"I Try Very Hard To Give People Hope"

The world's best-selling living author shares about her work and the logistics of gathering her family together

- SUSAN WATSON

Imagine gazing up to the top of the Eiffel Tower... then multiply that by 60,000. That's how high the stack would be if you piled up all the billion copies of Danielle Steel's books sold worldwide throughout her incredible writing career.

It's yet another achievement this year for the world's bestselling living author who is "grateful" and "amazed" at her latest milestone.

Writing prolifically since publishing her first novel in 1973, Danielle's books delve into the good and bad elements of family life, relationships and love while examining the broad spectrum of human experience.

This week, her novel Beautiful will be released in paperback. It follows the story of a supermodel, Veronique, whose life is changed beyond recognition when she is caught up in an explosion.

"I was inspired to write this book by the question of our notion of beauty. Is it internal? External? Is a beautiful woman with half a damaged face still beautiful with a single flaw, or is she no longer beautiful?" Danielle asks.

"I was inspired by the courage it takes to survive adversity; when you have to rethink your whole life because of a major loss."

Danielle's books tackle a range of issues from homelessness and infertility to affairs of the heart.