Danielle Steel has written more than 70 books since 1973, sold 560 million copies of them, and spent more than 400 consecutive weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. But the real surprise isn't on her pages.

Let's face it - you're only allowed to read Danielle Steel when you're in a bathing suit, and when you do, you're required to express surprise that every (tiny but beautiful and strong) heroine is actually pregnant when she thinks she has the flu. And get tears in your eyes at least once.

Recently I had the opportunity to wear a bathing suit for seven days in a row and read suitably escapist books. Two Danielle Steel novels were included on the required reading list - one old and one new.

The old book took (Loving) took about eight hours to read, and included four husbands, three deaths, two babies, one late-blooming career and several fortunes won and lost. It was detailed, unexpected and indulgently fun.

The new book (Miracle) took half the time, and was touching but simple - two neighbours who lost people fall in love and teach their carpenter to read. Oh, and it takes a miracle for him to realise he needs her. It was sweet and nice, but I was done in an afternoon.

So what's going on here? Why don't we get the full story anymore? It's almost like she (gasp) sold out and realised the romance-reading public will still pay full price for the skeleton of a story.

But we're only sort of complaining, since we're still reading them (in a bathing suit anyway).

Once the second book was finished I said to my husband: Gosh, do you think she's still married? As we were far from an internet connection, we texted AQA (63336) who replied with the following:

Danielle Steel has been divorced five times. Her husbands have included a banker, a convicted rapist, a heroin-addict, a vintner and a financier. She has six children, and one who killed himself.

Ah, no wonder she has such fodder for books!

Now if only they were longer.

Here Is The Writer : Sarah Western Balzer

Sarah Western Balzer is the managing director of HITC Life and is always on the lookout for reader-writers, so if you'd like to be one, make yourself known (sarah.western@hereisthecity.com). Sarah moved to London six years ago from New York but is originally from Florida, and still suntans like it's 1989. She is so grateful to the banker who introduced her to Here Is The City that she married him, and they live in Wapping with their son.

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