Difference between revisions of "Eloisa James"

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{{DEFAULTSORT:James, Eloisa}}[[Category:Authors - J]] [[Category:Pseudonym]] [[Category:Academics Who Write Romance]] [[Category:Award-Winning Authors]]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:James, Eloisa}}
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== Biography ==
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[[Category:Authors - J]]
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Eloisa James is the pen-name of ''Mary Bly'', a professor of English (specialising in Shakespeare, Early Modern Drama and Cultural and Linguistic Theory) at Fordham University.
+
[[Category:Pseudonym]]
 +
[[Category:Academics Who Write Romance]]
 +
[[Category:RITA Award Winners]]
 +
[[Category:RITA Award Finalists]]
 +
[[Category:1999 Debut]]
 +
[[Category:1962 Births]]
 +
[[Category:Historical Romance Authors]]
 +
[[Category:Avon Authors]]
  
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Eloisa James was a [[2009 RITA® Winners|2009 RITA® finalist]] in the [[RITA®: Best Historical Romance]] category with her novel ''[[Duchess By Night]]''.
+
I'm a writer, a professor, a mother - and a wife. My husband Alessandro is Italian, born in Florence. We spend the lazy summer months with his mother and sister in Italy. It always strikes me as a huge irony that as a romance writer I find myself married to a knight, a cavaliere, as you say in Italian.
  
−
== Author Series ==
+
I write novels as Eloisa James and Mary Bly, but when I’m not writing, I'm Professor Bly, who teaches Shakespeare at Fordham. It's rather like having two lives. The other day I bought a delicious pink suit to tape a television segment on romance; I'll never wear that suit to teach in, nor even to give a paper at the Shakespeare Association of America conference. It's like being Superman, with power suits for both lives. Yet the literature professor in me certainly plays into my romances. The Taming of the Duke (April 2006) has obvious Shakespearean resonances, as do many of my novels. I often weave early modern poetry into my work; the same novel might contain bits of Catullus, Shakespeare and anonymous bawdy ballads from the 16th century.
−
==='''Desperate Duchesses'''===
 
−
#[[Desperate Duchesses|''Desperate Duchesses'']]  - June 2007, [[Avon]]
 
−
#[[An Affair Before Christmas|''An Affair Before Christmas'']]  - December 2007, [[Avon]]
 
−
#[[Duchess By Night|''Duchess By Night'']]  - July 2008, [[Avon]]
 
−
#[[When the Duke Returns|''When the Duke Returns'']]  - December 2008, [[Avon]]
 
−
#[[This Duchess of Mine|''This Duchess of Mine'']]  - June 2009, [[Avon]]
 
−
#[[A Duke of Her Own|''A Duke of Her Own'']]  - August 2009, [[Avon]]
 
  
−
==='''The Duchess Quartet'''===
+
When I rip off my power suit, whether it's academic or romantic, underneath is the rather tired, chocolate-stained sweatshirt of a mom. Just as I use Shakespeare in my romances, I almost always employ my experiences as a mother. When I wrote about a miscarriage in Midnight Pleasures, A reigning queen of romanceI used my own fears of premature birth; when the little girl in Fool For Love threw up and threw up, I described my own daughter, who had that unsavory habit for well over her first year of life. I've collected many such connections between my life and books on this site, with the Inside Take for each story.
−
#[[Duchess in Love|''Duchess in Love'']]  - December 2002, [[Avon]]
 
−
#[[Fool for Love|''Fool for Love'']]  - August 2003, [[Avon]]
 
−
#[[A Wild Pursuit|''A Wild Pursuit'']]  - March 2004, [[Avon]]
 
−
#[[Your Wicked Ways|''Your Wicked Ways'']]  - April 2004, [[Avon]]
 
  
−
==='''The Essex Sisters'''===
+
I am very active on social networks, participate in The Eloisa James book club (where hundreds of readers come together online to discuss my books), give interviews several times a year, and love creating special content for readers so as to extend the reading experience for all of my books.
−
#[[Much Ado About You|''Much Ado About You'']]  - January 2005, [[Avon]]
 
−
#[[Kiss Me, Annabel|''Kiss Me, Annabel'']]  - December 2005, [[Avon]]
 
