Every Emma fan is asking the same question right now: “What should I read while I wait for THE UNSELECTED JOURNALS OF EMMA M. LION VOL. 9?”
It’s a legitimate question. It’s coming… it’s on preorder… but the wait is killing us all slowly.
Since finishing Vol. 8 I have tried a number of strategies:
- I read all the books Emma references from Jane Eyre to The Twelfth Night, to Treasure Island.
- I read the Emma M. Lion Books again! And then listened to them on audiobook (they really are as amazing as everyone says)
- I even got my family together and put on Julius Ceasar (this modern-language version is so fun with kids!)
- I read Beth’s other works, THE Q (most like Emma Lion in terms of time period, wit, and characters) and THE IMIRILLIA series starting with THE QUEENS GAMBIT.
But in all that, no one told me the Emma Lion Fan BEST KEPT SECRET: The St. Crispian’s Gazette! Beth’s substack newsletter for subscribers is absolute gold and I had no idea until recently and NO ONE IS TALKING ABOUT IT!!! So here I go!
The St. Crispian’s Gazette is made up of little snippets of behind the curtain of characters from the EMMA LION BOOKS. Short stories like:
- How Professor Fletcher’s Wife Died (did she tell him to remarry?)
- A Letter from Marianna to Islington about Maggie’s Elopement
- Stories about Declan Lion, The Reprobates, and whether Tad Whitaker’s moniker stuck.
It’s enough to give you even more theories!
You might be saying… reading online isn’t really my thing. Well it’s not mine either. That’s why I printed all of them out and bound myself my own hardback copy –224 pages of obsessable goodness! (You heard me, there is a whole book worth of stories in the world of Emma Lion just waiting for you!) Will I share a downloadable file for you to make your own copy like I did with my fan non-fiction DIY LATIN PHRASES FOR THE UNREPENTANT, compiled of references in the books with other Latin grammar and insults? No. I respect Beth and her work too much, and she has asked that this special perk for Substack subscribers not be shared beyond the paywall. But you could subscribe print your own and bind your own private copy (please don’t share) just like I did. Here is a great tutorial for binding a book this long with several signatures: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xF3P8bI_MNM. The other thing we could do is all start clamoring for a printed edition (are you hearing this Beth? The people want a hardcopy!)
Beth does offer a free newsletter which is delightful and always a treat in my inbox… but I had no idea what I was missing by not being a paid subscriber. Seriously, don’t let the $5 a month get in the way of MORE EMMA M. LION! Go Subscribe and enjoy it!
(FYI Beth doesn’t offer commissions, I’m just telling you as a fan who thinks this substack is brilliant. Other links to Amazon are affiliate links and I do receive a small percentage of sales… including this one for a sweet white feather pen to keep your things from wandering!)
