This May, Bridgerton’s beloved Queen Charlotte is finally getting her time in the Shondaland spotlight! The endearing gossip will be the title character of a new book and limited-series about her early reign and blossoming love life, both releasing around the same time, with the Netflix premiere on May 4th and the book launch on May 5th! What’s especially special about this addition to the Bridgerton universe? The story was written collaboratively between Julia Quinn and television pioneer, Shonda Rhimes. It is a story of a powerful woman written by two powerful women. What more could we ask for!
We at Juniper Books love the magical world of Bridgerton that Julia Quinn has invited us into, and we could not be more excited to experience more. Earlier this year we collaborated with the New York Times Bestselling author to create a Bridgerton hard cover set, including a limited edition version with stunning bronze foil embellishments—with Queen Charlotte coming soon, who knows what the future holds for our beautiful jackets! What we do know is that Julie Quinn rocks and when we spoke to her about the collaboration, she had so much to share with us. Read on:
Juniper Journal: Wow, we sold out of our limited edition Bridgerton custom book jackets really quickly! Was our collaboration as fun and exciting for you as it was for us?
Julia Quinn: Absolutely! The entire process was such an honor. It's a pretty new phenomenon for romance novels to get the special edition treatment. But we love pretty books just as much as everyone else--maybe even more!
JJ: Do you like giving books as gifts? What’s the best book gift you’ve either given or received?
JQ: I love giving books, especially when there is no particular occasion. It's the best feeling when I'm at a bookstore, see a book, and think, "Oh, that's perfect for (insert name)."
JJ: I'm curious about when you first came across Juniper Books and our custom book sets and jackets. Did you ever envision what a complete Bridgerton set might look like before we started working together?
JQ: Actually, the first Juniper set I saw was a custom Bridgerton set given to me by Shonda Rhimes. I had never seen anything like it. I immediately checked out the website and fell in love. I especially adore the ones that present a single picture; the Maya Angelou collections are particularly beautiful, and of course I can't resist anything featuring Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
As for the Bridgerton set design, you guys sent a picture of what ended up being really close to the final set design in your first email, so I never had to try to envision my own thing!
JJ: Thanks to the Netflix series, there is an amazing Bridgerton visual reference out there in the world. How did we do capturing elements of your stories in our design?
JQ: I think we all know the answer to that one: it's perfect! All the wisteria that Bridgerton has become so famous for. Fun fact: I've had wisteria in my backyard for over a decade!
JJ: How has social media changed the relationship you have to your readers since you started writing?
JQ: Here's where I date myself: social media didn't exist when I started writing. Actually, I didn't even have an email address when I sold my first book.
JJ: What's on your shelves and how do you arrange your home library? Do you have any tips for other book lovers?
JQ: I actually did a guided tour “shelf portrait” for Marie Claire last year! That is the perfect place to start if you’re curious about what is on my bookshelves.
JJ: What do you like to read and given how busy you are writing, how do you make time for reading? Do you have any tips for how others can incorporate reading time into their day?
JQ: Reading is such a big part of my life that making time for it is automatic. It's simply a part of my existence. I read almost everything--I love romance (obviously), but I also read a lot of nonfiction and I'm a sucker for anything funny. I'm also a big reader of memoirs. Two that I've recently read and loved are What Looks Like Bravery by Laurel Braitman and Broken by Jenny Lawson.