Eloise James is the pseudonym of Mary Bly, professor of English literature at Fordham University, known for her Regency romance historical novels.
Early years and education
Mary was born in 1962 in Minnesota. The girl grew up in a family of writers, so from childhood she was instilled with a love of literature. Her father, Robert Bly, is an American Book Award winner for poetry, and her mother is a well-known short story writer.
After studying at Harvard, Bly received her master's degree from Oxford University, after which she defended her doctoral dissertation on the Renaissance at Yale University. Mary currently lectures at Fordham University in New York and runs the Creative Writing program. The writer is also known for her scientific articles published in the collection of the Modern Language Association, the most prestigious publication in the field of English literary criticism.
The beginning of a writing career
The career of the writer began rather unusually: Mary's husband said that he was not going to have a second child until the familypay off student loans. Bly began to look for ways to earn extra money and, following the example of her parents, she wrote her first story called "Powerful Pleasures", which she immediately submitted to the newspaper. The writer received a generous fee for this story, which was enough to pay off the loan. Mary decided to continue writing and began publishing books under the pseudonym Eloise James, afraid that her colleagues would not react well to her occupation. Her books have been translated into 9 languages, became bestsellers in the Netherlands and Spain, and 12 of her articles published in The New York Times were an unprecedented success. As the writer herself notes, she drew ideas from her experience as a teacher. Many of her books refer to the poetry of Shakespeare, some of which quoted famous works of the 16th century. Readers also note the literary speech of the main characters: Eloise notices that during her work she constantly has to read literature in the early British dialect of English, which is why the characters' lines are so similar to the language of that historical time about which the author writes. Many of her novels are released in a trilogy and are a colorful description of the love relationship between the characters.
Mary Bly hid under the pseudonym of Eloise James for a long time, but at a faculty meeting in 2005, she nevertheless told colleagues about her second job. Later, in her New-York Times article on the romance genre, she revealed her real name to readers. Bly is quite good at balancing teaching and writing. Sometimes she hires assistantswho are looking for the information she needs about the details of the life of the era that Mary writes about. This "double life" often attracts press attention, but Mary tries to stay out of the public eye.
Family
The writer's mother died of cancer, so Mary lived with her father, foster mother, sister and two brothers. Mary met her future husband on a blind date at Yale University. Alessandro Vettori, a teacher at Rutgers University, immediately fell in love with the girl, and they soon got married. The family now lives in New Jersey and has two children.
Eloise James, "Once Upon a Time in the Castle"
From their first meeting, the young Duke of Kinross and Gilchrist's beautiful earl daughter Edith knew they were made for each other. Inspired by a wonderful feeling, the lovers never doubted their choice for a moment when they got married. But the dreams of a comfortable life together were destroyed on the very first day after the wedding - due to constant insults, scandals and distrust, the feelings of the young quickly cooled down, and the heroes had very little left to hate each other. Has it all come to an end before it even really started? Or is there still a little love, tenderness and passion left in these fragments of scandals and distrust? Will Edith and Gawain be able to return to their former feelings and live happily?
Eloise James, "The Plain Duchess"
Seven years ago, terrible news reached Theodora - her husband, whom she loved with all her heart, offered to marry himnot because he loved her, but only in order to help his father, the duke, repay his debts. Offended, she puts her husband out the door. A lot of time has passed, and the young duchess has become one of the most popular, bright and elegant socialites. She tries to forget James, especially after the rumors about his death. But the rumors turn out to be just rumors, and the ex-husband unexpectedly returns. He, too, has changed a lot - now he is not a stupid boy, but an experienced man who has already experienced many difficulties and is serious about returning his former love. How will Theodora react to the return of her ex-husband? Is she still in love with him and will she be able to forgive him for such a mean act?
Finding Love
What other masterpieces of literature did Eloise James create? "Finding Love" is a book that cannot leave its reader indifferent. Fourteen years ago, a young Griffin Berry had an incredible event that turned his whole life upside down. Due to a bad wedding night, Griffin decided to drink and, after drinking a little, could not control himself. The hero was captured by recruiters, and the next morning he woke up in the cabin of a pirate ship. So from a young and noble aristocrat, the hero turned into a thunderstorm of the South Sea - the captain of a pirate ship. For many years he has sailed the seas, but he still cannot forget his wife Poppy. Where and with whom is she, does she still love him?
There is another storyline in the novel. Colin, Griffin's adopted son, stayed on dry land. From childhood he dreamedby sea and finally made his dreams come true by joining the Navy. Now he will have everything he wants - travel around the world, risk and his beloved sea! But, confidently striding towards his goal, he did not notice how his childhood friend Grace Raeburn was in love with him. Will Colin manage to forget the charming Grace? Or maybe the young man will still understand that true happiness awaits him on the shore?
The Duchess in Love
"The Duchess in Love" (James Eloise) - the book, as you already understood, is all about the same bright feeling, about love. Long ago, Duke Girton, a noble rake and female seducer, broke the heart of young Gina. Immediately after the wedding, the duke left England without saying a word about leaving. And now, after so many years, he decided to return back. What was his surprise when the wife he left from an ordinary simpleton turned into a charming socialite. Many men confessed their love to her, but Gina coldly refused all their proposals, because she swore to herself that she would not open her heart to any other man. But what does her returned husband want? Is he remorseful for what he did? Is he in love with her? He has no idea what the consequences of his return will be!
The Duke's Kiss
According to Eloise James herself, "The Duke's Kiss" is a special book. Indeed, it is simply impossible to break away from it. An incredible intrigue swirled in the Lytton family. Young Olivia is forced to marry the young Duke of Canterwick. Thus, her younger sister will have the opportunity to marry the charming and handsome Tarquin, Duke of Scons. But the seemingly simple plan has a small snag. No one suspects that in fact Tarquin is crazy about Olivia and completely indifferent to her sister. On this intriguing note, the story of two brides and grooms begins. On the way, they meet a huge number of funny, sometimes unimaginably dangerous adventures, petty intrigues, major scandals, and, of course, a lot of passionate love. Who will Tarquin marry? Will he be able to confess his feelings to Olivia, how will the girl's sister react to this?
Here is such a talented and interesting personality writer Eloise James. All the books of this wonderful woman are very popular with readers. We can only wish her inspiration!