Eloisa’s Comments (group member since Aug 27, 2012)

Eloisa’s comments from the Ask Eloisa James - September 10, 2012 group.

oops -- missed one. Lexi, my version of Rapunzel is up next, in July -- ONCE UPON A TOWER. I'm not sure what comes after that!

Lexi wrote: "Some great questions, and answers! Thanks for sharing your upcoming schedule! Exciting =)
I tried to find it, may have missed it. If so please ignore. But I am wondering if you have more plans to ..."

My dears,
I am going to bed. This has been a true pleasure... So many intelligent, thoughtful questions! I hope I've answered everyone. If you have second thoughts, or you missed the discussion, please jump over to my Facebook page: www.facebook.com/eloisajamesfans. I'm on there several times a day, and I do answer whatever is posted on the page (I'm not so good with messages, so skip that). big hug to all, Eloisa

Hi Allison!

Well, the sad truth is that my husband has read a few of my novels... but he's a scholar of the Middle Ages, and he reads no contemporary fiction. He has read a few, though. I modeled my first hero, in Potent Pleasures, fairly closely after Alessandro in superficial details -- and Alessandro was appalled because my hero, Alexander, had annulled his first marriage on the grounds of impotence. Alessandro was convinced people would think that had happened to him... I think it put him off my books! (Needless to say, Alexander had done that only to end the marriage.)


Allison wrote: My question is, does your husband read your books? What does he think of them, and does he ever see himself reflected in your characters? Does this bother him?

Hi Cheryl!

Well, we live in an apartment in New York City. And space considerations mean that my desk is in the livingroom. So I write surrounded by books, children, a small rescue mini-dachshund named Lucy who is afraid to be alone... I am never alone! My only essential tool is my laptop.


Cheryl wrote: "Eloisa, what is your work space like? What is essential for you in terms of space and tools?"

Hi Lisarenee!

Thank you for your kind words about Paris in Love -- it actually hasn't been bad at all getting back into the American swing. We moved to New York City, which is just as wonderful a city, in its own way.

As for the long absence, it was partly because of that dramatic scene (which I loved very much). But it also because I needed them both to grow up so much. It was very clear to me that they both needed to lose a parent (sorry others, if you haven't read the book!). They needed to prove themselves -- James to find his feet as a man rather than someone beautiful and titled, and Theo to find herself as a woman with values other than beauty. She had to start a business and he had to gain a fortune! I tried shorter and it felt very fantastical.

I knew readers wouldn't like it. But sometimes you just have to go with your gut and hew as close to reality as you can. A 18 year old male who is married for 2 days was near to sainthood (imo) by staying faithful for 3 years. That's how I saw it, anyway.


Lisarenee wrote: "Hello Eloisa. First off, I read your MemoirsParis in Love: A Memoir, so I thought I'd inquire as to how you're doing? Was it rough getting back into the swing of things after living abroad for a ye..."

Dear Noel,

Not at this point -- I'm sorry! It's a long way away for me, and I'm starting a semester of teaching.

Noël wrote: "Hi Eloisa,

I looked over your tour schedule on your website. Are you planning on adding any West Coast stops?"

Hi Janga! Well, courtship is sweet, but marriage is interesting. Marriage is HARD. Hard makes a better book, I think!


Janga wrote: "I loved Griffin in The Ugly Duchess, and I'm happy that his story will be available so soon. I'm assuming--always a dangerous thing to do--that this will be another of the marriage-in-trouble stori..."

Dear Leah, I don't worry too much about rules. The one piece of advice I had about short stories (from Connie Brockway) is that a novella should focus on the most intense moments in a person's life. It's a thinner slice of life, in other words. Good luck!

Leah wrote: "Hi Eloisa, I've just started writing my first romance short story and have been reading about the 'rules' of the genre. Are you aware of these kind of things when you're writing or do you just conc..."

Dear Gwen,
Publishers pay for tours. So I did come to London for the publication of Paris in Love there. But it really depends on the foreign publisher whether they want me to come to their country or not.
I'm glad you loved my Essex sisters!

Gwen wrote: "I loved the serie with the Essex Sisters !
"Paris in Love" is just released, and I was wondering why Romance Writer often stay in North America for their tour and never come abroad ?! ."

Yes!

Sara wrote: "ONCE UPON A TOWER-- so is the inspiration Rapunzel?"

Hi Michele!

Wow, I can't really answer your question, interesting though it is. Every heroine has a bit of me in her--a bit of my life and personality. I try to write about people who aren't like me (or like people I know), and I have more trouble getting them to sound real in my mind. That's one reason why I couldn't write mystery - - I don't now any murderers and I find it really hard to get into the head of someone like that.



Michele wrote: "Out of all of the heroines that you've written, which one is the most like you and why? And which one is the least like you and why? Is it more fun and more freeing to write about someone that isn't like you? "

Dear Rachel,
To be quite honest, I always wanted to write, and I wrote a romance right out of college that didn't sell (it was pretty terrible). But the reason I came back to it, determined to make it work, was because I needed to pay off my student loans. For me, that was an incentive to actually make it happen. I didn't ever take a creative writing class--so if you haven't, you can definitely make it on your own!


