Dorothea Benton Frank


Dorothea Olivia Benton Frank was a best-selling American novelist. Her novels, including Porch Lights and By Invitation Only, are set in South Carolina.

Biography

Dorothea Benton Frank was born and grew up on Sullivan's Island in South Carolina. She attended Bishop England High School in Charleston, and then General William Moultrie High School, from where she graduated in 1969. She went on to become a graduate of the Fashion Institute of America in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1972. She died in Manhattan of complications from myelodysplastic syndrome on September 2, 2019, at the age of 67.
Dorothea's writing career started because of a desire to purchase the family house on Sullivan's Island after her mother died in 1993 which her siblings wanted to sell. Her husband did not want to purchase the house so she vowed to write a book and use the proceeds to purchase the house. She was not able to purchase the family home but eventually she purchased another home on Sullivan's Island with money she earned writing.

Works

Lowcountry Tales series