Janet Dailey

Biography

Janet Dailey published her first novel, No Quarter Asked, after being challenged to write by her husband. Her husband, Bill Dailey, who also served as her business manager, passed away in August 2005. Initially published by the Harlequin Presents line, she also went to write for Silhouette. Her website indicates that she's the bestselling female author in North America and third best-selling author in the world. While these claims are difficult to verify, there is no doubt that Janet Dailey was once one of the biggest names in the romance genre.

In mid-1997, Janet Dailey was sued by author Nora Roberts for plagiarizing Roberts' books. Dailey admitted that passages from Aspen Gold and Notorious were indeed plagiarized, the cased was settled, and Nora Roberts donated her settlement to literacy causes. Dailey cited various stress-related issues, including the illness of her husband, as the root causes of plagiarism, and fans since have debated whether or not to continue reading her works. The books in question are no longer available for commercial purchase (naturally, their collectible value rose on the news). A third book was also identified as containing plagiarized passages, but had not been released when the suit was filed.

Janet Dailey wrote 57 books for the Harlequin Presents imprint. She published eight books for the Silhouette Romance line. Her "Americana" series features books set in every one of the United States. She has appeared regularly on the New York Times Bestseller list, starting with 1979's Touch The Wind. After an absence from romance resulting from the plagiarism scandal, she returned to writing for Kensington.

The Romance Writers of America created the Janet Dailey Award for novels with social relevance. The award was discontinued in 1997.

Books

• After The Storm - December 1976, Presents, #167
• Bed Of Grass - March 1980, Presents, #343
• Beware Of The Stranger - October 1978, Presents, #256
• Big Sky Country - July 1978, Presents, #244
• Bluegrass King - September 1977, Presents, #203
• Boss Man From Ogallala - March 1976, Presents, #131
• Bride Of The Delta Queen, The - May 1979, Presents, #284
• Dakota Dreamin' - August 1981, Presents, #445
• Dangerous Masquerade - January 1977, Presents, #171
• Darling Jenny - March 1978, Presents, #227
• Difficult Decision - October 1980, Presents, #386
• Enemy In Camp - August 1980, Presents, #373
• Fiesta San Antonio - June 1977, Presents, #192
• Fire And Ice - July 1976, Presents, #147
• For Bitter Or Worse - January 1979, Presents, #267
• For Mike's Sake - October 1979, Presents, #313
• For The Love Of God - December 1981 (Silhouette Romance #118)
• Giant Of Mesabi - November 1978, Presents, #259
• Green Mountain Man - February 1979, Presents, #272
• Heart Of Stone - November 1980, Presents, #391
• Homeplace, The - October 1976, Presents, #159
• Hostage Bride, The - June 1981 (Silhouette Romance #82)
• Indy Man, The - February 1978, Presents, #223
• Ivory Cane, The - January 1978, Presents, #219
• Kona Winds - January 1980, Presents, #332
• Lancaster Men, The - October 1981 (Silhouette Romance #106)
• Land Called Deseret, A - December 1979, Presents, #326
• Land Of Enchantment - August 1976, Presents, #151
• Lord Of The High Lonesome - June 1980, Presents, #363
• Low Country Liar - August 1979, Presents, #302
• Lyon's Share, A - October 1977, Presents, #208
• Master Fiddler, The - September 1978, Presents, #252
• Matchmakers, The - December 1978, Presents, #264
• Mating Season, The - May 1980, Presents, #356
• Mistletoe And Holly - December 1982 (Silhouette Romance #195)
• Night Of The Cotillion - March 1977, Presents, #180
• No Quarter Asked - January 1976, Presents, #124
• Northern Magic - January 1982, Presents, #475
• One Of The Boys - December 1980, Presents, #399
• Reilly's Woman - April 1978, Presents, #231
• Savage Land - May 1976, Presents, #139
• Second Time, The - September 1982 (Silhouette Romance #177)
• Sentimental Journey - November 1979, Presents, #319
• Separate Cabins - March 1983 (Silhouette Romance #213)
• Show Me - August 1977, Presents, #200
• Six White Horses - March 1979, Presents, #275
• Something Extra - August 1978, Presents, #248
• Sonora Sundown - June 1978, Presents, #239
• Southern Nights - July 1980, Presents, #369
• Strange Bedfellow - July 1979, Presents, #296
• Summer Mahogany - April 1979, Presents, #279
• Sweet Promise - September 1979, Presents, #308
• That Boston Man - February 1980, Presents, #338
• That Carolina Summer - March 1982, Presents, #488
• Thawing Of Mara, The - April 1980, Presents, #349
• Travelling Kind, The - May 1981, Presents, #427
• Tidewater Lover - June 1979, Presents, #292
• To Tell The Truth - May 1978, Presents, #236
• Tradition Of Pride, A - April 1981, Presents, #421
• Valley Of The Vapours - April 1977, Presents, #183
• Western Man - June 1983 (Silhouette Romance #231)
• Widow And The Wastrel, The - November 1977, Presents, #211
• Wild And Wonderful - March 1981, Presents, #416
• Wildcatter's Woman - May 1982 (Silhouette Romance #153)
• With A Little Luck - February 1982, Presents, #482

On the Web

• Janet Dailey

Interviews/Articles

• A 2001 Update in the Janet Dailey/Nora Roberts Plagiarism Case

• The Janet Dailey companion : a comprehensive guide to her life and her novels[interviewed by] Sonja Massie and Martin H. Greenberg. New York : HarperCollinsPublishers, c1996.

• Whitehead, Frances. "Janet Dailey: Overview." Twentieth-Century Romance & Historical Writers. Ed. Aruna Vasudevan. 3rd ed. Twentieth-Century Writers Series New York: St. James Press, 1994.