Sherrie Waterhouse

Romantic novelist Erica James has sold more than five million copies of her 26 novels since she was first published in 1996, writes Peter Robertson. The latest, An Ideal Husband, is out this week. Erica's previous bestsellers include Gardens Of Delight, Tell It To The Skies, and Summer At The Lake.  Erica 64, is divorced with two sons - Edward, 40, and Samuel, 38 - and lives in Suffolk. What did your parents teach you about money? They didn't set out to teach me anything, but I picked up on their worry at not having enough. I don't think my father, a crop sprayer, was particularly good with money. My mother didn't work, and I remember her worrying about money. I was very conscious of needing to earn money of my own and, as soon I was 13, I was looking around to get work on Hayling Island, on the Hampshire coast, where I grew up. I did babysitting, worked as a chalet maid, and in the summer worked in a beach kiosk. Most of my financial advice now comes from my older son - he works for Netflix advertising and has his head screwed on the right way. Also, my sons have to protect their inheritance! What was your first pay packet? The write stuff: Romantic novelist Erica James I was a chalet maid at Sinah Warren, then a holiday camp and now a Warner Hotel. I would only have earned about 35 pence an hour, but I remember feeling proud of getting the money in a brown paper packet. When I was 16, I did shift work at IBM. Have you ever struggled to make ends meet? When I got divorced in 1995, the absolute worry was what was going to happen financially because, having been a stay-at-home mother, I hadn't done paid work in 11 years. But A Breath Of Fresh Air, the book that I'd been writing as a hobby, was published in January 1996. I'm so lucky that happened just when I needed it. I had no expectations for sales and now so long as everything is ticking over and the royalties are coming in, that's OK. Have you ever been paid silly money? My agent then negotiated a fantastic two-book contract of £50,000. At the time I felt that was silly money, having been counting the pennies. My self-esteem suddenly went right back up again after being on the ground. What's been the best year of your financial life? I remember getting royalties for my third book, Airs And Graces, in 1997 and buying my first car, a Honda. It wasn't flash but it had electric windows so I thought I was the bee's knees and felt I'd made it. Are you a spender or a saver? A bit of both. I had a tax rebate one year and, instead of putting that money somewhere sensible, I bought a painting by an artist I love. Other spendy moments included taking my sons on lovely holidays. But I've also had to save, of course, which I've done with a pension and Isas.  Most of my investments are with Nutmeg. My son put me on to Nutmeg and I find them very good. I don't play the market, but Nutmeg do it on my behalf I suppose you could say. RELATED ARTICLES Previous 1 Next Cannon and Ball started as singers but switched to comedy -... I'm a saver rather than spender but always lose money on... Share this article Share HOW THIS IS MONEY CAN HELP What you need to know about money every week: This is Money podcast What's the most expensive thing you bought for fun? I bought a two-bedroom apartment overlooking Lake Como, and I thought: 'Wow, this is the chalet maid from Hayling Island made good!' I owned it for 15 years, and that was a really fun time in my life, though disappointingly George Clooney, who lived only 20 minutes away, never called round for coffee. I sold it during Covid, but didn't make a lot of money because prices have kept steady on the Italian property market. What's your biggest money mistake? I haven't really made one - I'm risk averse. But talking of mistakes, when E L James had great success with the Fifty Shades series of erotic novels, some of my readers thought I had changed my style so I had to explain it wasn't me.  I received an email from Vogue in Russia wanting to do an article on me and I thought: 'This is very odd, they've got the wrong E James.' I considered playing along with it for a while, but wrote back saying: 'I think you've got the wrong person.' Success story: Erica splashed out on a second home close to George Clooney, above, with his wife Amal on Lake Como The best money decision you've made? Each time I've moved house, each one is a new project, so I lavish time, money and love on creating a new home for myself - something I enjoy doing. I lived in a good area of Cheshire for many years, but always knew I would live somewhere else.  