Escape with the Runaway Brides
By Joanne Rock & Catherine Mann
“Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.” —Maya Angelou
So often a romance novel ends with a wedding or a soon-to-be bride. The romantic storyline follows a couple as they battle obstacles to their happily-ever-after, ending with its “destination full of hope.” And, as Maya Angelou suggests, love jumps hurdles to get there.
But what if a romance novel opens with a bride leaping fences to escape the promise of her happily-ever-after? That’s the story we wanted to write when we sat down to pen our first Runaway Bride story, How to Lose a Groom in 10 Days. Yet, like any fun story premise, the idea of a runaway bride didn’t just generate one story. We wondered what it would be like if the bride was running away from Mr. Right and didn’t know he was Mr. Right (How to Lose a Groom). Then, we wondered what would happen if the bride ran from a guy who seemed perfect, but wasn’t HER Mr. Right (The Wedding Audition).
Of course, a bride could also be completely happy and ready to marry when her husband-to-be reveals a secret affair (There Goes the Bride). Or she could suddenly realize the guy she was marrying wasn’t at all who he pretended to be (Bride on the Run). The fun thing about the Runaway Brides has been that each heroine had a very different journey, but they all started with a great escape from a wedding day.
Even the escape from the wedding itself turned out to be a fun writing challenge. Our brides were inventive in their disappearing acts, shimmying out a window, commandeering a trolley, or hopping on a motorcycle to take a serious emotional “time out” from what should have been the most important day of their lives.
Maybe that’s what makes the runaway bride so compelling. Who among us hasn’t dreamed of ditching our lives and starting over at some point? No matter how much we love our kids, our husbands, our families, we have all stared out a window now and then and wondered—what would happen if I made a different choice? What would happen if I just walked away?
We enjoyed the fantasy of the escape vicariously, roaring away on a Harley in full wedding regalia. Because seriously… what if?
The course of true love never did run smooth, a Shakespearean character laments in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Sometimes it takes a big shake-up to help us find the right path in life, the path that will lead us to true and everlasting love. Love recognizes no barriers—pushing us to make the romantic choices that will make us happiest. Part of the power of the romance novel is reminding us not to settle for half-measures in love. In other words, don’t marry a man just because he seems like Mr. Perfect, or because it seems too late to call the whole thing off. There is always time to trust our instincts and follow our dreams, even if that means taking a giant step backward.
That destination full of hope is worth waiting for!
**Let’s pretend you are making your big escape today… where would you go to start fresh? Or, where would you like to be for just a day-long break? Tell us what you think and we’ll give one random poster the prize pack pictured!**
Catherine Mann –USA Today bestselling and RITA Award winning author Catherine Mann writes contemporary romance for Berkley, Harlequin, Sourcebooks and Tule Publishing. She and her husband have four children and live in Florida, where she is a founding member and president of the Sunshine State Animal Rescue. Visit Catherine Mann at her website or on Facebook and Twitter
Joanne Rock has taken her love of happily-ever-afters to a variety of subgenres from contemporary romance to medieval historicals. A Golden Heart recipient and three-time RITA nominee, Joanne is a dedicated reader and super-fan of the romance genre. Visit Joanne at her website, or on Facebook and Twitter
I would run off to London, England.
Marissa, my sister is there this week and I’m ten shades of green… I’ve never been! Well, except in books. I’ve taken many vicarious trips
Scotland! If I was going far. I’ve been known to run off to Vegas for a long weekend, for someplace close. :-)
Hi Toni! Haven’t been to Vegas since we lived in St. George, UT… but back then, I always liked a trip over for fun. Neat to see the city appear out of nowhere in the desert!
Someplace in the country, where I wouldn’t be in contact with any human beings for awhile
Aniya, this is kind of like my house in the Adirondacks…. soooo quiet!
There definitely is an appeal to peaceful alone time with a good book and no distractions! Thank u for stopping by to comment !
Current day Hawaii but if we’re talking anywhere is go back in time to 1940 or so and buy propert and vehicals and stocks and stuff and will it to myself and my kids so we’d have it made today.
Hello, Diana!!! Time travel sounds fun and I’m headed back to a Tudor court so I can scavenge historic closets and wear the gowns!
I would runaway on a motorcycle and check out the grand canyons !!!!
I would run to Ireland and then all over Europe
Yes!!! I would love to tour all the castles!!! Such history!
I would go to Ireland.
The Irish accent rocks on a hero!
I would run all the way to Ireland. Find a fresh start and discover some of my heritage!
