'Inspiration Surrounds Me'

 

“I don't believe in writing anything that I don't know about or haven't researched about personally. I like to transport the reader to places, and in order to do that I have to do the research.” –  Jackie Collins

 

Born on this day in 1937, Collins was the author of 32 novels, all of which appeared on The New York Times bestseller lists.  Her books, many still going strong, have sold over 500 million copies and been translated into 40 languages.

While she was never trained to be a writer, her husband encouraged her to do so, calling her “a born storyteller.”  And so she began writing at age 31 and really never stopped, writing up until her death in 2015.   Eight of her novels have been adapted for the screen, either as films or television miniseries.  Her books were often lambasted by critics and even fellow writers, but the public loved them.

“I think I'm a born storyteller,” she once said.                                

 

  “Inspiration is all around me. I can read a newspaper article and come up with an idea for a book.”