Danielle Steel Popular Books

Danielle Steel Biography & Facts

Danielle Fernandes Dominique Schuelein-Steel (born August 14, 1947) is an American writer, best known for her romance novels. She is the bestselling living author and one of the best-selling fiction authors of all time, with over 800 million copies sold. As of 2021, she has written 190 books, including over 140 novels. Based in California for most of her career, Steel has produced several books a year, often juggling up to five projects at once. All of her novels have been bestsellers, including those issued in hardback, despite "a resounding lack of critical acclaim" (Publishers Weekly). Her books often involve rich families facing a crisis, threatened by dark elements such as prison, fraud, blackmail, and suicide. Steel has also published children's fiction and poetry, as well as creating a foundation that funds mental illness-related organizations. Her books have been translated into 43 languages, with 22 adapted for television, including two that have received Golden Globe nominations. Early life Steel was born Danielle Fernandes Dominique Schuelein-Steel in New York City to a German father and a Portuguese mother. Her father, John Schuelein-Steel, was a German-Jewish immigrant and a descendant of owners of Löwenbräu beer. Her mother, Norma da Camara Stone dos Reis, was the daughter of a Portuguese diplomat. She spent much of her childhood in France, where from an early age she was included in her parents' dinner parties, giving her an opportunity to observe the habits and lives of the wealthy and famous. Her parents divorced when she was eight, and she was raised primarily by her father, rarely seeing her mother.Steel started writing stories as a child, and by her late teens had begun writing poetry. Raised Catholic, she thought of becoming a nun during her early years. A 1965 graduate of the Lycée Français de New York, she studied literature design and fashion design, first at Parsons School of Design and then at New York University. Career 1965–1971: Career beginnings While still attending New York University, Steel began writing, completing her first manuscript at 19. Steel worked for a public-relations agency in New York called Supergirls. A client, Ladies' Home Journal editor John Mack Carter, encouraged her to focus on writing, having been impressed with her freelance articles. He suggested she write a book, which she did. She later moved to San Francisco and worked as a copywriter for Grey Advertising. 1972–1981: First novels and growing success Her first novel, Going Home, was published in 1973. The novel contained many of the themes that her writing would become well known for, including a focus on family issues and human relationships. Her relationship with her second husband influenced Passion's Promise and Now and Forever, the two novels that launched her career. With the success of her fourth book, The Promise, she became a participant in San Francisco high society. 1981–1996: Fame and expansion to new genres Beginning in 1991, Steel had become a near-permanent fixture on The New York Times hardcover and paperback bestsellers lists. In 1999, she was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for having a book on the New York Times Bestseller List for the most consecutive weeks of any author—456 consecutive weeks at that time. Steel is a prolific author, often releasing several books per year. Each book takes 2½ years to complete, so Steel has developed an ability to juggle up to five projects at once, researching one book while outlining another, then writing and editing additional books. Since her first book was published, every one of her novels has hit bestseller lists in paperback, and each one released in hardback has also been a hardback bestseller.During this time, Steel also expanded to non-fiction work. Having a Baby was published in 1968 and featured a chapter by Steel about suffering through miscarriage. The same year she published a book of poetry, Love: Poems. She also ventured into children's fiction, penning a series of 57 illustrated books for young readers. These books, known as the "Max and Martha" series, aim to help children face real-life problems: new baby, new school, loss of loved one, etc. In addition, Steel has authored the "Freddie" series. These four books address other real-life situations: first night away from home, trip to the doctor, etc.In 1993, Steel sued writer Lorenzo Bene, who had intended to disclose in his book that her son Nick was adopted by her then-current husband John Traina, despite the fact that adoption records are sealed in California. A San Francisco judge made a highly unusual ruling allowing the seal on Nick's adoption to be overturned, although he was still a minor. This order was confirmed by a California Appellate Judge, who ruled that because Steel was famous, her son's adoption did not have the same privacy right, and the book was allowed to be published. 1997–present: Continued success and awards After years of near-constant writing, in 2003 Steel opened an art gallery in San Francisco, Steel Gallery, which showed contemporary work and exhibited the paintings and sculptures of emerging artists. The gallery closed in 2007. She continues to curate shows a few times a year for the Andrea Schwartz Gallery in San Francisco. In 2002, Steel was decorated by the French government as an Officier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, for her contributions to world culture. She has additionally received: Induction into the California Hall of Fame, December 2009. "Distinguished Service in Mental Health Award" (first time awarded to a non-physician) from New York Presbyterian Hospital, Department of Psychiatry and Columbia University Medical School and Cornell Medical College, May 2009. "Outstanding Achievement Award" for work with adolescents from Larkin Street Youth Services in San Francisco, May 2003. "Service to Youth Award" for improving the lives of adolescents and children with mental accessibility issues from the University of San Francisco Catholic Youth Organization and St. Mary's Medical Center, November 1999. "Outstanding Achievement Award" in Mental Health from the California Psychiatric Association "Distinguished Service Award" from the American Psychiatric AssociationIn 2006 Steel reached an agreement with Elizabeth Arden to launch a new perfume, Danielle by Danielle Steel. Personal life Steel married French-American banker Claude-Eric Lazard in 1965 at age 18 and gave birth to their daughter Beatrix. Steel and Lazard separated in 1972. While still married to Lazard, Steel met Danny Zugelder while interviewing an inmate in a prison near Lompoc, California, where Zugelder was also incarcerated. He moved in with Steel when he was paroled in June 1973, but returned to prison in early 1974 on robbery and rape charges. After receiving her divorce from Lazard in 1975, she married Zugelder in the prison canteen. During their relationship, Steel suffered multiple miscarriages. She divorce.... Discover the Danielle Steel popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Danielle Steel books.

