JULIA QUINN
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For the month of December, I had the privilege of doing an e-mail interview with Julia Quinn. Julia has been one of my favorite authors for many years and I especially enjoy her engaging characters and story lines with humor (as if this is a surprise ...).
The following is adapted from her very amusing website (the link is at the end of this interview):
During her senior year of college, Julia realized that she didn't know what she
wanted to do with her life. This depressed her. In fact, the only thing that
saved her sanity during this dark, dreary time was the fact that none of her
friends knew, either. So she sat down with a big tub of Ben & Jerry's and a
good book and decided to figure out what to do.
Getting a job seemed too difficult. She wouldn't mind HAVING a job, but she certainly didn't know how to get one.
Law school seemed too annoying. Everyone hated lawyers, and Julia liked to be liked. Business school was not an option. They only took people who had been in the work force for at least two years, and, as noted above, Julia didn't know how to get a job.
The only option left (this shows you how narrow her world-view was) was medical school. "Aha!" she thought. "I could be a good doctor." She quickly picked up the phone and ran this idea past her parents, who were understandably baffled, since her degree was in Art History, but being the cool people they are, they said, "Great!"
Julia hung up the phone, blinked a couple of times, and said aloud, "Okay, so I'm going to be a doctor. Cool." Then she pulled out a pad of paper and proceeded to figure out how long this would take. (Note: careers in medicine are not for those who crave instant gratification.) It turned out that it would be over two years before she could even ENTER medical school since she had to take all those pesky science classes in order to apply. Clearly, she needed to find something to do during that time, since she knew from experience that she probably wouldn't be studying as much as she ought.
That's when she looked at the book next to the tub of now-empty Ben & Jerry's. It was a romance. "I could write one of those," she thought.
And so she did.
Two years later, just as Julia was deciding between Yale School of Medicine and Columbia College of Physicians & Surgeons, her agent called to tell her that her first two books, SPLENDID and DANCING AT MIDNIGHT, were the subject of a fierce bidding war between two publishing houses.
So she put off medical school for a year and wrote MINX. Then she put off medical school for another year and wrote EVERYTHING AND THE MOON. Then she got a little nervous and thought that maybe she ought to give med school a try and so she picked up a scalpel, starting dissecting cadavers, and learned more about the citric acid cycle than anyone (including most med students) wants to know.
Note: at this point her husband, who is a dear man and an excellent physician himself, but is not noted for his financial acumen, gasped and said, "But I thought you were going to make millions as a romance novelist. How will we support ourselves on two doctors' salaries?"
Yet another note: he was actually serious, which is why Julia handles all the bills.
A few months later, however, she realized that she must have experienced a bout of temporary insanity and she withdrew from medical school and wrote BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN. This was followed by TO CATCH AN HEIRESS and the critically acclaimed HOW TO MARRY A MARQUIS. Julia's writing has quickly earned a reputation for warmth and humor, and her dialogue is considered among the best in the industry. Each year brings more accolades; in 1997 Romantic Times Magazine nominated EVERYTHING AND THE MOON for Best Regency Historical, and the Bookstores that Care network nominated BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN for Best Historical Love and Laughter. TO CATCH AN HEIRESS was named by amazon.com as one of the ten best romances of 1998, and HOW TO MARRY A MARQUIS received the same honor for 1999. Her last book, THE DUKE AND I, hit every major bestseller list, appearing on the USA TODAY, PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, and NEW YORK TIMES extended bestseller lists.
She currently lives in Colorado with her family.
Julia's books are somewhat grouped in pairs and trios but can be read out of
order. She suggests the following:
DANCING AT MIDNIGHT
MINX
EVERYTHING AND THE MOON
BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN
TO CATCH AN HEIRESS
HOW TO MARRY A MARQUIS
THE DUKE AND I
THE VISCOUNT WHO LOVED ME
"Gretna Greene"
SCOTTISH BRIDES
(1999 anthology)
And now, on to the interview ...
Bee: You are bringing out a new book this month, THE VISCOUNT WHO LOVED ME. Tell us about the book.
Julia: THE VISCOUNT WHO LOVED ME is second in my Bridgerton series, following THE DUKE AND I. It's about Anthony Bridgerton, whom readers will recognize as the heroine's overbearing older brother in DUKE. In VISCOUNT, Anthony decides it is time to marry. He picks a bride but finds himself thwarted by her older sister, who thinks Anthony is a reprehensible rake. Of course he ends up falling in love with the sister!
Bee: Who are some of the authors you like to read?
Julia: I read very widely in romance but some of the authors on my autobuy list are: Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Lisa Kleypas, Suzanne Enoch, Suzanne Brockmann, Gaelen Foley, Patricia Cabot, Danelle Harmon, Casey Claybourne, Maggie Osborne, Rachel Gibson, and Sabrina Jeffries. I've also really enjoyed some recent books by Elizabeth Boyle and Malia Martin.
