Julie Pottinger (née Cotler; born 1970), better known by her pen name Julia Quinn, is a best-selling American author of historical romance fiction. Her novels have been translated into 41 languages, and have appeared on New York Times Bestseller List 19 times. She has been inducted into the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame. Her Bridgerton series of books has been adapted for Netflix by Shonda Rhimes under the title Bridgerton. Early life and education Quinn was born as Julie Cotler in 1970 to Jane and Stephen Lewis Cotler. She has three sisters: Emily, Abigail, and Ariana. She is Jewish. She was raised primarily in New England, although she spent much of her time in California following her parents' divorce.Since her early childhood, Quinn thoroughly enjoyed books. At age 12, her father disagreed with her choices of reading material, Sweet Dreams and the Sweet Valley High book series, and told her she could keep reading them only if she could prove that they were good for her. She promptly told him that she was studying them in order to write one herself. Challenged to prove that she meant her statement, Quinn sat down at their computer and wrote her first two chapters. After finishing her novel three years later, she submitted it to Sweet Dreams, but was rejected.Quinn graduated from Hotchkiss School and Harvard with a degree in Art History. During her senior year of college, she realized that she did not know what she wanted to do with her degree and decided to attend medical school. That decision required her to attend two additional years of college to complete the science prerequisites necessary to apply for medical school. She postponed medical school for two years while she wrote two more novels. Career To occupy herself during the long days of studying science, Quinn began to write light-hearted Regency novels. A few weeks after she was accepted to medical school, she discovered that her first two novels, Splendid and Dancing At Midnight, had been sold at auction, an unusual occurrence for a novice romance author. By the time Quinn finally entered Yale School of Medicine intending to become a doctor, three of her books had been published. After a few months of studying medicine, Quinn realized that she preferred writing to medical study. She left medical school and devoted herself full-time to her writing.Quinn considers herself a feminist and gives her heroines feminist qualities that are not necessarily true to the most prevalent attitudes of the times her novels are set in. Her books are noted for being their humor and sharp, witty dialogue. The novels are primarily character-driven, lacking the great external conflicts that many romance novels employ. One of her novels, When He was Wicked, was unusual for a romance novel, as the first four chapters describe the heroine in a happy marriage with someone who is not the hero, and then shows the death of the original husband and deals with the grief of both the heroine and hero before allowing the second love story to flourish.Most of her books are dedicated to her husband, Paul Quinn, often with references to amusing alternate titles for the work. Quinn won the Romance Writers of America RITA Award for 2007 for On the Way to the Wedding and again for 2008 for The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever. When she won for 2010 for What Happens in London, she became (at the time) the youngest member and is now one of only 16 authors to be inducted into the RWA Hall of Fame. In 2003, she enjoyed the rare honor of being profiled in Time Magazine, an accomplishment few romance novelists have achieved. In 2005 Publishers Weekly gave To Sir Phillip, With Love a rare starred review, and later named it one of the six best mass market original novels of the year.Each of her last 17 novels has appeared on the New York Times Bestseller List, with Mr. Cavendish, I Presume hitting number one in October 2008. Most recently, The Girl With the Make-Believe Husband was on the NYT list in June 2017. Additionally to those, both her Lady Whistledown anthologies appeared on the NY Times list, as did both of her novel-in-three-part collaborations with Connie Brockway and Eloisa James (The Lady Most Likely and The Lady Most Willing), and the Bridgertons: Happily Ever After collection of Bridgerton’s second epilogues. Her Bridgerton series of books has been adapted for Netflix by Shonda Rhimes under the title Bridgerton. Personal life In 2001, Quinn won $79,000 on The Weakest Link. She is an avid reader and posts recommendations of her favorite books on her Facebook page. Quinn resides in Seattle, Washington, with her husband and two children. On June 29, 2021, Quinn's sister and father, Ariana Elise Cotler and Stephen Lewis Cotler, respectively, were killed by a drunk driver in Kaysville, Utah. Bridgerton series Background Set between 1813 and 1827, each novel features one of the eight children of the late Viscount Bridgerton and his widow Violet: Anthony who is the current Viscount Bridgerton, Benedict, Colin, Daphne, Eloise, Francesca, Gregory, and Hyacinth. The Bridgerton family are part of British nobility and are well respected, immensely loving, and tight-knit clan favored among high society. "The Bridgertons are by far the most prolific family in the upper echelons of society. Such industriousness on the part of the viscountess and the late viscount is commendable, although one can find only banality in their choice of names of their children. Anthony, Benedict, Colin, Daphne, Eloise, Francesca, Gregory, and Hyacinth- orderliness is, of course, beneficial in all things, but one would think that intelligent parents would be able to keep their children straight without needing to alphabetize their names." Publishing history The Duke and I (2000, Daphne's Story) The Viscount Who Loved Me (2000, Anthony's Story) An Offer from a Gentleman (2001, Benedict's Story) Romancing Mister Bridgerton (2002, Colin's Story) To Sir Phillip, With Love (2003, Eloise's Story) When He Was Wicked (2004, Francesca's Story) It's In His Kiss (2005, Hyacinth's Story) On the Way to the Wedding (2006, Gregory's Story)Reception In March 2022, People ranked The Viscount Who Loved Me, a perennial fan favorite, as the best book of the Bridgerton series for its enemies-to-lovers trope "full of banter and chemistry" with character development for the central couple, "both as a pair and on their own."Well-received when they were first published, the novels received a surge on book sales when the Netflix series Bridgerton premiered its first season in December 2020, and again, for its second season in March 2022. Several titles in the series have been on The New York Times bestseller list, including at several weeks #1 with The Duke and I and The Viscount Who Loved Me.On the Way to the Wedding won the Romance Writers of America RITA Award in 2007. In 2002, To Sir Phillip, With Love was named one of the six best mass market original novels of the yea.... Discover the Julia Quinn popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Julia Quinn books.