Get Lost Again with Emma Wildes!

Get Lost in This Story…

Twice Fallen is the second book in the Ladies in Waiting series, finally featuring Lord Damien Northfield (yes, Emma listens when readers ask!) from Lessons From a Scarlet Lady. Damien meets his match in Lady Lily Bourne, a disgraced beauty with a scandalous past. Just the perfect woman for a wily spy who specializes in secrets, isn’t she? When Lily proves to be the key to catching a ruthless killer, he decides fate might just have brought them together…

Welcome to Get Lost in a Story today, where I am excited to welcome back my friend and fabulous historical romance author, Emma Wildes!

Emma Wildes is an author of numerous Regency and other historicals novels. Twice nominated for an RT bookLover’s Reviewer’s Award (An Indecent Proposition, 2009, Our Wicked Mistake, 2010), An Eppie winner for best erotic historical, Winner of the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, she writes for NAL’s Signet Eclipse line. Emma lives in the Midwest with her husband, three children, and a temperamental cat named Poot. You can visit her at www.emmawildes.com

So, let’s get to the Get Lost Interview!!!

Heather:  What’s your favorite “love” word?

Emma:  I like captivated. It implies intelligence and sexual pull.

Heather:  What turns you off like nothing else?

Emma:  A person without a sense of humor.

Heather:  Where do you read and how often?

Emma:  I read EVERYWHERE. In my office while I’m working, on vacation, on the place, in bed…

Heather:  Do you write while listening to music? If so what kind?

Emma:  Classical, preferably Baroque. Very soothing.

Heather:  Is writing or story-telling easier for you?

Emma:  I think writing. I like to play with how the words sound together. But, of course, a good story is important!

Heather:  If you couldn’t be a writer anymore, what profession would you take up?

Emma:  If I couldn’t be a writer I would be bereft.

Heather:  What do you do to unwind and relax?

Emma:  Actually, I take a glass of wine and go sit by the lake. I tell my children I am going out to contemplate life, but I doubt it is really that cerebral <laugh>. I just go out and enjoy that there is really a lot of beauty in this world. Water, blue sky, birds, a warm breeze…

Heather:  What is your favorite tradition from your childhood that you would love to pass on or did pass on to your children?

Emma:  Swedish Christmas dishes. Just a few days away!

Heather:  What dreams have been realized as a result of your writing?

Emma:  We have a second country home now and really love it. No lake like our other house, but two small ponds and fifteen acres of woods with deer and wild turkeys wandering through. It is pitch dark at night, and so quiet you can hear every creak and rustle. I keep telling my husband a rabid badger <very unlikely, that is my vivid imagination> is living under our front porch because I do hear whatever it is come home each morning at dawn. Lots of thumping. A growl or two. This creature and I have an understanding that no sighting is mutually good for both of us. I don’t want to see him, and he doesn’t want to see me. Perfect.

Heather:  What would you say is your most interesting quirk?

Emma:  I don’t know if it is a quirk, but I hate loud noises. Music? Please keep it very soft. I went to about two concerts as a teen and then gave it up. I don’t even like the fan on in the bathroom. No wonder I live in the country.

Heather:  Have you ever written a character who wasn’t meant to be a hero/heroine but he/she wouldn’t go away?

Emma:  Well, now that you mention it, Damien Northfield from Twice Fallen (January 3^rd, 2012, Signet Eclipse). He is a middle brother and he didn’t really have that big a role in Lessons, but readers loved him. I have seven current mass market paperbacks with NAL, plus two eSpecials out there with NAL (Spanish Lullaby just came out on the 5^th of December), 29 books with Siren Publishing, four with Samhain, and he is hands down the character that has gotten the most fan mail! I found it all so astonishing. So I wrote his story, and honestly, he and Lily were just perfect for each other.

Heather:  Dog person or cat person?

Emma:  Love dogs, and love cats. I adore Poot. So handsome. But he is an exceptional cat <laugh> At our country house the neighbors have the most fabulous dog who comes to visit…Blue is an English Spaniel and he is so sweet. He’s gentle as can be but just barges in if you open the door. One night he watched a movie with us on the couch <invited himself> and his “parents” came looking for him. I felt a little guilty when he was sacked out on my lap. They were worried.

