The Jaunty Quills are excited to present debut author Valerie Bowman, author of Secrets of a Wedding Night. The buzz around this book is fabulous, and I’ve been looking forward to it. Keep reading to find out how to win your copy.

Shana: Welcome, Valerie! Tell us about Secrets of a Wedding Night. This is the first book in a series, right?

Valerie Bowman: Thank you so much for having me, Shana. Yes! Secrets of a Wedding Night is the first novel in my Secret Brides trilogy. The other two, Secrets of a Runaway Bride, and Secrets of a Scandalous Marriage are based on characters introduced in book one and will be out in Spring and Fall of 2013 respectively.

Shana: Give us all the details about your hero, Devon Morgan. I love books where a character is jilted, but it’s usually the heroine.

Valerie Bowman: Sigh. Devon is TDH—which is my short hand for tall, dark, and handsome: ) He’s a penniless marquis and yes, it’s true that my heroine, Lily, jilted him five years before the story begins. Their reunion takes place in chapter one (the excerpt of chapter is available on my website) and the sparks fly.

Shana: What about your heroine, Lily Andrews? She’s a writer. Did you use any of your own experiences when writing her scenes?

Valerie Bowman: Unlike myself, Lily is sort of a reluctant writer. : ) But one of my favorite scenes in the book is where Lily meets her dog, Bandit. And Bandit’s looks and personality are based on my own dog, Roo, who is featured on my Facebook page! (I try to tell her she’s in a book. She’s more interested in her toy. Shrug.)

Shana: Your book is set after the Regency, which is one of my favorite time periods. Why did you choose to write in this period, and what drew you to historical romance?

Valerie Bowman: I’ve been a life-long fan of historical romance and a total anglophile s

o when I decided to write a novel, there just wasn’t any question. Every romantic story in my head was based in the Regency. Despite the Napoleonic wars, it was such a time of fun and revelry. To me, it’s the perfect backdrop to stories of love and romance.

Shana: What’s been the most surprising thing about being a published author so far? Is it like you imagined?

Valerie Bowman: The most wonderfully surprising thing has been people I don’t know hearing about my book and contacting me and telling me they cannot wait to read it. It’s completely surreal and entirely humbling. My early reviews from Romantic Times, BookList, and Publishers Weekly have been absolutely amazing and that has just been a dream come true from me.

Shana: I saw some of those great reviews. Finally, tell us what you have coming next.

Valerie Bowman: Right now I’m working on two novellas based on minor characters from the Secret Brides trilogy. The first one, A Secret Proposal, will be out in February 2013. I write Racy Regency Romps so next, I’m going to be writing a new trilogy based on romp plays. My favorites! The Importance of Being Earnest is the basis for book one in that series.

Shana: I love that idea, and Wilde’s play. One of my favorites.

Readers, now it’s your turn. We all know JQ Kristan Higgins is famous for the dogs in her books. I love that Valerie featured a dog in her book. Do you like books that feature pets–dogs, cats, birds, or others? One reader who comments will be randomly chosen to win a copy of Secrets of a Wedding Night (U.S. and Canadian residents only).

Valerie Bowman writes Regency-set historical romance novels with a focus on sharp dialogue, engaging storylines, and heroines who take matters into their own hands! Publishers Weekly calls Secrets of a Wedding Night, an “enchanting, engaging debut that will have readers seeking future installments” and Romantic Times Book Reviews says, “This fast-paced, charming debut, sparkling with witty dialogue and engaging characters, marks Bowman for stardom.” And Booklist gave it a starred review! You can find Valerie on the web at www.ValerieBowmanBooks.com and on Facebook and Twitter.

Buy Links for Secrets of a Wedding Night: Amazon    Barnes and Noble    Books a Million