‘Fifty Shades Of Grey’ Author Is Back With A New Book

I met with E.L. James over a video interview to discuss her upcoming romance, “The Missus,” a sequel to “The Mister,” her latest New York Times bestselling book.

The author is at the helm of a staggering erotic empire tied to her romance book series, “Fifty Shades of Grey” and is known for placing a high value on her privacy — so I wasn’t sure the interview would even happen. For someone who has been asked intrusive and embarrassing questions — like if she has a sex dungeon — it isn’t surprising she finds the uproar and prodding of the media from her work overwhelming. In a 2021 New York Times interview, James considers herself “shy” and is hesitant of the spotlight.

Perhaps the introverted part of her personality is more of a reaction to the surprise and shock (and the media scrutiny) she still feels after her lightning quick and monumental success — and in an attempt to keep the personal, personal.

James said she believed when “Fifty Shades of Grey” was published it would only sell 5,000 copies, but instead it became a BDSM romance epic that has sold over 150 million copies worldwide. Christian Grey and his doe-eyed Anastasia Steele became so incredibly ingrained in the zeitgeist of the past decade, that in many ways it eclipsed the very series she took inspiration from: Stephanie Meyer’s “Twilight.” From turning the kink-forward romance books into an empire complete with sexual accessories and even handcuffed teddy bears — James’ fandom toiling had a sweeping impact and perhaps even played a role in a publishing merger of one of the big five houses.

James did this interview from her West London home, a few days prior to the release of “The Missus” ― a modernized romance inspired by Cinderella with a healthy dose of intrigue and action set throughout the United Kingdom and in Kukës, Albania. The novel has a new couple for her fans in the form of a rakish playboy earl and a stoic musician and chess-playing savant turned house cleaner, who despite the lust and love at first sight need to overcome extreme societal and cultural differences to be together. The rake is Maxim Trevelyan, an aristocratic “spare” who unexpectedly becomes a British earl upon the passing of his brother; the beautiful young savant is our heroine Alessia Demachi, a mysterious young Albanian with a dangerous secret.

For anyone wondering, James hasn’t forgone the spice — albeit compared to “Fifty Shades of Grey,” the kink level is on the milder side — the story instead builds on the romance and longing rather than the carnal, perhaps a nod to the romance novels the author has read throughout her life. But the male protagonist is well informed where it counts.

“The Mister” is heavily immersed in several of the most stunning locations in England. From the posh streets of Chelsea to the seaside colors and drama of Cornwall, it’s a strikingly beautiful country and the sort of setting romance readers tend to eat up. James and her husband have a home in Cornwall, and she also spent time there when she was a child. But the second book in “The Mister” series pulls us away from the famed Poldark shores into the formerly communist Republic of Albania.

In this HuffPost interview, James talks about researching for her new novel, adapting her books into films, how Hollywood too often underserves women, and what her fans should know about new couple Alessia and Maxim.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Did you have more fun writing this series, “The Mister,” or the “Fifty Shades of Grey” series? How did it feel in comparison? And how was it different in terms of your style of writing?

Well, it was very different. With “Fifty,” that was fun because I was writing and publishing a chapter once, maybe twice a week. The readers following the tale on the site were excited to read along with me, and kept badgering me for the next chapter. It was a thrill to have that experience, and I love, as a discovery writer, learning more and more about my characters as I write their narrative.

With “The Mister” I’d written an extremely rough draft of the story back in 2008, so when I came to rewrite it, I had a framework to go on. I added all sorts of new elements, and it ended up being completely different from what I had originally imagined.

Writing “The Missus” — that tale unfolded as I wrote. There were no bones. No rough draft. There was only what had happened previously in “The Mister,” so it was harder and took much longer than I thought. It also took a great deal of research which was time-consuming.

It’s a solitary experience when you don’t have people cheering you on and begging for the next chapter. It was great fun to pantser my way through it, but I got to the point where I thought, this is going in the wrong direction, and I had to go to Greece to relax and think. Lying on a beach with a cocktail is my best inspiration. My creative brain is finally free. [Laughs] So I sorted out all my narrative problems within an afternoon, and thought, “Wow, I want to go home now so I can crack on with it.”

The first book, “The Mister,” is set primarily in Cornwall, but in “The Missus,” readers are brought more into Alessia’s life in Albania. What sort of research did you do for the setting and culture?