Best Seller Danielle Steel Books of 2024

  • Betrayal synopsis, comments

    Betrayal

    Danielle Steel

    n this riveting novel, Danielle Steel reveals the dark side of fame and fortune, when a renowned film director confronts an act of unimaginable treachery.   BETRAYAL  ...

  • Power Play synopsis, comments

    Power Play

    Danielle Steel

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERIn Northern California two successful CEOs are both indispensable to their growing companies’ futures. Both are brilliant at the power game. But the dif...

  • Hidden synopsis, comments

    Hidden

    Fern Michaels

    A pageturning new story from the bestselling author of No Way Out, perfect for fans of Nora Roberts and Danielle Steel! Meet a brother and sister who are drawn into a treacherous m...

  • A Perfect Life synopsis, comments

    A Perfect Life

    Danielle Steel

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER  From Danielle Steel comes a heartwarming and inspirational novel about a mother and daughter who face challenges, cope with celebrity, and overcome ...

  • Never Too Late synopsis, comments

    Never Too Late

    Danielle Steel

    From #1 New York Times bestselling author Danielle Steel, a stirring novel about a woman striking out on her own after loss as her adult daughters try to find their own independent...

  • Precious Gifts synopsis, comments

    Precious Gifts

    Danielle Steel

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERHandsome, widowed, sophisticated, utterly charming, Paul Parker won the heart of a wealthy young Frenchwomanthe daughter of an American financier, the gran...

  • Property of a Noblewoman synopsis, comments

    Property of a Noblewoman

    Danielle Steel

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER  In Danielle Steel’s thrilling novel, a woman’s legacyshaped by tragedy, fortitude, and undying devotiontransforms lives and hearts long after she is...

  • The Ball at Versailles synopsis, comments

    The Ball at Versailles

    Danielle Steel

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Four American debutantes attend a renowned Paris cotillion in Danielle Steel’s captivating new novel.It’s the summer of 1959 and the Palace of Versailles...

  • The Right Time synopsis, comments

    The Right Time

    Danielle Steel

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Filled with heartbreak and betrayal, triumph and fulfillment, The Right Time is an intimate, richly rewarding novel about pursuing one’s passion and succ...

  • The Affair synopsis, comments

    The Affair

    Danielle Steel

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER In this riveting novel, Danielle Steel explores a highprofile affair that reverberates throughout an entire family, from the wounded wife to her husbandt...

  • The Whittiers synopsis, comments

    The Whittiers

    Danielle Steel

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER In this heartwarming novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Danielle Steel, adult siblings find their way back homeand back to each otherafter l...

