Fifty Shades Darker Tour: Working With E.L. James

Welcome to Fifty Shades Darker Book Tour!


Today

Donna Huber with TWCS Publishing House
is guest posting.  She is the marketing director for E.L. James. 
(Book review and giveaway will follow her post.)  

Working with E. L .James

I remember the night that our publisher, Amanda Hayward, told me that we had signed E. L. James and her Fifty Shades Trilogy. While Amanda was excited, I was filled with a bit of trepidation. I knew of E. L. James from the online writing community and had even checked out her story. Let me just tell you, I could give Ana a run for her money in the innocence department. So, yeah, my first thought was “I’m going to have to promote erotica!” and do so without blushing.

The publishing industry is such a gamble. Outstanding stories often are lost in the multitude of options a reader has at their fingertips today. I liken it to almost throwing the proverbial needle into the haystack. I knew E. L. had a large following online, but there was no guarantee that it would follow her into the publishing realm. And here was the root of my trepidation, would I be working with an author who expected to be the New York Times best selling author right out of the gate?

Though deep in the crevices of her highly creative mind, E. L. may be harboring such expectations (who doesn’t want to reach the pinnacle of their chosen profession?), she is no demanding diva. She actually is very humble and grateful about the attention she has received. I remember when Fifty Shades of Grey was added to the Top 100 Rated Erotica ebooks at Amazon US. (For those who do not know, the rated lists are based on tags and the number of LIKES and five star reviews a book has - in other words it is all reader generated.) E. L. was thrilled and maybe even a little floored by the response her book was getting.

Then it came time for Fifty Shades Darker was the #1 best selling erotica novel, not just among ebooks but all erotica books, at Amazon US and Germany (it was in the top 5 at Amazon UK) the day it released. And it continues to be on the Best Seller lists. But even with this success, E. L. has kept the same humble spirit and is a true team player.

Most of my interactions with E. L. come during the launch of the book and the following tour. Just because it’s a virtual tour, it does not mean it is any less time consuming. Over the last couple of weeks, I have gotten to see the person who is E. L. James. She is truly in awe of the reviews and personal emails she receives from fans. The humor that is so prevalent in her books is also present in her daily life, which has been a big help during this crazy tour schedule for the both of us. I love getting emails from her. She has educated me quite a bit (and not on the topic you are thinking, you naughty readers!). I’m not sure if she knows how much I love her Britishness. I have several British friends, but I often forget they're British. Not with E. L. Her use of what I call “British -isms” always makes me smile even though some confuse me (and it makes me wonder if my other friends have toned down their Britishness when talking to me or if she is just more British). So as this tour winds down, and E. L. returns to her messy desk to complete the Fifty Shades Trilogy, I will miss our daily emails.

It is a true honor to work with E. L. James. And while her fans are looking forward to many more books, I’m looking forward to the many more years of working with her.

Bona Fide Review of Fifty Shades Darker 

Amazing Romantica Reading!

Fifty Shades Darker, Fifty Shades #2 by E.L. James is another stunner of an erotic romance book. It starts up where Fifty Shades of Grey ends. Anastasia Steele has broken up with Christian Grey because his demands were too overwhelming for her manage. Even though not much time has passed since their separation, they are both heart sick and make their way back to each other through Mr. Grey’s crafty machinations. Meanwhile, fresh out of college, Ana is trying to establish her career in the publishing industry.

The plot of this book takes Ms. Steele and, especially, Mr. Grey down a much more treacherous impassioned journey when it comes to opening up and laying bare a myriad of feelings compounding the confrontation of deep rooted emotional scars. As layers of Christian’s past are stripped away, Ana and Christian grow exponentially as a couple by learning to meet each others emotional needs, further entwining their already connected hearts.

Reinforcing the plot are two women from Christian’s past who push Ana’s hot buttons forcing the couple to confront the outcome of Christian’s past predilections. Concurrently, Ana is having to contend with issues at work involving her boss and his questionable intentions towards her. The much needed comic relief comes in the form of Ana’s inner goddess and her subconscious that help her through her emotional ups and downs. Adding to the reader’s spectrum of emotion are the emails between Mr. Grey and Ms. Steele that cast poignancy and some additional humor to the story line.

This novel also has Christian and Ana dealing with his past in a very “in -your- face” fashion that will have the reader cringing at moments from the emotional voracity, making the reader’s heart ache, and bring the reader to his/her knees. E.L. James’ ability to rent such feeling from the reader is extraordinary. Fifty Shades Darker is an all together different journey than it’s predecessor; however, it demands no less from the reader’s affections. If anything, it demands more. E.L. James offers readers a story that is unforgettable, stunning, passionate, sexy, needful, cathartic and glorious.

Happy Reading from Bona Fide Reflections!!

Thank you to the author and The Writer’s Coffee Shop for a review copy of this book.
Author's Blog ~~ E.L. James

Fifty Shades Darker can be purchased at the following places:
The Writer's Coffee Shop Publishing House
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon De

Fifty Shades Darker E-Book Giveaway

Book giveaway of Fifty Shades Darker is courtesy of TWCS Publishing House. One lucky winner will be the recipient of an e-book copy of Fifty Shades Darker.  Please complete the Rafflecopter instructions to enter in the e-book giveaway. Good luck!