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Music that inspired my writing, music that reminds me of my books. I didn't always realize it when I was writing them, but each of my books has a soundtrack.

If you'd like to hear thirty-second samples of the songs, please visit my iMixes at iTunes:

Julia Quinn Soundtrack, Part 1
Julia Quinn Soundtrack, Part 2
Julia Quinn Soundtrack, Part 3

Please note that my iMixes contain only the songs that are available at iTunes (which means no Beatles).

Enjoy! ~ JQ

Mr. Cavendish, I Presume

"The Waiting is the Hardest Part" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

"Steady as She Goes" by the Raconteurs

"I Feel it All" by Feist

"Anchorage" by Michelle Shocked

Check back on September 30 to learn why these songs were chosen...

The Lost Duke of Wyndham

"Industrial Disease" by Dire Straits
This song came out when I was in high school, and I always loved the irony in the line: "Two men say they're Jesus. One of them must be wrong." From there it was only a quick hop to: "Two men say they're the Duke of Something. One of them must be wrong." The book proposal was actually called, "The Two Dukes of Something." Eventually we came up with Wyndham as a good name.

"Save Tonight" by Eagle-Eye Cherry
I loved this song when it came out. It's so catchy and fun without being bubble-gum. And it really seems to fit the scene at the inn with Jack and Grace.

"Your Hands are Cold" by Jean-Yves Thibaudet, from the Pride and Prejudice (2005) Soundtrack
I listened to the soundtrack to Pride and Prejudice (the Keira Knightley/Matthew MacFadyen version) endlessly while writing The Lost Duke of Wyndham and Mr. Cavendish, I Presume. I'm not sure why I picked this song for the soundrack, except that I had to pick something, and this scene in the movie (Dawn; Darcy walks out of the mist) is soooo romantic.

"Running up that Hill" by Kate Bush
I go through Kate Bush phases. I'll go years without listening to her music, and then all of a sudden I can't turn it off. I started in on The Hounds of Love album again while I was writing this book, and I was stunned by how much the lyrics of the song fit Jack, especially the big scene at the end of the book.

The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever

"Hung Up" by Madonna
Might as well have been written for the book.  Plus, I have listened to Confessions on the Dance Floor about three thousand times since my best friend and I hopped a plane and went to see Madonna when she played in LA.  (We felt so decadent!)

"Last Year’s Troubles" by Suzanne Vega
I always have to stop and listen to these lyrics.  They seem to almost define historical romance!

"Soul Meets Body" by Death Cab for Cutie
One of my favorite songs to listen to while writing this book.  Plus I love that they celebrate brown eyes.

"Everyday I Write the Book" by Elvis Costello & the Attractions
It’s what I keep telling myself.  Now if I could only stick to my schedule...

On the Way to the Wedding

"Belleville Rendez-Vous" from The Triplets of Belleville
I listened to the soundtrack to this movie constantly while I was writing this book.  I’m still aghast that it lost out best song at the Oscars to that boring Lord of The Rings thing. 

"They" by Jem
I was listening to Jem’s debut album Finally Woken pretty much whenever I wasn’t listening to The Triplets of Belleville soundtrack.  I picked the first track because it reminds me a lot of the end of the On the Way to the Wedding, but the whole album is fabulous.

"The Impression that I Get" by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones
"I’m not a coward, I’ve just never been tested.  I’d like to think if I was, I would pass."  This line just always makes me think of Gregory (who did get tested, and I think he passed!)

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It’s in His Kiss

"History Repeating" by Propellerheads and Miss Shirley Bassey
I couldn’t begin to tell you why, except it seems like a song Hyacinth would like, and it was the theme song for So Graham Norton (which Americans can watch on BBC America, even though it was an ITV show) and I know that Hyacinth would love that show.

"Here it Goes Again" by Ok Go
I just think that anyone married to Hyacinth would be heard uttering, "Here it Goes Again," a lot.

"Sitting Still" by R.E.M.
Does anybody know the words to this song? Seriously. Anyone? I can only figure out about 15%, but I am fairly certain Michael Stipe sings "waste your time sitting still" a number of times, and if anyone would find sitting still a waste of time, it would be Hyacinth.

"It’s in His Kiss" by Betty Everett
But of course! Plus if you do an iTunes search for "It's in His Kiss," I come up!  (for the audiobook.)

When He Was Wicked

"Tell Her This" by Del Amitri
Such a beautiful, sad (and yet hopeful) song.  I listened to this one a lot while I was writing this book, and it always put me in the right mood.

