Erika Mitchell(born 7 March 1963),[1][2]known by her pen nameE. L. James,is a British author. She wrote the best-sellingFifty Shadesseriesoferotic romance novels,[3][4]which spawneda multimedia franchiseincluding afilm trilogy of the same name.[5]Prior to this, she wrote theTwilightfan fiction "Master of the Universe" that served as the basis for theFifty Shadesseries under the web nameSnowqueens Icedragon.In 2019 she published her first book unconnected with the fictional world ofFifty Shades,The Mister,to negative critical reaction.[6][7][8]
E. L. James | |
|---|---|
 E. L. James at the2019 London Book Fair | |
| Born | Erika Mitchell 7 March 1963 Willesden,London, England |
| Pen name | E. L. James Snowqueens Icedragon |
| Occupation | Author |
| Education | Wycombe High School |
| Alma mater | University of Kent |
| Genre | Romance,erotica,fan fiction |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Spouse |
Niall Leonard (m.1987) |
| Children | 2[1] |
| Website | |
| eljamesauthor | |
TheFifty Shadesnovels have sold over 150 million copies worldwide, over 35 million copies in the United States and set the record in the United Kingdom as the fastest selling paperback of all time.[9][10][11][12]In 2012,Timemagazine named her one of "The World's 100 Most Influential People".[13]
Early life
Erika Mitchell was born on 7 March 1963 inWillesden,Middlesexto a Chilean mother and a Scottish father who was aBBCcameraman.[1][14]She was brought up inBuckinghamshire.[1]
James was educated at the independentPipers Corner Schooland atWycombe High School,a state grammar school for girls in the town ofHigh Wycombein Buckinghamshire, followed by theUniversity of KentinSouth East Englandwhere she studied history.[1]
After leaving university, James became a studio manager's assistant at theNational Film and Television SchoolinBeaconsfield.
Career
James says the idea for theFifty Shadestrilogy began as a response to the vampire novel seriesTwilight.In late 2008, James saw the movieTwilight,and then became intensely absorbed with the novels that the movie was based on. She read the novels several times over in a period of a few days and then set out to write a sequel to the books. Between January and August 2009, she wrote two such books in quick succession. She says she then discovered the phenomenon offan fiction,and this inspired her to publish her novels as Kindle books under the pen name "Snowqueens Icedragon". Beginning in August 2009, she then began to write theFifty Shadesbooks.[15][16]
James has spoken of her shock at the success of the books. "The explosion of interest has taken me completely by surprise", she said.[17]James has described theFifty Shadestrilogy as "mymidlife crisis,writ large. All my fantasies in there, and that's it. "[18]She did not start to write until January 2009, as she revealed while still active onFanFiction.Net:"I started writing in January 2009 after I finished theTwilightsaga, and I haven't stopped since. I discovered Fan Fiction in August 2009. Since then I have written my two fics and plan on doing at least one more. After that... who knows? "[19]
In August 2013, James topped theForbes'list of the highest-earning authors due to her book sales[20]with earnings of $95m which included $5m for the film rights toFifty Shades of Grey.[21]
Personal life
James married Niall Leonard, a novelist and screenwriter fromNorthern Ireland,in 1987. They have two sons. As of 2012, they live inBrentford,West London.[1][15]
Awards and honours
- 2012Time100byTimemagazine, "The 100 Most Influential People in the World"[13]
- 2012Publishers Weekly"Publishing Person of the Year".[22][23]
- 2012National Book Award(UK), "Popular Fiction Book of the Year",Fifty Shades of Grey[24]
- 2012National Book Award(UK), "Book of the Year",Fifty Shades of Grey[25]
Bibliography
Fifty Shadestrilogy
- Fifty Shades of Grey(2011)
- Fifty Shades Darker(2012)
- Fifty Shades Freed(2012)
Fifty Shades as Told by Christiantrilogy
- Grey: Fifty Shades of Grey as Told by Christian(2015)
- Darker: Fifty Shades Darker as Told by Christian(2017)
- Freed: Fifty Shades Freed as Told by Christian(2021)
Mister and Missusduology
- The Mister(2019)
- The Missus(2023)[26]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Fifty Shades of Grey | Producer and Cameo |
| 2017 | Fifty Shades Darker | Producer |
| 2018 | Fifty Shades Freed | Producer |
| 2018 | Book Club | Cameo[27] |
References
- ^abcdefgBrennan, Zoe (6 February 2015)."EL James: The shy housewife behind Fifty Shades of Grey".The Daily Telegraph.No. 7 July 2012.
