It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of much-loved author Jessica Steele. Jessica wrote a phenomenal 88 romance novels for Mills & Boon during a writing career that spanned four decades.

After initially working as a junior clerk, Jessica was encouraged and supported by her late husband to pursue a writing career. She published her first romance novel with Mills & Boon/Harlequin, The Icicle Heart, in 1978 and her last The Girl From Honeysuckle Farm in 2009.

Jessica was loved by her readers around the world for her classic romances set in both the UK and many exotic locations. She was a tantamount professional, loved to hear from and correspond with her readers, and to gain authentic background for her books, she travelled and researched in Hong Kong, China, Mexico, Japan, Peru, Russia, Egypt, Chile and Greece.

She will be hugely missed by all those who worked with her and with her many readers around the world. Our thoughts and condolences go out to her family.

By Becky Lushey