It's Danielle Steel's birthday today. I have lots of admiration for the lady. I'm not necessarily a huge fan of all of her writing, I am a huge fan of the woman. She's accomplished so much and attained astonishing success via loads of perspiration and hard work, working from 12 to 16 hours days while raising nine children (!)
I came across a series of quotes and facts about her that I thought I would share:
A little known fact about Danielle is that she penned her first novel, Going Home, in just three months. Pocket Books published the book in 1973. Her endeavor earned her $3,500. She's come a long way.
In between that first published book and the rest of her successful books, there was disappointment. Danielle Steel's next five books, plus a screenplay were rejected by publishers. Another little known fact about her is that, in order to make ends meet financially, she taught creative writing classes at University High in San Francisco. Fortunately, Steel didn't have to teach long. Her second novel, Passion 's Promise, was published in 1977.
Here are some quotes:
- I'm astonished by my success.
- I try to write about the stuff that torments us all.
- I completed my first novel when I was 19 years old.
- It's hard being visible, so I've made myself invisible.
- If you see the magic in a fairy tale, you can face the future.
- I have these wonderful homes, and no one to share them with.
- I think I'm very real as a person, and that comes across in my work.
- I try to give people hope. Even though life is bleak, there's hope out there.
- My early reviews were so bad that I decided I didn't want to read them again.
- A book begins with an image or character or situation that I care about deeply.
- In my late teenage years, I developed a real passion for it, and wrote a lot of poetry.
- People are much more inclined to believe and say bad things about you if you're famous.
- My kids are more precious to me than anything. I'm with them all day, and I write all night.
- I wrote because I needed to and wanted to. It never occurred to me that I'd become famous.
- A bad review is like baking a cake with all the best ingredients and having someone sit on it.
- I've shut myself inside these walls, and I'm going to be a very lonely old lady if I'm not careful.
- I did it at night because I loved it. I never did it to make money, as a job. I just did it because I had to.
- It's difficult to talk to people... I walk into a room and I'm Danielle Steel, and whatever I say is going to be taken apart.
- Sometimes, if you aren't sure about something, you have to just jump off the bridge and grow wings on your way down.
- I like summer. I like warmer weather and long days. I'm one of those silly people who still enjoy lying in the sun - my children are horrified!
- The usual way - through a long series of rejections, revising my manuscripts, and kept trying again and again. Finally I was fortunate enough to find a good agent.
Happy Birthday Danielle!