−
#[[The Taming of the Duke|''The Taming of the Duke'']]  - April 2006, [[Avon]]
 
−
#[[Pleasure For Pleasure|''Pleasure For Pleasure'']]  - December 2006, [[Avon]]
 
  
−
==='''Happily Ever Afters'''===
+
I grew up on a steady diet of fairy tales, since my father was fascinated by them. When I was a child, he was just breaking into fairy tale analysis, as it were. I have a distinct memory of being challenged to give a psychological explanation of the tale of Jack and the Beanstalk. I haven’t the faintest idea what I said; what I do remember is my father saying with real surprise in his voice: “That was brilliant. You’re a natural!”
−
#[[A Kiss at Midnight|''A Kiss at Midnight'']]  - August 2010, [[Avon]]
 
−
#[[When Beauty Tamed the Beast|''When Beauty Tamed the Beast'']]  - February 2011, [[Avon]]
 
  
−
==='''The Pleasures Trilogy'''===
+
I rejoiced in having caught his attention, I don’t suppose it will surprise anyone to find that I’m now a professor of English literature, with a penchant for rewriting fairy stories. It's as if I were Gilbert and Sullivan -- born into the family of Bach! My father is Robert Bly, winner of the American Book Award for poetry. When I was in graduate school, he wrote a long analysis of a fairy tale of my childhood, called Iron John. While I am not interested in the kind of cultural analysis my father did in Iron John, I inherited his fascination with the complexity of literary texts. He has always been deeply loving father—but at times he was so caught in a web of words that he didn’t notice the children milling about him. Desperate Duchesses is dedicated to my father, and features the tale of a young woman growing up with an eccentric, dramatic poet for a father!
−
#[[Potent Pleasures|''Potent Pleasures'']]  - August 1999, [[Delacorte]]
 
−
#[[Midnight Pleasures|''Midnight Pleasures'']]  - August 2000, [[Delacorte]]
 
−
#[[Enchanting Pleasures|''Enchanting Pleasures'']]  - June 2001, [[Delacorte]]
 
