Julie Pottinger, who is also known as Julia Quinn, is an American writer. She was born on January 12, 1970. Her books have been translated into 41 languages and have appeared on The New York Times Bestseller List 19 times. She has been honored by the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame. Her Bridgerton book series has been adapted for Netflix into a television show with the same name.

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 grew up mainly in New England, although she spent a lot of time in California after her parents divorced.

Quinn's favorite books as a child included the Sweet Dreams and Sweet Valley High series, which inspired her to start writing when she was 12 years old.

Quinn graduated from the Hotchkiss School and Harvard University with a degree in Art History. During her final year in college, she decided to become a doctor. She was accepted into Yale School of Medicine but postponed her start for two years to write novels.

Career

While she was a student, Quinn started writing funny stories set during the Regency era. Her future husband’s father, novelist John Stanley Pottinger, helped her share her story with the right people. A few weeks after she was accepted into medical school, she learned that her first two books, Splendid and Dancing At Midnight, had been sold at an auction, which is rare for a new romance writer. By the time Quinn began medical school, three of her books had already been published. She left medical school after two months to work as a full-time writer.

Quinn sees herself as a feminist and gives her female characters qualities that challenge common beliefs from the time her stories are set. Her books focus on characters and are known for their humor and clever dialogue. Most of her books are dedicated to her husband, Paul Pottinger, and often include jokes about other possible titles for the work.

In 2003, she was featured in Time Magazine, an honor few romance writers have received. In 2005, Publishers Weekly gave To Sir Phillip, With Love a special review with a star, and later named it one of the six best mass-market original novels of the year.

Quinn won the Romance Writers of America RITA Award in 2007 for On the Way to the Wedding and again in 2008 for The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever. When she won the RITA Award in 2010 for What Happens in London, she became the youngest member of RWA. She is one of only 16 authors in the RWA Hall of Fame.

Many of Quinn’s books have been on the New York Times Bestseller List, including Mr. Cavendish, I Presume, which reached number one in October 2008. Both of her Lady Whistledown anthologies, as well as her collaborations with Connie Brockway and Eloisa James (The Lady Most Likely and The Lady Most Willing), and the Bridgertons: Happily Ever After collection, also appeared on the list.

Her Bridgerton series has been adapted into a Netflix show by Shonda Rhimes, titled Bridgerton.

Personal life

In 2001, Quinn won $79,000 on the game show The Weakest Link. She loves reading and shares recommendations for her favorite books on her Facebook page. Quinn lives in Seattle, Washington, with her husband, Paul Pottinger, an infectious disease specialist, and their two children. On June 29, 2021, Quinn’s sister, Ariana Elise Cotler, and her father, Stephen Lewis Cotler, were killed by a drunk driver in Kaysville, Utah.

Recognition

• 1997 – Everything and the Moon was nominated for the Best Regency Historical category by Romantic Times Magazine.
• 2001 – Romancing Mister Bridgerton was a finalist in the Romance Writers of America’s RITA Awards.
• 2002 – Romancing Mister Bridgerton was voted one of the top ten books of the year by RWA members. It was also a finalist for the RWA RITA Awards in the Long Historical category.
• 2002 – To Sir Phillip, With Love was named one of the six best mass market original novels of the year by Publishers Weekly.
• 2003 – Quinn was featured in Time magazine.
• 2007 – Quinn received the Romance Writers of America RITA Award for Best Long Historical Romance for On the Way to the Wedding.
• 2008 – Quinn received the Romance Writers of America RITA Award for Best Regency Historical Romance for The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever.
• 2010 – Quinn received the Romance Writers of America RITA Award for Best Regency Historical Romance for What Happens in London.
• 2010 – Quinn was inducted into the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame.
• 2016 – Quinn taught the first romance writing course at the Yale Summer Writers Conference.