My eyes watered with a rush of tears. “That’s all I’ve ever done.”
My stomach and my chest twisted with hopeful anticipation. Maybe now, I could finally prove to Nick that his wealth and power meant nothing to me, that all I wanted was an ordinary life with an ordinary Nick. Even though it made me uneasy to think what stealing him away from the sixteenth century would do to the Tudor dynasty as I knew it.
I cuddled into him. “Let’s go to sleep,” I whispered. “Ne dimittas. Don’t you dare let go of me.”
The last words I heard Nick Tudor say were a warm murmur against my neck. “As you love me, my lady, I wager my life and kingdom on it.”
Acknowledgments
“Love what you do and you’ll never work a day in your life.” Sorry, but bollocks. There’s nothing easy about writing a book, even when my soul consistently clarifies how much I love it and that stopping is not an option. While writers are often imagined as quirky, reclusive creatures (which we completely are), it’s not a solitary experience but a two-way contract between writer and reader that says this is a journey we’re going on together. Without readers, my stories and characters would be eternally lost at sea, and I must thank you—the reader—for keeping Emmie and the Tudor Queen on course. To every excited reader who messaged me after finishing Emmie and the Tudor King, asking for more, I humbly offer this work to you. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your support. It means everything to me.
To my wonderful editor, Arielle Bailey, the magical ring to my storytelling: thank you for guiding me out of the ghastly pit of the passive, whiny character and up into the light where Emmie yearned to be with her good-hearted and perceptive nature. Also, endless appreciation for your hilarious comments that pulled me into line when the sixteenth-century dancing became too steamy or when Emmie willingly exposed the modern world to smallpox (Emmie, how could you!).
Thank you to Shaela Odd from Blue Water Books for another perfect cover, and to the woman of many talents, Brookie Cowles, for your interior files. I love working with you both.
I couldn’t believe that I had to fly to England to visit Hampton Court Palace, Windsor Castle, and Kenilworth Castle—among others—for this book (such a drag!), and said research trip wouldn’t have been the same without my Tudor tour partner-in-crime, Darren Waters. Thanks for keeping me company, Mr. Waters, and where are we researching next? May I also offer immense gratitude to my Hampton Court Palace tour guide, the lovely Sandy Rhodes, and to historian Tracy Borman for more critical questions answered via email (the fangirling hasn’t stopped). To Matthew “Matty J” Johnson (again, not The Bachelor one–the original): thank you for allowing me to drag you around London to gawk at so many Tudor heads and bizarre implements! Yes, you have a weird friend.
Thank you to the divine Kathleen Pasqualini for being my beta reader, my book cover consultant, my Australian slang fielder, my source for random US facts, and for thwarting Emmie and Nick’s attempts to wake up in the library without their kit on, LOL.
Thanks also go to my fellow author and friend, Lisa Buscemi Reiss, for helping me stay afloat and motivated during some difficult days in this writing process. I truly value your friendship. To the gorgeous bookstagrammer Jen from @bookbookowl for the stunning cover reveal, and all my wonderful ARC readers and book tour bloggers—I adore you! Please accept my heartfelt thanks for your time. I also owe my gratitude to my ‘twinnie’ writer friend Nicole Webb and her agent Bernadette Foley for the sage advice during the trials of publication.
Once again, to the brilliant Martha Wells: your medical advice regarding poisoning helped ensure that one of my characters died appropriately—that is sincerely a gift in this context (*grins*). Thank you, clever Martha!
In the Hearts & Crowns series, Emmie Grace spends a great deal of time living away from her family, and it’s a twisting pain that I have lived and understand—even if my family will forever feel torn in two with the beautiful Canadian side so far away. But to every treasured member of my family, both near and far: from the bottom of my heart, thank you for being my people. I can’t not mention my parents and my sister: you are my rocks.
Speaking of my people: Brent, Brady, and Aubrey, while I feel like I disappear into another world every time I write a novel—a world I feel sublimely content in—if there were even a hint that I might never be able to get back to you, I would toss that part of my life into a fire. You come first, always. I love you endlessly. CB, your ability to put up with me and my writing dreams with nothing but love and encouragement is a miracle in itself. I am tempted to dunk you in the lake to perform a witchcraft water trial—how are you real? *hearts*
Last, but never least (especially if we’re talking pounds—sorry, had to get that one in), I want to thank the Tudors themselves, particularly King Henry VIII. I joke about Henry, but the truth is that I like him, even though he made such appalling decisions at times. Without Henry’s face-palming shenanigans that changed Britain forever, I’d never have fallen for this dramatic slice of history that has captivated people for centuries. The Tudor dynasty is ultimately what inspired me to write stories about charismatic kings stricken with the dart of love (Henry’s words, not mine). So, without further ado, I wish to thank Henry VIII, Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, Catherine Parr, Mary I, Elizabeth I, and Edward VI. Wherever you are, broken family, I hope your hearts are mended (and your necks, gulp!) and please know that—nearly five hundred years into the future—we still speak your names.
About the Author
Natalie Murray is the author of Emmie and the Tudor King (June 2019) and Emmie and the Tudor Queen (August 2020). The YA time travel romance series follows a high school graduate to a reimagined Tudor England, where she meets a doomed, but utterly dreamy, Tudor king. Emmie and the Tudor King has received acclaim from Foreword Reviews, InD’Tale Magazine, YA Books Central, and popular YA authors Brigid Kemmerer (A Curse So Dark and Lonely) and CJ Flood (Infinite Sky), among others. Emmie and the Tudor King was a finalist in the 14th Annual National Indie® Excellence Awards in the category of New Adult Fiction. Natalie is currently penning her next angsty romance from beautiful Lake Macquarie on Australia’s east coast, where she lives with her husband, two children, and hangry miniature schnauzer, Otto.
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You can find Natalie Murray forgetting to update her website or procrastinating on social media at:
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