  
 +
== On the Web ==
 +
* Official Website [https://www.eloisajames.com/s]
 +
* Wikipedia [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eloisa_James]
 +
 +
==See Also==
 +
* [[Mary Bly]]
 +
 +
== Books ==
 +
* ''[[An Affair Before Christmas|Affair Before Christmas, An]]'' - 2007
 +
* ''[[Bea]]'' - 2023
 +
* ''[[Borne To Be Wilde]]'' - 2018
 +
* ''[[Desperate Duchesses]]'' - 2007
 +
* ''[[Duchess By Night]]'' - 2008
 +
* ''[[Duchess In Love]]'' - 2002
 +
* ''[[A Duke Of Her Own|Duke Of Her Own, A]]'' - 2007
 +
* ''[[The Duke Is Mine|Duke Is Mine, The]]'' - 2023
 +
* ''[[Ella]]'' - 2018
 +
* ''[[Enchanting Pleasures]]'' - 2007
 +
* ''[[Fool For Love]]'' - 2008
 +
* ''[[A Fool Again|Fool Again, A]]'' - 2023
 +
* ''[[Four Nights With The Duke]]'' - 2002
 +
* ''[[A Gentleman Never Tells|Gentleman Never Tells, A]]'' - 2003
 +
* ''[[How To Be A Wallflower]]'' - 2004
 +
* ''[[A Kiss At Midnight|Kiss At Midnight, A]]'' - 2015
 +
* ''[[Kiss Me, Annabel]]'' - 2016
 +
* ''[[The Lady Most Likely...|Lady Most Likely..., The]]'' - 2022
 +
* ''[[The Lady Most Willing...|Lady Most Willing..., The]]'' - 2010
 +
* ''[[Midnight Pleasures]]'' - 2005
 +
* ''[[A Midsummer Night's Disgrace|Midsummer Night's Disgrace, A]]'' - 2011
 +
* ''[[A Mistletoe Kiss|Mistletoe Kiss, A]]'' - 2013
 +
* ''[[Much Ado About You]]'' - 2000
 +
* ''[[My American Duchess]]'' - 2017
 +
* ''[[My Last Duchess]]'' - 2021
 +
* ''[[Not That Duke]]'' - 2005
 +
* ''[[The Official Essex Sisters Companion Guide|Official Essex Sisters Companion Guide, The]]'' - 2016
 +
* ''[[Once Upon A Tower]]'' - 2013
 +
* ''[[Paris In Love]]'' - 2012
 +
* ''[[Pleasure For Pleasure]]'' - 2006
 +
* ''[[Potent Pleasures]]'' - 1999
 +
* ''[[A Proper Englishwoman|Proper Englishwoman, A]]'' - 2012
 +
* ''[[The Reluctant Countess|Reluctant Countess, The]]'' - 2006
 +
* ''[[Say No To The Duke]]'' - 1999
 +
* ''[[Say Yes To The Duke]]'' - 205
 +
* ''[[Seduced By A Pirate]]'' - 2022
 +
* ''[[Seven Minutes In Heaven]]'' - 2017
 +
* ''[[Storming The Castle]]'' - 2010
 +
* ''[[The Taming Of The Duke|Taming Of The Duke, The]]'' - 2006
 +
* ''[[This Duchess Of Mine]]'' - 2009
 +
* ''[[Three Weeks With Lady X]]'' - 2014
 +
* ''[[Too Wilde To Wed]]'' - 2018
 +
* ''[[The Ugly Duchess|Ugly Duchess, The]]'' - 2012
 +
* ''[[When The Duke Returns]]'' - 2008
 +
* ''[[When Beauty Tamed The Beast]]'' - 2011
 +
* ''[[A Wild Pursuit|Wild Pursuit, A]]'' - 2004
 +
* ''[[Wilde Child]]'' - 2021
 +
* ''[[Wilde In Love]]'' - 2017
 +
* ''[[Winning The Wallflower]]'' - 2011
 +
* ''[[With This Kiss]]'' - 2013
 +
* ''[[Your Wicked Ways]]'' - 2004
 +
 +
== Anthologies ==
 +
* ''[[The Lady Most Likely - Anthology|The Lady Most Likely]]'' - 2010
 +
* ''[[The One That Got Away - Anthology|The One That Got Away]]'' - 2004
 +
* ''[[Talk Of The Ton - Anthology|Talk Of The Ton]]'' - 2005
 +
 +
==Series/Related Titles==
 +
'''Desperate Duchesses'''
 +
# ''[[Desperate Duchesses]]''
 +
# ''[[An Affair Before Christmas]]''
 +
# ''[[Duchess By Night]]''
 +
# ''[[When The Duke Returns]]''
 +
# ''[[This Duchess Of Mine]]''
 +
# ''[[A Duke Of Her Own]]''
 +
# ''[[Three Weeks With Lady X]]''
 +
# ''[[Four Nights With The Duke]]''
 +
# ''[[Seven Minutes In Heaven]]''
 +
 +
'''Duchess In Love'''
 +
# ''[[Duchess In Love]]''
 +
# ''[[Fool For Love]]''
 +
# ''[[A Wild Pursuit]]''
 +
# ''[[Your Wicked Ways]]''
 +
 +
'''Essex Sisters'''
 +
: 1.  ''[[Much Ado About You]]''
 +
: 2.  ''[[Kiss Me, Annabel]]''
 +
: 3.  ''[[The Taming Of The Duke]]''
 +
: 4.  ''[[Pleasure For Pleasure]]''
 +
:: 4.5  ''[[A Gentleman Never Tells]]''
 +
: 5.  ''[[The Official Essex Sisters Companion Guide]]''
 +
: 5.  ''[[A Midsummer Night's Disgrace]]''
 +
 +
'''Fairytale Retellings:Beauty And The Beast''' (multi-author series)
 +
* ''[[When Beauty Tamed The Beast]]''
 +
 +
'''Fairytale Retellings:Cinderella''' (multi-author series)
 +
* ''[[A Kiss At Midnight]]''
 +
 +
'''Fairytale Retellings:Rapunzel''' (multi-author series)
 +
* ''[[Once Upon A Tower]]''
 +
 +
'''Fairytale Retellings:The Princess And The Pea''' (multi-author series)
 +
* ''[[The Duke Is Mine]]''
 +
 +
'''Fairytale Retellings:The Ugly Duckling''' (multi-author series)
 +
* ''[[The Ugly Duchess]]''
 +
 +
'''Fairy Tales'''
 +
: 1.  ''[[A Kiss At Midnight]]''
 +
:: 1.5  ''[[Storming The Castle]]''
 +
: 2.  ''[[When Beauty Tamed The Beast]]''
 +
:: 2.5  ''[[Winning The Wallflower]]''
 +
: 3.  ''[[The Duke Is Mine]]''
 +
: 4.  ''[[The Ugly Duchess]]''
 +
:: 4.25  ''[[Seduced By A Pirate]]''
 +
:: 4.5  ''[[With This Kiss]]''
 +
: 5.  ''[[Once Upon A Tower]]''
 +
 +
'''Lucius Felton'''
 +
:: .5  ''[[A Fool Again]]''
 +
: 1.  ''[[Much Ado About You]]''
 +
 +
'''Pleasures'''
 +
# ''[[Potent Pleasures]]''
 +
# ''[[Midnight Pleasures]]''
 +
# ''[[Enchanting Pleasures]]''
  
