An Exclusive Interview with Emma Locke + Giveaway (Thank you, Authors! Thank you, Fellow Readers!)

I can't remember now how I discovered Emma Locke -- but I'm really, really glad I did. Reading her debut novel was a revelation: a fresh voice, a daring perspective and the brassiest, sassiest heroines I've ever had the pleasure of reading. Add to that well-written and very thoughtful storylines, and what you get is insta-love. Seriously.

Further add to this that Emma herself is a really charming, really fun author to talk to. (Read the interview below and see for yourself. ^_^) She has two novels and a novella already published and I am excited to read more of her works. ^_^

Welcome, Emma Locke, to Love Saves the World!

LStW: What was the inspiration behind your The Naughty Girls series?

Emma Locke: I started this series when I was a single girl in my late twenties. I was just beginning to realize that what women say about getting older, wiser, and more confident as you age is entirely true -- the closer I got to 30, the happier I felt with myself. Most romances, especially before a few years ago, focused on young, innocent heroines. I wanted to read books about women like myself. Confident women who’ve made mistakes yet have no regrets.

I settled on a series built around courtesans because those were the closest women in 1813 to the type of heroine I was looking for. In the first book, THE TROUBLE WITH BEING WICKED, Celeste Gray is 33 years old. She’s been a courtesan for 18 years, which is more than enough time to make anyone an expert in their field. Part of her struggle with Ashlin, the hero, centers on her sense of identity being challenged. She’s always seen herself as a successful courtesan, but when she’s faced with the fact that -- outside her circle of like-minded friends -- she’s considered a fallen woman, she starts to question whether she can ever be worthy of Ashlin’s love.

In THE PROBLEM WITH SEDUCTION, Elizabeth Spencer is dealing with a very different byproduct of her decision to become a courtesan. Her infant son needs a father. Slowly, she comes to depend on the man she selects for the job, as she and Constantine begin to trust each other and work as a team. And then in THE ART OF RUINING A RAKE, Lucy Lancester is lured into the lifestyle of a courtesan by the promise of becoming an independent woman with the means to support herself. All three books explore various steps in transitioning from being a single girl who isn’t looking for a husband to falling in love.

LStW: (Halloween) If you could dress up as any character, real or fictional, who would it be?

Emma: I answered this question even though it's not Halloween, because I really, really want to be Cersei from Game of Thrones. First, I would love to be tall, blonde and thin! Secondly, she’s just so deliciously cold, yet she has a gooey, warm center. Not to mention her amazing wardrobe! She’s perfect, actually, for the sort of heroine I like to read and write about. I hope to write someone as complex as Cersei one day.

LStW: (Christmas) Do you have a favorite thing to gift friends for Christmas?

Emma: Wine! Or beer. I’m actually a beer drinker in real life, but wine looks so much prettier wrapped up in shimmering paper and ribbon. Plus you can put it in one of those cute neoprene holders and make a very nice gift. Oh, and if it wasn’t clear, I fully intend to share the bottle with you!

LStW:  (New Year) What's next for Emma Locke in 2014?

Emma: (and I answered this one because it's close to NYE and it's a fun answer!)

Wellllllllllll, I’m getting married! As I said, I started The Naughty Girls when I was a single girl painting the town, myself. A lot of experiences in the books are based on types of events that happened to my girlfriends and me as we went through our Sex and the City period. But, like every good romance, I found my hero when I wasn’t looking. In June of 2014 I’ll be marrying the nice guy who was always hanging around but never said much, until the afternoon he showed up and blurted out a speech worthy of Mr. Darcy. Swoon!

Unfortunately for my readers, that means I have a wedding to plan that I was expecting when I put together the timeline for the six-book Naughty Girl Series. I promised him after my third book is released (THE ART OF RUINING A RAKE, coming soon!) that I’d put down my pen and take care of the wedding details. So, that’s what’s next for me. Then, after the wedding, I’ll start on THE DANGER IN DARING A LADY. This will be Darius Alexander’s story, if you’re following the series, and the first book in The Hoydens trilogy. Of course, you’ll get a teaser excerpt in the back of Rake! But the book won’t be ready for at least another year and a half.

