Janet Dailey was a renowned American novelist, best known for her romance novels. She was born in 1944 in Storm Lake, Iowa, and attended secretarial school in Omaha, Nebraska. After meeting her husband, Bill, she worked with him in construction and land development until they retired to travel throughout the United States. This travel inspired her to write the Americana series of romances, where she set a novel in every state of the Union.
Dailey's writing career took off in 1974 when she became the first American author to write for Harlequin, with her first novel being "No Quarter Asked." She went on to write approximately 90 novels, 21 of which have appeared on the New York Times Bestseller List. Her books have been translated into nineteen languages and have sold over 300 million copies worldwide, making her one of the most popular novelists in the world.
Dailey's novels are characterized by strong, decisive characters, and a strong sense of time and place. She used her stories to confront important, and controversial social issues of the day. However, in 1997, Dailey was sued by popular romance novelist Nora Roberts for plagiarism, which Roberts considered "mind rape." Despite this controversy, Dailey's work remains widely read and respected in the romance genre.
Janet Dailey passed away peacefully in her home in Branson on Saturday, December 14, 2013, at the age of 69. Her legacy as a prolific and influential romance novelist continues to this day, with over three hundred million Janet Dailey books in print in 19 different languages. Her official website, JanetDailey.com, provides more information about her life and work.