- ^Acuna, Kirsten (13 September 2016)."Meet the author behind the steamy 'Fifty Shades Of Grey' phenomenon".Business Insider.Retrieved26 May2018.
- ^Bosman, Julie (21 May 2012)."Libraries Debate Stocking 'Fifty Shades of Grey' Trilogy".The New York Times.
- ^Luscombe, Belinda (29 March 2012)."The Shy British Mum Behind 50 Shades of Grey".Time.
- ^Belloni, Matthew (20 February 2013)."Universal Chairman Wants 'Fifty Shades' for Summer 2014, More 'Bourne' and 'Van Helsing' Reboot (Q&A)".The Hollywood Reporter.Retrieved18 June2013.
- ^Cain, Sian (17 April 2019)."EL James's The Mister – turns out books and sex can be this bad".The Guardian– via www.theguardian.com.
- ^Faircloth, Kelly (15 May 2019)."E.L. James's The Mister Fucks a Duck".Jezebel.
- ^Gilbert, Sophie (18 April 2019)."The Indelible Awfulness of E. L. James's 'The Mister'".The Atlantic.
- ^"EL James' 'Freed,' as told by Christian Grey, coming in June".The Detroit News.Associated Press. 8 March 2021.
- ^Doward, Jamie (2 April 2017)."Fifty Shades of Grey author EL James now worth £37m".The Guardian.
- ^Luscombe, Belinda."E.L. James - Who Should be Time's Person of the Year 2012?".Time.Archived fromthe originalon 26 November 2012.
- ^"'Fifty Shades of Grey' coming in hardcover ".Salon.com.Associated Press. 10 January 2013.Retrieved6 July2013.
- ^ab"The World's 100 Most Influential People".Time.Archived fromthe originalon 19 April 2012.
- ^"Index entry".FreeBMD.ONS.Retrieved14 February2018.
- ^abJohnson, Steve."Who is E L James?".Chicago Tribune.Retrieved31 May2012.
- ^Triple-X trilogy of novels has women talking (quietly).msnbc. Retrieved 31 May 2012
- ^"Fifty Shades of Grey author E L James – Exclusive interview"(16 July 2012)Shropshire Star.Retrieved 16 July 2012
- ^'Fifty Shades' author 'stunned' at success of erotic trilogyTODAY MSNBC
- ^"The Lost History of Fifty Shades of Grey".mediabistro.com.Archived fromthe originalon 27 July 2014.Retrieved30 June2015.
- ^"E.L. James Seals A Spot On List of Britain's Richest Authors".Lia.Archived fromthe originalon 14 July 2014.Retrieved23 June2014.
- ^"Fifty Shades makes EL James top-earning author".BBC News.13 August 2013.Retrieved15 August2013.
- ^Flood, Alison (3 December 2012)."EL James wins 'publishing person of the year' for making erotic fiction 'hot'".The Guardian.London.Retrieved3 December2012.
- ^Driscoll, Molly (3 December 2012)."E L James as 'Publishing Person of the Year' draws outcry from literary world".The Christian Science Monitor.Retrieved5 December2012.
- ^Flood, Alison (5 December 2012)."EL James comes out on top at National Book awards".The Guardian.London.Retrieved5 December2012.
- ^"EL James wins at National Book Awards".BBC News.4 December 2012.Retrieved14 January2013.
- ^Bond, Emily (22 June 2023)."'Fifty Shades of Grey' Author on Why So Many Romance Novels Don't Get What They Deserve ".Huffington Post.
- ^Bradshaw, Peter (31 May 2018)."Book Club review – simulated sexcom for the over-60s".The Guardian.Retrieved28 September2018.
External links
