New York Times bestselling author and Shakespeare Professor Emeritus, Eloisa James, spoke with us about balancing literary scholarship with romance writing, leaving academia to write full-time, and her new “gothic adjacent” novel, THE LAST LADY B.

Eloisa James is a New York Times bestselling author who has lead a “double life” as both Mary Bly—a Harvard, Oxford, and Yale-educated Shakespeare professor—and Eloisa James—a powerhouse of historical romance (recognized for her Regency and Georgian-era romances).

Eloisa, called “a reigning queen of romance” by CBS Sunday Morning and a newly retired Shakespeare professor, continues to reinvent herself with her latest novel. THE LAST LADY B is a sharp, contemporary take on historical romance and her first foray into near-gothic storytelling—described as Jane Austen meets The White Lotus in the Scottish Highlands.

Publishers Weekly said of the book in a starred review, "As the intrigue ramps up—complete with death, scandalous revelations, criminal allegations, and the potential for supernatural interference—sparks fly …"

Eloisa James inherited a fascination with literature from her father, American Book Award-winning poet Robert Bly; her mother, short story author Carol Bly; and her godfather, Pulitzer Prize winner James Wright.

[Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm]

[If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]

In this file Eloisa James, Milena, and I discussed:

The burnout she experienced as a professor and former head of the Creative Writing program at Fordham University

Why she decided to break the fourth wall and write her latest in first person

What the romance genre offers writers in creative freedom and experimentation

Her Popular course on writing genre fiction “Dragons, Daggers, and Dukes”

How she collaborated with co-author Julia Quinn

And a lot more!

Show Notes:

ElevenReader is a new, award-winning audio app for iOS, Android, Web

Get up to $200 off Square hardware when you sign up at square.com/go/files! #squarepod

eloisajames.com 

The Last Lady B: A Novel By Eloisa James (Author)

Eloisa James on Facebook

Eloisa James on TikTok

Eloisa James on Instagram

Milena Gonzalez | Writer | Reader | Book Reviewer

diary_of_a_book_babe on Instagram

Kelton Reid Instagram

Kelton Reid on Twitter

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices