Fortunate Son, A Noble Sin—Bridgeman’s Emma Noble Series Are Heart-Pounding Thrillers

Case Study

Andrew Bridgeman, Emma Noble

Andrew Bridgeman’s first book, Fortunate Son, was voted the Best Political Thriller Book in 2024. The reviewer stated, “I cannot get over the fact that this is Andrew Bridgeman’s debut novel … [There are] well-developed characters, antagonists you can empathize with, and a plot that will give you more than one ‘holy smoke, did that just happen’ moment. This is an edge of your seat dark and psychological thriller full of deception and a race against time.”

With a mind that goes nonstop, Bridgeman is an explorer, via words—a discovery writer. And he certainly has plenty of life experiences to match his imagination. He heads through life with a “what’s next” attitude which led him down multiple paths including that of a rugby player, jazz singer, salesman, and an entrepreneur. But writing? Bridgeman claims he was a late bloomer as an author. His interest in writing books was hinted at early on but not encouraged. Decades later his wife, Kathy, who recognized his ability to succeed as a writer, did encourage him and the rest is history!

He began writing each day in earnest, mostly working on historical adventure ideas, following in the footsteps of some of his favorite writers like Michener, Follet, and Clavell. And he did this for a couple of years; the result being two starter novels that ended up socked away in a desk drawer.

Bridgeman recalled, “One day when I was working in my room and my mind was wandering … I remembered how it was when I was an 11-year-old boy sitting in my room alone, and at that time I was wishing a car would drive up and they would tell me I was in the wrong family. And I remember dreaming of how my life would change. Suddenly, I started seeing that concept from a writer’s point of view. And I couldn’t stop writing. The story just got bigger and bigger!”

Bridgeman works hard but he never looks back. He was onto the next book, A Noble Sin, before the first one was published. And now he’s deep into number three of the Emma Noble series. Mission Point Press expects to publish it in 2026.

Choosing to publish with a hybrid company launched him into the world of marketing and self-promotion. It was a completely unknown world, but Bridgeman tackled it as he has done with everything else in his life—full on. He mused, “It takes a lot of work to make it happen. I made mistakes, by trial and error, for instance, with Facebook ads, and so on. It was really hard!” But he feels like he’s in a better position now, having gone through the publishing process with Mission Point Press, rather than having a lukewarm deal with one of the Big 5 publishers. He’d rather be in control of what happens to his books, determine the choice of his book covers, and enjoy the overall personal touch that Mission Point provides. He now has over 30,000 people who receive his newsletter, The Briefing, found on his website: AndrewBridgeman.com. And Facebook, well, he has 12,000+ followers to date.

Bridgeman revealed, “Somewhere near the crossroads of experience and imagination, if you search hard enough—and catch it in the right light, you may find a story worth telling,” He has lived this and thinks others can too. He believes ideas are like fish, and there’s a lot of them out there (including some you’ll have to throw back!).

Being a published author has completely changed his life and how he views himself. For one thing, he’s found new connections in his community. Not only online and virtually, but in local bookstores and on the street. He is surprised and humbled to realize he wrote a “real book” and that people are able to immerse themselves into it and escape and be entertained as well. Bridgeman notes, “I feel like for the first time, I’m building something that will outlast me; it’s very satisfying.”

Certainly, his work will outlast him, but for now, Andrew Bridgeman is a rising star, and we couldn’t be prouder of him.