Line #22 Creator/ELJames


1	Erika Mitchell, better known as E. L. James (born 7 March 1963), is a British author best known for writing ''Fifty Shades of Grey'' and its sequels, a series of erotic romance novels heavily featuring UsefulNotes/{{BDSM}}.[[note]]Although she stated she did research on the subject, many people have criticized how accurately BDSM is presented in her work[[/note]] She started out as a fanfiction writer and ''Fifty Shades'' itself was a ''[[Literature/TheTwilightSaga Twilight]]'' fanfiction before James [[SerialNumbersFiledOff made enough changes]] to publish it as an original work. She also served as a producer on the [[Film/FiftyShadesOfGrey film adaptations]] of the main trilogy. Given the focus on Edward and Bella's romance and Jacob being DemotedToExtra in her fanfic, it's pretty safe to assume she's [[ShipToShipCombat Team Edward]].
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3	!!Works with their own pages:
4	[[index]]
5	* ''Literature/FiftyShadesOfGrey'' series (2011 - 2021)
6	* ''Mister & Missus'' series
7	** ''Literature/TheMister'' (2019)
8	** ''Literature/TheMissus'' (2023)
9	[[/index]]
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11	!!Her other works include:
12	* ''Master of the Universe'' (2009 - 2011) - The smutty, {{alternate universe\|fic}} [[AdaptationalMundanity mundane fic]] of ''Twilight'' that was later developed into the ''Fifty Shades'' series.
13	* ''Safe Haven'' (publication date unclear): Another erotic AU ''Twilight'' fanfiction, told exclusively from Edward's POV. It appears to be a prototype of what became ''Master of the Universe'' and eventually ''Fifty Shades''. This fic features Edward being involved in the entertainment industry, shooting a movie in Las Vegas and crossing paths with Bella due to her being employed at the hotel he's staying in.
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15	!!Tropes associated with the author and her other works include:
16	* AdaptationTitleChange: When ''Master of the Universe'' was edited into an original work and formally published, the name changed to ''Fifty Shades of Grey'', in reference to the title character (now named Christian Grey) and his complexities (or "[[DoubleMeaningTitle shades of grey]]")
17	* AlternateUniverseFic / AdaptationalMundanity: ''Master of the Universe'' broadly retells the story of ''Twilight'', only there are no vampires and werewolves, and instead of a high school student Bella is an unworldly [[AgeLift college graduate]], while Edward is a billionaire with an interest in BDSM rather than a VegetarianVampire who [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld looks seventeen]]. The primary source of [[OfficialCoupleOrdealSyndrome drama in the romance]] is not the fact that Edward might accidentally kill Bella because her blood is so appealing (as well as his reluctance to make her into a vampire too), but that Edward has never had a proper relationship with any of his submissives and Bella is uncertain about BDSM. In short, sexual incompatibility rather than potential accidental murder.
18	* AuthorAppeal: Based on the content of both ''Fifty Shades'' and ''The Mister'', James seems to have a thing for rich, domineering bad boys falling for naive, socially awkward and sexually inexperienced young women.
19	* CreatorBacklash: She stated in a 2019 interview that she had "a miserable time" making the ''Fifty Shades of Grey'' movie (possibly because of the constant disagreements with the director) and that she found writing ''Grey: Fifty Shades of Grey as Told by Christian'' to be "cathartic" at that time.
20	* {{Doorstopper}}: ''Master of the Universe'' in its entirety equals over 800 pages. When it was turned into the ''Fifty Shades'' trilogy, it was split into three separate books: the first two are over 500 pages, while the third is over 600, though it's still more manageable than a single 800+ page novel. Her first non-''Fifty Shades'' novel, ''The Mister'', is also over 600 pages. A notable exception is the follow-up to ''The Mister'', with ''The Missus'' being comparatively shorter at 460+ pages.
21	* GenreShift: ''Twilight'' is a ParanormalRomance series primarily aimed at teens; ''Master of the Universe'' is an erotic romance that is ''definitely'' not appropriate for kids.
22	* HostilityOnTheSet: She and Creator/SamTaylorJohnson, the director of the first ''Fifty Shades'' movie, had many disagreements over the direction of the movie and potential changes, even getting into a full-blown argument on set. Both had differing visions for the film: Taylor-Johnson wanted to make a more PragmaticAdaptation addressing some of the criticisms of the books, while James wanted a completely faithful adaptation. It was bad enough that Taylor-Johnson refused to direct the sequels; James apparently got along better with the subsequent director, James Foley, whose vision of the films more closely matched her own.
23	* HypotheticalCasting: She pictured Christian Grey as looking something like Creator/RobertPattinson (who played Edward Cullen in the ''Twilight'' films) and it was said he was even her original choice for the role in TheFilmOfTheBook, though she later stated it would've been "weird" if he was cast (the role eventually went to Creator/JamieDornan).
24	* OneSteveLimit: A slight aversion; both Maxim and Christian share the surname of Trevelyan, although it's downplayed as Christian has a double-barrelled surname and tends to just go by Grey rather than Trevelyan-Grey. It's also justified given that James has implied there's a [[ConnectedAllAlong connection between the characters]], though she's yet to elaborate on what this connection is exactly.
25	* PenName: Her real name is Erika Mitchell; E.L James is just the name she uses for publishing her books. She also published the fanfiction that became ''Fifty Shades'' under the username Snowqueens Icedragon.
26	* SelfPlagiarism: Aside from changing the characters' names and a few other details, ''Fifty Shades of Grey'', ''Fifty Shades Darker'' and ''Fifty Shades Freed'' are nearly word-for-word identical to her earlier fanfic ''Master of the Universe''.
27	* SharedUniverse: James has stated that Christian and Maxim sharing the surname of Trevelyan is meaningful, implying that the ''Fifty Shades'' series and ''The Mister'' take place in the same universe. ''The Missus'' also introduces Maxim's lawyer, Leticia Kavanaugh; Kavanaugh is the surname of Ana's best friend Kate in ''Fifty Shades'', further hinting at the two series being connected.
28	* UptownGirl: Gender-flipped; both ''Fifty Shades'' and ''The Mister'' feature a working class woman being in a relationship with a vastly more wealthy man. In the case of ''The Mister'', Maxim is an earl as well, with Alessia (an undocumented immigrant) actually being briefly scared off when she learns about his title.

Context Creator / ELJames