Most of her novels are part of a trilogy or set of four novels that focus on a set of interconnected characters, and explores the relationships between those characters as well as that of the hero and heroine. In 2018, Apple Books included her novel, "Too Wilde to Wed", on its list of 10 Best Books of 2018. For several years Bly's second career remained a secret, and she disguised herself by wearing contacts instead of her normal glasses when she attended functions as Eloisa James. After her first The New York Times Bestseller in 2005, Bly realized that her readers liked her writing regardless of its genre, and that by keeping her identity a secret she was implying that she was ashamed of her work and of her readers. At a February 16, 2005 faculty meeting, Bly outed herself to her colleagues, revealing her alter ego and offering copies of her novels to her fellow professors. Once she had officially "come out", she submitted an op-ed to "The New York Times" defending the romance genre. She was invited to speak at the National Book Festival in 2012. Bly credits her success in dual careers to being "very, very organized." Lacking the time to write every day, Bly often writes upwards of 20 pages at a time. On her days at home, Bly schedules time to work on both her fiction and her academic works. When possible, she does not work when her children are at home. Bly usually does not teach in the summers, giving her more time to devote to her writing (both academic and fiction). Bly's father and stepmother, Ruth, are very supportive of her romance writing. Carol Bly also supported her daughter, contributing a "nifty crossword puzzle" to the Eloisa James website. Bly's mother died from ovarian cancer. Collaborating with her publisher, Avon, an imprint of Harper Collins, she became a spokesperson, along with six other Avon Romance authors, in a program named "K.I.S.S. and TEAL" to increase awareness about the early symptoms of this disease. "Romance is read primarily by women, and ovarian cancer is a women’s disease. Avon and its authors are saying, “You are our readers, our women, and we want you to live long and healthy lives, so we are going to put the symptoms in the back of every one of these seven books.” We are looking out for our own readers. Almost everyone has been touched by ovarian cancer, whether by the death of a friend or a relative."