American writer Julia Quinn (54) never imagined that her novels would become so successful. However, she arrived at the place that every author dreams of: podium in the best sellers rankingtranslations into more than forty languages and a successful series adaptation of his saga Bridgerton (Netflix will premiere the first part of the third season on May 16).
When she began writing this collection of novels, back in the early 2000s, Quinn (real name Julie Pottinger) I had ambitions. She knew that he wanted to sell enough so that he wouldn’t have to look for a second job, but the accession to the throne of queen of romance novel It would have sounded like a fantasy straight out of a book.
Passing through Argentina as part of a Latin American tour organized by Urano, the publishing house that publishes her work in Spanish, Julia explains that one of the reasons why romance became fashionable and stopped being a genre only “for women” is Netflix.
Suddenly, The Bridgertons went from being a niche phenomenon among fans of Regency-era novels (the idealized 19th-century United Kingdom of exuberant dresses and palatial gala balls) to become a mass phenomenon. Today, the love misadventures of eight brothers of the English nobility that Quinn narrated on paper They break audience records on the platform.
I wanted to be popular within the romantic genre, but I didn’t expect such a leap.
Released at the end of 2020 by the same production company as Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal and other television hits, the jump of the Bridgerton streaming proved to be a success.
Two seasons and a spin-off brought Quinn’s work to an audience it would never have reached on its own: the casual viewer who had never heard of Jane Austen (the legendary author of Pride and prejudice), but you can’t resist marathoning an addictive series, full of heartthrobs, romances and elegant damsels.
-They have called you “The queen of monarchical love stories.”
-Yes, I believe I am one of the public faces of romantic literature, but not the only one. Today, the romance novel has resurfaced and there are many successful authors in this style. But honestly, I never thought all this would happen… Having a television series! I have exceeded all my dreams: everything that follows are extras.
-The series makes a difference.
-I always wanted my books to be best sellers so I could make a living from writing, because most writers can’t do it and have to have a second job. I wanted to be popular in the romantic genre, but I didn’t expect such a leap. The series allowed me to reach a larger number of readers, who, in many cases, had never read a romance novel in their lives.
-Many do not read romance novels out of prejudice. The most common: “They are books for women.”
-I feel that that idea is beginning to change. There are men who know the series because their partner wanted to see it and they end up getting hooked. I think it’s great: we women bring them into this world and show them that there is something for them too. It was easier to achieve it through television because it is a communal activity. Reading, on the other hand, tends to be more solitary. Thus, someone who perhaps has never read romance sees the series, likes it, and comes to read it.
-And what do they find when they reach your novels?
-Many fans tell me that these books were a great help to them during the pandemic, or other complicated moments in their lives. One of the big reasons we read romance novels is because they are comforting. It may not develop, but you are sure that the ending will be happy. And that’s a good thing: people need happy endings too. Why do we elevate sad things? We assume that if something is dark it is better and we get more credit if we avoid the happy ending. But I think we should have both sides of the coin: one is not better than the other.
-Are you interested in the idea of exploring writing outside of romance?
-It’s something I’m open to, but it won’t be the next thing I do. I love reading books of all kinds, but that doesn’t mean I’m good at writing them. I don’t think I’m capable of doing mystery, for example. I fear that if I write a novel of that genre, everyone will realize who the culprit is already on page three (laughs).
-What are you writing now?
-I think I already know the characters of my next book and part of what is going to happen to them, but I’m having trouble getting to the right plot and ideas.. I don’t want to write because I feel like I have to, or because people expect to have a Julia Quinn book to buy this year. I need what I write to be good. Something very nice about all this is that I no longer have to make books under the pressure of time. Now I have the luxury of moving slower when I want. So, I’m still waiting for the idea.
My sister couldn’t see the soap opera we did together. She was hit and killed on the highway.
-How involved are you with the series? A new season is about to premiere.
-Bit. When you agree to sell your books, the first thing they ask the author is how willing he is to give up creative control over the work. In my case, I felt like I could do it because I saw it as a unique opportunity, not only for me but for historical romance.. Seeing it adapted into a series format is not typical, and even less so a few years ago. If someone wanted to do a period production, they went back to Jane Austen again. I fully trust the production of the show. They are intelligent people who know what they are doing. If there are major changes to the script, they let me know and ask if I agree.. I always am: the only thing I have to say is “this is perfect.” She knew it wasn’t going to be an exact copy, but they did plan to stick to the spirit of the books. There are things that change, but the characters remain true to who they are.
The new
Although he claims that he now takes more time writing, Quinn has published new works in the last two years that mark changes of direction in his career. The first is Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron (2022), a graphic novel that parodies historical romance with illustrations by her sister Ariana Elise Cotler, also known by the pseudonym Violet Charles.
The second is Queen Charlotte (2023). If the book usually comes first, this novel changes the formula. After Netflix released an original spin-off inspired by Queen Charlotte and her marriage to George III, the infamous “Mad King,” Quinn took the scripts and turned them into a book. However, while living through her most successful years, Quinn faced one of her darkest hours in 2021, when both her father and her sister Ariana died in a car accident. From this, the publication of the graphic novel became much more than just another book, becoming a way to keep the illustrator’s legacy alive.
-Publishing the graphic novel without your sister must have been a complex emotional process.
-In my novels there is a fictional book that the characters read called Miss Butterworth y the mad baron. It became a running joke, because it’s a lousy book in that universe. Readers thought it was funny and asked me to write it in real life. We worked with my sister on that book and, shortly after, she died in a very tragic way.. She and my father were killed by a drunk driver while driving on the highway. What broke my heart was that I never saw the novel published. It was something very big for her. For me it was also exciting, of course, but for her it was going to be her chance to make herself known. The months that followed the tragedy my obsession was making sure it came to light.
Julia Quinn poses with her book The Duke and I. Photo: Fernando de la Orden. -At the same time, you published a book based on the character of Queen Charlotte, inspired by a spin-off of the series.
-It all arose when the producer of the series called me a couple of years ago to tell me that Netflix was planning a spin-off. I suggested adapting it to book format, and I discovered that she had had the same idea. They sent me the scripts and I dedicated myself to the task of seeing how I could take that story apart and reconstruct it as a book. It felt like a puzzle, I had never written a novel based on something; It had always been just me. I also chose to tell the story from four different points of view because I felt there were many characters in the series that would be interesting to see internally.
-The series has inclusion components that were not in your books. Queen Charlotte in the series, for example, is black. After the novel you wrote about her, do you feel that you are more interested in exploring diversity in your books?
-Bridgerton, as a television series, it has created an alternative universe. They took the character of the real Queen Charlotte, who many historians believe was mixed race, and what they did was say, “Well, let’s assume she really was African.” And let’s suppose that, at the same time, the people of her time accept that. How would society change? The world of the series is different and my book is inserted in that universe. It was a new and liberating experience. Writing about other perspectives is something I would like, but only if I feel I can do it well and with respect. The last thing I would want is to write a character and have it be a stereotype. There are many cases of people writing about cultures that are not their own and doing a terrible job.
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