Author Spotlight: Welcome 2025 with Tule Author Emmie Lyn!

We have two winners! Glenda Martillotti and Karen Hasby, you are Emmie’s winners of two e-books. She will be in touch. Thanks to all of you for stopping by and welcoming Emmie to the blog and helping us celebrate a great start to our 2025 Author Spotlights!

I love discovering new-to-me writers, and I love it even more when they are fellow Tule authors!  Today, I’m so excited to introduce y’all to USA Today bestselling author Emmie Lyn who has two brand new books out with Tule.

Emmie Lyn grew up in a small town in New England, much like the towns where her female characters live—scenic, quaint and filled with colorful characters. She loves to create mysteries with twists and unexpected turns that draw readers in and capture their imagination.

Emmie lives in rural Massachusetts with her husband and a black cat with an extremely bad attitude. She shares twelve acres with a wide variety of wildlife including deer, bunnies, turkeys, and many songbirds. When she’s not busy thinking of ways to kill off a character (for a book, of course!) she enjoys a cup of tea and chocolate in her flower garden, hiking, or spending time near the ocean.

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N: Welcome to the blog, Emmie. I’m so delighted to have you with us today. So, what inspired you to start writing?

Thank you so much for inviting me, Nan!

A: My daughter had just returned from two years away in the Peace Corps. She wrote about her experience then began writing cozy mysteries and encouraged me to write. I got completely caught up in the genre, sat down one day, and started writing. Crazy, right? I didn’t know what I didn’t know about writing a book but the ideas were in my head. The more I wrote, the more I learned how to craft a better story.

N: What comes first—the plot or the characters?

A: When I start a new cozy mystery series, I begin with a character and build a world around that person, adding friends/family/animals, an antagonist, the setting, a secondary event happening in the background, then I work on the plot. I try to have the victim figured out (but sometimes it changes), and the suspects, including means, motives, and opportunities. The characters drive the plot.

N: You are a USA Today bestselling author of cozy mysteries, yet in the Danger at the Cove series, you’ve added sweet romance to the mix. What is the most surprising thing you discovered about yourself while writing your books?

A: I discovered I liked adding in more romance. With my cozy mysteries, I tend to get lost in the mystery and sometimes forget to flesh out the characters as much as I should, but with the romantic element, that relationship becomes as important as the mystery.

N: Your books, Tangled Trust and Exposing Secrets just released December 10. Can you share with us something about each story that isn’t in the blurb?

A: Tangled Trust: Bella, the Golden Retriever in Tangled Trust, belongs to Hanna’s grandfather. Hanna takes on the responsibility of caring for Bella while her grandfather recovers from an operation. They become inseparable, but Hanna knows Bella will have to go back to live with her grandfather. Hanna will miss Bella’s loyalty, strength, and companionship.

Exposing Secrets: Shelly befriends Ana, the ten-year-old daughter of a customer at Dessert First. Ana becomes a big part of both Shelly and Max’s life. With her chatty, friendly personality, and the innocence of a child, she helps bring the two closer together.

N: Both of these stories are a step away from cozy mysteries for you—romance with a touch of mystery. What made you decide to try something different with the Danger at the Cover series and was it tough to transition?

A: I was asked to be part of a world with other authors to write a series of romantic suspense books with a Golden Retriever in some type of helping role. I love dogs and the project appealed to me so I jumped in! I asked myself, why not try something a little different? The biggest transition was writing from two alternating points of views but once I got a few chapters in, it came more easily and I enjoyed “seeing” the story from two perspectives.

N: If you had to describe both Hanna and Blake, your main characters in Tangled Trust in only three words, what would those three words be?

A: Hanna:
• Guarded
• Resilient
• Vulnerable

Blake:
• Protective
• Determined
• Compassionate

N: And the same question for the main characters in Exposing Secrets. If you had to describe both Shelly and Max, in only three words, what would those three words be?

A: Shelly:
• Independent
• Anxious
• Careful
Max:
• Charismatic
• Romantic
• Persistent

N: If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?

A: Believe in myself. Don’t listen to others who say your writing isn’t good or you aren’t a real writer if you self-publish. Write what you know, but don’t be afraid to try something new. And above all else, enjoy the process!