I would run off to Hawaii.
wonderful books
How to Lose a Groom in 10 Days
The Runaway Brides
The Wedding Audition
The Runaway Brides
There Goes the Bride
The Runaway Brides
Bride on the Run
The Runaway Brides
I do love the beach – anywhere!!
If I was to escape and start all over, I think I would pick a small mid-west town. I know small towns are known to get into your business, but I’m thinking they also take care of you and prop you up.
Support of friends and community is a treasure for sure!
If I wanted/needed to run away I’d go someplace I’ve never been before, like Ireland. I’ve always wanted to go there.
I’ve done something the past few years to start over. After 12 years in a career that wasn’t making me happy, I quit my job and went back to school to earn a different degree. It’s not too late to change, but it certainly helps to have a great support system (much thanks to my husband)!
Having a day to escape would be wonderful, though. Anywhere in nature would be amazing–a secluded waterfall, a tropical island, the Grand Canyon, etc.
Congrats on a great series, Ladies!
Congratulations on your career change – how exciting!!! Kudos to u on making the change u needed to b happy!
I would run off to Bora Bora.
Like always go to a gambling city and get lost in playing Keno numbers. in my younger days it was to the mountains now I only like to go there for an hour or two,dang old age aches.
I would hop on a plane to Hawaii if I had money. But the reality of it is I really have no where to go and would just have to face what ever problems I wanted to run from head on. I have enjoyed this entire series.
I’d love to be in a cabin in the mountains with lots of books.
Penney
I always wanted to go to Bora Bora… so that’s my answer. Thank you for the chance :)
Scotland would be wonderful :)
Either maui or San Francisco. My 2 favorite places. Love reading books about weddings.
And we love writing about wedding – this series was such fun to work on!!
I would love to run off to Ireland. To experience a different culture and explore the country. It’s always been a dream for me.
England,Scotland or Ireland :)
Thanks for the wonderful post :)
I would go to the coast of Oregon.
Congratulations, Jamie! You are our winner. Please privately message us your address to facebook.com/southernbornbooks to claim your prize. Happy reading! -Joanne, Catherine, and the Tule Team
I’d like to escape to Ireland for a week or so :)
I think I’d like to go to and exotic island locale like the Seychelles, the Maldives, or Fiji. It would all depend on what flight is first!
Just a day away? Any place quiet and cozy so I could read and relax. Start over? Somewhere with a nice warm, not hot, temp to ease the aches & not have to shovel snow!
LOVE this series, as I do most anything Joanne or JK Rock.
I ran away I’d head to Montana. I have always wanted to go there, plus it’s about as close to my home state of Texas as I’m probably going to get… failing that… near Atlanta, GA. So I could watch the Braves play at home every possible opportunity, without having to buy a MLB package or hope they’ll get to come this direction for interleague play. At least when Astros were still NL East competitor, they were guaranteed to play in the state some during the season… pray for the folks in Houston… they’re mostly under water right now.
I would probably go to Europe and find a teaching job at an international school. I really enjoyed your post & your books.
What an exciting idea – I have friends who teach overseas and they have loved the adventure!
Hawaii
If I needed to start again, I would go like to live in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
To escape for a week or two, I would want to go to Port St. Joe, Florida. Beautiful beach and no commercialism.
What a wonderful giveaway. Thank you for the chance.
I’d head for one of the gorgeous beaches in someplace like Bora Bora!
I would love to escape to Scotland. But would probably go to Gatlinburg, TN.
i would runaway to a warm beach. Just me and my kindle so I can catch up on all of Tule books!
Amen, Shari! Count me in on a beach towel there too!
If I could it would be scotland
I would love to run away and start over in Hawaii or the Bahamas!
I would love to run away just for the day, or maybe a week. I would go to a tropical location or Sanibel or Captiva Islands in Florida.
Congrats on the new release! xoxo And I was never a runaway bride, but I did run away before I could turn into a runaway bride. Best decision of my life because it led me to my husband.
Awwww – cool – congrats on your own happily ever after!!
If I had the chance to run for more than a week I’d go to Scotland, but if it was only for a few days I’d want to visit Montana.
I really want to read this series.
Runaway to Scotland and Ireland!!!
I would love to go to Scotland or Ireland. I would love to see some Irish dances and try to play the bagpipes. I’ve always wondered how someone can have enough breath to play those. I love the sounds and scenery of Europe.
Oh my, there is something so soul stirring about the sound of bagpipes – I love them!
I love this series. I think I would escape to the Scottish Highlands and start again.
Run off to Scotland. It might not make things better ,but it would be a beautiful trip to somewhere I have dreamed about.
Un préstamo para llo que quiera, sin papeleos, sin trámites y sin esperar.