After spinning a sensuous 50 Shades trilogy, author El James is back with a fourth book, which will give readers a deeper insight into the mysterious life of Christian Grey. She shares that it is on the insistence of fans that she penned the book
Three best selling books and one box office grossing movie, Erika Mitchell James had everything going well for her, until now. She wrote the first book of the 50 Shades series, 50 Shades of Grey, to pursue her childhood dream of writing. “I worked for 25 years in television before I realised it was time to do something that I felt passionate about,” she said.
What she wrote not only got the younger generation back to reading (courtesy the sensuous scenes) but also left them wanting for more. Such was the demand, and her willingness to write more, that she completed the trilogy within two years. Christian Grey, the character that she created, gave Edward Cullen a run for his money but there was something always missing.
Well, for starters, Christian has always been shrouded in mystery. Except for brief flashbacks of his backstory, nobody knows why Christian Grey is the man that he is. After millions of requests from her fans, James finally decided to delve into the life of the book’s most intriguing and enigmatic protagonist. The book GREY: Fifty Shades of Grey as told by Christian, has already hit the bookshelves and the author feels a bit relaxed now. “The book is dedicated to those readers who asked… and asked… and asked… and asked for this,” she said. In GREY, she offers her fans the opportunity to see the world of Fifty Shades anew through Christian’s eyes. “Christian is a complex character,” she confessed, “and readers have always been fascinated by his desires and motivations, and his troubled past. Also, as anyone who has ever been in a relationship knows, there are two sides to every story.”Excerpts from an interview:
How long have you been thinking about telling Christian’s side of the storyIJ
During an event in london in 2012, I mentioned that I wanted to explore Christian’s side of the story, but the idea really gained traction when I began to hear from readers. Over the past few years, I’ve written bits and pieces from his point of view and found getting inside his head to be both challenging and satisfying, so I kept at it.
You indicated that the inspiration for GREY came from your readers. What are some of the things they’ve said to youIJ
Writing the first two chapters of Fifty Shades of Grey in Christian’s point of view and putting them in the back of Fifty Shades Freed was where this really kicked off. I’ve had many, many emails and tweets and Facebook posts from readers asking me to continue with his side of the story. It was finding the time to do it that was tricky. Once the movie wrapped I found that I had more time, and I started to think about it then. Frankly, it was therapy to return to these characters that I adore.
Why did you keep this work under wraps for such a long timeIJ
I always like to surprise readers, and I don’t believe in long engagements.
How excited were you to revisit these characters on the pageIJ What was that likeIJ As a writer, are they always with youIJ
The characters and their voices are always with me. I might be out and about and spot something that I think Christian or Ana might like… and then they start bickering and bantering in my head. It’s tricky because I’ve been writing something else too, so it gets pretty crowded in there.
As you spent more time with Christian, exploring the story from his point of view, were there things about his character that surprised youIJ
I think the biggest surprise for me was Christian’s relationship with his brother, Elliot, which was a lot closer than I had imagined. That was fun to explore. Elliot is the polar opposite of Christian — yet they have an easy fraternal camaraderie, which was a pleasure to write about.
You have readers all around the world who have fallen in love with Fifty Shades. Is there anything you want to tell them about GREYIJ
I think Christian might have some surprises in store for them — but deep down I just hope they enjoy it!