Mary Bly/Eloisa James

One of the best pieces of advice I got when I started out as a writer was ‘you’re 50 percent a businesswoman and 50 percent a writer — and the businesswoman comes first.’ You’re not Tolstoy. There are very specific parameters to make [genre fiction] a success. I run this as a business with a lot of heart. It’s allowed me to have a long publishing career.

What’s your idea of perfect happiness?

You wake up in the morning and you have sabbatical from one of your two jobs and you don’t have any appointments. The whole day lies ahead of you. That is gorgeous, fabulous happiness right there. Time – time is the greatest happiness there is.

Mary Bly/Eloisa James

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