‘Seeking happy endings isn’t selfish’

Until recently, Julia Quinn was relatively unknown. Then Bridgerton hit our screens. Ella Dove meets her.

‘PEOPLE AREN’T TALKING DOWN TO ME SO MUCH ANY MORE! ’

Bridgerton has been massive on Netflix. Why do you think it captured our hearts? The show came out at a time when we were all watching a lot of TV – and desperate for human interaction. I feel like there was a hole in the entertainment landscape, and Bridgerton filled it by showing that love isn’t a transactional thing, and seeking happy endings isn’t selfish.

Did you ever imagine the adaptation would be so successful?

I never imagined I’d have something on TV. Hollywood wasn’t looking at romance novels as source material. I was pretty sure it would do well, because I knew there were women who’d been waiting to have a romance novel adapted. But I didn’t think it was going to explode quite as it did.

Your new book, The Wit And Wisdom Of Bridgerton, features memorable quotes from characters. What was the process?

It was great to go back over the texts and remember the one-liners I was particularly proud of. Some of the books were written over 20 years ago so were a joy to rediscover.

Has your perception of the characters changed since the Netflix adaptation? The books have become more visual to me now. I don’t really picture characters when I write them, apart from basics such as whether they’re tall or short. But now, when I read the books, I see Eloise as Claudia Jessie. And even though in the book, Simon [Basset, the Duke of Hastings] has blue eyes, all I can see now is Regé-jean Page. He is so handsome. He’s also kind and very smart – but my gosh he’s handsome!

Has the show altered the way people view romance novels?

I hope so. There has been a tendency for literary types to look down on the genre.

I’m in quite a special position compared with other romance authors; people definitely aren’t talking down to me so much any more!

What do you love about romance novels? I love that Regency romance is far enough in the past that it has a fairy-tale aspect, but it’s close enough to the present that people behave in ways readers understand.

What’s your best piece of writing advice? That you just have to do it! If there was another way to write a book, I would have figured it out by now. Discipline is crucial.