Cleo Virginia Andrews ( V. C. Andrews ) ( June 6 , 1923 â `` December 19 , 1986 ) was a writer from Portsmouth , Virginia . Cleo Virginia Andrews ( June 6 , 1923 â `` December 19 , 1986 ) , better known as V. C. Andrews or Virginia C. Andrews , was an American novelist . She was born in Portsmouth , Virginia .