When I started “The Mister” I found Alessia difficult to write. I couldn’t get a handle on her at all. She was so far removed from me that I knew I had to go to Albania to try and gain an insight into her life. So my husband and I traveled there in 2018, and we had a wonderful time. You can’t hire ‘prestige’ cars like Mercedes or BMWs in Albania, so we ended up with a rented Dacia. It was really basic — the most analogue car we’d driven for a while — but it had a USB port, so we could plug in our phone to access maps and music. It was a workhorse of a car, completely appropriate for Albania. So appropriate, in fact, that it ended up in the book.

After a hairy drive in the dead of night through pounding rain, we arrived at our hotel in Tirana, the capital. The following morning, we took a tour of Tirana, which gleamed beneath the sun. It’s a beautiful city, ancient and modern at the same time — but what surprised me most was how hard it was to find bookshops. There was an impressive one in the city center, by Skanderbeg Square, but that was it! I discovered that under the Communist regime, only approved books were sold, which meant there were few bookshops. That gave me inspiration for the role of Alessia’s English grandmother in her story.

We drove out to Kukës, Alessia’s hometown, and it wasn’t what I had pictured in my head at all. I’d imagined an old town with meandering streets, but it was mainly Soviet style blocks of flats –– lots of concrete and blue water towers. We learned that the old town had been drowned when a hydroelectric dam was built by the Communist government, and the townspeople moved to this new version of Kukës. But though the town itself is somewhat drab, it lies in a stunning setting of lakes and mountains.

When we wandered the streets, people seemed incredulous that we were there. They kept asking us, “Why have you come here? Why have you come to Albania?” Which surprised me, because it’s a beautiful country and well worth a visit. Kukës is an isolated place, and visiting there, I got a sense of how Albanian women lived. They were not very visible; it was the men who sat in the cafés, enjoying their coffees and raki ― and when you did see the women, they were working hard, shopping for their households, caring for their kids or working behind the counter at the fast food places where we stopped to eat.

And this helped you form Alessia in your mind, but I’m also curious about the male protagonist Maxim — because I know fans will immediately compare him to Christian Grey — but they are so incredibly different in personalities. They’re two different people, two different books, two different worlds. And I loved Maxim’s inner monologue. I read one review that didn’t like how quickly he went back and forth between things, but to me it helped to build up how flippant and bored he is with the playboy lifestyle.

Maxim and Christian are very different. But what I found fascinating about Maxim is that, at first, he doesn’t know how to communicate with Alessia because she’s just so other to him. He’s so confident with women normally, but he’s completely undone by her. And watching him flounder in that situation was fascinating to me. I love that dynamic.

How do you write that dynamic without it being overdone? Because it’s such a romance trope of the fabulously wealthy and handsome man that falls for a woman that feels unseen in some way.

I think it’s Maxim that says in “The Mister,” ‘You can’t choose who you love.’ And I love the dynamic of a young and seemingly naïve heroine who completely floors the hero. It happens both in “Fifty” and “The Mister,” but the difference is that Anastasia Steele wants to be seen by Christian, whereas Alessia, an illegal immigrant, is trying to be as invisible as possible. But she’s unlike anyone that Maxim has met before — and he’s attracted to her. And of course, she is equally smitten by him.

Also Maxim and Christian are completely different characters. Christian is driven, exhausting and unreasonable. Christian’s damaged personality and his issues provide a fertile ground for all sorts of conflict, whereas for Maxim the conflict is very much external. At heart, he’s a reasonable human being — and one of the difficulties of writing “The Missus” was that Alessia is too! [Laughs] It’s very difficult to create a conflict with reasonable people. But there are subsidiary characters, in both their families, that help to provide angst and conflict. In Alessia, Maxim has found his perfect mate, she’s strong, stoic and utterly loyal, unlike anyone he’s known before. In fact –– spoiler alert –– I don’t think Alessia ever shouts at Maxim the entire time. And for the record, shouting is my love language! Just ask my husband.

But there is plenty of conflict. Like with Maxim’s relationship with Caroline, his brother’s widow.

Oh yes, Caro, she’s interesting. She and Maxim have a complicated relationship. They grew up together. Yes, they had an affair. They were boyfriend and girlfriend, and over the years there’s a lot that’s happened between them. I really enjoyed writing Caroline; she’s funny and forthright, and she’s like a proverbial bull in a china shop. She’s a character that’s ripe for conflict.

