What is the title of your latest release?
VIOLET THISTLEWAITE IS NOT A VILLAIN ANYMORE
What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
VIOLET THISTLEWAITE IS NOT A VILLAIN ANYMORE is a cozy fantasy romance about starting over, redemption, and what it means to be a good person. It tells the story of a powerful plant witch who has spent her whole life as the right hand to an evil sorcerer, but after his defeat she decides to turn over a new leaf and open a flower shop in a small town. But with a magical blight threatening her new community, her dark past knocking at her door, and her own growing feelings for the grumpy alchemist next door, Violet is forced to consider whether a former villain like her is ever truly worthy of a happily ever after of her own.
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I love a small-town setting. I wanted it to feel tight-knit and picturesque, but not perfect. Dragon’s Rest is a place that has fallen on hard times, and I wanted that to be clear in both the setting and the people in it. I also wanted to set it in the mountains as a little nod to my personal love affair with Colorado, where I live. A mountain setting is both beautiful and dangerous, with nature that gives and takes in equal, sometimes terrifying measure, and I felt like that balance worked really well for a story about someone exploring their own duality.
Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
I think Violet and I would get along really well—I love to garden and would be absolutely delighted by her magic abilities, and I think she’d appreciate my baked goods and sense of humor.
Nathaniel would be a trickier sell, he and I are a lot alike in ways that might make it harder for us to get along as well as friends, but I think we would understand each other on a deep level and would carry a lot of respect for one another. I think we would also have a lot of deadpan wordplay exchanges until someone cracked a smile.
What are three words that describe your protagonist?
VIOLET – hopeful, warm, determined
NATHANIEL – analytical, stubborn, loyal
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
VIOLET taught me, more than any other book I’ve written, the importance of writing for myself and my own goals. After years in the query trenches, this was a book that I actually wrote with the intention of self-publishing, because I was sick of rejection and wanted to hold a book with my name on it in my hands. I wrote it because it was the story I wanted to read, because I fell in love with the characters and the world, and because I thought I could sell it as an indie author. Turns out… I could also sell it in the traditional publishing space (and I am so grateful to my critique partner Angela for suggesting to me that I should give it one more go)! It’s been a whirlwind, but I’m so glad I trusted my gut and wrote that first draft from my heart without worrying about whether publishers would want it. I guess it’s one of those things where it takes finally letting go of an outcome before you’re able to achieve it.
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I always try and fast-draft without stopping (with a few exceptions here or there), and then I give myself a break and dive back in to edit.
What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Baked goods. Absolutely baked goods. I love to bake and make a lot of them myself, but if I’m at a cafe or bakery and something catches my eye, it will haunt for days if I don’t let myself indulge, especially if it’s a flavor combination I haven’t seen before or if it looks to have been made with a technique I’ve never tried. I get a lot of inspiration from bakeries and then go home and try to replicate them myself—with mixed success.
Describe your writing space/office!
After years of having a workspace tucked into my living room, I just moved into a new place with a dedicated room for the office! Right now, it’s just my desk and a small shelf, but I’ve got my eye on a big bookshelf to go behind me, with cabinets beneath the shelves where I can keep my crafting supplies. My walls are generally covered in art (in particular, I collect vintage-style illustrated postcards of places I’ve traveled) and my shelves stuffed with books and knick-knacks, and potted plants (including a pothos) draped over the top.
Who is an author you admire?
Is all of them an answer? No seriously, the further I get into this crazy ride called publishing, the more I come to admire the resilience, motivation, and sheer grit of career authors operating in the modern publishing landscape. This is not a job for the weak of heart!
I also so deeply admire authors I see on social media who take the time and energy to support other authors. I’ve met so many incredible authors this year—honestly too many to name because I know I will leave some out—who are so generous with their time, industry knowledge, support, and friendship, and while it’s amazing to be on the receiving end of that (I am regularly starstruck that they even know who I am, not gonna lie) it’s also incredibly motivating to me to try and be that person for other authors. There is room for all of us here, and uplifting each other uplifts us all.
Is there a book that changed your life?
There are a lot of books that changed my life. I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was little, so the way I’ve progressed my love of storytelling and my life in general are so closely intertwined. As a kid, Tamora Pierce’s Tortall books were maybe the first ones that made me consciously realize that different stories could exist within a shared universe without necessarily following the same characters or narrative. Tolkien’s work made me understand the ways that depth of lore and worldbuilding could affect storytelling. Maggie Stiefvater’s The Raven Cycle opened my eyes to the ways that we can build gorgeous fantasy lore for contemporary, real-world settings. Quite recently, Amal El-Mohtar’s The River Has Roots made me gasp over the ways in which I wanted to taste and savor and digest her use of language. My life, my values, and my writing are all an amalgamation of the stories I have loved and the authors who strung together sentences that stitched themselves into my very being. I’m so grateful to all the books I’ve loved for molding me into the person and the writer I am today.
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 was at a cafe coworking with my best friend when I got the call, and he got the whole thing on video! I had an inkling it was coming—I’d had a really great chat with my now-editor, Sareer, the week before, and my agent had called me a few days prior to pass along that Berkley had asked if we’d be amenable to a pre-empt—but the moment I saw my agent’s name on my phone my heartrate spiked through the roof. He gave me the terms of the offer, walked me through what some of it meant, and I accepted on the call so he could officially accept on my behalf. Long story short, I cried in a public place, texted my partner (who immediately came sprinting from our apartment to come give me a big hug), and the baristas who were clearly eavesdropping gave me a free congratulatory latte. And yeah, I have most of it on video, which makes me emotional every time I rewatch it.