In addition to romance, I have a soft spot for Young Adult and Young Reader fiction, especially since I used to lead a children's book group at a local bookstore. Some really terrific books I discovered were WALK TWO MOONS by Sharon Creech, CATHERINE, CALLED BIRDY by Karen Cushman, and the ever-wonderful FROM THE MIXED-UP FILES OF MRS. BASIL E. FRANKWEILER by E.L. Konigsberg. Oh, and a new one - THE PRINCESS DIARIES by Meg Cabot (who also happens to be Patricia Cabot!)
My favorite book of all time is A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY by John Irving. No, wait! It's TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee. No, wait! It's LOST IN PLACE: GROWING UP ABSURD IN SUBURBIA by Mark Salzman ... As you can see, I really like to read!
Bee: You have recurring characters from book to book and it is always nice to see what happens after they "live happily ever after." Most other books don't do this. What made you decide to have ongoing story lines?
Julia: I don't know. I guess I just write books I'd like to read. I've always enjoyed seeing "old" characters in "new" books, so it's only natural I'd write that way as well. I do think one has to be really careful, though, when bringing in characters from previous books. As a reader, I'm interested in seeing what they're up to but I don't enjoy it when they overtake the book. As a rule, I try not to include any scenes only with the characters from a previous book. Such scenes tend to be somewhat self-indulgent on the part of the author. But it's always lots of fun to weave the "old" characters into the plot of a new book!
Bee: What makes a strong secondary character and do you have any favorites? Have you ever started a second book based on a secondary character before you have finished the first book?
Julia: Secondary characters can be tricky. When they are done well, they can turn a good book into a great book. When they are done poorly, you end up with a story where the reader can hardly tell one character from another. When I write secondary characters, I try to make sure their personalities are distinct enough so that the reader would never confuse them. Every secondary character should bring something to the story, whether it is humor or poignancy, or maybe just a furthering of the plot.
Of the secondary characters I've written, I quite like Ellie in EVERYTHING AND THE MOON (who eventually went on to have her own story in BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN.) I also really enjoyed writing Judith in BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN. She was the first child character I'd written. I received some criticism about her, saying that she was too precocious and unrealistic, but she was based on my next-door neighbor (who is, admittedly, super-precocious and read at a sixth-grade level at the age of four). And finally, I think my favorite secondary characters were in HOW TO MARRY A MARQUIS. Lady Danbury was so much fun to write. But even she paled in comparison to Malcolm the cat!
Bee: I notice from your bio you were the mother to two bunnies and still have Bailey the Cat. Your books also have animals in them. What seems to inspire you to add pets into your books and how does it influence the story line?
Julia: Well, speaking of Malcolm the cat ...
Actually, my two rabbits passed away recently. It was very sad. They died within a week of each other. Betty had been having health problems, so while her death was a bit of a surprise, it was not completely unexpected. Rufie's death, however, was a total shock. My husband and I think he died of a broken heart. He and Betty had spent every day of the past five years hanging out together and snuggling. And then suddenly she was gone.
Bailey still rules the house, although he's been acting very peculiarly lately. He's always been a little weird about his water dish - he'll only drink out of a latte mug! But lately he's been jumping in the shower, hoping we'll turn on the water so he can drink out of the tub.
I like to add animals into my books simply because I like animals. And they can add so much to a story - not just in how the animal acts but also in how the characters react to the animal. When I was writing HOW TO MARRY A MARQUIS, the story didn't really gel for me until I added Malcolm the cat. In THE VISCOUNT WHO LOVED ME, readers can look forward to Newton the overweight corgi.
Bee: Will you write a third book for a trilogy with THE DUKE AND I and THE VISCOUNT WHO LOVES ME? What are your other works in progress and the projected release dates?
Julia: Actually, there are four books currently projected in the Bridgerton series, although there may be more. AN OFFER FROM A GENTLEMAN (Benedict's story) will be a July 2001 release. Colin's story (as yet untitled) will follow, although I don't know precisely when.
Bee: Is there a genre in which you would like to write but have not had time?
Julia: Sure. I'd love to try a contemporary someday.
And I might like to try my
hand at young adult fiction. Who knows?
Many thanks to Julia for being our interviewee this month. Happy Holidays!
June 2004
Bee: I know that you have been busy. Fill us in on the news from the last year or so.
Julia: 2003 was a big year for me, with five releases - one novel, two novellas, and two reissues. Each book was very special to me in its own way. The novel, TO SIR PHILLIP, WITH LOVE, was a tough book to write. I wanted to see how well I could explore some darker, more angsty themes without losing my light and humorous style. In SIR PHILLIP, the hero is a victim of child abuse and is terrified that he will snap and treat his own children as his father treated him. So he keeps them at a distance, and hopes that he can do right by them by marrying Eloise Bridgerton and providing them with a mother. Of course he falls in love with Eloise, and in the process also learns a lot about what it means to be a father.
