For girls growing up in the early '80s, reading the gothic novel Flowers in the Attic by VC Andrews was a rite of passage. But its author, Cleo Virginia Andrews, remained a bit of a mystery throughout her life.

While Andrews's dramatic tales of deception and forbidden romance make for perfect sleepover stories, her life was fairly quiet. Born in 1923, she was a smart and talented woman who worked successfully as a commercial artist before hitting her stride as a bestselling author. However, due to injury and lifelong invalidity, she was a bit of a recluse and remained in the care of her mother for most of her adult life. Andrews truly lived through the characters she created, and the genre she was so instrumental in redefining has maintained its popularity. VC Andrews novels, with their distinctive cutout dust jackets, continue to enchant new generations of readers unfamiliar with her work.

Unlock the mysteries of the woman who created the turbulent, passionate worlds of the Dollangangers and Casteels, as well as numerous others.