DANIELLE STEEL

I have these wonderful homes, and no one to share them with.

At the moment, I'm enjoying John Grisham quite a bit.

I try to write about the stuff that torments us all.

A bad review is like baking a cake with all the best ingredients and having someone sit on it.

I move between San Francisco and Paris... I have a wonderful beach house in California.

The records of adopted children are sealed in California. That seal is considered inviolable... The judge ruled that, because I was famous, he didn't have the same rights as other kids.

My kids are more precious to me than anything. I'm with them all day, and I write all night.

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!

I started writing stories as a child.

When people look at me outside, they think, 'She's so lucky,' but no one's exempt from tragedy.

I don't like grand restaurants or kowtowing waiters. I don't need that kind of attention and I don't want it.

I'm surprisingly practical in much of my life, but not when it comes to my shoes.

Writing is a solitary endeavor, but not a lonely one. When you write, your world is populated by the characters you invent, and you feel those people filling your life.

I'm probably the most uptight, conservative person you'll meet. I'm very religious.

I completed my first novel when I was 19 years old.

People are much more inclined to believe and say bad things about you if you're famous.

Sometimes, if you aren't sure about something, you just have to jump off the bridge and grow your wings on the way down.

It's hard being visible, so I've made myself invisible.

I wish I were brave, although I try. I work too hard and don't play enough. Too much work ethic, not enough 'fun'.

I'm a terribly irresponsible eater - I love soft-boiled eggs and chocolate. I never met a chocolate I could not eat.

I'm astonished by my success. I wrote because I needed to and wanted to. It never occurred to me that I'd become famous.

I once looked like Norman Mailer in a picture with bad lighting.

I believe in love at first sight for houses - but not for people.

I wish I were braver, although I try.

I am endlessly busy, bringing up five young kids, and trying to keep up with the three older ones. I still spend most of my life driving car pools.