Valerie Bowman Joins Us for the April 27 Meeting

Join us on April 27 for a fun workshop with author Valerie Bowman of Jacksonville. She'll be encouraging aspiring authors and sharing her experiences with the publication of her Secret Brides Regency series.

Valerie has a B.A. in English Language and Literature with a minor in History from Smith College and has been writing and editing professionally for over 15 years. She is a member of Romance Writers of America (RWA), and a member of The Beau Monde, Regency special interest chapter.

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

Valerie is represented by Kevan Lyon of the Marsal-Lyon Literary Agency.

ACRA meets on the 4th Saturday of each month at the Southeast Regional Library, 10599 Deerwood Park Blvd, Jacksonville, FL. Phone (904)-996-0325. Bring your lunch and socialize from 12:30 - 1pm, followed by a workshop.

ACRA Announces: Congrats to Sharon Drane!

Congratulations to member Sharon Drane, finalist in the Linda Howard Award of Excellence for Unpublished Writers, sponsored by RWA Southern Magic, Birmingham, AL.

The contest is sponsored by the Southern Magic chapter of RWA in Birmingham, Al.  The name of the contest is The Linda Howard Award of Excellence for Unpublished Writers.

ACRA is keeping fingers crossed for Sharon! We should have more information in a couple of months. In the meantime, here's more about Sharon's Regency novel...

Touch The Sky

The last person Celeste wanted to see stood before her.  Colonel Sheridan St. John smiled at her as if nothing amiss had happened.  Rage overtook her as she noted he was still muscled and blond with those hypnotic dark blue eyes.  His deeds did not show on his face.  She could not forgive him for what he had done.  She could not forgive herself for loving him still.

His accusations killed Baron Hargreaves, her father.

Now three years after the execution St. John found Celeste and her younger siblings.  The proclamation he carried from the Prince-Regent affirmed Baron Hargreaves to be innocent of all charges.  The true traitor confessed.  Celeste, her brother, and sister were declared the wards of Sheridan’s father, the powerful Duke of Richmond.  Their titles were restored. Reparations would be made to the Hargreaves family. 

Sheridan sought to win Celeste’s love once more.  If he could not, he vowed to protect her and her family from the conspirators who had plotted the death of their father.  The evidence against the Baron was cleverly conceived. Though held in custody, the confessed traitor was murdered, his reasons for targeting Baron Hargreaves unknown.  Someone highly placed wanted him silenced. 

It would be a hard battle to win Celeste’s trust, much less her love.  A seasoned veteran of many battles, Sheridan would conduct the campaign as he had no other.  It was the most important of his life.