Belinda Jones, a British-born author of 16 books who eventually settled in California, died December 1, the Coronado Times reported. She was 56. After studying journalism at the London College of Printing, Jones began her writing career as a journalist, writing for women's style and film magazines, as well as becoming a familiar voice on British TV and radio.
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Her career evolved into travel writing, and during a 1998 visit to Coronado Island, she fell in love with California and relocated to the U.S. Her extensive travels inspired two travel biographies, On the Road to Mr. Right and Bodie on the Road: Travels with a Rescue Pup in the Dogged Pursuit of Happiness.
Between 2001 and 2024, Jones published 14 novels, including Divas Las Vegas, I Love Capri, The Paradise Room, Cafe Tropicana, The Love Academy, Living La Vida Loca, California Dreamers, Winter Wonderland, and The Travelling Tea Shop. Her final book, a reissue of her previously self-published time-travel novel The Hotel Where We Met, will be published by Quercus in April.
Emma Capron, editorial director of Quercus Fiction, told the Bookseller: "It has been my great honor to be Belinda's publisher these past five years. I was a fan long before I became her editor and she lived up to every expectation. Belinda was a kind-hearted and warm individual, who brightened every room she walked into. I hope we can all take comfort in having that warmth reflected back to us by way of her incredible legacy. Her books will stay with me for life. Belinda, you will be sorely missed."