10/25/21, ‘Harvard Business Review’
Hi Everyone,
I thought you might enjoy this interview, which just came out.
Have a great week!!
love, Danielle
https://hbr.org/2021/11/lifes-work-an-interview-with-danielle-steel
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Thankyou Ms Steele for the gracious interview, wonderful story. Best Regards. Angela Mc.com
Hi Danielle,
Really wonderful interview! It’s great to see you in the Harvard Business Review.
You have such a droll sense of humour (your cooking comments always make me laugh). And you name-dropped “safe harbor”; you should try an interview where you name drop as many of your books as possible and see if the interviewer notices.
I hope the agent who advised you to stay home and cook lived to see your amazing success and be filled with regret that he didn’t sign you. It’s interesting that the 7th Avenue criticism turned you away from a career in fashion, while the agent’s cooking comments made you determined to excel as a writer.
After seeing this interview I want to read 1) your memoirs…I wish you’d write a nonfiction book about your life; and 2) the five books that didn’t get published (I’ve always been intrigued by them).
Love,
Elaine
Thank you, Danielle.
I loved the following Q&A:
“Did you have any mentors?
That man who told me to forget about writing was actually Alex Haley’s agent, and Alex, who wrote Roots, became my mentor. We met at a luncheon, and he read my first book and said, “You’re going to be famous one day.” He was a wonderful support system, a good friend and a father figure to me. I’m a terrible night owl, because I get so much more done at night, and he was too. He used to call me at 3 in the morning: “Are you working?” “Yes, I’m working.” “OK, that’s good.” Then he’d hang up.”
Wow !
Really cool !
TWLS,
Rob Scott
ABQ, NM
I’m happy for them that they interviewed you!
I love what you’re saying about the stories and ideas that “spark”.
That’s how I feel when a new idea for a short story comes up ^^.
Also: Sometimes, when we think of fairy tales, we think: oh, fairies, so cute.
But originally, fairy tales address the children’s deepest fears (being abandoned by their parents, eaten alive, etc.)
The kids feel deeply reassured by the stories.
That is how I feel when I read your books.
It may sound like a funny comparison, but like the third little pig and his brick house, we as adults can survive really tough times if we take care of our problems.
To me, you write fairy tales for adults, in the deepest, most powerful meaning of the word.
Merci.