Author E.L. James says Christian Grey is 'utterly exhausting' amid new novel's leading man

"Fifty Shades of Grey" author E.L. James is back with a new novel to her romance series "The Mister" after over four years.

For those of you who followed her sex-filled "Fifty Shades" trilogy, James told Today.com, "I always think of Ana and Christian as 'Beauty and the Beast.' 'The Mister' is more like 'Cinderella.'"

The series is still erotica, but the sex scenes are tamer and with clear consent in contrast to the BDSM themes in her earlier novels.

"The Mister" and the follow-up "The Missus" (out now), follows Maxim Trevelyan and Alessia Demachi's love story. Maxim unexpectedly becomes a wealthy man after inheriting an earl title when his brother dies suddenly and Alessia is an Albanian woman he hired as a maid for his London home.

"I would marry Maxim. He’s a reasonable human," James said.

In contrast, Christian Grey's persona has more to do with lust than real-world expectations. "I think you’d have to have the patience of a saint to marry someone like Christian. I just find Christian mentally exhausting, physically exhausting. Utterly exhausting," the author admits. "Maxim is much more reasonable."

That's not to say she's making a dig at the character who launched her into literary fame.

"It’s fantasy," James said of her prior series, and to critics, she asks, "Are you saying women aren’t intelligent enough to realize that this is for escape? You’re effectively infantilizing women and not letting them have a good time."

She adds: "Feminists have fantasies too."

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Because James wrote much of "The Mister" in the wake of the #MeToo movement, the topic of consent "was very much at the forefront of my mind," she told USA TODAY in 2019. The author even told many intimate scenes from both characters' points of view to make it crystal-clear that each party was on board.

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As for whether fans enjoy this different style of novel, James was not concerned.

"I write what I want to write about, what I want to read," she said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Fifty Shades of Grey' author releases new erotica 'The Missus'