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+ Writing

What do you want from a hero?

by Unknown's avatar

One of the most challenging things about writing a hero (or many heroes!) is that something I think is attractive may not push your buttons. So how do you write a hero that EVERY reader will fall in love with?

Spoiler alert: I don’t think you can.

I know, you probably didn’t expect this blog to go in that direction! But I honestly think there’s nothing worse than a bland, trying to impress everyone hero. A hero who doesn’t stand for anything, offer anything, or act in any way interesting.

That’s why I love writing series. In a series, you can almost (!) be guaranteed to find a hero that you absolutely adore: bold, direct, shy, aggressive, bookish, nervous, differently abled, rich or poor.

There’s a Murdoch hero for everyone.

So what are you waiting for? Time to dive into my back catalogue and find your perfect hero!

(If you want something specific, why not drop me a comment and I’ll recommend a book of mine where you can find it!)

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Join my mailing list – get a free book!

by Unknown's avatar

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!

All you have to do is sign up here 🥰

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What do you want on my website?

by Unknown's avatar

Hello! I want to know what YOU want on my website.

I’m not a technically gifted person by nature but I am more than happy to put the work in if there is something that isn’t on my website right now that you would really love.

A reader once asked me if there was a reading list of my books available. There wasn’t. So I made one!

If there is something YOU would love on my website, here’s your opportunity to let me know. And there’s no time limit on this: if you have stumbled across this blog post months, or even years (!) after it went up, that’s okay. Drop a comment below, and I will see it!

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+ new book, regency

RELEASED: A Second Chance

by Unknown's avatar

Can you believe it? Book two of my new series, The Chances, is out now – and you can enjoy the second book in this rambunctious family!

You know what they say about second brothers…

John Chance, Marquess of Aylesbury, has most unfortunately run out of second chances.

That’s why he’s turning up at a house party in search of a wealthy wife. Anyone will do. The Aylesbury coffers are empty, and his older brother has given him a second chance to set gambling aside and find some respectability.

John doesn’t expect Miss Florence Bailey to be there.

Florence Bailey. The woman he courted two years ago. The woman he kissed passionately and felt—felt…

The woman he should have proposed to…and ran away from.

Florence Bailey is a wallflower, and proud of it. Hating every moment of the house party, she watches the Marquess of Aylesbury arrive with shock and a strange, ridiculous idea.

It would never work—John had already proven he couldn’t be trusted.

But a second chance could be the healing of her heart, and Florence is determined to try—try—to trust him.

As long as John can keep it quiet that he’s only wooing Florence for her money, this second chance could be just what he needs…

Continue the highly anticipated Chance family drama, with four brothers and just as many problems. Tropes include: black sheep, wallflower, second chance romance, and of course, Emily E K Murdoch’s tried and true method of sizzling, joyful romance.

This full length novel is a steamy Regency romance with a happily ever after, no cliffhangers, and is part of a series that can be read in any order.

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+ new book, regency

RELEASED: All Good Dukes Come to an End

by Unknown's avatar

The end of an era! The twelve book series of Dukes in Danger ends today with the launch of All Good Dukes Come to an End.

Because they do! And so do good books, and good series – but not good authors 😂

I’ve got a new series coming out, The Chance Cousins, so you don’t have to worry about missing out on Emily E K Murdoch books.

So – what are you waiting for? Get reading now!

Adam Seymour, Duke of Gilroyd, make a vow and he’s not going to break it. Probably.

After all, when he made that vow never to marry, it was in the depths of grief. Losing his wife so suddenly had never been the plan—and so throwing himself into serving the Crown was the obvious choice to forget the pain.

Which was easy, until Mr. Smee forced a new partner on him: Yates.

And not a Mr. Yates, either. No, the woman with the striking blonde hair and mischievous way with knives couldn’t be described as a Mr. Yates…

Dottie Yates isn’t wholly enamoured with Adam either, but she needs a man to pretend to be her husband. Preferably one with good connections. A duke will do.

Thrust into a fake marriage, spying in Brighton, and misunderstandings that threaten to reveal secrets of their past, neither Adam nor Dottie are ready to give up hunting down the Glasshand Gang—or the traitor who is apparently in their midst.

But as tensions heat and passions rise, it’s easy to forget spies, traitors, and vows when faced with growing love. A love that could end their growing friendship—and their mission.

After all, all good dukes come to an end…

This full length novel is a steamy Regency romance with a happily ever after, no cliffhangers, and is part of a series that can be read in any order.

Free in Kindle Unlimited!

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+ Writing

Regency era clothing

by Unknown's avatar

I could spend all day with you, and the moment that I left your presence, I would not be able to describe what you were wearing.

It’s not because I wasn’t paying attention to you! Chances are, it was because I was focusing on other parts of you: your face, your words, your laughter.

I am just not the sort of person who notices that sort of thing.

This doesn’t really bother me in my day to day life – to be honest, many of my friends and family wouldn’t actually know that about me. But when it comes to my writing, that is a real challenge.

One of my editors once pointed out that based on the amount of description that I gave my characters, most of them could be going through the entirety of my novel…without wearing anything 😅 I hadn’t mentioned a gown or a greatcoat, not once! It’s only when someone else points that out do you really start to notice, and I found it mortifying.

