E. L. James facts for kids

Quick facts for kids E. L. James
James at the 2019 London Book Fair
Born	Erika Mitchell (1963-03-07) 7 March 1963 (age 62) Willesden, London, England
Pen name	E. L. James Snowqueens Icedragon
Occupation	Author
Education	Wycombe High School
Alma mater	University of Kent
Genre	Romance, fan fiction
Years active	2011–present
Spouse	Niall Leonard ​ (m. 1987)​
Children	2

Erika Mitchell (born March 7, 1963), who is better known by her pen name E. L. James, is a British author. She is famous for writing the best-selling Fifty Shades series of romance novels. These books became so popular that they were turned into a movie series.

Before she became a famous author, James wrote fan fiction. Fan fiction is when fans write their own stories using characters and worlds from their favorite books or movies. Her stories were based on the Twilight book series. She posted them online using the screen name Snowqueens Icedragon. These stories later became the inspiration for the Fifty Shades books.

The Fifty Shades novels have sold over 150 million copies all over the world. In the United Kingdom, they set a record for being the fastest-selling paperback books ever. In 2012, Time magazine named her one of "The World's 100 Most Influential People."

Early Life and Education

Erika Mitchell was born in Willesden, London. Her mother was from Chile, and her father was a Scottish cameraman for the BBC. She grew up in a region of England called Buckinghamshire.

For her education, James went to Pipers Corner School and Wycombe High School. After high school, she studied history at the University of Kent. When she finished university, she worked as an assistant at the National Film and Television School.

Writing Career

The idea for the Fifty Shades books came to James after she became a huge fan of the Twilight books and movies. In 2008, after watching the first Twilight movie, she read all the books in just a few days.

She was so inspired that she decided to write her own stories continuing the adventures of the characters. This is when she discovered the world of fan fiction. She started writing her own Twilight-inspired stories and published them online under the name "Snowqueens Icedragon." These fan fiction stories were very popular and eventually grew into the Fifty Shades series.

James was very surprised by how successful her books became. In an interview, she said, "The explosion of interest has taken me completely by surprise."

By August 2013, her success was so great that Forbes magazine listed her as the highest-earning author of the year. She had earned $95 million, which included $5 million for selling the movie rights to Fifty Shades of Grey.

Personal Life

In 1987, James married Niall Leonard, who is also a novelist and screenwriter from Northern Ireland. They have two sons and live in Brentford, a part of West London.

Awards and Honors

This table shows some of the awards and honors E. L. James has received. The Golden Raspberry Awards, also known as the "Razzies," are given to what people think are the worst films of the year.

Film Work

E. L. James also worked as a producer on the movies based on her books. A producer helps manage the making of a film. She also made a cameo, which is a short appearance, in two movies.