British novelist Josephine Cox, a prolific author of family sagas that "combined romance and tragedy to dramatic, bestselling effect," died July 17, the Guardian reported. She was 82. In a career that spanned three decades, Cox published more than 60 books, which sold more than 20 million copies.
HarperCollins UK executive publisher Kimberley Young said Cox "has left a legacy, not only through her stories that touched the hearts of millions, but as a woman who led the way for others by forging a path from humble beginnings to the top of the bestseller lists." Young called Cox "an utter force of nature who inspired all around her," adding that the author wrote back to "each and every" fan who contacted her, "creating an army of readers who were as loyal to her and she was to them."
Born in Blackburn, Cox was one of 10 children. "We hardly had enough money for food and clothes, let alone books," she told the Guardian in 2008. "But I found a little green leather book of Wordsworth's poems on a tip. I hid it so nobody could take it. It was very precious to me."
Cox's most recent book, Two Sisters, was published in February. Among her other titles are The Beachcomber, A Family Secret, A Woman's Fortune, The Broken Man, The Runaway Woman, The Journey's End and the Emma Grady Sagas (Outcast, Alley Urchin, Vagabonds).
HarperCollins UK CEO Charlie Redmayne said she was "one of our most beloved writers.... Publishing is built on authors such as Josephine Cox, writers who know instinctively what their readers want and work diligently, and with the utmost dedication, to deliver it."
"I love writing, both recreating scenes and characters from my past, together with new storylines which mingle naturally with the old," Cox had said. "I could never imagine a single day without writing, and it's been that way since as far back as I can remember."