Sidney Sheldon had a prolific and award-winning career writing for theater, movies and television, but he often proclaimed his greatest love for another creative outlet. "Writing novels is the most fun I've ever had," Sheldon once said. The best-selling author died Tuesday at 89 at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage of complications from pneumonia. His wife, Alexandra, was by his side. "I try to write my books so the reader can't put them down," Sheldon explained in a 1982 interview. "I try to construct them so when the reader gets to the end of a chapter, he or she has to read just one more chapter. It's the technique of the old Saturday afternoon serial: Leave the guy hanging on the edge of the cliff at the end of the chapter." Sheldon mostly wrote about stalwart women who triumph in a hostile world of ruthless men. His notable novels included "Rage of Angels," "The Other Side of Midnight," and "If Tomorrow Comes." "I like to write about women who are talented and capable, but most important, retain their femininity," he said. "Women have tremendous power - their femininity, because men can't do without it." Several of his novels became television miniseries, often with the author as producer.

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Though he won a Tony, an Oscar and an Emmy (for "I Dream of Jeannie") during his career, Sheldon said he derived the most satisfaction from writing his novels. "I love writing books," he said. "When you do a novel you're on your own. It's a freedom that doesn't exist in any other medium."