The novellas were great fun. The first, "36 Valentines," was included in THE FURTHER OBSERVATIONS OF LADY WHISTLEDOWN, which was an anthology loosely based on my Lady Whistledown character from the Bridgerton series. I wish I could take credit for the idea, but it was actually the brainchild of Karen Hawkins. I felt the anthology was special and unique for two reasons: the first, of course, was Lady Whistledown, who "narrated" all four stories. Secondly, the four stories are lightly intertwined, so that characters from one author's story interact with those from another. For example, at a skating party, Suzanne Enoch's heroine crashes into mine and knocks her into a snowbank. The fun comes from seeing such scenes from both points of view, first in Suzie's story, and then in mine. And the anthology was so successful that we immediately got to work on another volume, LADY WHISTLEDOWN STRIKES BACK.
Bee: I read your article in Time Magazine and found myself thinking, "What a wonderful person to represent the genre to the public!" What did you think about the entire project? Was there any sense of internal pressure to enlighten people about romance novels?
Julia: First of all, thank you! I'm glad you thought me a good representative for the genre. But ironically, that's where the most pressure came from. I was intensely aware that many in the romance community would feel that I wasn't the best representative, or maybe that I was perfectly fine, but that someone else deserved it more. Which may be true, but what was I supposed to do? Turn down the interview?
The other pressure, of course, was to try to explain what romance novels are all about to a public that either disdains them, or more commonly, just doesn't think about them one way or another. I probably talked to the reporters for a total of six hours for that little one-page article; there's a whole lot that didn't end up in there. In the end, you can only cross your fingers and hope it turns out okay.
And I think it did. It wasn't perfect, of course, but for someone who doesn't know much about romance novels, I think the article showed the genre in a flattering and respectful light. The reporter told me that he was surprised by how entertaining and well-written he found my books, and I think you could see that in the article. (Incidentally, I'm never insulted when someone says they are surprised by how much they like my books; most people don't think they'll like a romance novel until they try one, after all.) People who are very close to the romance industry, whether they be authors or active online fans, were much more likely to find aspects of the article they thought were unflattering. But I think we in the romance community can be hyper-sensitive about these things and whenever we find the genre in the mainstream media, we pick the article apart, practically word for word. I think it's kind of funny that some authors and hardcore readers were disappointed with the article, but everyone else (non-romance readers and more casual romance readers) thought it was terrific. I heard from a lot of people who had never read a romance and decided to give one a try after reading the article. And I heard from a lot of very casual romance readers who decided to give one of my books a try, too.
Honestly, the interview was such a thrill. I never in my wildest dreams ever thought I'd see my picture in Time Magazine. I can't tell you how exciting and validating it was. I went back to my high school a few months later to guest-teach some English classes, and my teachers were raving about it. They hadn't known about the article; one of them just stumbled upon it. My English teacher said his eyes just about popped out of his head when he realized it was me.
Bee: In LADY WHISTLEDOWN STRIKES BACK, your novels set the framework upon which other authors built. (Did I phrase that correctly?) Was it odd to see your characters in the creative hands of someone else?
Julia: Actually, that's not quite accurate. It's true that Lady Whistledown "narrates" all four stories, but I wrote all of the Lady W excerpts, so actually, no, my character wasn't in the creative hands of anyone else. What was strange, however, was writing the Lady W entries for the other authors' stories. In essence, I got to comment upon their characters. It turned out to be a lot of fun, but still sometimes a challenge. When writing a story with Lady Whistledown in it, I always had to make sure that a certain amount of action was visible to the public; otherwise, how could Lady Whistledown know about it? I forgot to tell the other authors about this, and it was often a challenge to come up with something good. The funniest this time around was Suzanne Enoch's story. Her heroine's main aim in life is to stay out of the spotlight and behave properly. So there was never anything for Lady Whistledown to gossip about!
Bee: Tell us about WHEN HE WAS WICKED, your new book coming out in June.
Julia: This book is very different for me. It's been an aim of mine to make sure that I don't write the same book over and over, so a few books back, I decided to set Francesca Bridgerton up for a different kind of storyline by mentioning that she had been married and widowed. The challenge with WHEN HE WAS WICKED was to figure out how she finds love the second time around. I really wanted the story to have depth and ambiguity; I didn't want to present everything in black and white. So her first husband, who died tragically young, was not a bad guy at all. In fact, she loved him very much, as did Michael Stirling, the hero of the story (and the first cousin of her late husband). The novel explores how complicated it can be to move on with your life after you lose someone.
Bee: What's next after WHEN HE WAS WICKED?
Julia: Right now I'm hard at work on Hyacinth Bridgerton's story. I got about sixty pages into it and then decided it wasn't the right book, so I scrapped the whole thing and just wrote up a whole new outline. I've never done anything so drastic before, but I really want to make sure I write the absolute best book I can. I think this one will be a lot of fun, however. Hyacinth is such a piece of work.
After that I'll write Gregory Bridgerton's story, although I haven't a clue
what I'll do for him. After that, who knows? I've been writing the
Bridgerton books for so long - I hope I remember how to do something else!
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