Well, it’s officially the height of summer, and I don’t know about you but I have so many fond memories of reading in this season.
When I was a child, my family would bundle everything up in our car and head to Enid Blyton country in the south of England. When I say I had idyllic holidays there, I mean it. Hiking, art galleries, cricket on the beach and ice creams on the banks of medieval castles.
Yup. Pretty great.
What made them absolutely perfect was that every morning I would wake up to glorious sunlight (okay, maybe that’s where the nostalgia seeps in…) and there would be a new book by my bed.
Every morning.
Looking back, I can see that my parents didn’t spend a bunch of money on them – and I’m glad they didn’t, because those books were dragged from soggy bench to sandy beach, all over the countryside.
Absolutely an incredible way to experience holidays, but the only problem is…I now feel like a summer isn’t a summer unless I have new books pouring out of my bookcases!
SO: this is where I turn it over to you. What is your go-to book for the summer? I need to fill my Kindle!
I don’t think I have ever written an artist before, and Lady Evelyn Chance gave me a huge challenge as someone who is artistically challenged – although I am the daughter of an artist! I took inspiration from my mother’s impressive skills to write this book…which you can now pre-order for 0.99!
Lady Evelyn Chance, daughter of the Earl of Lindow, is too busy scandalizing the ton one portrait at a time to care about her marital prospects.
She is an artist: and like any true artist, she is determined to paint from a model…except she can hardly turn up at the Royal Academy of Art. So she does what any self-respecting aristocrat does when she needs a servant.
She advertises.
The man who answers that advertisement is tall, handsome, rough round the edges, far too perceptive, and refuses to take his clothes off. It’s not precisely what Evelyn had in mind, but she couldn’t deny he made a fascinating subject.
He is also Richard, Viscount Sempill. But Evelyn doesn’t know that.
Desperate to keep the man a blank canvas for her paintings, Richard agrees to keep everything about him a secret: his name, his title (not that she knows he has one), his wealth, everything.
Before long, late night painting leads to late night kissing, and just when Richard is ready to abandon his romantic reticence and make declarations…
Disaster happens.
This novel continues the highly anticipated Chance family drama, with sixteen cousins and triple the problems. Tropes include: secret identity, mistaken identity, bluestocking, heroine artist, only one bed, and of course, Emily E K Murdoch’s tried and true method of sizzling, joyful romance.
I adore teaching. I love breaking down something complicated, teaching it to someone else, and seeing them get it – and then apply it themselves!
I used to teach a lot of workshops, speak at events, and mentor, and I’ve spent some time working out how I can bring those elements into my writing career.
One of the things I really miss about my old day jobs was the amount of teaching that they included.
So I decided to do something about that! After all, I’m an entrepreneur – an authorpreneur if you will. First off, I’ve created two writing courses specifically for authors, based on my skills. You can find them here.
Well, here’s the news I have been teasing for MONTHS…
I have signed a two book contract to write contemporary romance for Puffin, an imprint of Penguin!
YUP.
Penguin RandomHouse, one of the biggest and most respected publishers in the world…and me.
Squeeee!
This news has been so hard to keep to myself – and we’ve been in talks since February 2024…
Yup, that long!
What does this mean?
It means that there’ll be even more romance books from me in the future!
I’ll absolutely still be writing historical romance with Dragonblade and Harlequin/HarperCollins. I love historical, and will never leave it!
I will absolutely still be writing historical non-fiction, if another publisher will have me! I don’t think Regina will be my one and only historical non-fiction
My books with Puffin will be coming out in February 2026 and August 2026, so make sure you keep an eye out for those pre-orders…
I want to thank you so much for your continued support. One of the readers that publishers want to work with me is because my readerbase are just so fabulous and fantastic – and supportive.
Surprise! I’ve been keeping a secret from you all, and it’s this: I will be releasing a four book historical romance series over the next two months for you to binge!
Georgiana, Dowager Duchess of Cartice, is not a woman to underestimate.
And that’s exactly what he’s done. Fynn Monroe, investigative journalist, has decided that the gambling club I’ve founded with my three friends has to be stealing money from someone.
So what do I do? Hide away, pretend scandal won’t destroy us?
