Jackie Collins
Jackie Collins
Jacqueline Jill "Jackie" Collins OBEwas an English romance novelist. She moved to Los Angeles in the 1960s and spent most of her career there. She wrote 32 novels, all of which appeared on The New York Times bestsellers list. In total, her books have sold over 500 million copies and have been translated into 40 languages. Eight of her novels have been adapted for the screen, either as films or television miniseries. She was the younger sister of actress Joan...
NationalityBritish
ProfessionNovelist
Date of Birth4 October 1937
CityLondon, England
I know I give people a lot of pleasure, ... I take them out of their lives. They have fun.
I have this theory that people in Hollywood don't read, ... They read 'Vanity Fair' and then consider themselves terribly well read. I think I can basically write about anybody without getting caught.
I'm truly blessed, ... I'm going to go to school, and I'm going to really dedicate myself.
I never cross anything out. I just add to it. It's embellishing. Then my assistant puts it on the computer. It's almost like reading something new when it goes on the computer.
I don't like being in one place too long. Five days just about does it for me because I have a very low threshold for boredom.
For a perfect holiday I need my iPhone and my writing tools. I write all my books by hand so black felt pens and yellow legal pads are a must. And my eyebrow pencil. I'm very low-maintenance.
Agents are essential, because publishers will not read unsolicited manuscripts.
Authors change publishers because it's like being married for a long time and suddenly you want to go out and have a wild affair! No, not seriously, sometimes the deal is more interesting with a new publisher, and other times they have more enthusiasm for your books.
I was never confident about finishing a book, but friends encouraged me. When I finished my first book, it was accepted by a publisher right away and became an instant bestseller. One male critic called it the most shocking book he ever read.
I write about real people in disguise. If anything, my characters are toned down-the truth is much more bizarre.
I don't believe in writing anything that I don't know about or haven't researched about personally. I like to transport the reader to places, and in order to do that I have to do the research.
Ideas are all around me. If I wasn't interested in them myself, I don't think anyone else would be either.
I think I'm a born storyteller. Inspiration is all around me. I can read a newspaper article and come up with an idea for a book.
I love people-watching at the clubs in Los Angeles, where girls make fools of themselves and guys pay thousands of dollars for a couple of bottles of vodka just so they can get a table. It's quite a scene.