What’s your favorite genre to read?
I constantly fluctuate between fantasy and romance. I love when my fantasy has a love story, and when my love stories have a bit of magic.
What’s your favorite movie?
I’m gonna be basic and say The Lord of the Rings extended editions (The Two Towers is my favorite of the three). My “I need a pick me up” movie is the critically underrated gem of a romcom, Austenland.
What is your favorite season?
I love, specifically, the transition between seasons. The first snowflake of the year on my sleeve and that first day I see snow dusting the tops of the Rockies on my horizon. The first crocus peeking through the snow and the first time I wake up in spring to find the trees are green again. The first camping trip of summer, when the wildflowers start to bloom and it’s warm enough that I want to dip my feet into the icy mountain streams. The first cool day of autumn when I get to haul my sweaters out of the back of the closet and order a hot drink instead of iced from my local cafe. Those transition days always make the world feel shiny and new and wondrous again in a way I just adore.
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
My brother and I have the same birthday, a few years apart, so I always like to call him at midnight (his time, that is—he’s a few time zones ahead of me). On the day itself, I sometimes celebrate with friends by going out to dinner or staying in for board games and snacks, and sometimes I celebrate by going for a hike by myself or with my partner (weather dependent—I live in Colorado and my birthday is in November, so it’s hit or miss in the mountains!).
This year, VIOLET comes out shortly after my birthday, so I’m putting all my celebration energy into the book launch instead!
What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I recently read The Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna and honestly, chef’s kiss. I loved it even more than The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches—her cozy fantasy romances keep getting better and better, and I can’t wait to see what she writes next!
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
We’ve got a lot of good Mexican food in Colorado, which is pretty much my go-to when I’m out of ideas for dinner. I love to try new foods though, and one of my priorities whenever I travel is to eat something I’ve never tried before.
What do you do when you have free time?
I bake a lot and bring baked goods to as many social events as I can. I also do a lot of hiking and camping, and love spending time in the mountains. On a regular basis, I love to get coffee from my local cafe, go for walks in my neighborhood with a friend, and say hi to all the local dogs. I make a lot of crafts and tend to fall into a regular rotation of short-lived hyper fixations with things like needle felting, sewing, embroidery, D&D terrain building, and costume creation for our local Renaissance Festival. I’m a board game geek and I get together with friends on a weekly basis to try out new games or revisit old favorites. I make time every single day to read, no matter what else I have going on. Basically, I’m a huge nerd and proud of it.
What can readers expect from you next?
There’s a second book in the same universe as VIOLET on its way, with some familiar faces you’ll recognize. Beyond that, I’ve got plenty in the works across multiple genres, most of which have elements of romance and magic in them in various combinations and settings. I’m so excited to explore many more stories in the future, both cozy and otherwise!
VIOLET THISTLEWAITE IS NOT A VILLAIN ANYMORE by Emily Krempholtz
A powerful plant witch and a grumpy alchemist must work together to save their quiet town from a magical plague in this debut cozy fantasy romance about starting over, redemption, and what it really means to be a good person.
Guy Shadowfade is dead, and after a lifetime as the dark sorcerer’s right-hand, Violet Thistlewaite is determined to start over—not as the fearsome Thornwitch, but as someone kind. Someone better. Someone good.
The quaint town of Dragon’s Rest, Violet decides, will be her second chance—she’ll set down roots, open a flower shop, keep her sentient (mildly homicidal) houseplant in check, and prune dark magic from the twisted boughs of her life.
Violet’s vibrant bouquets and cheerful enchantments soon charm the welcoming townsfolk, though nothing seems to impress the prickly yet dashingly handsome Nathaniel Marsh, an alchemist sharing her greenhouse. With a struggling business and his own second chance seemingly out of reach, Nathaniel has no time for flowers or frippery—and certainly none for the intriguing witch next door.
When a mysterious blight threatens every living plant in Dragon’s Rest, Violet and Nathaniel must work together through their fears, pasts, and growing feelings for one another to save their community. But with a figure from her past knocking at her door and her secrets threatening to uproot everything she’s worked so hard to grow, Violet can’t help but wonder…does a former villain truly deserve a happily-ever-after?
Romance Fantasy [ Ace, On Sale: November 18, 2025, Trade Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780593954300 / eISBN: 9780593954317 ]
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About Emily Krempholtz
Emily Krempholtz has never quit her day job to go open a flower shop, but that might be because she works with stories all day for a living, so she’s already doing what she loves. As a bestselling ghostwriter, editor, and book coach, Emily has worked with hundreds of writers as they write and publish their books—and she’s delighted to finally send one out into the world with her own name on the cover. When she’s not writing or reading, Emily bakes cakes that look like the books she reads and changes her hair color like it’s some kind of mood ring. She lives in sunny Colorado, where you’ll often find her in the mountains—either hiking (and pretending to be a character in a novel) or curled up in a hammock with a good book (and also pretending to be a character in a novel). She’s on a lifelong quest to discover the magic in the world and has a sneaking suspicion that the written word is where she’ll find it.
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