−
=== Novellas ===
+
'''Seduction'''
−
* "A Fool Again" in ''[[The One That Got Away - Anthology|The One That Got Away]]'', 2004 ([[Avon]]).
+
# ''[[Bea]]''
−
* “A Proper Englishwoman” in ''[[Talk Of The Ton - Anthology|Talk Of The Ton]]'', 2005 Berkeley Jove.
+
# ''[[Ella]]''
  
−
== Omnibus ==
+
'''Wildes Of Lindow Castle'''
−
* ''[[The Lady Most Likely - Anthology|The Lady Most Likely]]'' - December 2010, with [[Connie Brockway]] and [[Julia Quinn]]
+
:: .5  ''[[My Last Duchess]]''
−
* ''[[The One That Got Away - Anthology|The One That Got Away]]'' - November 2004, with [[Victoria Alexander]], [[Liz Carlyle]], and [[Cathy Maxwell]]
+
# ''[[Wilde In Love]]''
−
* ''[[Talk Of The Ton - Anthology|Talk Of The Ton]]'' - May 2005, with [[Rebecca Hagan Lee]], [[Julia London]], and [[Jacqueline Navin]]
+
# ''[[Too Wilde To Wed]]''
 +
# ''[[Born To Be Wilde]]''
 +
# ''[[Say No To The Duke]]''
 +
# ''[[Say Yes To The Duke]]''
 +
# ''[[Wilde Child]]''
  
−
== Awards ==
+
'''Would-Be Wallflowers'''
−
* [[2005 Career Achievement Award Winners|2005 Career Achievement Award Winner]] - [[Romantic Times Magazine]] - Innovative Historical Romance
+
# ''[[How To Be A Wallflower]]''
 +
# ''[[The Reluctant Countess]]''
 +
# ''[[Not That Duke]]''
  
−
== On the Web ==
+
==Awards==
−
*[http://www.eloisajames.com| Eloisa James] - author's main website
+
*2014  [[RT Reviewers Choice Award]] Winner - British Isles Historical Romance, ''[[Three Weeks With Lady X]]''
−
*[http://bnreview.barnesandnoble.com/t5/Reading-Romance/bg-p/readingromance| Reading Romance] - author's column for Barnes & Noble updated monthly
+
*2013  [[Romance Writers of America (RWA) Awards|RITA Award]] Winner - Romance Novella, ''[[Seduced By A Pirate]]''
−
*[http://www.squawkradio.com/index.php/sblog/index/ Squawk Radio] - blog with other authors
+
*2005  [[Romance Readers Anonymous Award]] Winner - Best Romance Novella, ''[[A Proper Englishwoman]]''
 +
*2004  [[RT Reviewers Choice Award]] Winner - Historical Anthology, ''[[A Fool Again]]''
 +
*2002  [[RT Reviewers Choice Award]] Winner - Regency Historical Romance, ''[[Duchess In Love]]''
  
