Novelist Rita Mae Brown is an American author, screenwriter, and activist. She is best known for her 1973 novel Rubyfruit Jungle, which was one of the first novels to portray a lesbian protagonist. Her other works include the Sister Jane series, the Sneaky Pie Brown series, and the Runnymede novels. She has also written several non-fiction books, including Six of One and Outfoxed. Her most recent work is the novel The Sand Castle. Her crossword solution is MAE, the three letter abbreviation of her middle name.