Jacqueline Susann Jacqueline Susann Jacqueline Susann (August 20, 1918 – September 21, 1974) was an American writer and actress. Her first novel, "Valley of the Dolls" (1966), is one of the best-selling books in publishing history. With her two subsequent works, "The Love Machine" (1969) and "Once Is Not Enough" (1973), Susann became the first author to have three consecutive #1 novels on "The New York Times" Best Seller List. Jacqueline Susann was born on August 20, 1918, in Philadelphia, a single daughter to a Jewish couple: Robert Susan (1887–1957), a portrait painter, and Rose Jans (1892–1981), a public schoolteacher. As a
Jacqueline Susann Mathews (1919–1999), she began to adapt into book form letters she had written about her beloved poodle, Josephine. Published by Bernard Geis Associates on November 14, 1963, "Every Night, Josephine!" sold 35,000 copies in hardcover, and by 1973 sold 1.7 million paperbacks. This affectionate account of Josephine's hijinks earned positive reviews and appeared briefly on "Time" magazine's best seller list, peaking at #8. In support of "Josephine!", Susann undertook her first book tour, on which she was accompanied by the subject herself; often she and Josephine wore matching outfits. Even after publishing her novels, Susann cited "Josephine!" as her favorite