−
== Editorials ==
+
==Recognitions==
−
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/12/opinion/12bly.html?_r=1 New York Times] - A Fine Romance by Mary Bly, 2005
+
*2022  [[Booklist]] Starred Review, ''[[How To Be A Wallflower]]''
 +
*2021  [[Booklist]] Starred Review, ''[[Wilde Child]]''
 +
*2020  [[Booklist]] Starred Review, ''[[Say Yes To The Duke]]''
 +
*2019  [[Booklist]] Starred Review, ''[[Say No To The Duke]]''
 +
*2018  [[All About Romance Reader Award]] Top 100 Romances, ''[[A Duke Of Her Own]]''
 +
*2018  [[All About Romance Reader Award]] Top 100 Romances, ''[[When Beauty Tamed The Beast]]''
 +
*2018  [[Booklist]] Starred Review, ''[[Born To Be Wilde]]''
 +
*2018  [[Library Journal]] Best Books - Romance, ''[[Too Wilde To Wed]]''
 +
*2018  [[RT Book Reviews]] Top Pick, ''[[Too Wilde To Wed]]''
 +
*2017  [[Booklist]] Starred Review, ''[[Seven Minutes In Heaven]]''
 +
*2017  [[Booklist]] Starred Review, ''[[Wilde In Love]]''
 +
*2017  [[Kirkus Reviews]] Starred Review, ''[[Wilde In Love]]''
 +
*2017  [[RT Book Reviews]] Top Pick, ''[[Seven Minutes In Heaven]]''
 +
*2017  [[RT Book Reviews]] Top Pick, ''[[Wilde In Love]]''
 +
*2016  [[Kirkus Reviews]] Starred Review, ''[[Seven Minutes In Heaven]]''
 +
*2016  [[RT Book Reviews]] Top Pick, ''[[A Gentleman Never Tells]]''
 +
*2016  [[RT Book Reviews]] Top Pick, ''[[My American Duchess]]''
 +
*2015  [[Booklist]] Starred Review, ''[[Four Nights With The Duke]]''
 +
*2015  [[Booklist]] Starred Review, ''[[My American Duchess]]''
 +
*2015  [[Kirkus Reviews]] Starred Review, ''[[Four Nights With The Duke]]''
 +
*2015  [[RT Book Reviews]] Top Pick, ''[[Four Nights With The Duke]]''
 +
*2014  [[All About Romance Reader Award]] Honorable Mention - Best Historical Romance Set in the U.K., ''[[Three Weeks With Lady X]]''
 +
*2014  [[All About Romance Reader Award]] Honorable Mention - Best Romance Hero, ''[[Three Weeks With Lady X]]''
 +
*2014  [[Booklist]] Starred Review, ''[[Three Weeks With Lady X]]''
 +
*2014  [[Kirkus Reviews]] Starred Review, ''[[Three Weeks With Lady X]]''
 +
*2014  [[Library Journal]] Starred Review, ''[[Three Weeks With Lady X]]''
 +
*2014  [[Publishers Weekly]] Starred Review, ''[[Three Weeks With Lady X]]''
 +
*2014  [[RT Book Reviews]] Top Pick, ''[[Three Weeks With Lady X]]''
 +
*2013  [[All About Romance Reader Award]] Top 100 Romances (#60), ''[[When Beauty Tamed The Beast]]''
 +
*2013  [[Booklist]] Starred Review, ''[[Once Upon A Tower]]''
 +
*2013  [[Library Journal]] Starred Review, ''[[Once Upon A Tower]]''
 +
*2013  [[RT Book Reviews]] Top Pick, ''[[Once Upon A Tower]]''
 +
*2012  [[Booklist]] Starred Review, ''[[The Ugly Duchess]]''
 +
*2012  [[Library Journal]] Starred Review, ''[[The Ugly Duchess]]''
 +
*2012  [[Publishers Weekly]] Starred Review, ''[[The Ugly Duchess]]''
 +
*2012  [[Romance Writers of America (RWA) Awards|RITA Award]] Finalist - Regency Historical Romance, ''[[When Beauty Tamed The Beast]]''
 +
*2012  [[RT Book Reviews]] Top Pick, ''[[The Ugly Duchess]]''
 +
*2011  [[All About Romance Reader Award]] Winner - Biggest Tearjerker, ''[[When Beauty Tamed The Beast]]''
 +
*2011  [[Library Journal]] Starred Review, ''[[The Duke Is Mine]]''
 +
*2011  [[Library Journal]] Starred Review, ''[[When Beauty Tamed The Beast]]''
 +
*2011  [[Romance Writers of America (RWA) Awards|RITA Award]] Finalist - Historical Romance, ''[[A Kiss At Midnight]]''
 +
*2011  [[RT Book Reviews]] Top Pick, ''[[The Duke Is Mine]]''
 +
*2010  [[Library Journal]] Starred Review, ''[[A Kiss At Midnight]]''
 +
*2009  [[Library Journal]] Starred Review, ''[[A Duke Of Her Own]]''
 +
*2009  [[Romance Writers of America (RWA) Awards|RITA Award]] Finalist - Historical Romance, ''[[Duchess By Night]]''
 +
*2008  [[Booklist]] Starred Review, ''[[When The Duke Returns]]''
 +
*2007  [[Library Journal]] Starred Review, ''[[Desperate Duchesses]]''
 +
*2007  [[Publishers Weekly]] Starred Review, ''[[An Affair Before Christmas]]''
 +
*2007  [[Romance Writers of America (RWA) Awards|RITA Award]] Finalist - Short Historical Romance, ''[[The Taming Of The Duke]]''
 +
*2006  [[Booklist]] Starred Review, ''[[Pleasure For Pleasure]]''
 +
*2006  [[Booklist]] Starred Review, ''[[The Taming Of The Duke]]''
 +
*2006  [[Library Journal]] Starred Review, ''[[The Taming Of The Duke]]''
 +
*2006  [[Romance Writers of America (RWA) Awards|RITA Award]] Finalist - Romance Novella, "A Proper Englishwoman" in ''[[Talk Of The Ton]]''
 +
*2005 [[Booklist]] Starred Review, ''[[Much Ado About You]]''
 +
*2005  [[Publishers Weekly]] Starred Review, ''[[Kiss Me, Annabel]]''
 +
*2004  [[Romance Writers of America (RWA) Awards|RITA Award]] Finalist - Long Historical Romance, ''[[Fool For Love]]''
 +
*2002  [[Romance Writers of America (RWA) Awards|RITA Award]] Finalist - Long Historical Romance, ''[[Enchanting Pleasures]]''
 +
*2001  [[Romance Writers of America (RWA) Awards|RITA Award]] Finalist - Long Historical Romance, ''[[Midnight Pleasures]]''
  
