Sweet Valley High author Francine Pascal dies at 92

Francine Pascal, the beloved author of the Sweet Valley High series, has sadly passed away at the age of 92. Her agent, Amy Bekower, confirmed to the BBC that Francine died on Sunday in a New York hospital after a battle with lymphoma, a type of cancer. Francine was best known for her captivating stories about the identical twins, Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield, who captured the hearts of readers around the globe. The series, which began in 1983, quickly became a sensation, with tales of teenage romance, friendship, and sibling rivalry set in the fictional town of Sweet Valley, located in Southern California. Over the next two decades, Francine wrote an impressive 180 books in the series, along with several spin-offs, including Sweet Valley Twins and Sweet Valley University. The books were translated into 27 languages and sold hundreds of millions of copies worldwide, making them a staple in young adult literature. In addition to the books, a television series based on the Sweet Valley stories aired from 1994 to 1997, featuring real-life twins Cynthia and Brittany Daniel in the lead roles. Francine Pascal's journey to creating the Sweet Valley series was quite interesting. Initially, she had considered developing a television series, but a friend suggested that a book series would allow for a deeper exploration of the characters and the town of Sweet Valley. Francine drew inspiration from her own life experiences and her three daughters, which helped her create relatable and engaging characters. She had a fascination with twins, which led her to develop the characters of Elizabeth and Jessica, representing the good and bad sides of one person. In 2022, a graphic novel titled Sweet Valley Twins was published, showing that the love for Sweet Valley continues to thrive. Francine's writing career began in the 1960s when she co-wrote for the soap opera The Young Marrieds alongside her husband, John Pascal. Before the Sweet Valley series, she wrote several other young adult novels, including Hangin' Out with Cici, My First Love and Other Disasters, and The Hand-Me-Down Kid. She also ventured into adult fiction, publishing Save Johanna! in 1981 and If Wishes Were Horses in 1994.