Grace Burrowes

Grace Burrowes is an American author of contemporary and historical romance. She writes Georgian, Regency, Scottish Victorian, and contemporary romances in both novella and novel lengths. Her debut novel, The Heir, was chosen as a Publishers Weekly Top Five Romances for 2010 and is the first in an eight-sibling historical romance series.

Burrowes is a pen name. Grace chose it partly in hopes that her books would be shelved near Mary Balogh’s and Joanna Bourne’s but not too far from Loretta Chase’s.

Grace Burrowes was born and raised in the rural surrounds of central Pennsylvania. She is the sixth of seven children. Grace has a BA degree in Political Science, a Bachelor of Music in Music History, (both from The Pennsylvania State University), a Master's Degree in Conflict Transformation from Eastern Mennonite University, and a Juris Doctor from The National Law Center at George Washington University.

Grace Burrowes discovered romance novels in junior high school and has been reading them voraciously ever since. Her first career was as a technical writer and editor in the Washington, DC, area, a busy job that nonetheless left enough time to read a lot of romance novels. It also left enough time to grab a law degree through an evening program and eventually move to the lovely Maryland countryside.

Burrowes began writing after her only daughter left the family nest. Here's her first-person story of how she became a writer:

"I was in my late forties, a voracious reader of romance novels, but it had never occurred to me that I might write one. I was working late at the office, trying to finish up some legal motion or pleading that had to be filed at the courthouse the next day. I’d reached the point where I was so tired, progress was slow I decided to treat myself to one chapter of a romance novel I’d been saving back for a low moment. This was from one of my keeper authors, and like the last candy bar, I had held it back until I had no other ammunition in my emotional arsenal.

No author hits one out of the park every time, but this book was a disappointment. I did not throw it at the wall, but I certainly set it down and muttered to myself, “I could do better than that.”

I opened up a new document on my computer and wrote, “A Young Person to see you, my lord.” The book turned into Gareth and Felicity’s story, and from there flowed the entire Lonely Lords series as well as the Windhams. I had a signed publishing deal by the time I was fifty, and at age fifty-five had maybe thirty-five titles under contract. Best five years of my entire professional life!"

Grace Burrowes is a prolific author who has already written more than 50 novels. Some of her titles have appeared on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists.

Grace also is a member of Romance Writers of America.

Photo credit: graceburrowes.com