−
== Interviews ==
+
== Awards (body of work) ==
−
* [http://www.kcra.com/entertainment/5887589/detail.html Eloisa James] - Interview at KCRA Sacramento
+
*2005  [[RT Career Achievement Award]] Winner - Innovative Historical Romance
−
* [http://riskyregencies.blogspot.com/2006/11/interview-with-eloisa-james.html Eloisa James] - Interview at Risky Regencies
 
−
* [http://www.aromancereview.com/interviews/eloisajames.phtml Eloisa James] - Interview at A Romance Review
 
−
* [http://www.writersbreak.com/Interviews/articles/fiction/interviews_fiction_james_1.htm Eloisa James] - Interviwe at Writers Break
 
−
* [http://www.crescentblues.com/8_5issue/int_james.shtml Eloisa James] - Interview at Crescent Blues
 
−
* [http://theliteraryproject.blogspot.com/2010/06/interview-with-eloisa-james.html Eloisa James] - Interview at The Literary Project
 
−
* [http://nymag.com/nymetro/arts/books/10870/ Eloisa James] - Interview at New York Magazine
 
−
*[http://www.writersnewsweekly.com/interview_james.html Eloisa James] - Interview at Writers News Weekly
 

Latest revision as of 20:15, 2 October 2024


I'm a writer, a professor, a mother - and a wife. My husband Alessandro is Italian, born in Florence. We spend the lazy summer months with his mother and sister in Italy. It always strikes me as a huge irony that as a romance writer I find myself married to a knight, a cavaliere, as you say in Italian.

I write novels as Eloisa James and Mary Bly, but when I’m not writing, I'm Professor Bly, who teaches Shakespeare at Fordham. It's rather like having two lives. The other day I bought a delicious pink suit to tape a television segment on romance; I'll never wear that suit to teach in, nor even to give a paper at the Shakespeare Association of America conference. It's like being Superman, with power suits for both lives. Yet the literature professor in me certainly plays into my romances. The Taming of the Duke (April 2006) has obvious Shakespearean resonances, as do many of my novels. I often weave early modern poetry into my work; the same novel might contain bits of Catullus, Shakespeare and anonymous bawdy ballads from the 16th century.

