Road To RomCon Event: Spotlight on Julia Quinn

Today will be our first author spotlight for our Road To RomCon Event. This woman is hard to get a hold of but we think she's the bees knees and we'll finally get to stalk meet her in person in a week and a half. *squee* We promise to take pictures. Even creepy, totally from our room through the window ones. Kidding.

Meet Julia:

#1 New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn loves to dispel the myth that smart women don't read (or write) romance, and in 2001 she did so in grand fashion, appearing on the game show The Weakest Link and walking away with the $79,000 jackpot. She displayed a decided lack of knowledge about baseball, country music, and plush toys, but she is proud to say that she aced all things British and literary, answered all of her history and geography questions correctly, and knew that there was a Da Vinci long before there was a code. Ms. Quinn is the youngest member of Romance Writers of America's Hall of Fame, her books have been translated into 24 languages, and she currently lives with her family in the Pacific Northwest.

Connect with Julia: Author Site | Facebook

Jamie: I’m going to let you in on a little secret… when I picked up my first Julia Quinn romance, I had no idea who she was or that she is basically the Queen when it comes to historical romance. I picked up her book on whim, because of the cover. I had just started reading romance and found The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever on the shelf of the store. I fell in love with the cover and the whole concept of the book. And when I read it I fell in love with the characters and discovered that Julia Quinn was an amazing writer. So, of course, I went into stalker mode and found her backlist and slowly went through it.

While I have many favorite JQ books The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever will always remain up at the top since it was my first. Though the Bridgerton’s will always have a place in my heart too.

The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever:

2 March 1810...
Today, I fell in love.
At the age of ten, Miranda Cheever showed no signs of Great Beauty. And even at ten, Miranda learned to accept the expectations society held for her—until the afternoon when Nigel Bevelstoke, the handsome and dashing Viscount Turner, solemnly kissed her hand and promised her that one day she would grow into herself, that one day she would be as beautiful as she already was smart. And even at ten, Miranda knew she would love him forever.

But the years that followed were as cruel to Turner as they were kind to Miranda. She is as intriguing as the viscount boldly predicted on that memorable day—while he is a lonely, bitter man, crushed by a devastating loss. But Miranda has never forgotten the truth she set down on paper all those years earlier—and she will not allow the love that is her destiny to slip lightly through her fingers...

Get Your Own Copy: Amazon(pb) | Kindle | B&N(pb) | Nook | Book Depository
Book Extras: Read an Excerpt | About the Bevelstoke Series
Other Books in Series:

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Kati: So I have a confession to make, I've only read one Julia Quinn book so far (The Duke and I) because Jamie told me to. Another confession? I own 11 JQ books. Yup. I've got to get on this JQ train. I had never heard of Julia Quinn until Jamie and I started discussing historical romances in the early days of our friendship. She insisted that I read JQ along with BDB (this is a story for another day) and she sent me a package with The Duke and I.

The writing was witty, the characters loveable (ALL of the Bridgertons) and I immediately fell in love with Simon and Daphne. I've always like the whole 'marriage/betrothal is a sham to get someone else to notice you' trope but then hilarious antics ensue, stolen kisses heat up the pages and before the hero and heroine know it...BAM! Don't they feel silly?

I solemnly swear I will finally read those 11 JQ books I own before the year is over. Or at least get through half of them.

The Duke and I:

Can there be any greater challenge to London's Ambitious Mamas than an unmarried duke?
—Lady Whistledown's Society Papers, April 1813

By all acounts, Simon Basset is on the verge of proposing to his best friend's sister, the lovely—and almost-on-the-shelf—Daphne Bridgerton. But the two of them know the truth—it's all an elaborate plan to keep Simon free from marriage-minded society mothers. And as for Daphne, surely she will attract some worthy sutiors now that it seems a duke has declared her desirable.

But as Daphne waltzes across ballroom after ballroom with Simon, it's hard to remember that their courtship is a complete sham. Maybe it's his devilish smile, certainly it's the way his eyes seem to burn every time he looks at her... but somehow Daphne is falling for the dashing duke... for real! And now she must do the impossible and convince the handsome rogue that their clever little scheme deserves a slight alteration, and that nothing makes quite as much sense as falling in love...

Get Your Own Copy: Amazon(pb) | Kindle | B&N(pb) | Nook | Book Depository
Book Extras: Read an Excerpt | Bridgerton Extras | Epilogues
Other Books in Series:



Sooo...what about YOU? What's your favorite Julia Quinn book? Favorite romance trope?

Don't forget to keep up with all the Road to RomCon posts and to enter our grand prize giveaway