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Janet Anne Haradon Dailey (May 21, 1944 – December 14, 2013) was an American author of numerous
romance novels A romance novel or romantic novel generally refers to a type of genre fiction novel which places its primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and usually has an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Pr ...
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 Storm Lake is a city in Buena Vista County, Iowa, United States. The population was 11,269 in the 2020 census, an increase from 10,076 in the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Buena Vista County. Storm Lake is home to Buena Vista Universit ...
to Boyd Clayton Haradon and Lena Louise (Zimmer) Haradon. She grew up in Iowa and graduated from high school in
Independence, Iowa Independence is a city in, and the county seat of, Buchanan County, Iowa, United States. The population was 6,064 in the 2020 census, an increase from 6,014 in 2000. History Independence was founded in 1847 near the center of present-day Buc ...
. 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,Janet Dailey website 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 Mills & Boon is a romance imprint of British publisher Harlequin UK Ltd. It was founded in 1908 by Gerald Rusgrove Mills and Charles Boon as a general publisher. The company moved towards escapist fiction for women in the 1930s. In 1971, the ...
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 A gift or a present is an item given to someone without the expectation of payment or anything in return. An item is not a gift if that item is already owned by the one to whom it is given. Although gift-giving might involve an expectation ...
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 Nora Roberts (born Eleanor Marie Robertson on October 10, 1950) is an American author of more than 225 romance novels. She writes as J. D. Robb for the '' in Death'' series and has also written under the pseudonyms Jill March and for publicatio ...
, claiming they "already had their American writer."


Category romance

Dailey "provide nbsp;... hefirst 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 Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US * Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that i ...
novels. Because her novels were set in contemporary times, there is little
frontier A frontier is the political and geographical area near or beyond a boundary. A frontier can also be referred to as a "front". The term came from French in the 15th century, with the meaning "borderland"—the region of a country that fronts ...
, 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 ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
'' 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. Her novel ''Foxfire Light'' was made into a movie. 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 Nora Roberts (born Eleanor Marie Robertson on October 10, 1950) is an American author of more than 225 romance novels. She writes as J. D. Robb for the '' in Death'' series and has also written under the pseudonyms Jill March and for publicatio ...
, 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 ProLiteracy, also known as ProLiteracy Worldwide, is an international nonprofit organization that supports literacy programs that help adults learn to read and write. Based in Syracuse, New York, ProLiteracy has slightly less than 1,000 member prog ...
. In 2001, Dailey returned to publishing with a four-book deal with
Kensington Books Kensington Publishing Corp. is an American, New York-based publishing house founded in 1974 by Walter Zacharius (1923–2011)Grimes, William"Walter Zacharius, Romance Publisher, Dies at 87,"''New York Times'' (MARCH 7, 2011). and Roberta Bender G ...
. 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 Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The city is the most populous in Southwest Iowa, and is the third largest and a primary city of the Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Area. It is loc ...
to
Branson, Missouri Branson is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri. Most of the city is situated in Taney County, Missouri, Taney County, with a small portion in the west extending into Stone County, Missouri, Stone County. Branson is in the Ozarks, Ozark Mountains. ...
, 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

* ''Dumb bum” (1974) * ''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 Daphne Clair de Jong, née ''Williams'' (born 1939 in Dargaville, Northland) is a popular New Zealand writer of over 75 romance novels since 1977 as Daphne Clair and Daphne de Jong, and under the pseudonyms Laurey Bright, Clair Lorel, and Clari ...
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 Emilie Richards is an American author of over 50 contemporary romance and mystery novels. Early years Emilie Richards was born in Bethesda, Maryland and raised in St. Petersburg, Florida. After receiving an undergraduate degree in American st ...
) * ''Marry Me Cowboy'' (1995) (with
Susan Fox Susan is a feminine given name, from Persian "Susan" (lily flower), from Egyptian '' sšn'' and Coptic ''shoshen'' meaning "lotus flower", from Hebrew ''Shoshana'' meaning "lily" (in modern Hebrew this also means "rose" and a flower in general), ...
, Anne McAllister and Margaret Way) * ''Santa's Little Helpers'' (1995) (with
Patricia Gardner Evans Patricia is a female given name of Latin origin. Derived from the Latin word '' patrician'', meaning "noble"; it is the feminine form of the masculine given name Patrick. The name Patricia was the second most common female name in the United S ...
and
Jennifer Greene Jennifer Greene is one of the pseudonyms for Jill Alison Hart (born in Michigan, United States). She is a writer of over 85 romance novels since 1980. She has also written novels as Jeanne Grant and Jessica Massey, and uses the name Alison Hart ...
) * ''Flower Girls'' (1996) (with Beverly Beaver, Margaret Brownley and Ruth Ann Dale) * ''A Spring Bouquet'' (1996) (with
Jo Beverley Mary Josephine Beverley (née Dunn; 22 September 1947 – 23 May 2016) was a prolific English-Canadian writer of historical and contemporary romance novels from 1988 to 2016. Her works are regarded as well researched, filled with historical d ...
, Rebecca Brandewyne and
Debbie Macomber Debbie Macomber (born October 22, 1948) is an American author of romance novels and contemporary women's fiction. Six of her novels have become made-for-TV movies and her ''Cedar Cove'' series of novels was adapted into a television series of th ...
) * ''Homecoming'' (1997) (with
Deborah Bedford According to the Book of Judges, Deborah ( he, דְּבוֹרָה, ''Dəḇōrā'', "bee") was a prophetess of the God of the Israelites, the fourth Judge of pre-monarchic Israel and the only female judge mentioned in the Bible. Many schola ...
,
Dinah McCall In the Book of Genesis, Dinah (; ) was the seventh child and only daughter of Leah and Jacob, and one of the matriarchs of the Israelites. The episode of her violation by Shechem, son of a Canaanite or Hivite prince, and the subsequent vengean ...
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
i
Fantastic Fiction's Website


on the Internet Book List
Harlequin Enterprises Ltd's Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dailey, Janet 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