When I rip off my power suit, whether it's academic or romantic, underneath is the rather tired, chocolate-stained sweatshirt of a mom. Just as I use Shakespeare in my romances, I almost always employ my experiences as a mother. When I wrote about a miscarriage in Midnight Pleasures, A reigning queen of romanceI used my own fears of premature birth; when the little girl in Fool For Love threw up and threw up, I described my own daughter, who had that unsavory habit for well over her first year of life. I've collected many such connections between my life and books on this site, with the Inside Take for each story.

I am very active on social networks, participate in The Eloisa James book club (where hundreds of readers come together online to discuss my books), give interviews several times a year, and love creating special content for readers so as to extend the reading experience for all of my books.

I grew up on a steady diet of fairy tales, since my father was fascinated by them. When I was a child, he was just breaking into fairy tale analysis, as it were. I have a distinct memory of being challenged to give a psychological explanation of the tale of Jack and the Beanstalk. I haven’t the faintest idea what I said; what I do remember is my father saying with real surprise in his voice: “That was brilliant. You’re a natural!”

I rejoiced in having caught his attention, I don’t suppose it will surprise anyone to find that I’m now a professor of English literature, with a penchant for rewriting fairy stories. It's as if I were Gilbert and Sullivan -- born into the family of Bach! My father is Robert Bly, winner of the American Book Award for poetry. When I was in graduate school, he wrote a long analysis of a fairy tale of my childhood, called Iron John. While I am not interested in the kind of cultural analysis my father did in Iron John, I inherited his fascination with the complexity of literary texts. He has always been deeply loving father—but at times he was so caught in a web of words that he didn’t notice the children milling about him. Desperate Duchesses is dedicated to my father, and features the tale of a young woman growing up with an eccentric, dramatic poet for a father!

On the Web

  • Official Website [1]
  • Wikipedia [2]

See Also

Books

Anthologies

Series/Related Titles

Desperate Duchesses

  1. Desperate Duchesses
  2. An Affair Before Christmas
  3. Duchess By Night
  4. When The Duke Returns
  5. This Duchess Of Mine
  6. A Duke Of Her Own
  7. Three Weeks With Lady X
  8. Four Nights With The Duke
  9. Seven Minutes In Heaven

Duchess In Love

  1. Duchess In Love
  2. Fool For Love
  3. A Wild Pursuit
  4. Your Wicked Ways

Essex Sisters

1. Much Ado About You
2. Kiss Me, Annabel
3. The Taming Of The Duke
4. Pleasure For Pleasure
4.5 A Gentleman Never Tells
5. The Official Essex Sisters Companion Guide
5. A Midsummer Night's Disgrace

Fairytale Retellings:Beauty And The Beast (multi-author series)

Fairytale Retellings:Cinderella (multi-author series)

Fairytale Retellings:Rapunzel (multi-author series)

Fairytale Retellings:The Princess And The Pea (multi-author series)

Fairytale Retellings:The Ugly Duckling (multi-author series)

Fairy Tales

1. A Kiss At Midnight
1.5 Storming The Castle
2. When Beauty Tamed The Beast
2.5 Winning The Wallflower
3. The Duke Is Mine
4. The Ugly Duchess
4.25 Seduced By A Pirate
4.5 With This Kiss
5. Once Upon A Tower

Lucius Felton

.5 A Fool Again
1. Much Ado About You

Pleasures

  1. Potent Pleasures
  2. Midnight Pleasures
  3. Enchanting Pleasures

Seduction

  1. Bea
  2. Ella

Wildes Of Lindow Castle

.5 My Last Duchess
  1. Wilde In Love
  2. Too Wilde To Wed
  3. Born To Be Wilde
  4. Say No To The Duke
  5. Say Yes To The Duke
  6. Wilde Child

Would-Be Wallflowers

  1. How To Be A Wallflower
  2. The Reluctant Countess
  3. Not That Duke

Awards

Recognitions

Awards (body of work)

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