Danielle Steel Named a Chevalier of the Legion d'Honneur by French Government

Posted on January 9, 2014

Bestselling novelist Danielle Steel has been awarded a Chevalier of the Legion d'Honneur, the highest honor bestowed by the French government. In 2002 she was named an Officier of L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres for outstanding literary achievement.

Ms. Steel told the San Francisco Chronicle, "I'd heard people talk about it, but I wasn't really paying attention. But I'm totally thrilled because the Chevalier recognizes lifetime achievement, which is really cool." Ms. steel was educated in France and spends time there on a regular basis. But she's always writing. Her latest book is nonfiction about beloved pets called Pure Joy: The Dogs We Love. Her next book, Power Play is out in March, 2014.

The author is taking a small break as she just met all her deadlines, but then she's back to writing. She explains, "...I get nervous when I'm not writing. My success is tempered by the fact that to do it well, I need to be driven by guilt. So I've always keep a fire under my posterior." Ms. Steel has sold 600 million copies of her books, all of them bestsellers.