Today commemorates the birthday of one of my favorite authors, Virginia Andrews. Her book, Flowers in the Attic, was actually the first “adult novel” that I ever read back when I was only thirteen.
She was born on June 6, 1923, but sadly, she passed away in 1986 after succumbing to breast cancer at the age of 63. Five years prior to her death, she told the Washington Post that she’d created synopses for sixty-three other stories, not including those that were already in print. After she passed away, her writing was so successful that her family hired a ghost writer to pen more stories under her name.
Many fans have speculated that the ghost writer, Andrew Neiderman, used Ms. Andrews’ notes to create the novels written after her passing, and others argue that the newer books are all his own creation and that he tried only to follow her thoughts and visions. Her family is tight-lipped about it, however, so alas, we may never know.
Her books have sold more than 106 million copies and have been translated into twenty-two different languages. WOW! Happy Birthday, V.C. Andrews!
Rachel Carrera, Novelist 