Danielle Steel

No one explored the mysteries of the heart better than Danielle Steel. The queen of romance novels, Steel helped her readers escape the mundane and live vicariously through the lives of women who had it all - beauty, money, love, and power. Steel wrote more than 75 books, and since Passion's Promise (1977), every one of her books landed on the New York Times bestseller lists. More than 20 novels were adapted for film and TV as well, including the top-rated ABC miniseries "Crossings" (1986) starring Christopher Plummer, Cheryl Ladd and Jane Seymour, and the Golden Globe-nominated series "Jewels" (NBC, 1992). In her work, Steel explored universal themes - family, work, and tragedy - and almost all of her heroines endured a doomed relationship before finding true love. Later in her career, she tackled contemporary issues like men raising children in Daddy (1989) and women struggling with body image in Big Girl (2010). Steel always gave her ardent readers what they truly wanted: escapist romances, strong heroines, and happy endings. With over 580 million copies of her books in print, Danielle Steel proved that she was one of the most beloved and successful writers of the 20th century.