Alexandra Ripley, née Braid (January 8, 1934 - January 10, 2004) was a U.S. writer best known as the author of Scarlett (1991), the sequel to Gone With the Wind. Her first novel was Who's the Lady in the President's Bed? (1972). Charleston (1981), her first historical novel, was a bestseller, as were her next books On Leaving Charleston (1984), The Time Returns (1985), and New Orleans Legacy (1987). Scarlett received some damning reviews, but was very successful nonetheless.