How NY Times Bestselling Author Eloisa James Writes

How NY Times Bestselling Author Eloisa James Writes

From The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience by Kelton Reid

July 1, 2026 · 44 min

About this episode

Eloisa James discusses her dual career as a Shakespeare professor and a bestselling romance author, along with her new novel.

New York Times bestselling author and Shakespeare Professor Emeritus, Eloisa James, spoke with us about balancing literary scholarship with romance writing, leaving academia to write full-time, and her new “gothic adjacent” novel, THE LAST LADY B. Eloisa James is a New York Times bestselling author who has lead a “double life” as both Mary Bly—a Harvard, Oxford, and Yale-educated Shakespeare professor—and Eloisa James—a powerhouse of historical romance (recognized for her Regency and Georgian-era romances). Eloisa, called “a reigning queen of romance” by CBS Sunday Morning and a newly retired Shakespeare professor, continues to reinvent herself with her latest novel. THE LAST LADY B is a sharp, contemporary take on historical romance and her first foray into near-gothic storytelling—described as Jane Austen meets The White Lotus in the Scottish Highlands. Publishers Weekly said of the book in a starred review, "As the intrigue ramps up—complete with death, scandalous revelations, criminal allegations, and the potential for supernatural interference—sparks fly …" Eloisa James inherited a fascination with literature from her father, American Book Award-winning poet Robert Bly; her…

People in this episode

Host: Kelton Reid

Guest: Eloisa James

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: New York Times, CBS Sunday Morning

Books & works: THE LAST LADY B, Jane Austen, The White Lotus

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