Rachel wrote: "Thank you for an invitation to this group!
My question for you is what helped you get started? Was there a book you read that was an inspiration or a class you took or an encouraging person? What gave you the courage and determination to write before you were a published author? ."

Hi there!

I'm not planning any extra chapters at the moment -- I'm so swamped by people asking for eNovellas that I haven't time to write chapters.

And yes -- I definitely want to write a novel for Tobias, Villiers's eldest son, for example. I love those kids!



Aly (Lothaire) Daciano wrote: "I love Eloisa James' books, I have all of them in print and the 2 translated in Romanian.

Q1: Will there be any extra chapters on her "Exclusive page for Registered Readers" on her website?

Q2: D..."

Hi Lisa!
I end up spending most summers in Florence, Italy, with my husband and his family, so I do get away. I'd love to live in London for a long time...I adore Greece. Oh, so many places! I'm so glad you enjoyed Paris in Love!

Lisa wrote: "Hi! I really liked your Paris in Love book and it made me start looking up your romance books. To spend time in another country and write about that experience is a dream of mine. Would you ever do..."

Hi Keri!

It's still top secret, but I am thinking of writing not a reunion book, but a pair of novels in which you would definitely see some DD characters...perhaps some of them grown up!


Keri wrote: "I am huge a fan! My question is do you see yourself doing a reunion ebook for the Desperate Duchesses? We got to know all the ladies that they felt like friends and I would love to catch up with th..."

Hi Nada!
These are hard questions. I didn't really have a mentor-- I just sat down and started to write. But many, many authors have inspired and helped me along the way.

I'm inspired to write, I think, by a wish to tell stories. I read a lot, and I want to get my stories out there along with the novels I love.

How do I make the audience come back for more? I'm not sure! I just keep telling stories that I would love to read, and hope that other people agree with me.


Nada wrote: "Even if I've only read one of your books, I'm looking forward to reading all your books.

What inspires you to write?
If you have one, who are your mentors?
How do you make your audience come ba..."

Dear Diki,
An interesting question! I've known it for a long time, but I never thought about the origin of "French letter." So I looked it up. Here's the entry from the Oxford English Dictionary, which is a dictionary that gives a definition plus a date:

French letter n. colloq. = condom n.

?1844 Exquisite in P. Fryer Man of Pleasure's Compan. 131 Gentlemen who live in London will be at no loss in easily obtaining these ‘French Letters’.
c1856 Paul Pry in C. Pearl Girl with Swansdown Seat (1955) vi. 256 French letters..prevent the spread of venereal contagion in casual intercourse between the sexes, and in the marriage state, the increase of the family.
1960 B. Askwith Tangled Web 162, I daresay he would have liked to give me a baby—but he always used a French letter.
2005 L. Harris Angelica, Melonie & Jetsum 101 Hell I didn't have these bloody thoughts when my mother found a bloody french-letter in my pocket.

Diki79 wrote: "Thank you for invitation in this group , I'v loved the book,and characters. I was very intriguied with French letter! Did they really used et that time, and from what was it made? I couldn't find m..."

Dear Alysson,
I think that the inspiration for a novel has got to come from the novelist's own life. There are parts in all my novels that are drawn from my life--and that's what gives a novel realism and life, I think.

As for writing, I find that I move parts around quite a bit. Some writers use Scribbler, a software program, because that makes it easier to move chapters around, apparently. I just copy and paste.

I hesitate to recommend any of my friends, because we all get so much email. I don't want to burden anyone. i'd say, just try writing an author whom you admire and see if she has time to respond!

Alysson wrote: "Thanks for the invite
My question is where do you find the inspiration to write you books ? What are some of the things that you do when you can find inspiration around you ?
also I have been writing stories since I was seven years old but I was wondering if you could give me any tips on how to make everything fit to what you want it to be .
I also have been a writing and emailing authors all around the world , do you know any author friends of yours who won't might if I ask them a couple of questions.

Hi Elizabeth!

I have someone who helps me do research, so I'm lucky that way. But I also find a lot of sources on my own. I tend to use Google Books a lot -- you can find books from the 1800s on there. I think that original sources, printed at the time, are the best. Wikipedia is also super useful.

As for writer's block, I just keep writing. I know I'm writing utter drivel, so bad it can never see the light of day, but I keep writing anyway. Sooner or later, your imagination will take over, and you'll find yourself writing something good!


Elizabeth wrote: "Thanks for the invite!
My question would be: for a person that wants to be an author, where do you find sources and how much research do you do to stay historically accurate? I also want to know how you get through "writer's block".

Hi Janice!

What a lovely question -- and thank you so much for reading all my books. Here's a printable book list -- though it does not include "Seduced by a Pirate," the eNovella that pubs in october! (it will be in print in the spring). http://eloisajames.com/printable-list...


Janice wrote: "This is wonderful! I have followed Eloisa from the first book I happened upon and now have everybook I can find of hers. My question is how many books do you have published? I have searched your si..."