  • Prodigal Son synopsis, comments

    Prodigal Son

    Danielle Steel

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERTwin boys grow up in the same family, in the same town. Dramatically different, they become bitter enemies, even as children. One good, one bad. One lea...

  • Without a Trace synopsis, comments

    Without a Trace

    Danielle Steel

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From Danielle Steel, a powerful story about fighting for a chance at happinesswhatever the cost.Charles Vincent seems to have it alla beautiful w...

  • The Cast synopsis, comments

    The Cast

    Danielle Steel

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER  Danielle Steel follows a talented and creative woman as she launches her first television series, helping to recruit an unforgettable cast that w...

  • Fairytale synopsis, comments

    Fairytale

    Danielle Steel

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A wonderful, beautifully told tale from America’s favorite novelist, Fairytale is a captivating example of the truths that will always withstan...

  • Happy Birthday synopsis, comments

    Happy Birthday

    Danielle Steel

    In this beguiling novel, Danielle Steel tells the story of three very different people, each of whom reaches a crucial turning point on the same daya time to blow out the candle...

  • Blessing in Disguise synopsis, comments

    Blessing in Disguise

    Danielle Steel

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER In Danielle Steel’s remarkable new novel, one of her most memorable characters comes to terms with unfinished business and longburied truths as the mothe...

  • Neighbors synopsis, comments

    Neighbors

    Danielle Steel

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER In Danielle Steel’s gripping novel, a reclusive woman opens up her home to her neighbors in the wake of a devastating earthquake, setting off events that...

  • Winners synopsis, comments

    Winners

    Danielle Steel

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLEREven the most perfect lives can be shattered in an instant. In this moving, emotionally charged novel, Danielle Steel introduces readers to an unforgettabl...

  • The Apartment synopsis, comments

    The Apartment

    Danielle Steel

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER This vibrant, tender, and moving tale pulses with the excitement of New York City, as Danielle Steel explores twists of fate, and the way that sometimes,...

  • Blue synopsis, comments

    Blue

    Danielle Steel

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERGinny Carter was once a rising star in TV news, married to a top anchorman, with a threeyearold son and a full and happy life in Beverly Hillsuntil her ...

  • 44 Charles Street synopsis, comments

    44 Charles Street

    Danielle Steel

    BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Danielle Steel's Betrayal.A magical transformation takes place in Danielle Steel’s luminous novel: Strangers become roommates, roomma...

  • Past Perfect synopsis, comments

    Past Perfect

    Danielle Steel

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Past Perfect is a spellbinding story of two families living a hundred years apart who come together in time in a startling moment, opening the door to ra...

  • Against All Odds synopsis, comments

    Against All Odds

    Danielle Steel

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The wise, moving novel from Danielle Steel, whose many bestselling tales have made her one of America’s favorite authorsTaking chances is part of life, b...

  • Moral Compass synopsis, comments

    Moral Compass

    Danielle Steel

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER At an elite private school in Massachusetts, a wide circle of lives will be forever changed by a devastating series of events in Danielle Steel’s rive...

  • The Sins of the Mother synopsis, comments

    The Sins of the Mother

    Danielle Steel

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLEREvery woman makes choices. And no one has made more difficult choices than Olivia Grayson. The enormously successful businesswoman missed out on much of...

  • Complications synopsis, comments

    Complications

    Danielle Steel

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Scandal and tragedy erupt against the backdrop of an exclusive Paris hotel in Danielle Steel’s riveting novel.Known for its luxurious accommodations and ...

  • Hotel Vendome synopsis, comments

    Hotel Vendome

    Danielle Steel

    America’s #1 bestseller!   There are some places you visit, and some places you never leave behind. Danielle Steel’s new novel follows a devoted father and the daughter he r...

  • Country synopsis, comments

    Country

    Danielle Steel

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERIn this rich, involving novel from Danielle Steel, a woman’s life catapults from the old to the new, as she learns to seize the moment.   COUNTRY...

