Beginning with “Falcon’s Prey,’’ in 1981, Ms. Jordan, whose real name was Penny Halsall, wrote more than 200 books that were translated into dozens of languages. At times, she was so prolific that she churned out a new novel every two months, including “Captive at the Sicilian Billionaire’s Command,’’ “A Stormy Spanish Summer,’’ and “One Night with the Sheikh.’’
She was a brilliant storyteller, Haddon said, adding that she was “at the forefront of the movement to have heroines of romantic fiction who were self-determining, independent women with careers.’’
A typical heroine of Jordan’s stories longed after statuesque men with impenetrable hearts and luxuriant hair. The women, though ravishing and strong-minded, typically had egos as fragile as hibiscus petals and yearned for the satisfaction that came with transforming a steely-eyed hero into a gentle yet passionate lover.
Although her books brimmed with sensuality, Ms. Jordan said the racy scenes were often the hardest part for her to imagine.
“I am of a generation where girls didn’t pop into bed with chaps they met for a date,’’ she told the Liverpool Daily Post in 2006. Her formula proved hugely successful, with sales of her novels exceeding $500 million.
She wrote on an electric typewriter on her kitchen table, most often in the company of her German shepherd, Sheba, and her cat, Posh.
Penelope Jones was born in Preston, Lancashire, England.
Her husband, Steve Halsall, died in 2002 from a form of cancer linked to alcohol abuse. His addiction was her “secret,’’ Ms. Jordan said.
“I was too ashamed and afraid to confide in friends, and wanted to convince others and myself that my marriage was a success,’’ she told the British publication the Express in 2006. “Finding ways for my characters to overcome their problems and make their relationships work helped plaster over the wound caused by my inability to make things right at home.’’
Ms. Jordan leaves her mother, a brother, and a sister.
She also used the pen names Annie Groves for her historical fiction, and Melinda Wright, Caroline Courtney, and Lydia Hitchcock for romance mysteries.
In 1989, Harlequin came up with a marketing scheme to capitalize on an untapped market: the women of East Berlin. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the publisher handed out more than 750,000 copies of Jordan’s “A Reason for Being’’ to the newly liberated German women.
“The appeal of romance is love,’’ Ms. Jordan once said. “And that’s universal.’’
