Erica James, a shy housewife who authored the acclaimed 50 Shades of Gray trilogy, spends time at home with her family cooking, washing and cleaning, and there is no sign of a “red pain room" in her home in London.
The author of the most successful erotic novel in history
Erica James is a middle-aged married woman who lives in a modest semi-detached red-brick house in West London, where you can find fluffy pink slippers rather than fluffy pink handcuffs. The author of the most successful erotic novel in history has gained a reputation as a recluse. She gave only a few interviews and does not appear in public so often. With her husband, Niall Leonard, Erica James has been living for over 20 years and is raising two sons.
Facts from the biography
Erica James was born in 1963 in the capital of England - London. Last Name Before Marriage - Mitchell. The real name is Eric Leonard. Her father worked as a cameraman on the BBC, and the family lived in Buckinghamshire, in Southeast England. Erica studied at the University of Kent, where she studied history. After graduating, she began her career in television. In 1987, she married screenwriter and director Niall Leonard.
James Eric: Fifty Shades of Gray
While Erica built her career on television, she did not try herself as a writer until 2009. However, inspired by the twilight vampire saga written by Stephanie Mayer, she began to write her own love stories. So there was a novel called “Lord of the Universe”, which was published on the Internet and was intended for a young adult audience, where the elements of sadomasochism and submission passed through the red line. The names used by the two main characters (Bella and Edward) were replaced by Anastasia and Christian Gray. Erika James has since stated that her romance no longer has anything to do with the material that originally inspired her.
In 2011, the first part of the trilogy was published, which was called "50 shades of gray." The novel was originally prepared as an e-book, and later published in a paperback. Some time later, in the same year, the second volume, “50 Shades Darker,” was published, and a year later the third part of the trilogy was published. For a short time, erotic novels with a touch of BDSM have become incredibly popular on the Internet. Sales continued to grow, e-books were especially popular among middle-aged women, the novel could be read secretly in electronic form, even in public places.
World famous
In April 2012, it was possible to purchase a copy of the book in print. By the end of the summer, the novel in the number of copies sold surpassed such a record holder as Harry Potter in the United Kingdom.
The book also became a true bestseller in the United States, despite the initial gloomy reception of critics. In the same 2012, Universal Pictures and Focus Features have secured the rights to the adaptation of the novel.
Interesting Facts
1. The author of the novel, Eric Leonard, was directly involved in the filming of the film.
2. Several large companies fought for the film adaptation of the novel.
3. Many actresses claimed the role of Anastasia Steele, including Cara Delevingne, Mila Kunis, Emma Watson and Kristen Stewart, and the roles of Christian Gray could be played by Michael Fassbender, Chris Hemsworth and Ryan Gosling.
4. Fans of the book even offered their actors - Matt Bomer and Alexis Bledel. This alternative was supported by more than 50 thousand people. But the producers still chose Dakota Johnson and actor Jamie Dornan.
5. Sister Mia Gray is played by a real English singer.
8. Among the actors was also the owner of the Oscars - Marcia gay Harden, who received the award for "Best Actress" for the film "Pollock".
9. Mark Mostov, one of the artists who worked on the film, was awarded first place in the category “Best Costume Design” for his work in the black and white film “Artist”.
10. As the actors admitted, there was nothing romantic during the filming of erotic scenes, on the screen the bodies and movements looked very erotic, but in front of the cameras it was more like a dance or an acrobatic act.
At the beginning of 2012, Erica James decided to completely focus on her writing. And there were enough reasons for this. Her first serious affair was an instant hit. Erotic writing style of the author has long been the subject of various discussions, but it is probably due to him that the book was sold in millions of copies.
The story of the relationship between a young college student and a sex business tycoon made the humble housewife the best-selling paperback book in history, and the writer, who made $ 95 million in profit, was the highest paid author in the world. Despite the fact that the novel received negative criticism for idealizing the dark side of male sexuality and subsequent tough behavior towards women, the film, based on the novel and released in 2014, found a lot of positive feedback in the hearts of just the weak half of humanity .