Exclusive reveal: E L James ‘Freed: Fifty Shades’ cover is a nod to bonds of marriage

Mary Cadden, USA TODAY
·3 min read
"Freed," by EL James
"Freed," by EL James

Author E L James is giving a final nod to bonds on the cover of the last installment in the "Fifty Shades of Grey" series "Freed: Fifty Shades Freed as Told by Christian," out June 1. Though this time the cover image is more about marital bonds than sexual ones.

The cover, which USA TODAY can reveal, shows a wedding band wrapped around Christian Grey's ring finger.

"I think it's great to put a wedding ring and then have 'Freed' written above it because those two things in conjunction don't signify freedom," but for Christian they do, James tells USA TODAY. "That was important to me, for him to be free from his past."

In designing the final cover for the series, James, whose name is Erika Leonard, wanted to keep the look in sync with its predecessors. Mostly monochromatic shades of gray, this one does have a pop of color with some pink confetti hearts. While the novels have been famously racy, James has always wanted to keep the covers subdued.

Opting for a "stripped down" cover was born out of personal experience reading romance novels in public, says James, a USA TODAY bestselling author.

"I spent my 30s reading romantic novels with women whose clothes are falling off with bare-chested heroes, and on the tube going into central London, it was like, 'Oh, look what I'm reading,' " she says.

Author EL James
Author EL James

The wedding band on the cover means James will finally put her own special touch on Anastasia and Christian's wedding. For fans of the books, that particular event was never written about until now. "I've got lots and lots of people saying where's the wedding? And I just thought, 'Right, you want a wedding? I'll do a wedding.' It was fun; I actually enjoyed it in the end. And every time I read it, I sort of cried because I really liked the wedding."

Writing the novel during the pandemic had its ups and downs. "It was just great because I couldn't do anything else," says James. But writing about a non-COVID world was tricky. "It was weird writing situations where they're going out and meeting people and I'm thinking, 'You're not wearing masks! You're not socially distancing!' I'm thinking, 'Oh my gosh, Christian, invent Zoom for God's sake!' "

Then there was spending all that time in Christian's head. "It's been exhausting," says James, laughing. "It has also been great fun being there and being able to channel some of my rage through him because he's such an angry person. He's very intense most of the time and it's just getting him to back down sometimes, just calm down, but he just doesn't, bless him."

USA TODAY's Mary Cadden interviews author EL James ahead of the release of “Freed: Fifty Shades Freed as told by Christian."
USA TODAY's Mary Cadden interviews author EL James ahead of the release of “Freed: Fifty Shades Freed as told by Christian."

Now that the "Fifty Shades" series is coming to an end, James has been working on a few projects of her own, though none are definite, she says. There has been demand from fans for a sequel to her USA TODAY bestselling book "Mister," and she's dipped her pen into paranormal romance recently, though that's more a project she wrote for herself.

"I am a sucker for a love story. I love a love story, I love a happy ending. I love all of that," says James. Even though there are no plans to publish the paranormal romance at this time, writing it has been a bit of a departure for her. "It needs another book because it ends in a horrific cliffhanger and I haven't written that yet so that is maybe something I'll do further down the line."

For now, James is looking forward to post-pandemic life. She has her first round of the COVID-19 vaccine and is awaiting her second dose. First on her to-do list? "I'd really like to hug my mother. I have not been able to do that for over a year."

Read more

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Freed: Fifty Shades' cover is a nod to bonds of marriage

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories

  • The 30 best Walmart deals to shop this weekend — save up to 80% on outdoor gear, gardening supplies, tech and more

    Some major deals on board: a Mother's Day-ready digital picture frame for $30 off, a cordless 6-in-1 stick vac for just $90, and a Chromebook laptop for under $150.

  • Togo lawmakers give final approval to new constitution amid opposition fears

    Togo lawmakers on Friday gave final approval to a constitutional reform that switches to a parliamentary system that triggered criticism from opposition parties who say it allows President Faure Gnassingbe to keep a grip on power. The approval came days before April 29 legislative elections in Togo, where the opposition dismissed the reform as a "constitutional coup" for creating a new prime minister-style post they say will allow the Togolese leader to avoid term limits to stay in office.Togo's

  • How Rich Are Biden, Trump and These Other Potential 2024 Presidential Candidates?

