From myself and my loved ones, to you and yours: Happy Christmas!
I am not a parent, but there are many very important children in my life, and when it comes to writing children I often look to them for inspiration.
Of course I would never share any intimate or personal details, but they are always so inspiring: from misheard or mispronounced words, to misunderstandings about things that adults take for granted, and of course, the wild mixtures of foods that they want!
There are some authors who believe that you can only write what you know, but it’s hard to subscribe to that when you write historical romance! I have never worn a corset, not a historically accurate one, I have never attended a ball (yet!), and I wasn’t born into nobility. To write historical romance is to use your imagination and play pretend.
I have the same approach when it comes to writing about children. Yes, I don’t have any of my own, but my family and chosen family have a huge number of children, all of them wonderful, and I have enough imagination to create child characters who resonate, who readers love, and who readers love spending time with.
I know that some readers don’t love reading historical romances which have children in – do you? Let me know in the comments!
It’s advent!
I adore Advent – it’s no secret that Christmas is my favourite time of year. Advent for me is a chance to luxuriate in the joys of Christmas: the sights, smells, and most importantly tastes of a time of year that (if I could get away with it) I would probably celebrate 11 months of the year, not one.
But just what is Advent itself? Where did it come from, and why do we still celebrate it?
Great questions!
For a start, like many parts of the English language the word ‘advent’ comes from a Latin word; in this case, adventus, which means coming or arrival. It refers specifically to the coming of the Messiah, a promised leader of the Jewish nation. Jesus was and is considered by many to be that Messiah, so his birth is the ‘coming’. That’s why Advent precedes Christmas, the celebration of Jesus’ birth.
We don’t actually know exactly when Advent started to be celebrated, but it was definitely being celebrated by 480. By 567, monks were ordered by the Council of Tours to fast during Advent; just like the common practice of fasting during Lent and then feasting at Easter, many people fasted during December and then feasted at Christmas.
There are plenty of religious traditions in Christian churches connected to Advent, including the lighting of candles and reading specific portions of the Bible. For me, Advent is a time to celebrate the light in the darkness during winter: warmth, friends, family, loved ones, good food, terrible TV, and of course, as much cheese as I can physically get away with.
What about you? Do you have any Advent traditions?
Two best friends who OF COURSE would never consider their connection to be any more…except that he’s desperately in love with her, and she has no idea. Pre-order this book NOW – for just 0.99!
Wilfred Zouch, Duke of Aynor, has been in love with his best friend, Miss Irene Chance, since…well, since forever. And she has no idea.
It’s not precisely her fault: Wilfred still hasn’t told her.
Besotted with the woman who only sees him as a brother, it is her actual brother who suggests to Wilfred that he should make Irene jealous.
And so he does. By pretending to court another lady.
It’s all part of a clever plan in Wilfred’s mind, but Irene finds herself absolutely mortified that her best friend—her Wilfred! —would even consider courting someone without telling her.
Feelings of anger, rage, and a strange sort of possessiveness rise and yet Irene cannot for the life of her understand why.
Until a late-night conversation and a little too much of her father’s liquor led to kisses that neither of them can ignore…or explain.
Why can’t Wilfred admit his affection for his best friend? Why does Irene keep laughing when anyone suggests that the two of them may be well suited?
And if chance would be a fine thing…what happens when the pretend courting with the other woman goes horrendously awry?
Those of you who know me may be a little surprised at this blog post – after all, I’m not American but a Brit!
However, I think it’s important to take the time to be grateful for the awesome things in your life, and although I probably shouldn’t need a day literally entitled ‘Thanksgiving’ to do so, it’s remarkable how it focuses the mind.
So without further ado, here is my list of things that I am thankful for right now:
- my wonderful family – husband, parents, brother, and incredibly large extended family. What would I do without you all?
- my marvellous readers – without you, my books are just words on a page! You bring them to life when you read them.
- my computer – still up and running, helping me to craft my historical romances with very few crashes!
- the internet – it may be sad in places, but the research ability it gives me from my armchair is just incredible!
- cheese and chocolate – my writing reward foods that help me push through difficult chapters when I’m feeling uninspired.
- my editors and cover designers – I don’t know where I’d be without them!
- Netflix – the ultimate reward after a long day of keyboard bashing.
Do we have some of the same things on our list? Let me know yours in the comments below!
You know what’s great about joining my mailing list?
Nope, not that you’ll hear from me and discover what I’m working on.
Nope, not that you’ll get heads up on discounts from me and my author friends.
Yup – it’s that you’ll get a free book!
…it’s Fifth of November!
Well, almost. I missed it, sorry!
Here in England, the Fifth of November is a huge deal: a celebration in a way, but in other ways we have kind of forgotten why we do what we do.
Part of that is because it is so close to Halloween, it all gets merged into one fun autumnal festival. Many English towns will have Bonfire Night, delicious food, and fireworks around this weekend, but if you asked many people, they will probably believe one of three myths…
- Guy Fawkes was the guy (😅) behind the plot. Sorry, he was one of the least important guys in the Plot. His role was checking on the gunpowder, but he had no political power really.
- Guy Fawkes was burned to death, which is why we have bonfires. Nope! He was convicted and sentenced to be hung, drawn, and quartered, BUT he ‘accidentally’ fell from the scaffold and broke his neck.
- Americans don’t celebrate it because they are anti-monarchy. Wrong again! When British people emigrated to America, they took the celebration with them and called it ‘Pope Day’, but it fell out of favour after the Revolution.