"SexyBack" by Justin Timberlake
Okay, I know this song wasn’t remotely out while I was writing this book, but When He Was Wicked is unquestionably my sexiest book, and even though I kind of don’t get the whole Justin Timberlake thing, I LOVE this song.

"Cut Me Down" by Lloyd Cole and the Commotions
Such an underappreciated band. This song feels like Michael to me.

"Don’t Tell Me" by Madonna
And this song feels like Francesca, especially: "Tell me love isn’t true. It’s just something that we do."

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To Sir Phillip, with Love

"For Emily Wherever I May Find Her" by Simon & Garfunkel
I think this might be the most romantic song ever recorded.  And I sometimes thought of this book in my head as For Eloise, Wherever I May Find Her.

"Your Mother Should Know" by The Beatles
Violet turned out to be the greatest surprise in the Bridgerton series. I had no idea when I began that she would emerge as such a wonderful and fully-realized character. I think it was in this book, however, that we first saw just how wise and perceptive she could be.

"Life on a Chain" by Pete Yorn
"I was waiting over here for life to begin." Doesn’t that sound like Phillip?

"Someday Someway" by Marshall Crenshaw
One of my favorite parts of this book was how Phillip is such a guy. He doesn’t want to talk about things over and over (like Eloise), and the truth is, women just baffle him. Which makes the refrain "Someday, someway, maybe I’ll understand you" totally apt.

Romancing Mr. Bridgerton

"Heavy Things" by Phish
Whenever I hear the line: "When I tried/to step aside/I moved to where they hoped I’d be," it makes me think of Penelope. And Colin, for that matter. They were both trying to carve out their own places in the world and kept finding themselves pigeonholed by society.  Plus, I think that if Colin were a modern guy, he’d be a bit of a Deadhead (and by extension, a Phish fan).

"Legend of a Cowgirl" by Imani Coppola
I love this song!  It just screams Girl Power to me.  I can totally see a modern-day Penelope singing it at the top of her lungs if she didn’t think anyone was home.

"Virginia Woolf" by Indigo Girls
A wonderful song about the power of the pen, especially in the hand of a woman.

"Babylon" by David Gray
I listened to this song so often while I was conceiving and writing this book. We were living in London while my husband was studying at the School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, and we only brought about ten CDs with us. White Ladder was one of them, and amazingly, I never grew sick of it.

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An Offer from a Gentleman

"A Sorta Fairytale" by Tori Amos
Well, it is, isn’t it?

"Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in my Hand" by Primitive Radio Gods
For the life of me, I can’t remember why I put this song in this list.  But I love the song, and there’s something about the melody that makes me think of this book.

"Whenever, Wherever" by Shakira
Lovers who never can manage to be in the same place. Plus, I never get sick of this song.

"The Mummer’s Dance" by Loreena McKennitt
Such a gorgeous song, and so atmospheric. Wonderful background music for writing.

The Viscount Who Loved Me

"Cynical Girl" by Marshall Crenshaw
Cynical girls unite! Love love love this song! It’s impossible to listen without grinning.

"When Heroes Go Down" by Suzanne Vega
This song always feels Vega is narrating a fabulous battle of wills.

"The Mind of Love" by K.D. Lang
She doesn’t spell Katharine right (she uses Kathryn) but I love how the song is about a Kathryn fighting falling in love.

"Nobody Does it Better" by Carly Simon
Oh, come on! How could I not?

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The Duke and I

"Take My Hand" by Dido
I love this song.  There is something about the relentless beat under the soaring melody that seems so urgent.  It’s a surprisingly good song to exercise to!  And I love the image of Simon taking Daphne’s hand and letting her help him heal.

"Mouth" by Merril Bainbridge
This song fits for so many reasons!  Sometimes I feel it is Daphne (minus the part about being famous on TV.)

"God Only Knows" by the Beach Boys
This song makes me tingle.  Somehow the emotion really fits the book.

"Pretty in Pink" by Psychedelic Furs
I don’t care how many pink covers I get for my books--The Duke and I will always be my Pink Book!

How to Marry a Marquis

"Rich Girl" by Gwen Stefani & Eve
Of course, if Elizabeth had been a rich girl, it would have been an entirely different book.

"Cruel to Be Kind" by Nick Lowe
Surely Lady Danbury’s personal credo.

"Steal My Kisses" by Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals
Fun and mischievous.  This one just feels like the book.

"Good Things" by BoDeans
This song came out in the early 90s, but I only discovered it around the time I was writing this book.

