Rhys Bowen, now widely recognized for her bestselling historical mystery series, actually began her writing journey as a young adult romance author. That early experience helped shape her storytelling voice, giving her a nuanced perspective that shines through in her richly layered novels. Born in Bath, England, and raised partly in Wales, Bowen now splits her time between California and Arizona. She continues to evolve as a writer, now co-authoring The Molly Murphy series with her daughter, Clare Broyles—proof that a career as an author is full of change and adventure.

One thing I have never done is shy away from taking risks or chances. Nor do I believe in taking it easy. At the age of 83 I’m still writing two plus books a year and popping across to Europe to do research for my bestselling historical novels. And through a long and exciting life, having grown up in Britain, lived in Austria, Germany, Australia and then California I have learned to keep on taking risks and firmly believe in grabbing second chances.

Too many people become resigned to what life has dealt them when they reach middle age. They settle for comfort, security, and look forward to retirement, bowls, crochet and a gradual slowing down. They shut out thoughts of the degree they didn’t finish, the trip to India they never took, the art classes they once dreamed of taking.

I firmly believe you are never too old to take risks, fulfil dreams. My own daughter qualified as a psycho-therapist in her fifties. Throughout my life I am a prime example of taking risks with career and constantly reinventing myself. In my twenties I left my family and a good career with the BBC in London to go halfway around the world to accept a job with Australian Broadcasting. I couldn’t have predicted how this would turn out. I met my husband, moved with him to California and started writing novels.

The current chapter in my life began in my fifties. I have been a writer for most of my adult life, lucky enough to have found a niche writing teenage romance novels. They paid enough to cover the mortgage (which was good as my husband had been laid off from his job at the age of 55 and we had kids in college) but frankly I had grown tired of boyfriends, proms, broken hearts. One day I asked myself why I was not writing what I liked to read. I’ve always been a huge mystery fan, growing up on the ladies of the golden age. I’ve devoured every mystery book I came across. So why not write one?

I decided to set a mystery series in Wales, where my mother’s family lived, and created a police constable in the mountains of Snowdonia. My agent liked the story and sent it out to publishers. Two of them made offers… but such tiny offers. This was definitely going back to step one in my career. But I wanted to see the books in print so I accepted. Obviously writing mystery novels was not going to pay the bills. It was a big risk, moving out of a comfort zone and security, but I took it.

The first book, Evans Above, came out with a print run of 2,500. It was clear not many people were going to learn about me. I realized I was going to have to win readers one at a time. This was before social media, so no Facebook page to introduce myself. I went to every bookstore within reach and spoke to any book club or women’s group who would invite me. I made my own bookmarks and all kinds of giveaways, including 1,500 tea bags at a convention!

Then the second book got an award nomination. Amazing. Encouraged, I came up with the idea for a second series, this one involving an Irish immigrant in early New York City. Murphy’s Law, the first book, got four award nominations and won three, including the Agatha Award for best novel. Now more people knew about me… but not many outside of the mystery community. My husband retired and we drove across the US, visiting every bookstore along the way.

Having established a base and being a glutton for punishment, I decided to create yet another series, this one lighter, funnier, involving a minor royal in 1930s England. The first book, Her Royal Spyness, was an immediate success. I have such fun with the books, and they are translated into other languages. All was going smoothly, but still I had ideas I was dying to tackle that would not fit into either of my current series.

I wanted to write books set in WWII. Serious, meaty novels. I felt it was so important that we should not forget the bravery and suffering of that time, especially the role women played. I wrote a few chapters, sent them to my agent who liked them, then to my publishers… who both turned them down. Too far from their brand. Not humorous. So my agent suggested we try the newly formed Lake Union publishing house… an arm of Amazon. This was another risk as all bookstores see Amazon as the enemy. I would be cutting off my major support system, annoying the people who had helped me grow a following. I agonized, but had stories I wanted to tell. I agreed to send them the proposal for In Farleigh Field. The rest is history. The first book sold half a million copies, the next, The Tuscan Child, close to a million. They are now translated into 31 languages and have won twenty awards. And none of this would have happened if I hadn’t taken that big first big risk, then a second.

I’m very excited about my new book, published in August this year, called Mrs. Endicott’s Splendid Adventure. Since I’m such a believer in second chances, this story really resonated with me. I created a heroine who takes a huge mid-life risk and finds adventure and happiness because of it. Mrs. Endicott, the heroine of my new book, is dumped by her rat of a husband when she is fifty years old. He expects her to go away quietly, live in a cottage, keep cats. Instead she steals his beloved car and with two other women who have been cast aside by society, escapes to the South of France where she restores an abandoned villa and finds a whole new life.

I felt passionate about writing this book, more than any other book I have written. When we reach mid-life we are supposed to be resigned to the life we have been given. We are supposed to slow down, look forward to retirement. But what if we don’t take that path? I didn’t.

Mrs. Endicott’s Splendid Adventure by Rhys Bowen

After thirty years of marriage, Ellie Endicott is blindsided when her husband suddenly files for divorce. With little holding her back, she does the only thing that feels right—she takes the Bentley and sets off on an impulsive escape to the South of France with her loyal housekeeper, Mavis, and spirited friend, Dora. But when the car breaks down in the quiet coastal village of Saint Benet, their detour becomes something more permanent. They rent a long-abandoned fishing villa and begin to imagine new lives for themselves. Yet even in this idyllic setting, hope is shadowed by uncertainty, and with World War II looming, the future of Saint Benet is at stake.

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