If you spend any time at all on the bookish web, you’ve probably heard the name “Emma Lion” at some point in the last few years. But who is this Emma Lion, and why is she having a moment? Pull up a chair.
Emma Lion is the titular heroine of The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, the self-published series sensation that’s sold more than a million print and ebook copies in the U.S. Author Beth Brower began publishing the books in 2019 through her own imprint, Rhysdon Press, but Viking Press recently acquired the rights to the series.
These cozy historicals, written as a series of journal entries, follow four years in the life of Emma Lion, with each volume covering a span of two months beginning in 1883.
- For those of you doing math right now, the author has said she plans to write 25(!) novels in the series.
Emma chronicles her life as a resident of the charming St. Crispian’s, where she deals with, among other things, the loss of her inheritance, the Victorian London social scene, suitors, and the loss of her parents and a boy she once loved.
Beautiful new editions of Volumes One through Eight will go on sale on November 24, 2026, while the highly anticipated ninth installment is expected to release on February 23, 2027.