In “The Mister,” there’s a reference to “Jamaica Inn” by Daphne du Maurier, and then, of course there are the character names in your series — is Maxim a nod to du Maurier’s “Rebecca”?

[Emphatically nods] Yes! Maxim’s mother is a big du Maurier fan.

She is a fascinating character. The whole family is. Could you see the series becoming something like Julia Quinn’s “Bridgerton” series? Multiple books for different family members?

I don’t know. I have so many ideas –– I’ve written three chapters of something else, and I have a whole other book written, so I’d like to crack on with them. So I think “The Mister” and “The Missus” will just be two books. But who knows? I always say, never say never.

Will there be a “The Mister” movie? And given the global success of “Fifty,” you’re likely to have your pick of director and actors? Have you thought about who you might like to be a part of a new project?

Hopefully there will be a “Mister” movie. The process has been hampered by the pandemic, and now the writers’ strike, but my fingers are crossed that a movie will happen.

The “Fifty Shades of Grey” feature film series grossed more than $1 billion globally, a project which you co-produced — and Hollywood can be dismissive and underestimates romance authors, which is shocking to me because it’s the highest grossing genre in publishing by a landslide.

God, thank you. Yes, right. Yes, absolutely. Women are underserved by Hollywood. While making the “Fifty” movies I was amazed by how often the executives would slip back into old romance tropes. “Fifty Shades” was about female desire and the female gaze, and keeping true to that aspect of it was an important part of my role as producer on the trilogy. I like to think that “Fifty Shades” helped to shift the cultural conversation. “Bridgerton,” a show I love, very much reflects that female-centric world view, and we need more of it!

I remember reading there were some issues about vision on the first film, but you should be involved in the making of the films. If anyone understands what their audience’s expectations are, it’s you.

Absolutely, yeah. I think what it taught me is, you don’t sweat the small stuff. [Laughs] Whew! And just be sure that all the creative team have read and liked the book.

You have to read the book!

Exactly. For the sake of the millions of fans of the books. And that’s all I’ll say on that, for now.

Hollywood and the media, I feel like can underestimate romance writers, but they also hold you to this highly scrutinized standard. I’ve read interviews and reviews of your books that are so critical. This is the romance genre, you aren’t trying to publish “War and Peace.”

Yeah, I know. It’s like, it’s a fantasy, people! They underestimate the audience as well. The readers, the audience — all of that is just so underserved, I think. Not with books, but with romance adaptations. And I know from my own experience, the importance of having the creator involved.

And although it’s meant to be an escapist romp, you do write about topics that aren’t necessarily found in your average romance book — you don’t shy away from complex and complicated topics. Like for Christian Grey, he has his trauma from an abusive childhood, and with Alessia, she’s kidnapped and almost forced into a sex-trafficking ring. Before you write about these topics, do you research them?

Oh, completely. The research is exhaustive and exhausting. While researching sex trafficking for “The Mister” and “The Missus,” I ended up in this dark, dark part of the internet where survivors are telling their horrendous stories. As a writer you use how you feel about these issues, and how you react to it and your horror at the awfulness of it all.

With Alessia, she narrowly escapes her kidnappers — and the way she exhibits her trauma feels like this subtle shift, but doesn’t completely alter her personality.

Yes, I felt I’ve got to know Alessia a lot better. And she’s extraordinarily stoic and resilient, and I admire that in her. And maybe it’s because she’s got her music as an escape, or maybe because she’s found the love of a good person — not that that should complete any woman, but it does help to have someone on your team, someone cheering for you.

What’s next? You made a joke in another interview about how easily a middle-aged woman could become a spy. You should write that book.

[Laughs] Yes, I should write that! As a middle-aged woman, I can just go anywhere and not be noticed. It’s fantastic. And once I’d reconciled myself to people not noticing me, it’s brilliant. But I like reading and writing about young people falling in love, because it makes me fall in love again. It’s why I write. I love the process of falling in love with my characters.

I also follow you on Twitter and you’re quite vocal about politics, specifically about Brexit. Would you consider going into politics?

No, no, no, I wouldn’t. I could not go into politics. I’m an angry, passionate, half Latin American, half Scottish, English woman ― I’m not suited for politics at all. I’m so upset about Brexi, which has been, as we remainers foresaw, an utter disaster. My husband, Niall, he’s got the wherewithal and the language and the brain to be a politician. Maybe he should give it a go.