Heather:  What is your favorite thing about you?

Emma:  I think I’m extremely calm in a crisis, emotional, physical, etc. I immediately go to the “it-happened-it-needs to-be fixed” mode. It probably says something weird about me…please don’t tell me what it is, but at least I don’t go to pieces.

Heather’s GOTTA ASK – Emma’s GOTTA ANSWER  J

Heather:  What has been the most unexpected thing about being a published author?

Emma:  I don’t think I expected ever to be this busy. It is such a lovely gift. I write books and people actually want to read them <seriously?>. Heaven on earth.

GOT A QUESTION YOU’D LIKE TO ASK YOUR FANS?

Emma:  I am so curious to know if readers like it when authors switch paths and cross into other genres. For instance, I have a new series coming with Tor/Forge to be released next year that is thriller/suspense as Kate Watterson. The books are contemporary and the first one involves a serial killer…quite a switch for me. Thoughts? I will still write historicals, of course, since I love them, but I am quite a mystery buff also, so this was just a delightful challenge. I’d really like to hear what you all think!

WILL YOU HAVE A DRAWING FROM THOSE LEAVING COMMENTS?**

Emma:  A signed copy of Twice Fallen since I JUST got my copies yesterday.

Thanks so much for being with us today, Emma!

Emma:  Thank you for having me here at Get Lost in the Story. I have really enjoyed it!

Best to all, Emma

If you missed Emma’s previous visit to GLIAS, learn more about her here!

** Please follow us on Facebook & Twitter (#GetLostStories) for a daily update on who’s visiting GLIAS and what they might be giving away! Join us tomorrow as Maureen hosts Marley Gibson.

Note: Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America addresses only unless specifically mentioned in the post. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants. Winners of drawings are responsible for checking this site in a timely manner. If prizes are not claimed in a timely manner, the author may not have a prize available. Get Lost In A Story cannot be responsible for an author's failure to mail the listed prize.

Emma Wildes

Get Lost in This Story…

The First in the new Ladies in Waiting Series…

Lady Cecily Francis is resigned to become the wife of Lord Drury, the man she suspects her sister is pining for. But upon her first scandalous encounter with the exotic Earl of Augustine--the American everyone is whispering about--Cecily is intrigued by the possibility of a more exciting life. If only she could contrive some way to marry the unconventional earl instead...

Around town he's known as Earl Savage. Although he inherited his title legitimately--and with it the responsibility for his three half-sisters--Augustine is half American and part Iroquois. He can't wait to settle his father's estate, marry his sisters off, and return to his native soil. Until charming Lady Cecily has him considering a prolonged stay in England...

Welcome to Get Lost in a Story today, where I am excited to host my friend and fabulous historical romance author, Emma Wildes! Emma is kicking off a brand new series with One Whisper Away, which will be followed up with Twice Fallen in January. If you’ve not picked up one of her novels before, I highly recommend you do…the writing is lush, lyrical and quite quite lovely. Oh, and sensuous, too…can’t forget that!

Emma Wildes is the author of over thirty books, two time RT Reviewers Choice Nominee, Eppie winner for best historical erotic romance, a Passionate Plume winner in 2010, and the 1^{st place} winner for best historical in the 2010 Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence. She lives in rural Indiana with her husband, three children, and a temperamental (but very handsome) feline named Mr. Poot.

So, let’s get to the Get Lost Interview!!!

Heather: What’s your favorite kind of story to get lost in?

Emma: I love almost everything. Mysteries, romances (of course), horror (scare me), historical fiction; a bit of futuristic…give me great characters and I’m yours forever. Really gritty literary stories are not my favorite, I must say. I freely confess the escape factor is what appeals to me.

Heather: What’s the first book you remember reading?

Emma: I’ve always been a reader so that’s a hard one to answer. I’ve devoured books ever since I could get my hands on them. My first foray into the romance world was when I was ten and read Zane Grey’s The Last Trail. It is such a glorious blend of action, history, and compelling romance…I pretended I was sick to stay home from school (because I knew I couldn’t possibly put it down!) and read the whole book in one sitting. Jonathan Zane is still one of my favorite heroes of all time. That book is sitting right now on the shelf in my office.

Heather: Do you write while listening to music? If so what kind?