Thank you so much for having me! Now I’d like to give away a complete electronic set of the first two books and my Christmas novella, THE CHEER IN CHARMING AN EARL, to one lucky random winner!

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The Naughty Girls series by Emma Locke

HE PUT HER ON A PEDESTAL ...
When Celeste Gray arrives in the sleepy village of Brixcombe-on-the-Bay, she thinks she's one step closer to leaving her notorious past behind. She even suspects the deliciously handsome -- if somewhat stuffy -- viscount next door is developing a tendre for her. That is, until the day Ashlin Lancester learns she's not the unassuming spinster she's pretending to be.

NOW SHE HAS FARTHER TO FALL
After a decade of proving he is nothing like his profligate father, Ash is horrified to have given his heart to a Cyprian. He launches a campaign to prove his attraction is nothing more than a sordid reaction he can't control. But he soon learns that unlike his father, he can't find comfort in the arms of just any woman. He needs Celeste. When he takes her as his mistress, he's still not satisfied, and the many late nights in her arms only make him want more ...

AN OUTRAGEOUS PROPOSITION
Elizabeth Spencer needs a man. Preferably one who won't be too picky about the morality of her proposition, or his reputation. Lord Constantine Alexander can't afford another trip to debtors' prison, which makes him the perfect candidate. She doesn't expect him to have a heart of gold, or to hold up his end of the bargain -- particularly when his high-in-the-instep family gets involved. Nor does she expect to find him irresistible, because while she needs a man, she doesn't particularly want one.

A WICKED BARGAIN
When a beautiful courtesan offers to satisfy his creditors, Con leaps at the opportunity. Never mind his mother and brothers are suspicious of his newfound fortune -- being with Elizabeth is intoxicating enough to wipe any thought of scruples away. He soon realizes it's not just his future he's been gambling, but his future family. How can he convince London's premier courtesan he's more than a callow rake?

PLEASE NOTE! This short novella was first published in the romantic holiday anthology TIS THE SEASON.

FOR LOVE ...

The second of five impoverished sisters, Miss Elinor Conley knows her dream of becoming a lady is farfetched. When an unmarried gentleman happens by her brother's smithy, it is up to her to act quickly -- and rashly -- to secure his interest. But Grantham Wendell, Earl Chelford, isn't in the market for anything more than a new horseshoe. What's a bachelor to do when an innocent miss turns up at his Christmas Eve bacchanalia? He ought to make her leave, but his Twelfth Night party just became more entertaining ...

This is story 3.5 in The Naughty Girls Series. To start at the beginning, please see the full-length romance THE TROUBLE WITH BEING WICKED.

To read my reviews of all the published books in Emma Locke's The Naughty Girls series, click here.

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Meet Emma Locke --

Emma Locke is a writer and engineer living in the Pacific Northwest, where she loves hiking with her dog, hot yoga and riding out the annual 330 days of rain. Hiking and yoga give her time to plot, the lack of sun makes for perfect writing weather, and as for her day job, the dichotomy seems to work: her analytic side ensures her passionate, satisfying love stories don't mulch under her bed, and her author side forces her to keep writing more. You can Like Emma on Facebook at facebook.com/AuthorEmmaLocke or check out her books and appearances at www.emmalocke.com.

To find out more about Emma Locke and her books, click below:

Website
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads

*Short bio and photo taken from the author's Goodreads page.

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Christmas is 2 sleeps away! This is my way of saying "Thank you" and, hopefully, sharing the good cheer to all the wonderful authors and to all the wonderful romance readers in the world by giving away books!

Image from Freedigitalphotos.net

For this feature, Emma Locke is offering up the full set of all currently published books in her The Naughty Girls series:
Book 1: The Trouble with Being Wicked
Book 2: The Problem with Seduction
Book 2.5: The Cheer in Charming and Earl

And ... I'm giving away another set! So that's two winners! (This is a really great series. I've recommended this to my book buddy, who is very picky with books and authors -- and she is now a fan of Emma Locke!)

*This giveaway is via Rafflecopter and is open to International Readers.
*This giveaway will run until December 30.
*One entry per household per IP.
*Two winners will each win the complete currently-published books in Emma Locke's The Naughty Girls series. ^_^

a Rafflecopter giveaway


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Drop by on Wednesday for the next feature!