The Costco Connection - December 2015

By Shana McNally

DANIELLE STEEL’S PRIORITIES are family and work—in that order.

Before becoming a best-selling author, the author of this month’s book buyer’s pick, Precious Gifts, was a busy mom. Steel, a mother of nine, wrote her first book—which was published three years later—at age 19, the same year she had her first child. She also attended Parsons School of Design, and worked as a teacher, a translator and an advertising copywriter before writing full time.

“My writing was hidden early on while I was married, so it didn’t interfere with raising my kids. I never talked about it with them. I should have told them more how much I enjoy what I do,” Steel says.

“I hope that I silently imparted that, because all my kids love their jobs. None of them wake up at night and think, ‘I ought to be in insurance,’ ” she adds. Three are involved in fashion, two in music, two in startups and one in film (one of her sons, Nick, has passed away).

Fictional family

Steel’s focus on family stands in stark contrast to a pivotal character in Precious Gifts. Veronique Parker’s ex-husband dies suddenly, leaving her and her three daughters astonishing inheritances, all the more mysterious considering the lack of value he seemed to place on family.

Left with a mysterious painting, a château in the south of France, a shocking revelation from the past and the freedom to pursue their dreams, Parker’s

Signed book gıveaway

COSTCO HAS 50 signed copies of Danielle Steel’s Precious Gifts to give away. To enter, go to costco connectionbookgiveaway.com.

NO PURCHASE, PAYMENT OR OPT-IN OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN THIS SWEEPSTAKES.

Purchase will not improve odds of winning. Sweepstakes is sponsored by Random House, 1745 Broadway, New York, N Y

10019. Open to legal residents of the U.S. (except Puerto Rico) who are age 18 or older at the time of entry. One entry per household. Entries must be received before the January issue is available online, which will happen around December 26,

2015. Winners will be randomly selected and noti;ed by mail on or before February 1, 2016. The value of the prize is $28.

Void where prohibited. Winners are responsible for all applicable federal, state and local taxes. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received. Employees of Costco or Random House and their families are not eligible.

Pennie Clark Ianniciello, Costco book buyer

Pennie’s pick

I’VE BEEN in the book-buying industry for nearly all of my adult life. There have been certain constants—and I include Danielle Steel novels among those constants. She’s not only a proli;c writer, but she is truly one of the nicest authors I’ve ever met. For that reason, I’m pleased to say that her new novel, Precious Gifts, is this month’s book buyer’s pick.

When Paul Parker passes away, his three daughters are surprised by the inheritance left them by the man who was more interested in being a bon vivant than in being a father. The biggest surprise, however, is left for his ex-wife, the girls’ mother. It not only shakes her world, but also sets her free.

One of the best gifts you can give yourself this season is to take the time to read this book. (Item #1022526, 12/1)

daughters are left to question the mystery of their father and what their future could be.

The idea of a death in the family and the resulting contested will has a ring of truth that Steel prefers, along with a strong dash of her trademark hope and integrity.

A writer’s work

Steel’s second priority is work. In a recent interview with The Connection from her home in San Francisco, Steel was sitting at her desk in front of her “I am a very uncivilized writer. The criteria to interrupt [are] blood or fire. I don’t talk to anyone, see anyone or go out,” says Steel, a self-proclaimed workaholic who works on five books at a time (some for more than two years each, depending on the amount of research involved).

Steel is one of the world’s most popular authors, with more than 650 million copies sold, and her books have spent a record 390 consecutive weeks on the New York Times best-seller list.

Through 146 best-sellers—including 17 children’s books, poetry and nonfiction—she has explored multigenerational issues as diverse as bipolar disorder, terrorism and the Holocaust.

Dearth of downtime

In her rare time off, Steel, a Costco member, enjoys indulging in interior design and fashion, reading authors such as Kristin Hannah and Joel Osteen (meeting him in August was a thrill, she says) and catching up on Downton Abbey.

She also runs two foundations: The Nick Traina Foundation ( nicktrainafoundation.com), founded in honor of her late son, finances organizations involved in mental illness and child abuse; and the second foundation assists the homeless.

If she could somehow carve out more time, Steel
says, she would “live more of life, take better care of
myself and enjoy life more. I tend to do every-
thing I should do before I indulge myself. I
could have a better balance and be a little
nicer to myself.”
After so much success, is she still
excited when she sees people reading her
books? No question. “Most of us stay who
we were,” she says. “Writing is a very isolated
life—just me and my typewriter—so when I do
see people with my books, it’s a thrill.” C