E. L. James

E. L. James, the pen name of Erika Leonard (née Mitchell), is a British author born in London, England, on 7 March 1963. A former television production executive, she began writing in 2009, initially posting Twilight-inspired fan fiction online under the name "Snowqueens Icedragon" before reworking the story into the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy, published from 2011. The trilogy became an international bestseller and was adapted into a film series; she has since published The Mister (2019) and its sequel The Missus (2023).