Publishing: Passion on the Pages

Her eventual success contributed, she says, to the breakup of her already troubled marriage in 1983. But now comes the part that romance readers love: into Roberts' house and life walked a 6-ft. 7-in. carpenter named Bruce Wilder. They were married two years later and have lived, so far, happily ever after. He has made substantial repairs and additions to the original house and also runs the Turn the Page bookstore in nearby Boonsboro, which boasts a collection of the entire Roberts canon and has become a mecca to her fans, some of whom call themselves (uh-oh) Noraholics.

Roberts knows some people look down on her work, but with a closetful of shoes and Armani outfits and the ability to travel abroad with her husband whenever the mood strikes them, she doesn't worry much about negative opinions. "The books are about the celebration of falling in love and emotion and commitment, and all of those things we really want." Since she has them, it's hard to fault her optimism.

--Reported by Andrea Sachs/Keedysville, Md.