Janet Dailey

Janet Dailey
Janet Anne Haradon Dailey (May 21, 1944 – December 14, 2013) was an American author of numerous romance novels as Janet Dailey (her married name). Her novels have been translated into nineteen languages and have sold more than 300 million copies worldwide. Dailey was both an author and entrepreneur.
Early years
Janet Anne Haradon was born on May 21, 1944, in Storm Lake, Iowa to Boyd Clayton Haradon and Lena Louise (Zimmer) Haradon. She grew up in Iowa and graduated from high school in Independence, Iowa.
Dailey always wanted to be a writer and loved books. Her three elder sisters often read to her when she was good. By the age of four, she had her own library card. She graduated in 1962 from Jefferson High School in nearby Independence, Iowa and worked for a construction firm owned by her future husband, Bill Dailey, who was 15 years her senior. The two continued to work together, often spending 17 hours a day, seven days a week at work and married in 1964.
In 1974, after asserting that she could write a better romance novel than those she had read, Dailey's husband challenged her to prove it. Dailey spent eight months writing her first manuscript, No Quarter Asked, and then sent a query letter to Harlequin asking if they would like to read it. She was informed that because Harlequin only reprinted Mills & Boon novels at that point, so she would need to reach out to them in London. Mills & Boon acquired the book and released it in 1974. This made Dailey the first American woman to be published by Mills & Boon. In 1976, having already published multiple titles for Mills & Boon, No Quarter Asked was released by Harlequin as part of its Presents line. While many have claimed that Dailey was the first American author published by Harlequin, the Canadian publisher had in fact published many American authors prior to 1958, when it began exclusively reprinting Mills & Book titles. For the remainder of the 1970s, Harlequin reportedly used Dailey's presence on their roster as an excuse for rejecting other American authors, such as Nora Roberts, claiming they "already had their American writer."
Category romance
Dailey "provide[d] ... [the] first look at heroines, heroes and courtships that take place in America, with American sensibilities, assumptions, history, and most of all, settings." She introduced the Western romance, romance novels set in the American West. The Western romance focused on the female, who was often marginalized in traditional Western novels. Because her novels were set in contemporary times, there is little frontier, but the novels recreate that feeling by introducing "physical confrontation of the elements" and focusing on the "primary nature of the pursuit" by a man and woman "unconstrained by any society's expectations of them." Many of the themes in her novels were groundbreaking for the genre. Her heroines, unlike most, lost their virginity. Others fell in love with poor or unattractive heroes.
She wrote a total of 57 novels for Harlequin. Among these novels were 50 in the "Janet Dailey Americana Series," in which every state in the United States was represented. The Guinness Book of World Records recognized her for this achievement of setting a novel in every state. By 1998, her Harlequin novels had sold a combined 80 million copies. Dailey was also one of the early writers for the Silhouette lines, for which she wrote 12 titles.
During her most prolific years, Dailey set herself the goal of writing 15 pages per day. Her day began at 4 a.m. On good days, she would meet her quota in 8 to 10 hours; other days would require 12 to 14 hours of work. When she met her goal, Dailey would often stop writing, even if she were in the middle of a sentence. The unfinished thoughts provided her an incentive to begin writing again the next day. Some of her early novels for Harlequin took only eight days to write.
Single-title romance
In 1979, Dailey became the first romance author to transition from writing category romances to writing single-title romance novels. Her first mass market romance novel, Touch the Wind, reached the New York Times Best Seller List. Her subsequent books have also been New York Times Best Sellers. There are currently more than 325 million copies of her books in print, with translations in 19 languages for 98 countries.
In 1982, Dailey adapted her novel Foxfire Light into a film, starring Leslie Nielsen, Tippi Hedren, Faye Grant and Barry Van Dyke.
Dailey began offering The Janet Dailey Award in 1993. This $5,000 annual award was given to an author whose romance novel best addressed a social issue.