Then 11 years ago when my sons had long since left home, I chose Suffolk out of the blue having visited it and thought: 'What a lovely place. I'll go there.' Do you have a pension? I started a pension when I began earning money as an author. I had three but to simplify things, I put them in one pot. Do you own any property? I used to be 'Two Houses James', with properties in Cheshire and Lake Como, but I just have the one now. It's a 500-year old thatched cottage - very Miss Marple. But I plan to downsize in the near future. I have been a collector of books, but I'm trying to be strict and getting rid of loads. If you were Chancellor, what would you do? Resign straight away. That's not part of my skill set. But I'd let Jeremy Clarkson head up the farmers and make sure they don't get taxed into oblivion. What is your top indulgence? Every year when I travel to see my sons, in Tokyo and Los Angeles, I fly First Class and you get a bed, a tablecloth on your pull-out table, and proper cutlery. That is an indulgence and I feel slightly guilty about it. I also have passions for dolls houses and F1. I have been to a number of F1 races, including Monaco and Abu Dhabi. Dolls houses are an addictive hobby and Celebrity Deep Fake I try to hold back but I have three for myself and one for my granddaughter. What is your No 1 financial priority? I have a good accountant and I put aside money for tax straight away, always making sure I've got it ready to pay tax and VAT bills. That's my big priority - it's a fear of being in debt. An Ideal Husband by Erica James, (HQ, £9.99) is out now. This is Money podcast What next for house prices and is it harder to buy a home now vs 1974? Are interest rate cuts about to stall - and what does it mean for you? Why have crypto prices soared - and should you be wary of a tax sting? What Trump means for your money - and a 10th birthday Will the Budget cost you money - and will Rachel Reeves' plan work? Public vs private sector pensions - how to avoid a race to the bottom More This is Money podcasts

Nicole Kidman just revealed her second husband Keith Urban got a special tattoo tribute in her honor. 'He actually has "Babygirl" tattooed on the back of his neck!' the 57-year-old Oscar winner gushed to W Magazine on Tuesday. The 57-year-old country crooner's permanent ink is rarely seen in public thanks to his signature curtains, mullet hairstyle. 'Keith's not allowed to call anyone else Babygirl,' Nicole noted. 'But now, because of the film, it's taken on a different meaning. So he's like, "No, I still have total rights over Babygirl!"' Indeed, Kidman plays high-powered CEO Romy, who has an affair with young intern Samuel (Harris Dickinson), in Halina Reijn's erotic thriller Babygirl, which hits US theaters December 25 and UK theaters January 10. Nicole Kidman just revealed her second husband Keith Urban got a special tattoo tribute in her honor (pictured October 26) The Hawaiian-born Australian said: 'I don't know if Halina knows [about Keith's tattoo], but it's all part of this sprinkling of fairy dust that happens!' The married couple of 18 years wed one year after meeting at G'Day LA in 2005, and they're proud parents of 16-year-old daughter Sunday Rose and 13-year-old daughter Faith Margaret. Urban (born Urbahn) credits Nicole for helping him overcome his addictions to cocaine and alcohol, having entered the Betty Ford Center just four months after their Sydney wedding. Read More Nicole Kidman reveals truth behind THAT Tom Cruise divorce celebration Kidman and the four-time Grammy winner reportedly own homes in Nashville and Beverly Hills, an apartment in Manhattan, two apartments in Sydney, and a farmhouse in Sutton Forest. The Perfect Couple producer-star also has two adult children - daughter Isabella, 31; and son Connor, 29 - from her decade-long first marriage to four-time Oscar nominee Tom Cruise, which ended in 2001. On September 7, Nicole won the Volpi Cup for best actress at the Venice Festival for Babygirl, and she will next compete for the outstanding lead performance trophy at the Gotham Awards in New York City on December 2. A24's 114-minute movie - also starring Antonio Banderas - currently has a 90% critic approval rating (out of 51 reviews) on Rotten Tomatoes. 