Bowman, Valerie: - Valerie Bowman's books have received starred reviews from Publisher's Weekly, Booklist, and Kirkus. She's been an RT Reviewers' Choice nominee for Best First Historical Romance and Best Historical Romance Love and Laughter. Two of her books have been nominated for the Kirkus Prize for fiction.Valerie grew up in Illinois with six sisters (she's number seven). After earning a degree in English with a minor in history at Smith College, she moved to Florida. Valerie now lives in Jacksonville with her family. When she's not writing, she keeps busy reading, traveling, and watching crazy reality TV.Find her on the web at www.ValerieBowmanBooks.com.