Plagiarism
Dailey was sued in 1997 by fellow novelist Nora Roberts, who accused Dailey of copying her work over a period of more than seven years. The practice came to light after a reader read Roberts' Sweet Revenge and Dailey's Notorious back-to-back; she noticed several similarities and posted the comparable passages on the internet. Calling the plagiarism "mind rape", Roberts sued Dailey. Dailey acknowledged the theft and blamed it on a psychological disorder. She admitted that both Aspen Gold and Notorious lifted heavily from Roberts' work; both novels were subsequently pulled from print. In April 1998 Dailey settled the case. Although terms were not released, Roberts had previously indicated that any settlement funds should be donated to the Literacy Volunteers of America.
In 2001, Dailey returned to publishing with a four-book deal with Kensington Books. The contract called for two books in the Calder series Dailey has written about a ranching family in Montana, and two books with holiday themes. Kensington expanded their relationship with Dailey in 2002, when she contracted for three more hardcover novels about the Calder family and an additional mass market original novel. At the same time, they purchased the reprint rights to 50 of her previously published romances.
Personal life
In 1978, Dailey and her husband Bill moved from Council Bluffs, Iowa to Branson, Missouri, where Bill promoted and produced shows at the Americana Theater. He died on August 5, 2005.
Dailey considered Branson "an ideal place to live. The weather is generally good, the country is beautiful, and the people are so friendly—and unobtrusive."
She died at her home in Branson on December 14, 2013, from complications of heart surgery.
Bibliography
Cord and Stacy series
No Quarter Asked (1974)
Fiesta San Antonio (1977)
For Bitter or Worse (1978)
Single novels
Something Extra (1975)
Sweet Promise (1976)
Master Fiddler (1977)
Ivory Cane (1977)
The Rogue (1979)
Touch the Wind (1979)
Ride the Thunder (1980)
Hostage Bride (1981)
The Lancaster Men (1981)
Night Way (1981)
For the Love of God (1982)
Foxfire Light (1982)
Terms of Surrender (1982)
Wildcatter's Woman (1982)
The Best Way to Lose (1983)
Mistletoe and Holly (1983)
The Second Time (1983)
Separate Cabins (1983)
Western Man (1983)
Leftover Love (1984)
Silver Wings Santiago Blue (1984)
The Pride of Hannah Wade (1985)
Glory Game (1985)
The Great Alone (1986)
Heiress (1987)
Rivals (1988)
Masquerade (1990)
Tangled Vines (1992)
Riding High (1994)
The Proud and the Free (1994)
Legacies (1995)
The Healing Touch (1996)
Notorious (1996)
Castles in the Sand (1996)
A Capital Holiday (2001)
Scrooge Wore Spurs (2002)
The Not Forgotten War (2003)
Maybe This Christmas (2003)
Because of You (2004)
Can't Say Goodbye (2004)
Dance with Me (2004)
Everything (2004)
Eve's Christmas (2006)
Man of Mine (2007)
Something More (2007)
Wearing White (2007)
With This Kiss (2007)
Calder series
This Calder Sky (1981)
This Calder Range (1982)
Stands a Calder Man (1983)
Calder Born, Calder Bred (1983)
Calder Pride (1999)
Green Calder Grass (2002)
Shifting Calder Wind (2003)
Calder Promise (2004)
Lone Calder Star (2005)
Calder Storm (2006)
Santa in Montana (2010)
Aspen series
Aspen Gold (1991)
Illusions (1997)
Americana series
AL-Dangerous Masquerade
AK-Northern Magic
AZ-Sonora Sundown
AR-Valley Of the Vapours
CA-Fire And Ice
CO-After the Storm
CT-Difficult Decision
DE-The Matchmakers
FL-Southern Nights
GA-Night Of The Cotillion
HI-Kona Winds
ID-The Travelling Kind
IL-A Lyon's Share
