 While working for "Paris-Match" and "Cosmopolitan", she was noticed by an intuitive publisher who encouraged her to begin writing fiction.Following the success of her first novel "Moi D'abord" in 1979, Pancol moved to New York City where she spent the next decade pursuing creative writing and screenwriting classes at Columbia University while producing three more novels "La Barbare" in 1981, "Scarlett, si possible" and "Les Hommes cruels ne courent pas les rues".Influenced by the American way of life, her style became more fast-paced and eventful.