  • Southern Lights synopsis, comments

    Southern Lights

    Danielle Steel

    Danielle Steel sweeps us from a Manhattan courtroom to the Deep South in her powerful new novelat once a behindcloseddoors look into the heart of a family and a tale of crime and...

  • Pegasus synopsis, comments

    Pegasus

    Danielle Steel

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERIn a rich historical novel of family and World War II, #1 New York Times bestselling author Danielle Steel unfurls a powerful saga that spans generations a...

  • Magic synopsis, comments

    Magic

    Danielle Steel

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERIt starts on a summer evening, with the kind of magic found only in Paris. Once a year in the City of Light, a lavish dinner takes place outside a spect...

  • The Mistress synopsis, comments

    The Mistress

    Danielle Steel

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Incomparable storyteller Danielle Steel illuminates rarely glimpsed precincts of unimaginable wealth and power, where love and freedom are the most da...

  • Undercover synopsis, comments

    Undercover

    Danielle Steel

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERMarshall Everett has traveled a twisting, perilous road from the jungles of South America to the streets of Paris. As an undercover DEA agent, Marshall pen...

  • The Numbers Game synopsis, comments

    The Numbers Game

    Danielle Steel

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER In Danielle Steel’s stunning novel, modern relationships come together, fall apart, and are reinvented over time, proving that age is just a number.Eilee...

  • Royal synopsis, comments

    Royal

    Danielle Steel

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER In this spellbinding tale from Danielle Steel, a princess is sent away to safety during World War II, where she falls in love, and is lost forever.As ...

  • Upside Down by Danielle Steel synopsis, comments

    Upside Down by Danielle Steel

    Danie̴lle Steel

    #1 New York Times bestselling author Danielle Steel delivers a poignant novel about a mother and daughter who must repair their relationship and find a way to follow their hearts. ...

  • Until the End of Time synopsis, comments

    Until the End of Time

    Danielle Steel

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER  Two couples, four decades apart. One believes that if lovers die, they find each other again in another life. Or perhaps they wind up as stars si...

  • Accidental Heroes synopsis, comments

    Accidental Heroes

    Danielle Steel

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER  A decorated former Air Force pilot. A pregnant flight attendant. A dedicated TSA agent. The fates of these three, and many others,...

  • Lost and Found synopsis, comments

    Lost and Found

    Danielle Steel

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER What might have been? That tantalizing question propels a woman on a crosscountry adventure to reunite with the men she loved and let go, in Danielle Ste...

  • Rushing Waters synopsis, comments

    Rushing Waters

    Danielle Steel

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Danielle Steel fearlessly tackles a catastrophe and its aftermath with characters who are joined together by accident, then share their vulnerabilities, ...

  • First Sight synopsis, comments

    First Sight

    Danielle Steel

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERParis, L.A., and the world of ready to wear fashion provide rich backdrops for Danielle Steel’s deeply involving story of a gifted designer whose talent an...

  • Silent Night synopsis, comments

    Silent Night

    Danielle Steel

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A shocking accident. A little girl struggling to survive.  And the childless aunt who transforms her own world to help her . . . Danielle Steel’s de...

  • Friends Forever synopsis, comments

    Friends Forever

    Danielle Steel

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERFive children meet on the first day of kindergarten. In the years that follow, they become friends and more than friends. Together, they will find strength...

  • Fall from Grace synopsis, comments

    Fall from Grace

    Danielle Steel

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From Danielle Steel comes the gripping story of a woman who loses everythingher husband, her home, her sense of self and safety, and her freedom. Sydney ...

  • The Duchess synopsis, comments

    The Duchess

    Danielle Steel

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER  The incomparable Danielle Steel breaks new ground as she takes us to nineteenthcentury England, where a highborn young woman is forced out into the ...

  • Dangerous Games synopsis, comments

    Dangerous Games

    Danielle Steel

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Bringing together a cast of fascinating characters in a riveting tale of ambition and corruption, politics, passion, and ultimate justice, Dangerous G...

  • Upside Down synopsis, comments

    Upside Down

    Danielle Steel

    #1 New York Times bestselling author Danielle Steel delivers a poignant novel about a mother and daughter who must repair their relationship and find a way to follow their hearts.O...