    With the 2024 presidential election months away, on November 5, 2024, candidates have been dropping out of the race until just a handful of hopefuls remain. The U.S. president earns $400,000 a year,...

  • Prosecutor won't bring charges against Wisconsin lawmaker over fundraising scheme

    A Wisconsin prosecutor said Friday that she won't bring charges against a Republican lawmaker accused of trying to evade state campaign finance laws in order to unseat the powerful speaker of the Assembly. Waukesha County District Attorney Susan Opper said she would not be filing felony charges against Rep. Janel Brandtjen as was recommended by the bipartisan Wisconsin Ethics Commission.

  • Chad air force chief orders US to halt activities at army base, letter shows

    Chad has so far not followed the steps of juntas in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger in ending military collaborations with France and other traditional Western allies while they strengthen ties with Russia instead. In the letter dated April 4 to Chad's minister of armed forces, Air Force Chief of Staff Idriss Amine Ahmed said he had told the U.S. defence attache to halt U.S. activities at the Adji Kossei Air Base after “Americans” had failed to provide documents justifying their presence there.

  • 'Sullivan's Crossing' star Chad Michael Murray reveals why Nova Scotia set reminds him of 'One Tree Hill'

    Chad Michael Murray revealed there's something special about CTV's Sullivan's Crossing that he hasn't felt since Once Tree Hill.

  • I'm a home product tester — and I did a double-take when I saw these chic patio chairs on sale for $37 each

    Outdoor furniture can be ridiculously expensive, but this 'sturdy and beautiful' rattan set won't break the bank.

  • Venue opens doors again more than a year after fatal crush

    The O2 Brixton Academy had heavy security for the reopening.

  • Dow Jones Rises After Israel Strike But Nvidia, SMCI Flash Sell Signals; Tesla Earnings Loom While Bitcoin's Fourth Halving Arrives

    The Dow Jones rose Friday on Friday. Netflix plunged after earnings. Nvidia and SMCI triggered sell signals while bitcoin's halving looms.

  • Super Micro Stock Plunges 23% On Lack Of Preliminary Results. It's A Big Sell Signal.

    Super Micro stock fell hard after the data-center computer specialist didn't announce preliminary results for its fiscal Q3.

  • Late-blooming, mustached goalie Charlie Lindgren carries the Washington Capitals into the playoffs

    ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — Alex Ovechkin scored a lot of goals down the stretch for the Washington Capitals, yet he is not the biggest reason they made the playoffs. That would be undrafted, unheralded, late-blooming, mustached goaltender Charlie Lindgren, who emerged as the starter and carried the Capitals the second half of the season. No one in the NHL faced more shots or made more saves over the past three months since supplanting Darcy Kuemper for the No. 1 job. Lindgren's play in net has made h

  • Prayer ban head criticises Braverman for using school as ‘political football’

    The Conservative MP co-founded the school alongside current headteacher Katherine Birbalsingh.

  • Man sets himself on fire outside Trump trial courthouse in New York

    Florida resident in critical condition in hospital after images of incident carried live on television

