Quick Facts:

Name: Danielle Fernande Schuelein - Steel

Born: August 14, 1947

Birth Place: New York City

Best Known As: Author of the romance novels.

Current Residence: A 55-room mansion at Washington and Octavia that was built in 1912.

Not only America, but the whole world reads Danielle Steel. There are more than 530 copies of her books in print and every one of them is a bestseller. She is read by women, men, young people, old people in 47 countries and 28 languages.

Although Danielle Steel, mother of nine children was born in New York, she spent her formative years living in Paris. She decided to make the journey back to New York after she had finished her education. Her career started in public relation and writing ad copy. She used to publish poems in women s magazines and has continued to write poetry, releasing a collection,  Love: Poems By Danielle Steel . Her first novel was published in 1973.  The Promise , is her first bestseller, published in 1978 among her 57 bestsellers.

Most of her novels have leapt to the top of the New York Times best seller list, the Wall Street Journal list and comparable bestsellers lists around the world. The recent bestseller includes Impossible, echoes, second chance, Ransom, Safe harbour, Johnny Angel, Dating game, Answered Prayers, Sunset in St. Tropez, The Cottage, The Kiss, Leap of Faith, Lone Eagle, Journey, The House on Hope Street and The Wedding.

Due to the way of hooking peoples through her epic and romantic quality writing, in 1989, she was listed in the  Guinness Book of World Records for having at least one of her books on the Times bestsellers list for 381 consecutive weeks. In 2002, Ms. Steel was decorated by the French government as a Chevalier of distinguished order of Arts and Letters, for her lifetime contribution to world culture. She was awarded the second highest rank of the order. In addition, she has won numerous awards for her personal work with mentally ill adolescents and children.

Besides writing, she has varied philanthropic interests. She has founded two foundations, one named in honour of her late son, The Nick Traina Foundationwhich funds organizations involved in mental illness and child abuse. The other was founded in order to establish the homeless.

She continues to write at an incredible pace and her popularity worldwide continues unabated.