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To Catch an Heiress

"Nightswimming"  by R.E.M.
I know Michael Stipe says he doesn’t write love songs, but R.E.M. certainly writes love melodies.  It’s beautiful and romantic, and so much of this book takes place at night on the beach.

"Caroline" by David Gray
Self-explanatory.  A great song!

"Games Without Frontiers" by Peter Gabriel (with Kate Bush)
I’ve always loved this song.  It’s so sly and slinky, and it is perfect for my only espionage book.

"I Got Six" from Schoolhouse Rock
I am a huge Schoolhouse Rock fan, and it seems appropriate to celebrate my sixth book with this jazzy number.

Brighter than the Sun

"A Girl in Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing)" by Romeo Void
You gotta love Ellie for solving her own problems! 

"Friday I’m in Love" by The Cure
I read somewhere that The Cure recorded this song because everyone was accusing them of being dark and gloomy all the time.  I kind of think of Brighter than the Sun as my fun book, so it makes sense to pair it with a fun song.

"Here Comes the Sun" by the Beatles
An obvious choice, I know, but I can’t resist.

"Whenever You’re on My Mind" by Marshall Crenshaw
There is something utterly irresistible about this song.  It’s catchy, and it’s fun, and it’s so romantic!

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Everything and the Moon

"You Are the Everything" by R.E.M.
An achingly beautiful song.  I stole a line about the stars and put it in the book.

"Romeo and Juliet" by The Dire Straits, also Indigo Girls
Confession time. I’m a HUGE Dire Straits fan, and maybe even a bigger Mark Knopfler fan (his solo albums are brilliant), but I like the Indigo Girls version of this song better.  It’s raw and painful, and I think you feel the longing in a way that you don’t in the original version. Everything and the Moon is my Romeo and Juliet story, so naturally this song has to be on the playlist.

"You Won’t See Me" by The Beatles
Probably no explanation needed. The only thing that would make this song echo the book more would be if Robert could have called Victoria on the phone.

"E=MC2" by Big Audio Dynamite
Well, Robert is such a science geek.

Minx

"Coming Around Again" by Carly Simon
The image of the family at the breakfast table, completely unable to communicate, makes me think of the end of Minx, where Henry and Dunford have so much to say but don’t know how. My favorite version of this song is on her live album (recorded on Martha’s Vineyard) when she segues into "Itsy Bitsy Spider."

"Hammer and a Nail" by Indigo Girls
I adore the Indigo Girls. ("Galileo" is a personal favorite, but I couldn’t figure out how reincarnation worked with any of my books.) This song is all about the satisfaction or working with one’s hands and it always makes me think about the beginning of Minx, when Henry puts Dunford through the paces at the farm.

"One Step Ahead" by Split Enz
One of my favorite from the 80s, this song always reminds me of this book.

"In My Life" by the Beatles
Such a sweetly romantic (and nostalgic) song. It’s almost a lullaby.

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Dancing at Midnight

"Hurt" by  Nine Inch Nails, also Johnny Cash
No one ever believes me when I say that one of my books was inspired (at least in part) by a Nine Inch Nails song, but when I wrote Dancing at Midnight, I really wanted to explore John’s feelings of self-loathing and guilt, and this song seemed to capture this perfectly.  The emotion is so raw.  I heard it on the radio and thought, "That’s him."  Nowadays, I like to listen to the Johnny Cash cover.  It literally makes me shiver.

"Bad Reputation" by Freedy Johnston
Another song I listened to when I wanted to get John’s character just right.   

"No Myth" by Michael Penn
I had to put this song somewhere.  I mean, please---"What if I was Romeo in black jeans?  What if I was Heathcliff, it’s no myth?"  It’s gotta go in my tortured hero song collection.

"This Poem Sucks" by Mike Myers
From the soundtrack to So I Married an Axe Murderer. It’s just too funny.

Splendid

"Birdhouse in Your Soul" by They Might Be Giants
This probably seems like an odd choice, but I have vivid memories of listening to this song (actually the entire album) over and over again in college while I lay on my bed reading Julie Garwood novels.  And it was that year (the year I rediscovered romance with Garwood and McNaught) that most led to my deciding to try my hand at writing.

"Perfect Kiss" by New Order
Another song I listened to like crazy in college.  And really, isn’t it all about that perfect kiss?

"She Came in Through the Bathroom Window" by the Beatles
I seem to recall a lot of climbing through windows in this book...

"Paperback Writer" by The Beatles
My theme song!

