#1 New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn loves to dispel the myth that smart women don’t read (or write) romance, and if you watch reruns of the game show The Weakest Link you might just catch her winning the $79,000 jackpot. She displayed a decided lack of knowledge about baseball, country music, and plush toys, but she is proud to say that she aced all things British and literary, answered all of her history and geography questions correctly, and knew that there was a Da Vinci long before there was a code.

On December 25, 2020, Netflix premiered Bridgerton, based on her popular series of novels about the Bridgerton family.

During her senior year at Harvard College, Julia Quinn (often known in cyberspace as JQ) realized that she didn't know what she wanted to do with her life. This depressed her. In fact, the only thing that saved her sanity during this dark, dreary time was the fact that none of her friends knew, either. So she sat down with a big tub of Ben & Jerry's and a good book and decided to figure out what to do.

Getting a job seemed too difficult. She wouldn't mind HAVING a job, but she certainly didn't know how to get one.

Law school seemed too annoying. Everyone hated lawyers, and Julia liked to be liked.

Business school was not an option. They only took people who had been in the work force for at least two years, and, as noted above, Julia didn't know how to get a job.

The only option left (this shows you how narrow her world-view was) was medical school. "Aha!" she thought. "I could be a good doctor." She quickly picked up the phone and ran this idea past her parents, who were understandably baffled, since her degree was in Art History, but being the cool people they are, they said, "Great!"

Julia hung up the phone, blinked a couple of times, and said aloud, "Okay, so I'm going to be a doctor. Cool." Then she pulled out a pad of paper and proceeded to figure out how long this would take. (Note: careers in medicine are not for those who crave instant gratification.) It turned out that it would be over two years before she could even ENTER medical school since she had to take all those pesky science classes in order to apply. Clearly, she needed to find something to do during that time, since she knew from experience that she probably wouldn't be studying as much as she ought.

That's when she looked at the book next to the tub of now-empty Ben & Jerry's. It was a romance. "I could write one of those," she thought.

And so she did.

Julia's writing has quickly earned a reputation for warmth and humor, and her dialogue is considered among the best in the industry. She has been profiled in TIME Magazine (a rarity among romance writers) and has even competed on the game show The Weakest Link.

Julia Quinn won her third RITA award in 2010, for What Happens in London, and was inducted into Romance Writers of America's Hall of Fame. She lives with her family in the Pacific Northwest.

Shonda Rhimes is CEO of the global media company Shondaland. With a focus on innovation, Rhimes' company approaches storytelling through brand partnerships, merchandise and content for film, streaming, audio, digital and editorial. In her career, Rhimes' work has been celebrated with numerous awards including induction into the Television Academy Hall of Fame. She has shifted the entertainment industry's business model and changed the face of television.