Q&A With Eloisa James

Eloisa James is a New York Times & USA Today Bestselling author of historical romance. She also writes under Mary Bly and is a professor. Eloisa has written novels, anthologies and has co-written a few books with Julia Quinn & Connie Brockway. The first book in the Accidental Brides series, Viscount In Love, is now available! 

Q: Eloisa, would you give a brief description of Viscount In Love & tell the readers of the blog and I where the idea for Viscount In Love came from?

A: Viscount in Love has a single dad arranged marriage plot with a grumpy/sunshine pairing.

Viscount Dominic Kelbourne has just become the guardian to two eccentric children when his fiancé jilts him and elopes. Desperate, he arranges to marry her younger sister. While Torie loves the twins, but she had hoped for a true marriage—to a man who didn’t think she was unintelligent because (having dyslexia), she can’t read. 

I’m a Shakespeare professor at Fordham University, and last year when one of my students was diagnosed with dyslexia, I started thinking about how challenging it must have been to have the condition in the 1800s. Viscount turned out to be a hilarious book in which Torie teaches Dominic that intelligence has nothing to do with literacy.

Q: Out of all the genres to write in, what was it about historical romance that you enjoy writing in so much?

A: I find the contemporary world both complicated and dark. It’s a joy to create a world without politics, global warming, Covid, etc. Plus, I love creating funny, sexy pairs who will live happily after. 

Q: How long does it take you to research & write historical romance? What is your advice for anyone wanting to write in the historical romance genre?

A: I publish approximately a novel a year. Over the years I’ve discovered that the quality of my writing really suffers if I don’t revise a manuscript many times.

Q: Are you currently writing the sequel to Viscount In Love or any other new books of your other series that you’ve written? 

A: Yes, I just finished the manuscript for Viscount in Love’s sequel. I would sum it up as “heroine goes to Scotland and meets a naked laird in a stream.” I think it’s a really fun book, and I hope everyone loves it!

Q: If Hollywood were to get the rights to your work, (if they haven’t already) who would be your dream cast to play the characters you created? The entertainment industry needs original content again!

A: Oh my goodness, this question is impossible. A quick answer: I am watching My Lady Jane and I adore the main couple. I could easily see them playing the characters in Viscount!

Q: What emotions do you want readers to feel after reading your historical romance novels? What lessons do you hope readers come away with after reading them?

A: My 25-year-old daughter (a very tough critic) finished my current manuscript, sighed, and told me that she didn’t want to leave the book behind, that she wanted more. That’s what I hope readers take with them: the joy of having visited another world, a warmer and optimistic world. 

Q: What was it like writing The Lady Most Likely, The Ladies Most Willing & The Ladies Most with Connie Brockway & Julia Quinn who is the author of the Bridgerton novels? Would you ever write with those ladies again and what is your advice for anyone wanting to write with a friend or family member?

A: We had so much fun! For each of the novels, we met in a city we loved (New Orleans & Seattle) and then set about interweaving the plots we’d been working on separately. The three of us had been friends for years at that point, so it was a joy. My advice would be to write with a friend who will accept editorial comments. Your final product will have both your names on it, so it must be up to your standards. 

Q: In your opinion what makes the perfect historical romance story and why?

A:  I admire historical romances that use history not as fact, but as the basis for a plot twist. For example, in Affair before Christmas, my heroine is allergic to the powder used in creating high wigs in the Georgian period—which has serious consequences for her marriage. Viscount in Love is another good example, because my heroine is dyslexic. The condition wasn’t identified or understood in the 1800s, so polite society has decided my heroine is an unmarriageable dunce. I prefer historical content to be more than wallpaper, to lead readers to imagine life in the past.

Q: What’s it like knowing that all your books are on the USA Today & New York Times Bestseller Lists? It sounds like a dream come true that your books are on both bestseller lists!

A: I have to say, first, that not all my books have made both lists! But any bestseller list is always thrilling. I’ve never forgotten the first time one of my books, Your Wicked Ways, made the New York Times list. Not only was I joyful, but I took the opportunity to inform the English department where I’m a Shakespeare professor that I had a secret profession!