Aloha to Emily Greenwood and GENTLEMAN PREFER MISCHIEF

On this day in 1154, Henry II of England  was crowned at Westminster Abbey.   He was known to be mischievous .... Emily Greenwood joins me today to celebrate the release of GENTLEMEN PREFER MISCHIEF.  From her bio (link),

Emily Greenwood has a degree in French and worked for a number of years as a writer, crafting newsletters and fundraising brochures. But she far prefers writing playful love stories set in Regency England, and she thinks romance is the chocolate of literature.

A Golden Heart finalist, she lives in Maryland with her husband and two daughters.

Sally MacKenzie (left) and Emily Greenwood (right)
at Lady Jane's Salon/Silver Springs (link)

Kim: I enjoyed meeting you at Lady Jane's Salon/Silver Spring. I love meeting authors in my locale! What is your favorite sight, sound, and smell of the greater DC area? 

Emily:  Kim, it was lovely to meet you too, and thanks for having me on SOS Aloha to celebrate the release of GENTLEMEN PREFER MISCHIEF.

One of my very favorite sights in DC is The Gardens at Dumbarton Oaks. Located on the northern end of Georgetown, the gardens are part of a large property that was owned by the Bliss family and is now open to the public. This beautiful outdoor space, which was designed by the landscape architect Beatrix Farrand, feels like a collection of wonderfully old-fashioned garden “rooms.” I love to go there in the spring and stroll among the flowering trees and shrubs and enjoy the weathered stone fountains and statues. 

Dumbarton Oaks
Image from Public Domain (link)

Kim:  What inspired you to study French? What is your favorite French word? French food? French wine?

By the way, Henry II understood many language, but only spoke French and Latin.

Emily:  I just always loved French, ever since I was young. Perhaps this started out with my mom cooking a lot of French food from Julia Child’s cookbooks, but I also always loved the pictures I would see of France, and I loved the sound of spoken French. We had some records (records!) of French songs, too, that I loved to listen to. My favorite French word might be patisserie (a pastry shop). My favorite French food is a meal you can get at any bistro called a “steak frites,” which is a nice piece of steak, often with some delicious sauce of pepper and brandy, and skinny, amazing fries. My favorite French wine is a Cotes-du-Rhone, which is a nice, usually affordable red.

Hawaii's CoCo Puffs would be welcomed in a patisserie.

Kim:  Who helped you along the path to publishing?

Emily:  Early on I worked with two critique partners who were super-helpful and encouraging, and that made a huge difference in my capacity to learn and persevere. Also, I had some encouraging responses from agents and editors, even though they rejected my work. Washington Romance Writers and RWA have been awesome resources full of amazing, generous writers and professionals. And I feel extremely fortunate to have Jenny Bent as my agent—she’s fantastic! Finally, my family and friends have never been anything but enthusiastic about my writing. 

Menehune are mischievous  in Hawaii.

Kim:  Tell us about GENTLEMEN PREFER MISCHIEF!

Emily:  I like to think I’m the only author—or at least the only Regency romance author—with a current release that has haunted sheep in it J Those sheep belong to Miss Lily Teagarden, and now the whole neighborhood thinks they’re haunted because they’ve gone into the “haunted” woods between her family’s property and the estate belonging to their neighbor, Hal, Viscount Roxham.

Hal is not Lily’s favorite person. A handsome charmer who loves to tease, he broke her heart four years before without even knowing it. Little does she want to ask him for help, but the “haunted” sheep are causing her real problems.

A former army captain, Hal became viscount when his brother died, and he’s not exactly reconciled to this change in his life. What he loves is fun, and he thinks it’s come knocking when prim, beautiful Lily arrives to demand his help with her ridiculous problem. No sooner does he begin to investigate, though, than she mysteriously starts to thwart him—and the game is on. With each new bit of mischief, Hal falls deeper under her spell, but Lily’s the only woman in England who doesn’t think he’s Lord Perfect, and it’s going to take everything he’s got to win her love.

Moonlight over Pearl Harbor

Kim:  What's next for Emily Greenwood?

Emily:  The last book in my Mischief series, MISCHIEF BY MOONLIGHT, will release in June 2014. Here’s the blurb: Engaged to the perfect man, Miss Josie Cardworthy wants her sister to find the same bliss—with Josie’s dear friend, the Earl of Ivorwood. But when Josie gives Ivorwood a love potion, she’s the one who falls under the handsome earl’s spell.

Mahalo, Emily, for visiting SOS Aloha!  I posted my four star review of GENTLEMEN PREFER MISCHIEF on Amazon (link) and Goodreads (link).    Sourcebooks is giving away a print copy of GENTLEMEN PREFER MISCHIEF to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  What's your favorite "thing" from France - the language?  the food?  the chateaux? 

2.  This giveaway is open to all readers.

3.  Comments are open through Saturday, December 21, 10 pm in Baltimore.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, December 22.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

To learn more about Emily and her books, check out her website at emilygreenwood.net.