A Woman of Substance remains popular because Emma Harte is a hero to women around the world. She is a role model of strength, integrity and courage.

Barbara Taylor Bradford’s novels have sold more than 70 million copies, in 90 countries, in more than 40 languages. Her husband, producer Robert Bradford, has made ten of her 18 novels into television mini series.

In May 2003, having learned that the Sahara Network was planning a primetime television series, based on her first novel, A Woman of Substance, Bradford flew to Kolkata and obtained an injunction against the network.

A Woman of Substance, the rags-to-riches rise of department store matriarch and business entrepreneur, Emma Harte, now ranks among the top ten best-selling novels ever published. It has sold more than 24 million copies around the world and has never been out of print, since it was first published in 1978.

In April 2003, Bradford was honoured as the 2003 Literary Legend inductee for the Writers’ Hall Of Fame in America. With her induction she joined luminaries such as Ernest Hemingway and Robert Frost.
Bradford was born in Leeds in the North of England. She sold her first story to a children’s magazine when she was 12 years old. At 20, Bradford went to work in London’s legendary Fleet Street and became Fashion Editor of Woman’s Own.

Each of her novels has been dedicated to her husband who, in turn, marks each new volume by surprising the author with a piece of jewellery. This year, they will celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary.

Bradford is the first living, female author and the second British woman, after the Queen, to be honoured with a stamp in her lifetime by three different countries, the Caribbean nations of Grenada and St Vincent, and the Isle of Man.

In 1990, the only child, who disappointed her parents by going to work at a newspaper instead of entering higher education, received a Doctor of Letters degree from Leeds University. Bradford, one of the wealthiest female authors in the world, lives in a landmark building in Manhattan. Emma’s Secret, her new novel, that recently hit the stands, has been published by Harper Collins.

Despite the Supreme Court injunction staying the telecast of Karishma – The Miracle of Destiny, the producers are still shooting the series. What is the legal update on this debacle?

The latest legal update had lawyers for myself and the Sahara network making court appearances from Friday June 13th through Monday June 16th and perhaps beyond. We are trying to make the injunction stick. They are trying to get the courts to remove it.

Would you consider a legitimate collaboration with an Indian producer, to produce a tele-series in Hindi based on one of your novels?

I would perhaps consider the opportunity to work with an Indian producer for an adaptation of my novel. It is, however, important that I have some creative input to preserve the integrity of my original stories.

A Woman of Substance remains your best-known novel. Why do you think the character of Emma Harte so effectively captured the world’s imagination?
A Woman of Substance remains popular because Emma Harte is a ‘hero’ to women around the world. She is a role model of strength, integrity and courage.

Why did you feel the need to revisit the Emma Harte story in your latest book, Emma’s Secret?
I have for years been getting requests to revisit the Harte family story and to again write about Emma. I guess you could say that public demand and my own interest in this unique family saga took me back to them.

Your novels are based in different countries with diverse settings. How do you decide on a particular story line?
Though locations can inspire, I always begin with a character, not with a location. In my way of writing, the character is the story. The plot can be set anywhere.

How do you balance the demands of your gruelling writing schedule with those of your personal life?
I am very organised and stick to my schedule. I get up at around 5.30 in the morning and go straight to my typewriter, where I work until 3 or 4 p.m. My personal life resumes once I emerge from that writing room. I love to entertain friends at my New York apartment. I also love decorating, going to the theatre and the movies, time permitting.

How do you cope with literary criticism?
I pay little attention to criticism of my work. I write for myself first and then for my readers. When I am actually writing, I don’t ever think, “What will the critics think?”

Are you closely involved with the aspects of production? Do you write the script yourself?
For the mini-series, I am rarely if ever involved in the production. If I’m lucky, my husband, Bob, will let me visit the sets once or twice to meet the actors. I’ve only written one script out of the ten that have been produced as films.

What is the secret of your long and happy married life?
There is no real secret to maintaining a happy marriage. I guess we are first great friends. We happen to like the same things and we have similar tastes. Trust, communication and respect are probably the most important qualities in a relationship.

How much of your own character is mirrored in your heroines?
Large chunks of my personality are mirrored in my main characters. I think the same can be said of most authors and their characters.

You are of British origin, have lived and worked in America for nearly 40 years and have an American nationality. Are you more British or American?
I feel more British than American. Though my apartment is in New York, I spend quite a few months in England, every year. And I read the UK newspapers every day to stay in touch.

How do your readers react when they meet you in person?
Readers are always very respectful when meeting me and very warm. Sometimes they appear to be in awe of me but I soon put them at ease. Often, they ask questions that require a good deal of thought before answering.

You are the first living female author to be honoured with a stamp in her lifetime by three different countries. What dreams, if any, remain unfulfilled?
I’ve fulfilled most of my dreams, though I honestly always aspire to write better books and would love to try different genres. I think when I wrote the novel about Katie Byrne, I got the itch to perhaps write a ‘straight mystery’ some day.