N: Are you working on anything at the present you would like to tell our readers about?

A: I am! I’ve just signed a contract with TULE for a third book in the Danger at the Cove series. This book features Nina, a secondary character in Exposing Secrets, along with her daughter Ana, and of course there will be a Golden Retriever in the mix. I’m excited that it has a Christmas theme. The working title is Keeping Dreams.

N: What do you like to do when you are not writing?

A: I’ve always loved the outdoors. Walking in the woods clears my head and helps me work through a scene in my current work in progress. There’s something about the peaceful quiet, being surrounded by trees, that helps me move forward in a story if I’m stuck. I also love gardening, especially flowers but I do have a small veggie garden. I really love being home but I work a few hours at my local library which gets me out of my house and I enjoy interacting with book people. What I love the most though, is visiting my grandchildren. They range from 6 months to 14 years old. I don’t want to miss these years when they’re young and full of curiosity and aren’t too busy to hang out with me!

N: What did you want to be when you grew up?

A: I wanted to be a veterinarian, but when I went to college, I took a botany course and got hooked on plants. My husband and I ran a cut flower growing business for many years, supplying flowers to flower shops all over New England. I loved it but it tied us to our business 24/7. I started writing while we still had the business and my writing took over my time. We decided to close the business. I miss the flowers, but not the hard work.

N: Favorite book when you were a kid?

A: I loved books about animals. Black Beauty was a favorite. Like many girls, I always wanted a horse.

N: If you could choose three people, living or dead, to invite to a dinner party, who would they be and why?

A: First, I’d invite my maternal grandmother. She was such a loving person and died much too young. I’d love to hear the stories of her life growing up in the early 1900s.
Second, I’d invite Jane Porter. She radiates enthusiasm, charm, and is filled with wonderful information about the writing world. Plus, since TULE handles my books, I’d love to meet her in person!
Third, I’d invite Heather Cox Richardson, a political historian who teaches at Boston College and lives in Maine. I love how she ties current events in with the past. I’ve learned more history from her newsletter than I ever did taking history in school. She makes it interesting.

Giveaway! Emmie is giving away a digital copy of each book to two lucky commenters (That’s two books for two commenters!). Just tell her in the comments below what your favorite book was as a kid. We’ll draw two winners on Saturday morning. 

Tangled Trust

She’s terrified of falling in love. He’s terrified of losing her…

For Hanna Moss, love has always come with danger. From the incessant stalking by an ex to nearly losing her life in a hit-and-run accident, she vows to remain alone—and safe. So when her golden retriever, Bella, welcomes a handsome private investigator into their lives, Hanna is reluctant to confide in him.

Blake Bowman returns to Clam Cove, Maine, with a shattered heart. All he wants is to enjoy a much-needed quiet vacation far from his ex-girlfriend. But when he meets beautiful, injured Hanna, his focus shifts…because it looks like what happened to her was no accident.

Hanna is terrified of the feelings she’s rapidly developing for Blake and refuses to repeat her past mistakes. Blake is determined to help and protect Hanna, even if that means putting love on hold.

Find out if Bella can help these two humans understand that trust is a two-way street, the heart can be repaired, and love can bloom again.

Kindle | B&N Nook | Apple Books | Kobo | Google Play | Tule Bookshop

Exposing Secrets

She isn’t looking for love, but can love break through her walled-off heart?

Beautiful and independent, Shelly Scott is always looking over her shoulder, wondering if she’ll have to run again. Her new position as manager at Dessert First Bakery shines more light on her than she likes, but Jake, her golden retriever, the handsome male in her life—loyal and attentive—is always there when anxiety immobilizes her.

Max Bailey, bestselling author, thinks he has everything. Until he realizes the one thing that’s lacking is someone to share his life with. When talented Shelly catches his attention, he wants to know more about this woman with a dazzling smile, a heart-melting laugh, and walls around her heart.

Then Shelly’s past crashes into her present, paralyzing fear takes over, and shocking information is revealed. The scandalous truth that is uncovered about her unhappy childhood is the very last reality she could have imagined.

Can Max and Shelly’s friendship survive… or will the answers discovered destroy their budding romance?

Amazon |  B&N Nook | Apple Books | Kobo | Google Play | Tule Bookstore