Alexandra Ripley Biography

Alexandra Ripley was a prominent American writer. She was best known for her novel “Scarlet”, the sequel to the famous novel “Gone with the Wind” by Margaret Michel. After serving in the advertising department of “Life” magazine, she did various types of jobs before taking her writing assignment of ghostwriting papers for neurosurgeons. This romantic and historic writer authored many best-selling novels before she wrote the “Scarlet” which eventually topped the British best seller list. Despite a number of negative opinions from literary critics, this book received huge commercial success. Warner Books won the rights to publish this novel for $4.94 million. The success of the novel was so immense that it sold eight million copies in five years. This novel was translated into 18 languages. Later, an eight hour television mini-series which was based on this novel was broadcast on CBS television. She wrote her first novel “Who’s That Lady in the President’s Bed?” under the pseudonym of B.K. Ripley. She dedicated her first historical novel “Charleston” which was a best seller, to a loan officer who had lent her money to pay her rent. Some of her novels that earned her critical acclaim include “New Orleans Legacy” and “From Fields of God”.