No. I’ve invited him to our country estate, where there are no secrets to find and just an irritatingly handsome journalist to entertain.
Precisely why I allowed him to make a bet—that he won’t find any scandal—I couldn’t say…
Only one person can win a bet with a duchess: and it’s got to be me. If I lose this bet, I’ll lose myself to Fynn Monroe…
Peregrine, Duke of Markham, is not a man to trust.
And that’s exactly what my friends have done. The other three members of the Gambling Dukes, they trusted me—and now I’m thrown out, lost, alone, and desperate.
So what do I do? Avoid the gossip sheets, hide from Society?
No. I’ve found a beautiful heiress, certain that I can trick her into marriage and save myself from financial ruin.
Precisely why I allowed Lady Briar Weatherford to get under my skin—and under my clothes—I couldn’t say…
When a duke risks it all, only one person can win: and it’s got to be me. If I risk everything and lose, I’ll lose myself to Lady Briar Weatherford…
And that’s exactly why I need to find a woman to pretend to be courting—because the potential saviour of the Gambling Dukes requires a business partner who’s ready to settle down.
So what do I do? Find a placid debutante, perhaps speak to another duke and choose his daughter?
No. I literally run headfirst into a lady with no manners or sense, make her a proposition she can’t refuse, and move Miss Catherine Shenton into my house.
Precisely why I’m also finding her in my mind, my dreams—my longings—I couldn’t say…
Only one person can win a gamble on the duke: and it’s got to be me. If I lose this gamble, I’ll lose myself to Catherine Shenton…
Lady Lilianna Chance, daughter of the Marquess of Aylesbury, has a high opinion of herself, her looks, her reputation, and her family, and plans to make a stupendous match. Falling into the arms of reprobates was not the plan.
Raised by her parents to be perfect, and to be the perfect wife, Lilianna is horrified to discover that the rogue who caught her immediately proposes.
Proposes! To her! Him!
Not a chance in hell.
But Arthur Nelson, Earl of Taernsby, is not a man to take no for an answer. He’s recently inherited the earldom from his brother and desperately needs an heir—or the title will disappear forever, and his goal of redeeming the family name will be ended.
So, it’s simple. Choose the best, brightest, and most beautiful woman in the ton. Marry her. Have six sons.
What he’s not prepared for is Lilianna’s passion, her spirit—her determination never to see him again.
A battle comments: a battle of wits, sharp remarks, and…thousands of flowers?
This novel continues the highly anticipated Chance family drama, with sixteen cousins and triple the problems. Tropes include: he falls first/she falls faster, instalove, ice queen, arrogant rogue, found family, and of course, Emily E K Murdoch’s tried and true method of sizzling, joyful romance.
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!
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.
I have officially been published for coming up to twelve years this summer, and time and time again I am asked why I think my career has been sustained over such a long time. And I say: author friends.
Author friends are absolutely invaluable to me. Writing can be a very lonely business, just based on the practicalities: I spend all day at home, writing away, with my headphones in and my focus directed at a screen.
That can get lonely.
Many authors are introverts, so this naturally sits with their preferences…but I’m an extrovert! I love people, and noise, and connection – and so my author friends are absolutely crucial to not only keeping me accountable with my writing goals, but also connected to others.
Their friendship – and it is real friendship, although I have never met most of them in person – sustains me during the difficult times, challenges me when I’m getting complacent, and celebrates alongside me during the good times.
Without them, I honestly do not think that my writing career would have risen to these heights – and I am so grateful for them.
Do you have work friends that encourage you to go further? Let me know in the comments!
Well, I can finally share the news: I have moved to London!
Being an author in 2025 is incredible because you can do it absolutely anywhere, thanks to the power of technology…and at the same time, there are some things you just cannot do over a screen.
Over the last 18 months, I’ve needed to travel to London more and more often – to meet publishers, my agent, editors, attend conferences, conduct research…
And eventually it just made sense. We needed to move.
Now, I am not a huge fan of change, and moving two hundred odd miles has certainly been a huge change – but I am already reaping the benefits.
Instead of it taking upward of two and a half hours (and hundreds of pounds!) to visit my lovely publishers, it takes me 30 minutes and less than a tenner.
