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
The biggest critics of my books are people who never read them.
During the course of that year, I'll probably have another book come out, ... I'll go on the road to promote it and do publicity. People think the life of a writer like me is easy. 'She writes those scandalous books and then she just lounges around.'
I write about real people in disguise. If anything, my characters are toned down-the truth is much more bizarre.
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 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.
The biggest critics of my books are the people who never read them.
Men are cheaters. Women are not to be trusted. And most people are dumb.
I woke up last night and thought: 'I must call somebody in my next novel Casablanca.' It's such a great name. I don't want to call anybody Fred or Jane or Susan, so when three people get into bed together, you don't know who they are.
People are intrigued by fame, power and wealth and I think Hollywood is the only place where you get all three together.
A lot of people talk about writing. The secret is to write, not talk.
I'm a storyteller, I'm not a literary writer, and I don't want to be a literary writer. People say to me, "Oh, when are you going to write something different?" What? I don't want to write anything different. I'm writing relationships between people, all different colors, all different sizes, all different sexual orientations, and that's what I want to do.
My books flow. People say they pick them up and they can't put them down. It's because when I'm writing them I pick my pen up and I cannot put my pen down.
These are not big corporations buying these parcels. It's working-class people trying to put their money somewhere it will make them a return.