The Love Machine (novel) only one which has at its center a male character. It was, Susann stated, an "attempt to get inside of men's ids." It's also the only Susann novel with an ostensibly happy ending. Susann dedicated the book to her friend Carol Bjorkman, a columnist for "Women's Wear Daily", who died of leukemia in 1967. Critical reception of "The Love Machine" was not positive, but it was slightly better than that of "Valley of the Dolls." Although Christopher Lehmann-Haupt of "The New York Times" wrote that the novel "is popcorn... the kernel of an idea, the seed of an inspiration, exploded
Jacqueline Susann singer Hildegarde, who was the boy's godmother. At the age of three, Guy was diagnosed as severely autistic, and eventually had to be institutionalized; Susann and Mansfield did not reveal the true reason for his absence from home, fearing that he would be stigmatized should he eventually recover. Reportedly, Susann and Mansfield rarely missed a week visiting their son. In 1954, the Mansfields adopted a black, half-toy half-miniature poodle, whom they named Josephine, in honor of comedian Joe E. Lewis. Josephine became the subject of Susann's first published book, and was to be the subject of a sequel, "Good Night,