Valerie Bowman | The Evolution of a Regency Series

Hi Fresh Fictioners! I'm here to celebrate the release of the second book in my Secret Brides series, Secrets of a Runaway Bride. I was thrilled to learn that RT Book Reviews gave the book a 4.5 star TOP PICK rating. It's in stores now and I'm so thrilled to be able to share it with all of you!

The truth about the Secret Brides series is that it all began when I woke up in the middle of the night sometime in the summer of 2010.

Secrets of a Wedding Night

Those words whispered in my head. It's a great title, I thought, I need to write a story around that title.

Yep, that's how it started. The title came to me first. Usually it's the other way around. I wrote that story in time to enter it into the Romance Writers of America® Golden Heart contest and luckily, it was a finalist in the Regency category in 2011. I was ecstatic! At the same time, my agent had sent it off to editors in New York and my fingers were tightly crossed.

On my birthday in June of 2011, I sold the book to St. Martin's Press in a three-book deal. Thrilling? Yes! But I quickly had to come up with the plot for the other two books.

So, what did I decide? I knew immediately that Annie (the younger sister of the heroine in Secrets of a Wedding Night) and Jordan (the best friend of the hero in Secrets of a Wedding Night) would be the protagonists of the second book.

But when I began writing SECRETS OF A RUNAWAY BRIDE, I called it Secrets of a Fortnight because Jordan carts Annie off to his country estate for two weeks to save her from ruining her reputation in London. The title changed, of course, but the idea remained.

The third book was the most difficult to conjure. At first I had no idea who I would write the third book about. That is until my critique partner and my editor both told me how much they adored one of the characters in my first two books James, Viscount Medford. Medford was originally written to be the man Lily (in book 1) wasn't interested in. I didn't think more about him to be honest, but as I edited the first book and got feedback from those reading it, I realized that Medford really was a hero in his own right. Lord Perfect (as he's nicknamed) needed his own happily ever after.

But getting there wasn't so easy. I began Lord Medford's story one way, completely trashed the work-in-progress, and started an entirely new story. Once I realized that story wasn't going in a direction that felt right, I revisited the first story, made a few tweaks, and realized I'd been on the right track the first time. Oy!

Medford's heroine is a scandal-ridden duchess who begins the story imprisoned in the Tower of London for her husband's murder. Now, I'm no suspense writer so this was completely unexpected for me. But it turns out, it was just perfect for Lord Perfect. :-)

I rounded out the series with two novellas, one, A SECRET PROPOSAL, about the young lady who cried off from the hero of book 1, and the second, A SECRET AFFAIR, about the hero of book 2's brother and the heroine's best friend.

They are all fun stories, romps with a bit of angst thrown in for good measure. And to think it all started with a mid-night awakening and a title that whispered to me.

So tell me, what's one of your favorite book titles and why?

And here's a bit about SECRETS OF A RUNAWAY BRIDE...

THE THRILL OF ESCAPE

Miss Annie Andrews is finally free to marry the man she loves. With her overprotective sister out of the country on her honeymoon, nothing can prevent her flight to Gretna Greene—nothing, that is, but an abduction by the wrong gentleman.

THE SWEETNESS OF SURRENDER

When Jordan Holloway, the Earl of Ashbourne, promised to look after his best friend's sister-in-law, he didn't realize she would prove so difficult. But when he spirits her away to his country house to prevent her elopement, he discovers that the tempting beauty knows how to put up a fight. To make matters worse, he's stuck playing the role of honorable protector...when what he really wants is to run away with her himself.

Valerie Bowman is an award-winning author who writes Regency-set historical romance novels aka Racy Regency Romps! SECRETS OF A RUNAWAY BRIDE has been named a 4.5 star TOP PICK! by RT Book Reviews. It's been called "Too Delightful Too Miss!" by New York Times bestselling author, Lisa Kleypas, and New York Times bestselling historical romance author Sarah MacLean says it's, "Everything a romance should be—sexy, quirky, fun...once you start reading, you won't be able to stop!" Valerie's debut, SECRETS OF A WEDDING NIGHT, the first in the Secret Brides series from St. Martin's Press, was nominated by RT Book Reviews for Best Debut Historical for 2012!

Valerie has a B.A. in English Language and Literature with a minor in history from Smith College. By day, she is a technical editor at a computer software company. By night, she combines her love of writing, history, and romance to craft stories about people falling in love.

Originally from Rantoul, Illinois, Valerie lives in Jacksonville, Florida with her rascally rescue dog, Roo. When she's not writing, she keeps busy reading, traveling, or watching Downton Abbey and Hoarders.

You can find Valerie on the web at www.ValerieBowmanBooks.com and on Facebook and Twitter.