  • US House advances $95 bln package for Ukraine

    STORY: The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday moved ahead with a $95 billion legislative package providing aid to Ukraine and Israel in a broad bipartisan vote, overcoming hardline Republican opposition that had held it up for months.Friday's procedural vote passed with more support from Democrats than from Republicans, who hold a razor-thin majority in the chamber.The package is similar to one that passed the Democratic-controlled Senate in February. But the Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, held off on it for months in the face of fierce opposition from a small but vocal segment of his own party."This was going to require substantial Democratic participation."House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries on Friday told reporters that his party had to step up and ensure support to U.S. allies Ukraine and Israel because of some lawmakers he called "pro-Putin Republicans.""And we had a choice: are we going to put people over politics. Because the political thing to do is always to let the extreme MAGA Republicans crash and burn. Because they have so many out-of-control members, they cannot govern on their own."Republican lawmakers such as Kentucky Representative Thomas Massie of the House Freedom Caucus objected to advancing the aid package."I'm concerned that the Speaker's cut a deal with the Democrats to fund foreign wars rather than to secure our border."Texas Republican Chip Roy demanded Speaker Johnson live up to a pledge to first get funding for the U.S. Southern Border."To that I say, amen, and where is that, Speaker Johnson?"Republican lawmaker Majorie Taylor Greene has already filed a motion to vacate Johnson's seat as speaker. Greene has not said whether she will pursue the motion, but on Wednesday predicted he would not remain in leadership for long.The House is expected to vote on the measure on Saturday, after which it will return to the Senate, and is expected to move from there to U.S. President Joe Biden's desk and be signed into law.

  • Opening statements set for Monday in Trump's hush money case after judge rejects latest bid to delay

    NEW YORK (AP) — A full jury of 12 people and six alternates was seated Friday in Donald Trump’s hush money case, setting the stage for opening statements next week in the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president. Hours later, an appeals court judge rejected a last-minute bid by the Republican to halt the trial over his claims that jury selection was unfairly rushed. The jury, which includes a software engineer, investment banker, English teacher and multiple lawyers, took final shape afte

  • Stolen tropical fish returned to Ottawa Valley restaurant

    Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have found and returned tropical fish stolen from an Ottawa Valley restaurant last week.The fish were taken from the Beachburg Restaurant in an overnight break-in on April 11, OPP said. An undisclosed amount of cash was also stolen. The owner of the restaurant told CBC after the theft that she wasn't sure how many fish were taken from the restaurant's aquarium, but that there were "a lot of them" including clownfish.Police said the owner valued the fish at several

  • Outside of AI, chip sector is 'not all that great': Analyst

    Shares of Super Micro Computer (SMCI) fell sharply Friday after the company opted not to pre-announce its first-quarter results. This development comes as the semiconductor sector undergoes a sector-wide correction. Bernstein Managing Director and Senior Analyst Stacy Rasgon joins Market Domination to provide insights into this situation. Rasgon acknowledges that while the chip sector is undergoing a correction, "outside of AI" the industry has not been performing well. He notes that other segments of the sector, such as automotive, data centers, PCs, and smartphones, "are not all that great," which could be contributing to the sector-wide pressure, in addition to the disappointing earnings from major players. Rasgon shifts the focus to the question of "the pace of the recovery," noting that the stocks have held up "remarkably" despite the revisions, suggesting this is "a delayed reaction." For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Market Domination. This post was written by Angel Smith

  • Taylor Swift’s ‘The Tortured Poets Department' is here. Is it poetry? This is what experts say

    NEW YORK (AP) — Taylor Swift has released her 11th studio album, “The Tortured Poets Department.” But just how poetic is it? Is it even possible to close read lyrics like poems, divorced from their source material? The Associated Press spoke to four experts to assess how Swift's latest album stacks up to poetry. IS TAYLOR SWIFT A POET? Allison Adair, a professor who teaches poetry and other literary forms at Boston College, says yes. “My personal opinion is that if someone writes poems and consi

  • The Latest | Appeals court judge rejects bid for temporary stay in Trump's hush money trial

    NEW YORK (AP) — A jury of 12 people and six alternates was seated on Friday in former President Donald Trump’s hush money criminal case. The completion of jury selection sets the stage for opening statements in the first-ever criminal trial of a former U.S. president to begin Monday, as well as weeks of testimony in a case charging Trump with falsifying business records to suppress stories about his sex life emerging in the final days of the 2016 election. The jury includes a sales professional,

  • This week’s Best Thing in Baseball: Andrew McCutchen hits 300th career HR

    Yahoo Sports national MLB insider Russell Dorsey’s Best Thing in Baseball this week is Andrew McCutchen’s 300th career homer in a 9-2 Pirates victory over the Phillies.