In this week's AuthorView, smart and funny Julia Quinn gives Michelle answers the author says no one ever likes, tells us what you don't have to do to be a hero, and claims she's just a crotchety old lady at heart.

MB: What or who inspired your novel?

JQ: Most of the time, when people talk about creative inspiration, they mean outside sources -- something going on in the world that sparked an idea that then grew into a book. But with "It's In His Kiss," the inspiration came from the character of Hyacinth Bridgerton. She had already appeared as a supporting character in six previous novels and she was definitely a piece of work. A little bit mouthy, too smart for her own good -- readers loved her, but I knew it would be a challenge to turn her into a sympathetic romance heroine. I ended up just adoring her.

MB: What do you like most about your novel?

JQ: The humor, especially the verbal interplay. I like all my books for different reasons, but my favorite parts of "It's In His Kiss" are definitely the conversations. Romances are really about the hero and heroine, but I felt that the supporting characters really enriched the novel. I love the conversation between Hyacinth and her mother, for example, and anything with Lady Danbury was a joy to write. I must be a crotchety old lady at heart, because her words just flowed out of me.

MB: Tell us about the most heroic person you know.

JQ: I couldn't possibly pick just one. I think most of the people you meet every day are heroes, from the mom who leaves work early to go to a school play, to the guy slinging hamburgers at McDonald's, saving every dime for college. You don't have to jump into a burning building to be a hero.

MB: Who's your romantic hero: Dark, brooding bad boy or white knight in shining armor?

JQ: Definitely the white knight. As long as he has a sense of humor!

MB: Answer the question you wish an interviewer would ask.

JQ: Definitely not "Where do you get your ideas?" because I never know how to answer that one. (Poughkeepsie? Peoria? Paris, if I'm lucky.) No one is ever satisfied with my answer to "Why did you become a writer?" either. (Because I like to read.)

How about "What's the secret to writing a book?"

Coffee. Lots and lots of coffee.