Literary Spotlight: Eloisa James

Eloisa James writes historical romances which have placed in the top ten of the New York Times Bestseller List and received starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly and Library Journal. A graduate of Harvard University, she holds an M.Phil from Oxford University, a Ph.D. from Yale and is an associate professor and head of the Creative Writing program at Fordham University, in NYC.

Q: You have said that “Just as I use Shakespeare in my romances, I almost always employ my experiences as a mother.” Please explain. How can other writers similarly incorporate different facets of their roles into their fiction?

A: People often think of the romance genre as being about achieving total perfection in life. In fact, the genre ends with the promise of happiness -- but in order for it to be a decent romance, the characters need to live. My plots come out of my own fears -- of losing a child, for example, or of not being beautiful enough, of making mistakes, of telling fibs. You can add all the imagination you want, but unless the bedrock of your character and plot come out of a strong emotion of your own, the novel won't work, imo.

Q: How does a writer weave poetry, Shakespeare and ballads into a book as you so successfully have, without it coming off as affected or contrived?

A: Just do it in snippets. Think how people use popular songs in their speech these days -- with a laugh, in a sentimental moment, maybe, when they're alone. Nobody sits in the bath and declames a sonnet to herself, but a line or two of a White Stripes song might play over in her head. Use it naturally -- or not at all. There's nothing worse for lovers of historical fiction than the "information dump."

Q: How important is it for writers to attend workshops, take classes and study with established writers?

A: I think it can be useful. You can learn things, certainly. I think it's far more important to just keep writing on your own. The best workshop to attend with an established writer is a slow read, and then a reread, and then a third read, of a novel that you really admire.

Q: Why do you think that novice writers have such difficulty writing from a consistent point of view? Any tips / writing aerobics exercises they can practice to hone this skill?

A: It's a skill that has to be learned by experience. In my first book, I switch POV several times within one paragraph. It still went into a bidding war and came out in hardcover -- please remember that POV is not the be all and end all of fiction. It's a tool, that's all.

Q: You have an incredibly active webpage with contests, books you recommend, and dinners and events in which readers can win copies of your books. What suggestions do you have for writers who are just implementing their first webpage to promote their books? What are the first things they should focus on?

A: Making the navigation very clear. There are specific things a reader does when arriving at your website: first is to try to figure out what you're writing -- the type of book. Second is generally to try to figure out what you're writing next. Finally, get your backlist. A bit about you is good. So you need the basic categories: home page, new & next, bookshelf (with Amazon ability) and bio. And crucially, you need the ability to allow people to sign up for your mailing list -- velocity of sales (i.e., mobilizing your loyal readers) is what drives the New York Times list. You can add fun stuff over time, but you must -- simply must -- have that up on the web before any book publishes.

Q: With a limited budget (due to signing with a small publishing house), what promotional events can you suggest to newly published authors? What marketing venue will give them the most bang for their bucks?

A: The website. I don't really find that anything else makes much difference. At this point, I've been publishing for years. In the beginning I tried things with booksellers, etc (bookmarks, etc). I never found they helped. The website is key. If you want to spend some money, send everyone on your mailing list a postcard with the cover of your book when a new book comes out. That tells them it's out and gives them the cover as a memory point.

Q: Now that technology is such an integral part of the publishing industry, what do you foresee as the future of the novel? Of the romance novel?

A: A good friend of mine who has been in the top ten of the New York Times just told me that 10% of her last royalty statement came from e-books. These aren't e-books with a small press, but e-book versions of a huge NYT publisher, in Kindle, etc. So there's the future, if you ask me.

Carlotta Holton is the author of Salem Pact and Touching The Dead, and is a member of the National Federation of Press Women and an affiliate member of the Horror Writers Association.

Carlotta Holton has just received her second award for Touching the Dead from the National Federation of Press Women Communications Contest. Click here to purchase the book.