All of her novels have been bestsellers, including those issued in hardback, despite "a resounding lack of critical acclaim" (Publishers Weekly).

[5] Her books often involve rich families facing a crisis, threatened by dark elements such as prison, fraud, blackmail, and suicide.

Steel was born Danielle Fernandes Dominique Schuelein-Steel in New York City to a German father and a Portuguese mother.

[8][9][10][11] She spent much of her childhood in France,[12] where from an early age she was included in her parents' dinner parties, giving her an opportunity to observe the habits and lives of the wealthy and famous.

A client, Ladies' Home Journal editor John Mack Carter, encouraged her to focus on writing,[11] having been impressed with her freelance articles.

These books, known as the "Max and Martha" series, aim to help children face real-life problems: new baby, new school, loss of loved one, etc.

[8] A San Francisco judge made a highly unusual ruling allowing the seal on Nick's adoption to be overturned, although he was still a minor.

This order was confirmed by a California Appellate Judge, who ruled that because Steel was famous, her son's adoption did not have the same privacy right,[8] and the book was allowed to be published.

[22] Steel married French banker Claude-Éric Lazard in 1965 at age 18 and gave birth to their daughter Beatrix.

Steel married for the fourth time in 1981, to John Traina, a shipping and cruise magnate and later vintner and art collector who was the ex-husband of Dede Wilsey.

[28] Steel married for a fifth time, to Silicon Valley financier Thomas James Perkins, but the marriage ended after four years in 2002.

To honor his memory, Steel wrote the nonfiction book His Bright Light, about Nick's life and death.

Proceeds of the book, which reached The New York Times Non-Fiction Bestseller List,[19] were used to found the Nick Traina Foundation, which Steel runs, to fund organizations dedicated to treating mental accessibility issues.

[35] To gain more recognition for children's mental health, Steel has lobbied for legislation in Washington, and previously held a fundraiser every two years (known as The Star Ball) in San Francisco.

The novels sometimes explore the world of the rich and famous[38] and frequently deal with serious life issues like illness, death, loss, family crises, and relationships.

[5] Despite a reputation among critics for writing "fluff", Steel often delves into the less savory aspects of human nature, including incest, suicide, divorce, war, and even the Holocaust.

Her later heroines tend to be stronger and more authoritative, who, if they do not receive the level of respect and attention they desire from a man, move on to a new life.

Ransom focuses more on suspense than romance, and follows three sets of seemingly unconnected characters as their lives begin to intersect.

[39] Toxic Bachelors departs from her usual style by telling the story through the eyes of the three title characters, men who are relationship phobic and ultimately discover their true loves.

[41] Steel also reached an agreement with New Line Home Entertainment in 2005 to sell the film rights to 30 of her novels for DVDs.