Arts & Entertainment

Fifty Shades Of Grey Author Contemplating Chat With R. J. Julia Owner

What does it feel like to be a working mother who wrote a book in her spare time, one that became a huge, runaway best-selling sensation? We may find out more May 2, when E L James visits New Haven at Roxanne Coady's invitation.

 

I went out to dinner Friday night and the best selling novel, Fifty Shades of Grey, came up. I went to the library on Saturday and, once again, ended up talking with someone about . 

The best-selling "adult romance" novel penned by first-time author E L  James, which focuses on a highly sexual relationship between a younger woman and an older man, still has women all over town talking.

Find out what's happening in Madisonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

We heard at the library that E L James might be visiting New Haven at the invitation of R. J. Julia owner Roxanne Coady as part of a limited book tour in the United States that is currently scheduled to include Miami, San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, and New Haven.

I headed right over to to find out of that was true and the booksellers there said that is currently the plan, that the event is scheduled for May 2 at the Omni Hotel in New Haven and that more details will be released soon.

Find out what's happening in Madisonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The current plan, if it stands, calls for an evening event that may include cocktails, a "tasteful" goodie bag "with a little something, something," and, most intriguing of all, a conversation between Roxanne and E L James. I would love to hear Roxanne talk with E L.

, and they have copies on hand. On Tuesday, the second and third part of the trilogy are being released in paperback, the booksellers there said. The woman at the library said you really have to read all three to understand the main characters and that people who criticize the writing just don't get that it's supposed to be a quick, fun read. This woman said she devoured all three, and then recommended them to her mother.

I think I'm still in shock. I never set out to do this – getting to No 1 in the New York Times bestseller list wasn't even a pipedream. It's all happened so fast that I haven't even met that many readers. ... It's the fantasy of first love. If you've been married for 400 years, as I have, it's nice to experience first love again and you can vicariously through a book. And it is such a fantasy. It takes you away from doing the dishes and the laundry. I think of this as a contemporary romance rather than erotic fiction.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here