There’s no gray area when it comes to the influence of Fifty Shades of Grey and its two sequels: The titillating trilogy, written by Erika Leonard James under her pen name, sparked a sexual awakening in women this year. With more than 30 million copies sold, the 49-year-old Brit is credited with bringing more X factor into the bedrooms of readers as they try to emulate the “kinky f***ery” of the novels’ domineering protagonist and his submissive partner. Whether the books serve as escapism or how-to manuals, Leonard says her fans are quite satisfied.
“The main tenet of the thousands of emails I’ve received has been, ‘You’ve really spiced up my marriage. Thank you very much—and my husband thanks you too!’ ”
