1–What is the title of your latest release?
2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
An unexpected romance unfolds when a stern, reluctant earl discovers a mysterious woman with amnesia on his land and agrees to let her recuperate in his manor, which is about to play host to a party no one asked for.
3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
Whether I am writing romance or fantasy. I need a real historical analogue to ground myself in. For this series, I knew I wanted to focus on the budding women’s suffrage movement. In 1877, England is on the cusp of change. Various reform bills concerning women’s rights have passed, committees and pressure groups are campaigning for change, and Parliament is at last taking notice. My characters would have figures like John Stuart Mill, Lydia Becker, Barbara Bodichon and Millicent Fawcett to inspire them. The right to vote is still a long way off, but maybe one day I’ll get to write a new series about their granddaughters gaining suffrage at last.
4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
I have two main characters. Jane and I would get along great. We both love to read and antagonize the men in our lives without even trying. Jasper and I would be less compatible. He is not fun at all in the beginning, but if I met him at the end of my book, I think we’d stand a chance at friendship.
5–What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Jane: Fiery, clever, tenderhearted.
Jasper: Restrained, dutiful, hot-blooded.
6–What’s something you learned while writing this book?
That I am capable of writing books without curses or magic to advance the plot!
7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I am physically incapable of fast drafting. I begin pretty much every writing session by revising what I wrote the day before, and will actually go back to the beginning and polish the whole draft at least 5 times during the drafting process. It makes for slow drafting, but I emerge on the other side with a very clean manuscript.
8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Does eating an entire bag of watermelon sour patch kids while I write count?
9–Describe your writing space/office!
Answer: I used to work exclusively with a lap desk on any comfortable surface I could find, but my back has suffered for it. Now I have a desk in a corner of my small apartment in our hundred-year-old house.
10–Who is an author you admire?
There are a hundred authors I could list here that have impacted me in some way with their words, but I’d like to name a friend instead. I met Laura Steven years ago when we were represented by the same agent. She has been there for me through the ups and downs of the publishing industry, always quick with support or sage wisdom. But it is her unmatched work ethic and passion for writing that I admire the most. Laura is on the cusp of being a household name (preorder OUR INFINITE FATES or SILVERCLOAK, both are phenomenal), but in the immortal words of V.E. Schwab, “overnight success is almost always a myth.” I have watched for years as Laura fought her way to this well-earned success, and I can’t wait for the world to know how talented she is.
11–Is there a book that changed your life?
I think my life has changed a hundred times in a hundred different ways thanks to books, but one that stands out is Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore. It’s the first book I ever reached the end of only to immediately turn back to the first page and start all over again. Its brilliance spoke to me in such a way that I felt delusional enough to try my hand at writing a historical romance of my own. Imagine my surprise and utter delight when Evie agreed to read and blurb my book!
12–Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
I knew my would-be editor was taking the book to acquisitions just before Christmas 2023, but I didn’t expect to hear anything before January. I found out on the 21st of December that they would be making an offer in the new year. That remains my best ever Christmas gift, for sure!
13–What’s your favorite genre to read?
I love romance in all its forms, but I am a fantasy girlie to my core. Give me world-ending stakes, costly magic, curses that bind, and love that is strong enough to save the world…or end it.
14–What’s your favorite movie?
At the end of the day, nothing brings me more joy and comfort than the Lord of the Rings Extended Editions. I couldn’t even begin to guess how many times I’ve seen them. My DVD copies gave up on me years ago. Having a bad day? Time for a rewatch. Looking to celebrate? Time for a rewatch. Recovering from surgery? Time for a rewatch!! Did you stumble upon a gif of Aragorn?? TIME FOR A REWATCH!!!!
15–What is your favorite season?
I love the fall. I live in Eastern Ontario, which is famous for its fall foliage, but in my opinion there’s only a brief window where the colors of the leaves are at their peak and the weather hasn’t turned too cold and gloomy yet. I live for those few weeks in October.
16–How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
It used to include a long, indulgent visit to a bookstore, but now I am a bookseller myself and spend a LOT of time amongst books very regularly. My perfect day would include a hike (my birthday is in September) with my partner to some pretty view (complete with sandwiches to eat at the top) and then dinner with our closest friends at our favorite restaurant.
17–What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I’m in the middle of two really rough deadlines so most of my waking hours are dedicated to writing, but I did make time for Black Doves on Netflix, which I loved. I’m also a fan of the Noble Blood and Fall of Civilizations podcasts, both of which I listen to on my long walks.
18–What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
There’s nothing I crave more intensely than Indian food.
19–What do you do when you have free time?
These deadlines mean that “free time” is currently a foreign concept to me, but I am dreaming of the day I can return to running (poorly), trying new recipes, devouring books and finding a new TV show to binge with my partner.
20–What can readers expect from you next?
The sequel to A LADY WOULD KNOW BETTER will be out next year (imagine a Victorian take on How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days), and I’ve got another (unrelated) series in the works that I hope I can talk about soon!
A LADY WOULD KNOW BETTER by Emma Theriault
Get ready to swoon for this dreamy, forget-me-not romance that’s filled with the delightful tartness of Jane Austen and the sweeping, unputdownable drama of Bridgerton.
There are many things an English lord might encounter on the grounds of his wintry estate. Trees. Birds. Perhaps a wandering gamekeeper. Instead, the Earl of Belhaven finds a woman in the snow, unconscious and nearly frozen to death. Then her luminous gray eyes open just long enough for her to plead, “Don’t let them get me.”
Now Jasper Maycott has his hands full with a woman who has absolutely no memory of who she is or where she came from—to say nothing of her name! Just a gold ring, some fine clothes, and a penchant for pert conversation. But while “Jane” dresses and speaks quite like a lady, Jasper can’t make any assumptions. After all, she could be a crafty fortune hunter…albeit a charming and unutterably beautiful one.
Only there’s no room for romantic love in the Earl of Belhaven’s world. There is just grim duty, a lingering sense of loss, and the knowledge that love—in any form—can only bring heartbreak in its wake.
But while a lady should know better, the heart heeds no rules…even if its every beat portends the danger she was running from.
Romance Historical [Entangled: Amara, On Sale: January 28, 2025, Trade Paperback / e-Book , ISBN: 9781649377449 / eISBN: 9781649377487]
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About Emma Theriault
Emma Theriault was born and raised in Ottawa, the capital city of Canada, and thus has a penchant for gothic revival architecture and a constant craving for Beavertails. She has been everything from an enthusiastic bookseller (who once sold a book to Prime Minister Trudeau) to a purveyor of whitewater rafting adventures in the Interior of British Columbia. When not writing books about curses and blood magic, she can be found eating burritos, hiking with her boyfriend or cuddling with her cats, Gatsby and Harriet.
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