E. L. James
| Erika Leonard | |
|---|---|
 E.L. James |
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| Born | Erika Mitchell March 7, 1963 London, England, United Kingdom |
| Pen name | E.L. James, Snowqueens Icedragon |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Genres | Drama, romance, erotica, fanfiction |
| Notable work(s) | Fifty Shades of Grey |
| Spouse(s) | Niall Leonard |
| Children | 2 sons |
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Influences
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www.eljamesauthor.com |
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Erika Leonard, birth name Erika Mitchell (born March 7, 1963),[2] better known by the pseudonym E. L. James,[3] is the British author of the bestselling erotic romance novels trilogy Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker, and Fifty Shades Freed.[4][5] The combined novels have sold over 35 million copies in the United States, and over 70 million copies worldwide, setting the record as the fastest selling paperback of all time.[6][7] In 2012, Time magazine named her one of "The World's 100 Most Influential People."[8]
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Early life [edit]
In 1963, Leonard was born Erika Mitchell, to a Chilean mother and Scottish father, a BBC cameraman.[1][9][10] Raised in Buckinghamshire, Leonard read history at the University of Kent, before becoming a studio manager’s assistant at the National Film and Television School in Beaconsfield.[11]
Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy [edit]
James initially wrote fanfiction under the pen name "Snowqueens Icedragon", with her most notable work being a Twilight fanfiction that eventually developed into Fifty Shades of Grey.[12][13] James has spoken of her shock at the success of the book. "The explosion of interest has taken me completely by surprise" she said.[14] James has described the Fifty Shades trilogy as "my midlife crisis, writ large. All my fantasies in there, and that's it."[15] She did not start to write until January 2009, as she revealed while still active on fanfiction.net as Snowqueen's Icedragon: "I started writing in January 2009 after I finished the Twilight saga, 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?"[16]
Personal life [edit]
James formerly worked as a television executive.[17] She currently resides in west London with her husband, screenwriter and director Niall Leonard, whom she married in 1987,[18] and their two teenage sons.[12]
Awards and honors [edit]
- 2012 Time 100 by Time magazine, "The 100 Most Influential People in the World"[19]
- 2012 Publishers Weekly "Publishing Person of the Year".[20][21]
- 2012 National Book Award (UK), "Popular Fiction Book of the Year", Fifty Shades of Grey[22]
- 2012 National Book Award (UK), "Book of the Year", Fifty Shades of Grey[23]
Bibliography [edit]
- Fifty Shades of Grey (2011)
- Fifty Shades Darker (2012)
- Fifty Shades Freed (2012)
References [edit]
- ^ a b 'Fifty Shades Of Grey' Author Reveals ‘Twilight’ Inspiration. Access Hollywood
- ^ "Biography for E.L. James". IMDb.
- ^ Paul Bentley (2012-06-17). "'Mummy porn' Fifty Shades Of Grey outstrips Harry Potter to become fastest selling paperback of all time". Dailymail.co.uk.
- ^ Julie Bosman (2012-05-21). "Libraries Debate Stocking ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ Trilogy". The New York Times.
- ^ "The Shy British Mum Behind 50 Shades of Grey". Time Magazine.
- ^ Who Should be Time's Person of the Year 2012? E.L. James.
- ^ [1]
- ^ The World's 100 Most Influential People.
- ^ E.L. James Biography.
- ^ 098M&S meets S&M Mum who erotic bestseller Fifty Shades Of Grey. The Sun. Retrieved 31 May 2012
- ^ "Forget Mills & Boon! The new literary trend is explicit 'erotic novels' aimed at middle-aged mothers whose marriages are in a rut". Daily Mail. Retrieved 31 May 2012
- ^ a b 'Fifty Shades of Grey' by E.L. James is selling books (and more) LA Times. Retrieved 31 May 2012
- ^ Triple-X trilogy of novels has women talking (quietly). msnbc. Retrieved 31 May 2012
- ^ Fifty Shades of Grey author E L James – Exclusive interview Shropshire Star. Retrieved 16 Jul 2012
- ^ 'Fifty Shades' author 'stunned' at success of erotic trilogy TODAY MSNBC
- ^ The Lost History of Fifty Shades of Grey
- ^ Who is E L James? Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 31 May 2012
- ^ "Niall Leonard". IMDb. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
- ^ The 100 Most Influential People in the World Time Magazine. Retrieved 31 May 2012
- ^ Alison Flood (3 December 2012). "EL James wins 'publishing person of the year' for making erotic fiction 'hot'". The Guardian. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
- ^ Molly Driscoll (December 3, 2012). "E L James as 'Publishing Person of the Year' draws outcry from literary world". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved December 5, 2012.
- ^ Alison Flood (5 December 2012). "EL James comes out on top at National Book awards". The Guardian. Retrieved December 5, 2012.
- ^ "EL James wins at National Book Awards". BBC News. 4 December 2012. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
