Emily E K Murdoch

Have you ever been left on the sidelines? Completely ignored? Passed over for another?

Then you know exactly how my latest heroine feels. Lady Charlotte St. Maur, spinster and chaperone, is tired of society and is ready to stop agreeing the chaperone the next generation – until she catches the eye of a rather dashing Major who has now ascended to a title…

The reviews for Always the Chaperone have been pouring it and I am so thrilled to see that so many of you love this book! I put much of myself into Lady Charlotte, and it’s an honour to see so many of you loving it.

Want to read it for yourself? Well hurry up – it’s just 0.99 at the moment!

January 11, 2020 + new book

New Emily Murdoch book on pre-order!

by Emily

The news is finally out: I have a new SIX BOOK series publishing contract with Dragonblade Publishing!

Isn’t she absolutely GORGEOUS? It has been so difficult keeping this secret to myself, and I know you’ll all forgive me for keeping schtum until the very last moment.

This beauty is on pre-order right now for just $0.99, so grab her while you can – and you don’t have long to wait to read her. She’s launched on Thursday 16th January!

Just click here to pre-order at this bargain price!

Always the bridesmaid and never the bride – but not if the Duke of Axwick has anything to do with it…

Miss Tabitha Chesworth is walking down the aisle for the third time, but never as the bride. Frustrated with being passed over, there’s nothing that a well-born lady can do about it. But at four and twenty, she’s starting to worry that this is her lot in life – until a fiery encounter with the Duke of Axwick.

Richard St Maur, sixteenth in his line, has sworn an oath never to marry. He’s seen the damage of the male Axwick line, and he won’t bring another gambler or drunkard into the world. Of course, that doesn’t mean he can’t have a little fun and there’s no one he’d like to play with more than Miss Tabitha Chesworth. He’s determined to have her. She’s determined to hold out until a ring is on her finger. Sparks fly as this repeat bridesmaid takes on one of the most determined men of the ton.

Whose offer will eventually be accepted? Will the Duke of Axwick find his way into Tabitha’s bed – or her heart?

Pre-order now!

January 4, 2020 + new book

New year, new books!

by Emily

Dear readers, I have some exciting news to tease you with: not one, not two, but SEVEN new books are coming out from me in 2020!

Whaaat?

Yup, I am as excited as you are. I have 6 books coming out in a brand new series (sorry, details cannot be announced yet but will be soon!), and a novella that links into another series coming out in a huge world publication in the summer.

And you know what?

I am ridiculously excited. My Ravishing Regencies series has received so much love from you all and that has made me even more confident that what I am doing is working: beautiful love stories in historical time periods, packed with true details and feisty heroines.

So what’s the best way you can find out when these books are out?

Follow me on Amazon or follow me on BookBub. That way, you’ll receive an email notification whenever I launch a new book, and you can grab it immediately and lose yourself in a whole new world!

December 28, 2019 + Writing

Writing during the hard times

by Emily

I have been a little quiet on the blog side of things, and I do apologise for that – it’s been a busy and emotional few weeks.

The details I will keep private to protect those I love but suffice to say, I’ve been bereaved about a fortnight ago and it’s been an emotional journey. Writing during such a time becomes challenging for two reasons: firstly because your head is simply not in that creative space, and secondly because there are so many other things demanding your attention.

So how do you keep writing during the hard times? Well, I typically follow a rule of three (always easier to remember!):

Never guilt-trip yourself. When going through an emotional upheaval, the last thing you should do is punish yourself because you don’t reach some vague standard. Be kind to yourself.
Set reasonable goals. Whatever you think you can do that day, half it. Maybe half it again. See point 1.
Be honest with those around you. When you’re struggling, it’s easy to try and hide your difficulties – but people who love you want to help you, and they cannot if they do not know your situation.

They may not help you, but remembering these three points has helped me navigate the last few weeks, and I am sure they will be helpful for me as we enter 2020.

If you are going through a difficult time, my heart is with you. If you’re trying to balance it with writing, I completely understand, and you are not alone.

December 1, 2019 + Writing

Christmas is almost here!

by Emily

Well, almost.

I am one of those (fantastic) people who absolutely loves Christmas. One summer a few years ago I was living in New Zealand, and I found myself listening to Christmas music all of August!

But I digress.

There are so many things to love about Christmas and just a few of them are starting to peek their heads around the corner. Frosty mornings. Advent calendars. Mince pies.

But even better than all of those (if possible) are the gorgeous Christmas boxsets that are released every year! It’s a chance to lose yourself completely in romantic entangles, misunderstandings, and reunions that the Christmas season brings us all.

Of course, I’m biased. I am thrilled this year to be part of a Christmas boxset that is not only storming up the charts, but far more importantly, our readers are loving! You can find me and twenty six other authors in that boxset, giving you literally days and days worth of reading.

But it’s also time to get the children’s Christmas books out and enjoy them. The Snowman, in particular, is one of my favourite stories. And isn’t that one of the reasons that we love Christmas in the first place? The opportunity to tell stories over and over, of those we love?