Whether you celebrate the Fifth of November or not, I hope you have an awesome weekend! And if you decide to stay home, make sure to curl up with a book…
A wallflower who has never been looked at twice by a gentleman – and the man who marches into her family house party and demands her hand in marriage…one problem. She’s never met him before. Read this book NOW – free in Kindle Unlimited!
A marriage of convenience isn’t supposed to be this inconvenient.
Miss Jessica Chance, daughter of Viscount Pernrith and confirmed wallflower, is accustomed to being overlooked.
Prettier sisters, cleverer cousins, more charming friends—yes, she is well aware, thank you.
Which is why when a handsome, young man with a title and devastating charm rides up at the family estate and proposes matrimony, Jessica is more than a little surprised.
She has never met the man, after all.
But Reginald Blakley, Baron Llyne, can’t wait around for romance. His family is about to be devastated by a scandal that hasn’t yet broken, and marriage to the highly respectable and powerful Chance family is his best opportunity to shore up their defenses.
So what if his birth is a little scandalous? So what if he’s ranked all the eligible Chance ladies and chosen Jessica as the most pliant and desperate to be wed? They shall be married!
What Reginald didn’t expect was love. What Jessica didn’t expect was secrets…
When a marriage of convenience collides with passion and lies, can either Reginald or Jessica put aside what they presume of love…and accept any chance they can take for happiness?
This novel continues the highly anticipated Chance family drama, with sixteen cousins and triple the problems. Tropes include: marriage of convenience, spy/traitor, wallflower, secrets and lies, close-knit family, and of course, Emily E K Murdoch’s tried and true method of sizzling, joyful romance.
Hello, lovely readers!
I know that many of you love interacting with authors on social media, and I suddenly realised that I haven’t shared all my social links in a little while – so here you go!
Twitter: @emilyekmurdoch
Facebook: @emilyekmurdoch
Instagram: @emilyekmurdoch
My newsletter (with free book!): click here
If you love seeing photos of my real life, hearing how the writing process is going, and the random thoughts from the mind of a historical author, social media is the place to find me.
See you there!
If you have never heard of Patreon, you are not alone. Not everyone has! I hope this short blog will give you an idea of how you can support me in a new and exciting way.
So first off, what is Patreon?
Patreon is a website where anyone can sign up to support a creative person for just a few dollars a month, in exchange for rewards. It is a modern re-imagining of the medieval and renaissance idea of a ‘patron’, a wealthy person who pays the salary of an artist, creative, or engineer, so that they can get the prestige of being their supporter.
But thanks to Patreon, you don’t need to be rich to be a Patreon supporter, and you’ll still get a whole ton of rewards!
On my Patreon page, which you can find here, there are three different levels of support. Each level costs a different amount a month, and as you would expect, the higher the financial support, the more rewards.
I’d really encourage you, if you want exclusive insights, behind the scenes, early access to chapters, and free books, my Patreon is the place to be.
Please check out my Patreon and consider whether you’d like to take your support of me to the next level!
One of my life’s goals was to write and have published a non-fiction historical book – I absolutely love reading them, and I’ve always wanted to write one! Last year my dream was brought to life, and Regina: The Queens Who Could Have Been was born. If you haven’t read it, you absolutely should!
What queens would England have had if firstborn daughters, not firstborn sons, had inherited the throne? We may think of princesses as dutiful, marital conveniences to build alliances, wearing long flowing dresses, but the eldest daughters of our kings have been very different.
Political intriguers. Abducted nuns who demanded divorces. Murderers.
Our princesses have been mothers willing to risk anything for their children, wives who followed their husbands to the very ends of earth, and spinsters who demanded their intellectual and societal freedom.
This book explores what it meant to be royal, how sons came to be valued higher than daughters, and just how England might have looked under a royal matriarchy. The politicians we lost, the masterminds we see negotiating nunneries not armies, the personalities shining brilliantly even hundreds of years later: the Queens who should have been.
Let’s meet them.
Erm, can we take a moment for this cover? SHE’S SO BEAUTIFUL! This book is one that I absolutely poured my heart into, and I really hope you enjoy it – and if you want to get it for a bargain, then you need to grab it now for 0.99 while on pre-order…
A marriage of convenience isn’t supposed to be this inconvenient.
Miss Jessica Chance, daughter of Viscount Pernrith and confirmed wallflower, is accustomed to being overlooked.
Prettier sisters, cleverer cousins, more charming friends—yes, she is well aware, thank you.
Which is why when a handsome, young man with a title and devastating charm rides up at the family estate and proposes matrimony, Jessica is more than a little surprised.
She has never met the man, after all.
But Reginald Blakley, Baron Llyne, can’t wait around for romance. His family is about to be devastated by a scandal that hasn’t yet broken, and marriage to the highly respectable and powerful Chance family is his best opportunity to shore up their defenses.
So what if his birth is a little scandalous? So what if he’s ranked all the eligible Chance ladies and chosen Jessica as the most pliant and desperate to be wed? They shall be married!
What Reginald didn’t expect was love. What Jessica didn’t expect was secrets…
When a marriage of convenience collides with passion and lies, can either Reginald or Jessica put aside what they presume of love…and accept any chance they can take for happiness?
This novel continues the highly anticipated Chance family drama, with sixteen cousins and triple the problems. Tropes include: marriage of convenience, spy/traitor, wallflower, secrets and lies, close-knit family, and of course, Emily E K Murdoch’s tried and true method of sizzling, joyful romance.
Emily E K Murdoch 