Oops! I made a mistake! I confused authors on two books i was reading. Alice Adams wrote Medicine Men. I'm also reading Dailey's Aspen Gold, which is apparently the nivel NORA ROBERTS sued her over.......from wiki....
Dailey was sued in 1997 by fellow novelist Nora Roberts, who accused Dailey of copying her work for over seven years. The practice came to light after a reader read Roberts' Sweet Revenge and Dailey's Notorious back-to-back; she noticed several similarities and posted the comparable passages on the internet. Calling the plagiarism "mind rape," Roberts sued Dailey.[9] Dailey acknowledged the theft and blamed it on a psychological disorder. She admitted that both Aspen Gold and Notorious lifted heavily from Roberts's work. Both of those novels were subsequently pulled from print.[10][11] In April 1998 Dailey settled the case. Although terms were not released, Roberts had previously indicated that any settlement funds should be donated to the Literacy Volunteers of America.[9][12]
In 2001, Dailey returned to publishing with a four-book deal with Kensington Books.
Dailey is still alive, born in 1944, so not so old.
I think i may have found a gem, a long time ago, someone mentioned Donati. I got her Into the Wilderness and started it while in a bout of insomnia last night. The first 50 pages are great. Late 18th century in New York state. I like the characters already. Unusually strong young women just arrived from England planning to start a school in the area where her father owned a thousand acres, her Father has plans for her marriage to the local physcian. Of course, there is a "backwoodsman" who has attracted her attention.
I love it when an author gives us a hint of what her research has been by naming and explaining those who assissted her, especially in historical fiction. Donati gives us a nice list.
Jean