As we all start to prepare for Christmas, make sure you take some time for yourself and enjoy a Christmas story you love, whether it’s romantic or perfect for little ones. I know I will!

October 19, 2019 + regency

Once Upon a Christmas Wedding is LIVE!

by Emily

I cannot believe it is here – after keeping it under wraps for so long, Once Upon a Christmas Wedding is live and ready for you!

September 22, 2019 + new book

An exciting book is coming…

by Emily

…and I cannot tell you anything about it!

At least, at the moment. I’ve been working on a really exciting project for a little while, and today the last few pieces fell into place.

It’s all going to be revealed for Christmas (hint, hint!) and until then, you will just have to wait until I am permitted to announce everything.

The best way to keep up to date is to sign up to my mailing list!

September 14, 2019 + new book

Emigrating with an Earl is released!

by Emily

I am so excited – Emigrating with an Earl, the very last book in my Ravishing Regencies series is out!

You should definitely check it out, it’s one of my most popular books from my Review Team! Let me know what you think! Read it here.

September 7, 2019 + Writing

What is your favourite historical period?

by Emily

I love history so much! It’s one of the subjects that I studied at university, and in the UK that’s quite a big deal: typically, you only study one subject at university but I loved history and literature so much, I studied both!

When I first started writing historical romance, I was studying my Medieval Studies Masters at university, and so it seemed perfect timing to write a medieval romance series (which became Conquered Hearts).

After the successful publication of that series, my publishers asked me to write a Regency romance, and so I actually kind of fell into it! I loved the time period so much that I ended up writing six months in that series.

Then one of my author friends – the wonderful Melissa Storm – invited me to write a book in her romance world, and I wrote five books of the foundation of a small town in Texas.

And then I returned to Regency which I loved so much.

It’s hard to pick a favourite time period: I know the medieval era the best, in Regency I have the most fun, and 1840s Texas has challenged me the most!

What is your favourite?

August 31, 2019 + Writing

The perfect kiss

by Emily

What makes a perfect kiss?

This is one of the questions that, as a romance author, I spend a huge amount of time thinking about. It’s important to me that my readers experience wonderful romance, soaring emotions – but also romance that feels real, like it could actually have happened.

That’s a bit of a challenge with historical romance, especially when gentlemen and ladies had so little opportunity to spend any time together before actually being wed.

I work hard to make each and every kiss in my books absolutely perfect.

So what is a perfect kiss? I asked some of my friends and here are their responses:

The perfect kiss is unexpected! You don’t know it’s coming and then it is SO sweet when it does!
The perfect kiss is one you’ve been waiting for, one that you’re desperate for and one you think you’re never going to get.
The perfect kiss is with the perfect person.
The perfect kiss is not too soggy!
The perfect kiss is your last first kiss.

I agree with absolutely all of this, and one thing extra: the perfect kiss is one that promises so much and only delivers 80% – it always leaves you wanting more!

If you’re wanting to experience a whole bunch of perfect kisses, then check out my books!

August 24, 2019 + Writing

Kissing frogs to find your prince

by Emily

Do you believe in soulmates?

I never did. I thought it was absolute madness to think that there could only be one person out there who was a perfect match for you. I thought it sad that if you didn’t find that person, you would end up spending your whole life alone, unwanted and unloved.

I hoped that if there was someone out there for me, that there would be enough in common for us to fall in love naturally.

And you know what I discovered?

I was completely right, and completely wrong.

When I fell in love – and yes, I’ve only fallen in love once – that man wasn’t my perfect match. But he’s become my perfect match over time.

That’s the difference for me. I would definitely argue in this moment that my husband is my soulmate: but we’ve worked hard to become each other’s soulmates. We work hard at understanding what the other one needs, and becoming that.

We’ve wanted to be each other’s soulmates, and so we’ve become each other’s soulmates.

I’ve been fortunate to not have to kiss too many frogs to find my prince, but some of my poor characters have to put up with a huge amount of nonsense before they find their happily ever after.

Why not discover some of them?

August 17, 2019 + regency

Dukes, Viscounts, Earls oh my!

by Emily

It’s difficult to read a historical romance these days without getting utterly overwhelmed by titles.

Dukes, Earls, Viscounts, Counts: every single man seems to need a title to be attractive, and that can make things complicated.

Take William Lennox, Duke of Mercia, for example (spoilers: he’s a character in a new book that will be published next year!).

To his brother, he’s Will.

To his sister, he’s Bill.

To his friends who knew him before he ascended the title, he’s Lennox.

To his friends who knew him after he ascended the title, he’s Mercia.

This can mean that in one simple scene, depending on who is in the room, he can be addressed as Will, Bill, Lennox, and Mercia…and everyone in the room will understand what is going on.

The question is, do my readers?!?

It’s a constant challenge to make sure that my books are historically accurate but at the same time, understandable to those who are reading them. I don’t want to compromise too often, but there’s no point in writing a book if no one can enjoy it!

So yes: I’ve tried to simplify things. When my characters have titles (and yes, they have them rather often!), I focus on keeping the storytelling simple. They have enough complications with the wild heroines I send them…

Make sure you catch up with all my books here!