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It's
a three-author
extravaganza — and
it's FREE! The What
Happens in London bookmark is one fourth of a star-studded
download. Brand new, and available only on this website and the
websites of Eloisa
James and Elizabeth
Boyle, download the free pdf of four
bookmarks. Cut them out or leave
the pdf whole, this is a collectors' item. Tell your friends!
The Mr.
Cavendish, I Presume version features Kathryn
Caskie, Elizabeth
Boyle, and Samantha
James. Get the free poster of four
bookmarks heralding their latest releases.
Don't miss The Lost Duke of Wyndham version, which features Eloisa
James, Elizabeth
Boyle, and Laura
Lee Guhrke.
 
 There is always one line in every book
that seems to sum it up.
One line (or okay, one
paragraph) that captures
the essence of the story.
Every few months,
we will feature a different
book. If we pick your Quinn-tessential Quote, you will be entered in a drawing for a free book.*
The current selection is What Happens in London.
Skip to examples of other Quinn-tessential quotes.
*As for any contest, certain rules apply. Few people actually
read fine print (but we have
posted them, so knock yourselves
out), so we will summarize highlights
and adjustments here: no purchase
necessary (JQ's books are readily
available in libraries). And
since this isn't entirely a contest
of chance, and some subjectivity
applies, the fine print differs
thusly:
all correctly submitted entries
will be judged by JQ herself with
submitter's names obscured, which
is the closest thing to "winner
chosen by random" that we can get
to in a subjective selective process.
If more than one entrant submits
the winning quinn-tessential quote,
then the prize winner will be selected
at random from the pool of winning
entries. As for which book will
be sent, that is subject to availability,
and JQ's whim. She will probably
contact the winner with a couple
of options, but this is not guaranteed.
 > From Minx, suggested by Jasmine in Ontario, Catherine in Michigan, and Issa in the Philippines
 "You don't always have to kiss a lot of frogs to recognize a prince when you find one." 
 > From The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever, suggested by Tomoko from Japan, Ellen Grace from the Philippines, Ashley from Ohio, and Desiree from Illinois
 Today I fell in love.
> From An Offer from a Gentleman, suggested by Victoria from Ontario, Canada, Giovanna from Puerto Rico, and Elizabeth from New South Wales, Australia
  It suddenly made sense. Only twice in his life had he felt this inexplicable, almost mystical attraction to a woman. He’d thought it remarkable, to have found two, when in his heart he’d always believed there was only one perfect woman out there for him.
His heart had been right. There was only one.
> From To Catch an Heiress, suggested by Ashley from WA and Claribel from NV
  It occurred to Blake as he was eating supper later that night that he would very much like to kill Miss Caroline Trent. It also occurred to him that this was not a new emotion. She hadn't just turned his life upside down; she'd flipped it sideways, pulled it inside out, and, at certain unmentionable times, lit a fire under it.
> From To Sir Phillip, With Love, suggested by JQ herself!
 Eloise just stared at him. As long as she lived, she’d never understand men. She had four brothers, and quite frankly should have understood them better than most women, and maybe it had taken all of her twenty-eight years to come to this realization, but men were, quite simply, freaks. 
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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
 Ten Things I Love About You
 "Say Hey (I Love You)" by Michael Franti & Spearhead (featuring Cherine Anderson)
"I don't want to write a love song for the world, I just want to write a song about a boy and a girl." Everything about this song makes me think of Sebastian—the melody, the beat, the sheer fun of it. If he were going to write a pop song, this would be it.
"Sunrise" by
Norah Jones
The light really is different in the morning. I never meant for this to become a theme in the book, but I love the way it turned out.
"Is She Really Going Out With Him?" by Joe Jackson
I have loved this song since I was a little kid, and I can totally hear Sebastian muttering the lyrics when he finds out his uncle wants to marry Annabel.
"Hips Don't Lie" by
Shakira
No, I'm not kidding. Read the book.
What Happens in London
 "Viva La Vida" by Coldplay
I just love this song, and (according to iTunes) I listened to it 32 times while I was revising What Happens in London. Plus, it's about Napoleon (or so I'm told), so it's historically appropriate.
"Nonagon" by
They Might be Giants
Harry would so totally know what a nonagon was. And he'd be able to identify it without having to count the sides.
"Two Princes" by Spin Doctors
Irresistibly catchy, and the lyrics do seem to fit the song.
"Single Ladies" by
Beyonce
Because I LOVE the song. (And I wanna learn the dance...)
 Mr. Cavendish, I Presume
 "The Waiting is the Hardest Part" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
The perfect song for this book. Everyone is waiting to see who is the real Duke of Wyndham, but we all know that Thomas is the one who has it the worst...
"Steady
as She Goes" by
the Raconteurs
Could this song be any cooler? I love how the lyrics make me thing of Thomas before he falls in love, when Amelia is still his convenient (and ignored) fiancée.
"I Feel it All" by Feist
I do a lot of my writing at Starbucks, and Feist's album The Reminder came into rotation on their playlist while I was writing The Lost Duke of Wyndham and Mr. Cavendish, I Presume. This song in particular caught my interest, and I eventually downloaded the whole album. I really like how "I Feel it All" seems to capture the emotions of Thomas and Amelia.
"Anchorage" by
Michelle Shocked
Mostly because I found myself rather unexpectedly in Anchorage, Alaska when I was finishing this book up. Then (because what the heck? I was already in Alaska in the winter) I took the train to Fairbanks, where I saw the Northern Lights. Which is apropos of nothing, except that it was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen, and everyone should see them before they die.
 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
"Seven
Nation Army" by
The White Stripes
Okay, so only two of Gregory’s
seven sibs were present at the ill-fated wedding, but every
time I hear the line: "A seven nation army couldn’t
hold me back," I picture Gregory fighting his way to the
altar.
"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!
top
 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!
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