IN-The Indy Man
IA-The Homeplace
KS-The Mating Season
KY-Bluegrass King
LA-The Bride Of The Delta Queen
ME-Summer Mahogany
MD-Bed Of Grass
MA-That Boston Man
MI-Enemy In Camp
MN-Giant Of Mesabi
MS-A Tradition Of Pride
MO-Show Me
MT-Big Sky Country
NE-Boss Man From Ogallala
NV-Reilly's Woman
NH-Heart Of Stone
NJ-One Of The Boys
NM-Land Of Enchantment
NY-Beware Of The Stranger
NC-That Carolina Summer
ND-Lord Of the High Lonesome
OH-The Widow And The Wastrel
OK-Six White Horses
OR-To Tell The Truth
PA-The Thawing Of Mara
RI-Strange Bedfellow
SC-Low Country Liar
SD-Dakota Dreamin'''
TN-Sentimental Journey TX-Savage Land UT-A Land Called Deseret VT-Green Mountain Man VA-Tidewater Lover WA-For Mike's Sake WV-Wild And Wonderful WI-With A Little Luck WY-Darling Jenny Americana (2001) (Omnibus)
Americana 2 (2002) (Omnibus)
Janet Dailey's Americana III (2002) (Omnibus)
New Americana Series
Sunrise Canyon (2016) (Posthumous)
Refuge Cove (2017) (Posthumous)
Letters from Peaceful Lane (2019) (Posthumous)
Hart's Hollow Farm (2019) (Posthumous)
Paradise Peak (2020) (Posthumous)
Collections
Boss Man From Ogallala / Darling Jenny (1982)
Heart of Stone / Big Sky Country (1982)
No Quarter Asked / The Indy Man (1982)
Best of Janet Dailey: To Tell the Truth, That Boston Man (1983)
Best of Janet Dailey: Bed of Grass, Heart of Stone (1984)
Best of Janet Dailey: Wild and Wonderful, One of the Boys (1985)
Rivals / Heiress (1991)
Janet Dailey Collection (1994)
Masquerade / Rivals / Heiress (1994)
Janet Dailey Gift Set (1995)
Summer Lovers: Strange Bedfellows; First Best And Only; Granite Man (1997)
Always with Love (2002)
Happy Holidays (2004)
Western Man and Leftover Love (2004)
Forever (2004)
Going My Way (2005)
Happily Ever After (2005)
It Takes Two (2005)
Let's Be Jolly (2005)
Bring the Ring (2006)
Ranch Dressing (2006)
Try to Resist Me (2006)
Foxfire Light / For the Love of God (2007)
Separate Cabins / Second Time (2007)
Omnibus in collaboration
The Jasmine Bride / Sweet Promise / Turbulent Covenant (1987) (with Daphne Clair and Jessica Steele)
The Master Fiddler / Forest of the Night / Rightful Possession (1988) (with Jane Donnelly and Sally Wentworth)
Mistletoe and Holly / Sweet Sea Spirit (1991) (with Emilie Richards)
Marry Me Cowboy (1995) (with Susan Fox, Anne McAllister and Margaret Way)
Santa's Little Helpers (1995) (with Patricia Gardner Evans and Jennifer Greene)
Flower Girls (1996) (with Beverly Beaver, Margaret Brownley and Ruth Ann Dale)
A Spring Bouquet (1996) (with Jo Beverley, Rebecca Brandewyne and Debbie Macomber)
Homecoming (1997) (with Deborah Bedford, Dinah McCall and Fern Michaels)
Unmasked (1997) (with Jennifer Blake and Elizabeth Gage)
Wild Action (1997) (with Dawn Stewardson)
The Only Thing Better Than Chocolate (2002) (with Kylie Adams and Sandra Steffen)
Non-fiction
The Janet Dailey Companion: A Comprehensive Guide to Her Life and Her Novels'' (1996)
References
Further reading
External links
Janet Dailey's Official Website
Janet Dailey's Webpage in Fantastic Fiction's Website
Janet Dailey on the Internet Book List
Harlequin Enterprises Ltd's Website
20th-century American novelists
21st-century American novelists
American romantic fiction writers
American women novelists
1944 births
2013 deaths
People from Storm Lake, Iowa
Novelists from Iowa
People involved in plagiarism controversies
People from Branson, Missouri
Novelists from Missouri
Women romantic fiction writers
People from Independence, Iowa
20th-century American women writers
21st-century American women writers