Emma: Oh absolutely. I love classical, especially Baroque like Telleman and Scarlatti.

Heather: What’s the first thing you do when you finish writing a book?

Emma: I start another one. It’s like an addiction.

Heather: If you could interview one person (and it doesn’t have to be a writer) who would it be?

Emma: Probably Napoleon Bonaparte. I write Regency, so obviously I find that time in history interesting and I read dozens of books about him doing research, but a conversation with him would surely be fascinating.

Heather: What is your favorite tradition from your childhood that you would love to pass on or did pass on to your children?

Emma: My family is all from Swedish descent so on Christmas Eve we have a traditional Swedish dinner with potatis korv (potato sausage), limpa (bread), and various other dishes that my grandparents always served. My parents make the korv and send it to us each year.

Heather: Tea or Coffee? And how do you take it?

Emma: Coffee, cream, no sugar. Another Swedish throwback. My grandparents drank coffee with every meal.

Heather: Have you ever written a character who wasn’t meant to be a hero/heroine but he/she wouldn’t go away?

Emma: Yes, indeed. In His Sinful Secret, the third book in the Notorious Bachelors series, Lawrence (we don’t know if that is his first name, or last, but it is all he will reveal, even to me) was at first just a servant, and then a bit more, and finally ended up being quite the parallel-hero for Michael Hepburn. I didn’t see it coming at all.

Heather: What’s in your refrigerator right now?

Emma: Stilton cheese, rye bread. milk, pickles, flour tortillas, leftover chili, ribeye steaks (for tonight), hot sauce, chopped New Mexico green chiles (for the steak, delicious), and then the usual staples of eggs, other cheeses, etc.

Heather: What do you do to unwind and relax?

Emma: I love to cook. We also live on a lake and a glass of wine on the dock in the evening is lovely.

Heather: Which of your characters would you most/least to invite to dinner, and why?

Emma: I would love to have Lady Rothburg from Lessons from a Scarlet Lady to dinner. I’m not sure what I would fix for an infamous retired courtesan who wrote a notorious book about how to please your lover, but surely she would be fascinating! I’m thinking roast duck with port wine sauce, roasted potatoes, perhaps sautéed spinach with garlic, and for dessert, something very decadent, like flourless chocolate cake. After, decadence is her specialty, is it not?

Heather: How often to you get lost in a story?

Emma: If it is one I am writing, hopefully every single time. I often look back and think: Did I write that? I don’t remember some phrases and scenes, which tells me it is a sort of surreal experience, and that is good. I’m not me, I’m with the characters and they often go their own way and I have no control over their antics, but that’s the fun of it. If it is a book I am reading I want the same experience. The unexpected is a delightful journey. Who wants a boring, level road and bland scenery?

Heather’s GOTTA ASK – Emma’s GOTTA ANSWER J

Heather: I noticed on your website that you majored in geology in college, which I find fascinating, having a chemistry degree myself. I’m thinking we sciencey types make great historical romance authors! <grin> How has that background influenced your writing?

Emma: Well it certainly helps with learning about discipline and research. Just the facts, ma’am. <laugh> I loved geology, but writing fiction is a career that fits me better. I do strive for accurate historical detail and that is very important to me. We must be sisters in more than just historical romance!

GOT A QUESTION YOU’D LIKE TO ASK YOUR FANS?

Emma: I am curious…when you find a favorite author, do you want a consistent type of story from them or do you embrace it when they branch out into new directions? I have mixed feelings on this myself (keep in mind, I am also an avid reader), so I’d love to hear everyone weigh in!

WILL YOU HAVE A DRAWING FROM THOSE LEAVING COMMENTS?**

Emma: Yes, I will be giving away a signed copy of One Whisper Away to a random commenter.

Thanks so much for being with us today, Emma!

Emma: Thank you for having me here at Get Lost in the Story. I have really enjoyed it!

Best to all, Emma

www.emmawildes.com

One Whisper Away, May 3^rd, Signet Eclipse

And look for: Twice Fallen, the 2^nd book in the Ladies in Waiting series, January of 2012

**Note: Offer void where prohibited. If an Advanced Reading Copy (ARC) is available, the author may utilize that option for International participants. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants.

Join us tomorrow when Angi hosts BJ Daniels!