to London?
1484—Margaret Beaufort contemplates the path to treason
1577—Francis Drake contends with disloyalty at sea
1650—Can James Hart, Royalist highwayman, stop a nemesis destroying his friend?
1718—Pirate Annie Bonny, her lover Calico Jack, and a pirate hunter. Who will win?
1849/present—Carina must discover her ancestor’s betrayer in Italy or face ruin.
“I read this anthology from start to finish in a matter of days…. Each story is gripping.”– Discovering Diamonds Reviews
Finalist, 2016 Chaucer Awards for pre-1750 Historical Fiction; B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree; Editors Choice, Historical Novel Society.
England 1193
Civil war threatens as battle-scarred knight Henry de Grey returns from the Crusades. King Richard languishes in captivity, a prisoner of the Holy Roman Emperor. Traitors to the crown pit Henry and his friends against dangerous and unknown enemies.
Loyalties will be tested, families torn apart. Friend or foe? It is hard to tell one from the other.
The king’s brother John and his allies plot to usurp Richard’s throne. With the knights Sir Stephan and Sir Robin, Henry fights for king and country. But he must keep his feelings for Sir Stephan l’Aigle secret. Sure as arrow or sword, their forbidden love could destroy him.
War, political intrigue and passion… heroes… friends and lovers… and the seeds for a new Robin Hood legend await you…
A rebel double-crossed. A world fallen. And one relentless enemy who will not rest…
A B.R.A.G.Medallion Honoree.
Jack Gamble is a shattered man. His lover betrayed him. His contacts in the resistance are scattered. And his best friend may be dead.
With the Galilei Empire closing in, Jack’s ship is intercepted by mercenaries under the command of Captain Ben Stone. Can Jack turn him to his cause, or will Ben turn him?
But Jack can’t afford any emotional entanglements. Not now. He has a rebellion to win and a homeworld to reclaim before the planet and its people are lost forever.
If you like action-packed science fiction adventure with undercover spies, ace pilots, special forces teams, wild battles, and a slow-burn romance, then this space opera is the book for you.
Treason. Revenge. Passion... Forbidden love.
The Lionheart's knights at war
“A vivid picture of the Third Crusade.” Andrew Latham, author of The Holy Lance.
“A breathtaking gallop through the Lionheart’s England.” Sharon Bennett Connolly, author of Heroines of the Medieval World.
From the shores of England to the Holy Land. Through treacherous mountains in Bavaria. Across England, to the struggle to hold the Angevin Empire. The tumultuous reign of King Richard I, the Lionheart, sets the backdrop of the Battle Scars series. This epic saga reveals the fighting spirit and impact of war on the knights who serve the Lionheart, the bonds of comradeship - and love - that develop between them, and their personal joys, sorrows and struggles.
Book I - Men of the Cross
Sir Henry de Grey embarks on the holy crusade brimming with the spirit of youth, passion for the cause, and unquestioned loyalty to his king. His naivety fades beneath the harsh realities of war and confusion over his feelings for comrade Sir Stephan l’Aigle.
B.R.A.G. Medallion honoree
Book II - For King and Country
In England, civil war threatens while King Richard languishes in captivity, a prisoner of the Holy Roman Emperor. Sir Henry and his friends uncover a plot by the king’s brother John to usurp the throne. Loyalties will be tested and families torn apart.
B.R.A.G. Medallion honoree; Historical Novel Society’s Editor’s Choice; Finalist - Chaucer Awards for pre-1750 Historical Fiction
Book III - Swords of the King
Lionheart's knights fight for their lives against King Richard’s French enemies and become embroiled in politics, treason, and murder. The king has forgiven his brother, and John is now an ally. But can John be trusted?
Fans of Sharon Kay Penman, Elizabeth Chadwick, and Angus Donald will enjoy this sweeping historical, fast-paced action/adventure of life in the 12th century. Experience man’s courage and resilience in bloody battles from England to the Holy Land and back, spies and treachery, and love and loss, in the Battle Scars series, which also introduces a new take on the origins of Robin Hood.
“Trauma and passion in a battle of bodies and souls… [Newcomb] captures brilliantly the twisted ideology of those religious wars whilst also narrating the personal traumas and passions of her main characters.” --Dr. Christopher Monk, medieval manuscript specialist, Rochester Cathedral, and author of Sodom in the Anglo-Saxon Imagination.
“If Mary Renault had chosen to write about the Crusades instead of ancient Greece and Persia, she could not have done any better--and that is high praise, indeed.” --Amazon reviewer
They embarked on the Crusades as strangers. They battled through as more than brothers-in-arms.
The idealistic knight Henry de Grey was prepared to bloody his sword, to slay the enemy, when he joins the Lionheart’s crusader army. But Henry struggles to justify the violent acts he has committed in God’s name when innocents are slaughtered.
Battle-hardened Sir Stephan l’Aigle's prowess on the battlefield is well known, and he takes Henry under his wing. Through heroism and heartache, the two knights’ friendship will be tested.
Their greatest trial will not be fought with sword or lance, but with their hearts.
This epic saga reveals the fighting spirit and impact of war on the knights who serve the Lionheart, the bonds of comradeship - and love - that develop between them, and their personal joys, sorrows and struggles. Men of the Cross is a must-read for all who enjoy action-packed historical fiction with a slow-burn romance.
indieBRAG Medallion Honoree
King Richard has their loyalty.
The French would have their lives.
And John, the king’s brother, will never forget how they betrayed him.
The kidnapping of the king’s former sister-in-law sets off a chain of events that entangle the knights Henry de Grey and Stephan l’Aigle in politics and intrigue, treason . . . and murder.
What begins as escort duty for the knights becomes a chase through the Norman countryside on the trail of her son, the young duke Arthur. Assassins want him—and the knights—dead.
If assassins’ blades don’t kill them, King Richard’s war to recover his continental domains from France just might. Former enemies, like the king’s brother, are now allies. Can they be trusted?
Warriors. Heroes. Traitors. Spies . . . Lovers.
Henry and Stephan will risk their honor and the trust of the king to protect Duke Arthur. They will fight treachery and brave bloody battles, see war in all its horror, and fight their fears of losing each other, all the while keeping their forbidden love secret.
With Swords of the King, Charlene Newcomb follows up her award-winning novel For King and Country (Battle Scars II) amidst the turbulent final years of the reign of Richard I of England, the Lionheart. This epic adventure furthers an original Robin Hood origins story and will captivate fans of historical fiction and anyone who likes romance—forbidden romance—with their history.
A son searching for answers. A father who won’t talk. A family rocked to its very core.
Nick Peace knows more about the Middle Ages than about his own family history. His father Jack, a retired Navy captain, wants to keep the past buried. Nick struggles with his own desire to dig it up, though he’s certain it holds the secrets to the distance between them. Nick’s sisters aren’t much help – they have secrets of their own. The rift between father and son grows wider but as tragedy strikes the family, and the girls’ secrets come to light, Jack’s defenses begin to crumble.
Join the family Peace as they gather to celebrate – or mourn – life changing events…and underlying tensions reveal the secrets that could tear them apart.