TRR's Blog Hop--Day 3--Julia Quinn

No tribute to my favorite authors would be complete without mentioning Julia Quinn. I loved her books before the Bridgerton series, and I love, love, love the Bridgertons. The children are given their names by the alphabet, beginning with Anthony and ending with Hyacinth. Here's what Amazon says about her latest, Happily Ever After Book.


Once upon a time, a historical romance author created a family . . .
But not just any family. Eight brothers and sisters, assorted in-laws, sons and daughters, nieces and nephews (not to mention an overweight corgi) plus an irrepressible matriarch who's a match for any of them . . . These are the Bridgertons: less a family than a force of nature. Through eight bestselling novels, readers laughed, cried, and fell in love. But they wanted more.

And more is what Julia has given us. Secondary characters are now getting their own books, and The Bridgerton family just continues to give us pleasure.

My own Cotillion Ball Series, although based in America rather than in England, is structured much the same way Julia's Bridgerton books are. There are nine children in the Fitzpatrick household, and each will get his or her own book. I do have plans for secondary character books, too, since my readers have their favorites. Instead of my family bestowing names based on the alphabet, they began with a family name, Halwyn, which is a Welsh Arthurian legend name meaning "salt". With a name like salt, it was only natural that his twin sister be called Pepper. Thus began the Fitzpatrick tradition of naming their children after herbs and spices. The latest in the series is Jasmine's story, The Tempestuous Debutante.

Thank you, Julia, for your inspiration, and the many hours of fun you've provided me in reading your books.

If you sign up to receive my newsletter, I'll pick a name and send you an e-book of The Tempestuous Debutante!

Romance Madness Hop--Day 3

Romances We Love

The Bridgerton Series by Julia Quinn

Eight books about a rambunctious family in Regency England. What could be better? I loved everything about this series on the Bridgerton family—even down to the names of the siblings. The parents named the children alphabetically, Anthony, Benedict, Colin, Daphney, Eloise, Francesca, Gregory and Hyacinth. Such a clever idea. It helped me as a reader keep the siblings straight while I was reading each of their stories.

 

I saw Julia a few years ago at an RWA conference, and she confessed, after eight books about the same characters, she needed a break from the rowdy Bridgertons, but this series continues to grow. There are epilogues, Lady Whistledown books, and now, some of the secondary characters are getting their own moments in the sun. Some day, I’d love to own a complete boxed set of all the books. They are that good.

And they helped spur my own inventiveness.  I am currently in the middle of a series about the Fitzpatrick family, a well-to-do family in America in the 1850s—the decade leading up to the Civil War. Not a lot has been written about this time in America’s history, but it’s rich with events that shaped our country. And, borrowing Julia’s clever idea, I gave my siblings a common thread, too. They are each named for an herb or spice. There’s Halwyn, which is a Welsh/Arthurian name meaning salt, his twin, Pepper, Basil, Ginger, twins Jasmine and Heather, Rosemary, Valerian and Saffron. Ginger’s story, The Reluctant Debutante, will be available for 99 cents as the Kindle Daily Deal tomorrow, January 28, for one day only.

I’m offering a $5 gift card to one lucky commenter at the end of this blog hop, which will run from January 25-January 29. Tell me who your favorite author is and why. Then click on the Romance Madness icon to the right and visit other blogs on the hop, all of whom are offering a giveaway. And stop back tomorrow to see who’s next on my list of favorites.