No blog for me (not if I want to actually get my books written!) but I enjoy guestblogging at book sites. I've reposted them all here. Enjoy! ~ JQ

Originally appearing on Romantic Inks December 2, 2006, The Secret Diaries Confessions of Julia Quinn.

 Originally appearing on “Dishing with the Divas,” June 12, 2006, an interview by Candice Hern.

Originally appearing on Fog City Divas on June 13, 2006, Ten Occasionally Bizarre, Totally Random Facts about Julia Quinn.

JQ was a guest blogger on Squawk Radio in July 2005.

JQ has guest blogged on many blogspots. Click over to her main blog page.

With my husband Paul and Gloria Steinem. Paul has known Gloria since he was a young boy, and we always get together with her when she is in town. Here we are at a reading & benefit for Hedgebrook, a wonderful artist-in-residence program for women writers.

More deleted scenes will be posted here in the future. In the meantime, don't miss the ones currently posted below.

Deleted scene from The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever

This diary entry didn't make it into the final manuscript. It broke my heart, because I loved it. If you read the book carefully, however, you'll find bits and pieces of it used elsewhere. ~ JQ

Studies today were Latin and botany.  Olivia declared herself bored with exotic grasses and turned to me, instead. 

Olivia bores easily.

But she did declare that my face no longer appears quite so long.  Then she decided that I shall be a Great Beauty, after all.
Olivia sometimes sees the world as she wishes it, and not as it truly is.

Then she announced (after I pointed out that I had no need of Great Beauty; I intend to find a husband among her thwarted suitors) that it didn’t matter, anyway.  I shall marry her brother.

I couldn’t speak.  How did she know?

Then I realized she meant Winston.

Perhaps sometimes I see the world as I wish it, too.

End of Deleted Scene.

Deleted scene from How to Marry a Marquis

The original epilogue for How to Marry a Marquis took place at the wedding, but my editor felt it would be fun to style it like a book instead. I think she was right (I love what we ended up with) but I still like this scene a lot! ~ JQ

Epilogue

It was a perfect wedding… almost.

James Anthony Edward, Wilt thou have this woman to thy wedded wife, to live together after God's ordinance, in the holy estate of Matrimony?  Wilt thou love her, comfort her, honour and keep her in sickness and in health; and forsaking all other, keep thee only unto her, so long as ye both shall live?

James's voice was loud and firm.  "I will."

Elizabeth Mary, Wilt though have this man to thy wedded husband, to live together after God's ordinance in the holy estate of Matrimony?  Wilt thou obey him, serve him, honour and keep him in sickness and in health; and forsaking all other, keep thee only unto him, so long as ye both shall live?

Elizabeth's voice was low but true.  "I will."

Who giveth this woman to be married to this man?

Lucas stepped forward.  "I do."

The curate continued with the ceremony and James repeated his vows, but in the first pew, not everyone was paying attention.

"What are you holding?" Jane whispered to Susan.

"Be quiet."

"What is it?"

"I said, be quiet."

"But I want to know."

"The two of you," Lady Danbury hissed, turning to face them, "be quiet.  We're almost to the part where Elizabeth promises to obey again.  Ha!  This ought to be amusing."

Jane waited until Lady D was focused on the couple at the altar and then she nudged Susan hard in the ribs and whispered, "What is it?  Is it a book?"

Susan finally gave up and handed Jane a bible.

Jane gasped.  "This is the parish bible!  Aren't they supposed to be saying their vows over this?"

Susan's smile was devilish in the extreme.

"What is that book the curate is holding?"  Jane squinted and went pale when she noticed the red binding of the book in the curate's hand.  "Oh, no, it's not…  Oh, Susan, Elizabeth will kill you."

Susan shrugged.  "She'll appreciate the irony."

Jane shook her head, her lips parted and her blue eyes wide.  "Oh, no, she won't."

"Be quiet!" Lady Danbury hissed again.  "Or I'll toss the both of you straight through the stained glass window.  This is a serious proceeding."

"I know," Jane said mournfully.  "I know."

Those whom God hath joined together, let no man put asunder.

"Oh, thank you very much," Susan snapped at Jane.  "Now I've missed the bit where he promises to worship her with his body."

Jane's eyes bugged out.  "He says that?"
           
And of course she forgot all about the book.

I now pronounce you man and wife.  You may kiss the bride.

And he did.

End of Deleted Scene.

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Are you ready to step into the world of 19th Century fashion? Join Julia Quinn and Candice Hern for a peek inside the closets of your favorite Bridgerton heroines.

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