About The Author

Robert N. Macomber is a multi-award-winning author, internationally recognized lecturer, and avid historical researcher. He is best known for his Honor Series novels, his storytelling style as a speaker, and many Reader Rendezvous around the world.

The Honor Series

Mr. Macomber’s popular Honor Series of naval thrillers describe the career and personal life of a fictional American naval officer, Peter Wake, which starts in 1863, during the Civil War. From 1882 to the end of his career in 1908, Wake serves in America’s first espionage agency, the Office of Naval Intelligence. The novels illuminate the U.S. Navy’s critical role in the expansion of America from a continental country in the mid-19th century into a global power in the early 20th century, and beyond. Just when you think Peter Wake is through, we have his legacy to carry history forward!

Several have gotten the attention of filmmakers in the U.S. and Europe.

Mr. Macomber has readers across the globe and has garnered acclaim from critics, authors, and fans. His quarterly newsletter goes out to over 3,000 loyal and enthusiastic followers. Some have named themselves “Wakians”, after the main character of the series. His book and lecture tours vary year to year, sometimes taking him throughout eastern sections of the U.S.A., always around Florida, and often abroad.

Onward & Upward!

There are 17 novels in the Honor Series.
To date, the following are available:

• At the Edge Of Honor
  2003 Patrick D. Smith Literary Award for Best Historical Novel of Florida
• Point Of Honor
  2004 John Esten Cooke Literary Award for Best Work in Southern Fiction
• Honorable Mention
  
• A Dishonorable Few
• An Affair Of Honor
  
• A Different Kind Of Honor
  American Library Association’s
  2008 W. Y. Boyd Literary Award for Excellence in Military Fiction
  The highest national award in the genre
• The Honored Dead
  Starred Review – Highly Recommended by BOOKLIST
• The Darkest Shade Of Honor
• Honor Bound
• Honorable Lies
  Nominated for the American Library Association’s
  Literary Award
  
• Honors Rendered
  Editors’ Choice by Historical Novels Review
• The Assassin’s Honor
• An Honorable War
  2017 Silver Medal in Popular Fiction from the Florida Book Awards
• Honoring The Enemy
  Editors’ Choice by Historical Novels Review
  2019 Patrick D. Smith Literary Award for Best Historical Novel of Florida
  2019 Gold Medal in Popular Fiction from the Florida Book Awards
  2020 Finalist for the International Book Award in the category of Fiction: Historical
  2020 Silver Medal in Adult Fiction: Historical from the Florida Authors and Publishers Association’s President’s Book Awards
  2020 Finalist from the American Fiction Awards in the Historical Fiction category
  2021 Historical Fiction Category Finalist from The Eric Hoffer Award
• Word Of Honor
  2022 Eric Hoffer Award Grand Prize Short List
  2022 Eric Hoffer Award placed 3rd/”Honorable Mention” in the Historical Fiction Category
• Code Of Honor [released April 2022]
  Editors’ Choice by Historical Novels Review
  2023 Gold Medal in Adult Fiction: Historical from the Florida Authors and Publishers Association’s President’s Book Awards
• Full Naval Honors [released April 1, 2023]
  2024 Patrick D. Smith Literary Award for Best Historical Novel of Florida

Media Accolades for the Honor Series

Accolades in the media come from near and far for Mr. Macomber’s work including reviews from:      

Publisher’s Weekly, BOOKLIST, Historical Novels Review, National Public Radio [NPR], The U.S. Naval Institute, Quarterdeck Magazine, Civil War Interactive Magazine, The Ensign of the U.S. Power Squadrons, “Library Bookwatch” Midwest Book Review, Galveston Daily News, Foreward Reviews, FL Weekly, St. Augustine Record,  Good Old Boat Magazine, Key West’s Solares Hill, Tampa Bay Times, Practical Sailor Magazine, La Gaceta, Virtual Mirage, the Maritime Review (Philippines), The Navy League of Australia & countless more.    

Other Awards and Recognitions

As well as the aforementioned awards and media attention, Robert N. Macomber has received many other awards and recognitions for his work, including:

• 2001 Florida Genealogical Society’s Outstanding Achievement Award for his non-fiction magazine and newspaper work on Florida’s maritime history
• 2003 to 2013 annual lecturer in the Distinguished Military Author Series at the Center for Army Analysis, Ft. Belvoir near Washington D.C.
• 2006 Florida Monthly magazine’s Most Intriguing Author of 2006
• 2008 Distinguished Lecturer at the U.S. Southern Command
• 2010 Distinguished Lecturer at NATO HQs in Belgium
• 2010 Distinguished Lecturer at the U.S. European Command in Germany
• 2012 One of the nationally acclaimed authors chosen to collaborate in the writing of My Bookstore, a tribute to the independent bookstores of America
• 2013 Grand Marshal of Florida’s Edison Pageant of Light Parade
• 2018 Guest on WGCU’s NPR podcast “Three Song Stories: Biography Through Music” [also on NPR One, iTunes, etc] www.ThreeSongStories.org.
• 2020 “Florida Writer of the Year” from the FL Writers Association
• 2023 Chosen Author of the Foreword for “Storm Stories – Hurricane Ian” [a Gulf Coast Writers Association collaboration]

Lectures

Mr. Macomber lectures at sea and on shore. He’s been guest author and enrichment lecturer aboard many of the most elegant ships afloat. He has spoken at historical and academic venues around the United States. His lectures span roughly 60 maritime and literary topics. He has appeared in a PBS maritime history series & in several film documentaries. Plus, he’s been a featured author at state, regional, national and international book festivals.

Dept. of Defense Consulting

In addition to his other work, Mr. Macomber was a Dept. of Defense consultant, specializing in strategic vision and planning by utilizing historical analogies. He lectured in the Distinguished Military Author Series at the Center for Army Analysis at Fort Belvoir, near Washington D.C., and was a Distinguished Lecturer at the U.S. Southern Command, the U.S. European Command in Germany, and for the Supreme Allied Commander Europe at NATO Headquarters in Belgium. He also has lectured at the Office of Naval Intelligence, the West Point Society, the Military Officers Association of the United States, the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, and various other government and military organizations.

Life at Home

Mr. Macomber grew up on the waters along the SW coast of Florida. By age seventeen, he was an offshore racing skipper and raced for the next thirty-two years in Florida, Mexico and the Bahamas. When not traveling the world on research treks, lecture tours, or book signings, he lives on Pine Island, the same coast where he grew up. When not writing, he enjoys sailing among the more remote islands and cooking the exotic cuisines from his novels.