Of course, my characters are (mostly) wearing clothes – and of course, I have worked hard to learn how to write better descriptions of clothing into my books. But if I am being really open about this, it’s not my favourite thing to write. There’s always a little intricacy that I haven’t noticed or a mistake that I’ve made, it just doesn’t flow from my fingertips.

The more I read about Regency era clothing, the more engravings I look at and paintings I visit, the easier it is becoming…but I suppose in a way, it would be a lot easier if my characters joined a nudist colony…

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Take one of my courses!

by Unknown's avatar

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.

Secondly, I teach courses through the RWF throughout the year, based on my historical and craft specialties. You can always seen what courses are coming up here.

And thirdly, I offer developmental and line editing (separately and together!) for authors who want to up their game. Get in touch to talk with me about this, if this sounds interesting.

Thank you for reading!

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Do you take books on the beach?

by Unknown's avatar

Okay, it’s a controversial question this week: do you take books onto the beach?

There will be some people who are adamantly against this. They loathe the idea that their books could get dirty or dishevelled in any way, and in the main, I have to be honest and admit that I am in this camp!

Books are precious. They become companions to me and accompany me on some of the most adventurous moments of my life…and they are the friends I can curl up with under a blanket when I don’t want to leave the house.

I wouldn’t allow my friends to get damaged!

…having said that.

I also have to admit that there is a very rich joy in reading on the beach. Sunshine, sand, the sound of the waves breaking on the shore…the only two things you need alongside that is a book and a cool drink of your choice.

When I was a child, my parents would buy me a book from a charity shop for every day of the holiday. Each morning I would wake up and there would be a new book waiting for me on the carpet. Being able to take it to the beach to enjoy was such a huge part of my childhood experience.

So: I guess I fall into book camps. Books on the beach, yes, but usually a duplicate copy if it’s a book I really love 😅

What about you – are you the sort of person who takes books to the beach?

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+ Writing

Writing a love scene

by Unknown's avatar

I wanted to talk a little bit about what makes a love scene a really good love scene. And don’t worry, there isn’t going to be anything super explicit here – though if that’s your jam, check out my books…

So: where do we start?

I think a love scene has to start with emotions. Without an emotional connection, a true and deep intimacy, a love scene isn’t going to feel romantic. It might even feel forced or unbelievable, which is the last thing I want in a book.

Second, a love scene has to have time. I don’t mean time to write it (although that is helpful) – I mean time in the actual scene! No one wants this sort of moment to be rushed…unless that’s the point of the scene. Ahem. You want your characters to have time to explore, discover new things, and enjoy themselves.

And thirdly, a love scene has to have consequences. Now, those consequences could be in the shape of a bouncing baby nine months later, but it doesn’t have to. But there has to be some difference in the characters, individually and as a couple, because of what they shared. The love scene has to move the plot along.

So that’s what I think a love scene has to include! Obviously other authors are going to have different ideas than me, and that’s okay. Every author SHOULD have a different approach, otherwise reading would be pretty boring.

Do you think I’ve missed anything? Let me know in the comments below!

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+ Writing

Learning to take a holiday

by Unknown's avatar

You know what’s a real challenge? Learning to take a holiday when you do a job that you love!

I am conscious that I am incredibly fortunate to write as a job. I mean, I’m an author…that’s what I do! Having worked so hard for a decade to get to where I am, sometimes it can feel as though I am being ungrateful if I want to take some time off.

But you know what I’m learning – that if I don’t chose to take time off, I start to need time off. Yup, I’m talking about burnout.

When the creative well is empty, you can’t just keep dropping your bucket in there and expecting water to somehow magically appear. You have to wait. You have to rest. You have to give the well time to fill on up.

This was never a problem before I left my day job because I had at least ten hours a day when I couldn’t think about writing!

Now, all I do is think about writing, and characters, and plots, and book launches – and I love it! Why would I want to stop doing that!

This is why I have to be intentional when it comes to taking a vacation. If I’m not careful, I can get so swept up into loving what I do that I forget that I need time for my brain to recover. Otherwise the good ideas dry up and the words leave me.

SO…if I’m a little slower getting back to you on emails and social media, please be patient with me. I’m (trying!) to take a break!

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Have you checked out my Patreon?

by Unknown's avatar

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!

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+ new book, regency

Christmas in July boxset!

by Unknown's avatar

Happy Christmas in July!

If you’ve never celebrated this, it’s a wonderful chance to escape the heat (or snuggle up, if you’re Down Under!), and lose yourself in a wonderful Christmas historical romance.

I’m celebrating by reminding you about my three Christmas Regency novellas in one steamy boxset. Make sure you grab it now – or read for free in Kindle Unlimited!

Plunge into the fourth boxset of Regency romances in Emily Murdoch’s bestselling Ravishing Regencies series – Christmas edition! Each of these books has spice at its heart and a heart ready to lose, heroes in pain and heroines acting out of the ordinary. There are no ballrooms here… This collected stories promises hours and hours of steamy hot reading…

Kidnapped with a Knight
A man disowned by his family and a woman with absolutely no interest in him – and their kidnappers have left them all alone…

Christmas with a Czar
A man who claims to be a prince and a woman forced to play along – but the real secret must be revealed before Christmas Day…

Advent with an Archduke
A man who disappeared a year ago – and the woman forced to welcome a stranger at Christmas…

These books are steamy forced proximity Regency romances with happily ever afters, no cliffhangers, and are a series that can be read in any order. It’s time to get ravished…

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