'Playing this character didn't scare me at all,' Kidman said of the BDSM sex scenes. The 57-year-old Oscar winner gushed to W Magazine on Tuesday: 'He actually has "Babygirl" tattooed on the back of his neck!' The 57-year-old country crooner's permanent ink is rarely seen in public thanks to his signature curtains, mullet hairstyle (pictured in 2023) Nicole noted: 'Keith's not allowed to call anyone else Babygirl. But now, because of the film, it's taken on a different meaning. So he's like, "No, I still have total rights over Babygirl!"' (pictured in 2021) Indeed, Kidman plays high-powered CEO Romy, who has an affair with young intern Samuel (Harris Dickinson), in Halina Reijn's erotic thriller Babygirl, which hits US theaters December 25 and UK theaters January 10 The Hawaiian-born Australian said: 'I don't know if Halina (L) knows [about Keith's tattoo], but it's all part of this sprinkling of fairy dust that happens!' The married couple of 18 years wed one year after meeting at G'Day LA in 2005, and they're proud parents of 16-year-old daughter Sunday Rose and 13-year-old daughter Faith Margaret Urban (born Urbahn) credits Nicole for helping him overcome his addictions to cocaine and alcohol, having entered the Betty Ford Center just four months after their Sydney wedding On September 7, Kidman won the Volpi Cup for best actress at the Venice Festival for Babygirl, and she will compete for the outstanding lead performance trophy at the Gotham Awards in New York City on December 2 A24's 114-minute movie - also starring Antonio Banderas - currently has a 90% critic approval rating (out of 51 reviews) on Rotten Tomatoes The Perfect Couple producer-star said of the BDSM sex scenes: 'Playing this character didn't scare me at all. It captivated me. It pulled me in. I wanted to make sure that I fulfilled Halina's vision' For the high-concept W shoot by photographer Nick Brinley, Nicole recreated New York artist Robert Longo's 'Men in the Cities' series from the 1980s Stylist Sara Moonves dressed Kidman in designer clothing by Celine, Bottega Veneta, Proenza Schouler, Miu Miu, Ralph Lauren, Dolce & Gabbana, and Michael Kors Hairstylist Adir Abergel coiffed the A Family Affair actress' long blonde locks and make-up artist Gucci Westman fully contoured her alabaster, suspiciously unlined complexion 'It captivated me. It pulled me in. I wanted to make sure that I fulfilled Halina's vision. But on the first day, I started to go, "This is going to be very exposing." And there were different points when it was like, "I don't want to be looked at, touched in any way anymore. No more, no more, no more."' The Blossom Films co-founder added: 'It is very much a woman's story. But I learned early on that a film is actually not about me — it is really about a vision, and how do you go and capture that vision?' For the high-concept W shoot by photographer Nick Brinley, Nicole recreated New York artist Robert Longo's 'Men in the Cities' series from the 1980s. Stylist Sara Moonves dressed Kidman in designer clothing by Celine, Bottega Veneta, Proenza Schouler, Miu Miu, Ralph Lauren, Dolce & Gabbana, and Michael Kors. Hairstylist Adir Abergel coiffed the A Family Affair actress' long blonde locks and make-up artist Gucci Westman fully contoured her alabaster, suspiciously unlined complexion. Nicole currently executive produces and stars as high-ranking CIA official Kaitlyn Meade in the eight-episode second season of Taylor Sheridan's spy thriller Special Ops: Lioness, which airs Sundays on Paramount+. Kidman will next voice Lumbria Kingdom Queen Ellsmere in Skydance Animation's movie Spellbound - premiering this Friday on Netflix - alongside Javier Bardem, Rachel Zegler, Nathan Lane, Tituss Burgess, Jenifer Lewis, and John Lithgow. The Expats producer-star's other upcoming projects include Apple TV+ series Margo's Got Money Troubles, Prime Video series Scarpetta, Warner Bros. Pictures sequel Practical Magic 2, and season three of Max's Big Little Lies.