Instead of conducting all my calls over Zoom or Skype or Google Meet, I can meet my agent or editors for coffee and get a greater sense of who they are.
And most importantly…I am hoping that it will give me more opportunities to meet readers, and write more books.
So there you have it – a very personal update from me!
Lady Lilianna Chance, daughter of the Marquess of Aylesbury, has a high opinion of herself, her looks, her reputation, and her family, and plans to make a stupendous match. Falling into the arms of reprobates was not the plan.
Raised by her parents to be perfect, and to be the perfect wife, Lilianna is horrified to discover that the rogue who caught her immediately proposes.
Proposes! To her! Him!
Not a chance in hell.
But Arthur Nelson, Earl of Taernsby, is not a man to take no for an answer. He’s recently inherited the earldom from his brother and desperately needs an heir—or the title will disappear forever, and his goal of redeeming the family name will be ended.
So, it’s simple. Choose the best, brightest, and most beautiful woman in the ton. Marry her. Have six sons.
What he’s not prepared for is Lilianna’s passion, her spirit—her determination never to see him again.
A battle comments: a battle of wits, sharp remarks, and…thousands of flowers?
This novel continues the highly anticipated Chance family drama, with sixteen cousins and triple the problems. Tropes include: he falls first/she falls faster, instalove, ice queen, arrogant rogue, found family, and of course, Emily E K Murdoch’s tried and true method of sizzling, joyful romance.
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 give a lovely welcome to this week’s guest author, Shana Galen! I grabbed this fantastic author to ask a few questions…
Tell us about a book that you’ve written that you’re most proud of.
The book I’m most proud of is The Rogue Pirate’s Bride, which was published in 2012. That book features a hero who’s a pirate (well—he says he’s a privateer) and the daughter of a Navy admiral.
They’re sworn enemies. I’m really proud of how I wrote the hero and heroine’s point-of-views. Much of the book takes place on a ship, and both characters grew up on ships, so for them, everything relates back to the sea and ships. I had to do so much research to learn all the sailing terms and the types of ships sailing in the early 1800s. I even had to write sea battles, and let me tell you, that was difficult! My dad has read a lot of Patrick O’Brian, and he gave me some of his books and helped me with the battle scenes. It’s the first and only time my dad ever helped me with a book.
Aww, I love that! So what do you think is the most swoonworthy characteristic of a hero?
Respect. I don’t like men (in fiction or real life) who don’t see women as their equals. In historical romance, the ultimate hero is one who, despite the societal conventions of the time, completely respects the women in his life. Hopefully, he has nice hair and eyes too!
Nice hair is so important – but how do you decide what your heroines look like?
That’s a mystery. I don’t usually decide before I start writing. I start the book and at some point the heroine mentions what she looks like or the hero sees her and describes her, and that’s how I know how she looks.
I love it when characters help out! Where do you love to write your stories?
I am the kind of person who has to write at my desk in complete silence. I don’t like distractions and interruptions. I know that’s pretty boring, but I just sit at my desk (the same one I’ve had since like 2006) and work.
You are not alone, I love writing at my desk. I keep it simple! Lastly, tell us something that your readers might not know!
I worked for an animal rescue during the pandemic. I got to help hundreds of animals find their forever homes (“furever,” as we say in rescue). I also have 4 rescued cats and 1 rescue dog.
That is a purrfect (sorry)! note to end on – thank you so much, Shana, for spending time with us! You can find Shana by clicking here, and make sure to grab her latest release!
Twenty-one days. A measly three weeks. That’s all the time Bianca Featherswallow is allowed to convince Theo Filliol to marry her. If she doesn’t marry in three weeks, Bianca will be prey to fortune hunters eager to abduct her for her dowry. Theo was hired as her protector. If only he wasn’t so attractive. How is she supposed to woo him when she’s tongue-tied and her heart thunders every time he’s near? Theophile Filliol, younger son of an earl, can’t protect anyone—least of all an heiress. He’s literally been gambling and drinking for weeks to forget the failures of his past. Considering his debt, he can’t ignore Mrs. Dove-Lyon’s orders to play bodyguard to Bianca Featherswallow. The lovely Bianca would make any man a happy groom, but Theo isn’t the kind of man she needs...
Emily E K Murdoch 