Bridgerton makeup, Bridgerton shoes, Bridgerton tea.
Julia Quinn jokingly counts on her fingers when she tells about all the products being sold based on her books and the Netflix success "Bridgerton".
Stephen Colbert has made Bridgerton jokes and "The Simpsons" made a Bridgerton parody, so it's like "wow, I've really made it now", she says during the Book Fair in Gothenburg where she met her readers and was awarded an honorary prize by the audiobook publisher Bookbeat.
Taken seriously now
In 2026, the hype around the TV series starts again, when season four premieres – this time with a focus on the Cinderella story between Sophie Beckett and Benedict Bridgerton. And Julia Quinn feels that there has been a change in attitude towards her and other romance authors in recent years.
Everyone takes you seriously when you have a Netflix hit in your back, she notes.
When she started writing in the 90s, it looked different. The American media ridiculed and belittled romance – "in a way you would never do with another genre". Maybe it's because romance authors are used to taking a stand, which is why she and her colleagues are now so active in the fight against censorship and book bans, she reasons.
Many authors raise their voices, but I think there is a strong feeling among us that we romance and fantasy authors can be next in line. Several of Sarah J Maas' books have been banned in school libraries, for example.
"It's sad"
Previously, she used to collect her appearances on the theme of book bans to Banned Books Week, but now she has taken a year-long break from writing to, among other things, devote herself to charity work and the fight against censorship.
I feel like I'm talking about banned books all year round now, the focus is no longer on Banned Books Week. It's sad.
Eight books have been written about the Bridgerton family – or eight and a half if you count the epilogue book she also wrote. Maybe there will be more – maybe not – in the series.
I'm always thinking about whether I should return to the Bridgertons. But they wouldn't be the main characters then, because a sequel would mean that something had gone wrong with the concept "and so they lived happily ever after". And romance is all about that.
Sara Ullberg/TT
Fact: Julia Quinn
TT
Born: As Julie Pottinger in 1970. Julia Quinn is her pen name.
Lives: In Seattle, Washington, USA.
Family: Husband (who is an infectious disease doctor) and two children.
Background: Began studying to be a doctor but realized she wanted to write most of all. In 1995, her first book "Splendid" was published in the USA. Five years later, the first book in the "Bridgerton" series came out: "An Unlikely Alliance".
Bridgerton: Has written eight books in the series – or eight and a half, if you count the book with epilogues that came out in 2013.
Has written: About 40 books, but counts 29 as "real" novels herself. In 2021, all eight "Bridgerton" books were on the New York Times bestseller list at the same time. In the USA alone, her books have sold over 20 million copies. Quinn's works are translated into 43 languages.
Julia Quinn about Trump: "It feels like I have to apologize to everyone in Europe for him. He has managed to cause extreme damage during his second term as president. The complete dismantling of US AID and giving Robert F Kennedy Jr the role of health minister – it's just crazy."
