New York Times bestselling romance author Eloisa James will read from her work on Wednesday, Oct. 24, at 8 p.m., in the Fillius Events Barn. James writes historical mass-market romances for Avon Publishers, an imprint of HarperCollins. The reading is free and open to the public and will be followed by a book-signing.
Eloisa James is the pen name of Mary Bly. She is the daughter of poet Robert Bly (winner of the American Book Award for Poetry) and short story author Carol Bly.
After graduating from Harvard University, James earned an M.Phil. from Oxford University, and a Ph.D. from Yale. Currently she is an associate professor of English literature, specializing in Shakespeare, and head of the Creative Writing program at Fordham University. "A Fine Romance," a New York Times opinion piece by James, addresses how she views her dual roles and the two very different kinds of books she writes.
Her first academic book was published by Oxford University Press in 2000. Inspiration for James' novels comes in part from her academic career, as plays or facts discovered during her academic research often spark ideas for fictional plots. Her novels are set in England's Regency period (1811–1820).
James’ most recent novel is The Ugly Duchess (2012). Also in 2012 she published Paris in Love: A Memoir, a recollection of a year spent living with her family in Paris.
Her novels have repeatedly received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Library Journal, and regularly appear on best-seller lists. James’ books have been published in countries around the world and she has approximately 3.5 million books in print in 13 languages.
The reading is sponsored by Hamilton’s Department of English and Creative Writing.
