Teenreads.com -- Author Profile: Mary Higgins Clark

Mary Higgins Clark is the author of twenty-one novels of suspense, three collections of short stories, and with her daughter, Carol Higgins Clark, co-author of two Christmas novellas. She is also the author of the forthcoming MT. VERNON LOVE STORY. She lives with her husband in Saddle River, New Jersey.

June 5, 2001

Spring just wouldn't be spring without a new Mary Higgins Clark novel to relish. ON THE STREET WHERE YOU LIVE has just hit the bookstores and is already announced to be #1 on the New York Times Bestseller List --- simultaneously with her paperback version of last year's suspense novel, BEFORE I SAY GOOD-BYE. "I have snake-eyes!" said Mary, in this interview with Bookreporter.com's Ann Bruns. Find out her thoughts on reincarnation, tabloid news and more!

TRC: In our interview last year, we talked a little about your plans for ON THE STREET WHERE YOU LIVE, and you mentioned you're restoring an 1890s home in the same town where this is set. Were there any experiences during the renovation that have become incorporated into the book? For instance, did you happen to find an attic full of intriguing memorabilia?

MHC: No, it wasn't based on any experience during the renovation. The house had been owned by an elderly lady who had died, and her sons' lawyers were handling the sale. Her maiden name had been Eleanor Higgins and my maiden name is Mary Theresa Eleanor Higgins. Absolutely no relation. But I'd had such a feeling about the house when I went into it, that I said I'm going to have it and I'm going to restore it rather than tear it down. I just had this feeling, and that feeling triggered the idea of having someone buy their ancestors' house and then what happens, happens. So it was the house that actually triggered the idea for my book.

TRC: Are any of the supporting characters based on actual residents of Spring Lake, New Jersey?

MHC: None of the characters are based on any real residents of Spring Lake, but you do see third and fourth generation families living there. I went to the library and researched anything I could find about Spring Lake --- old records, old newspapers --- so I would have the flavor and the quality of the place. The social reports in the newspapers from the turn of the century are just wonderful. That's how I got the flavor for the diary --- what they were doing, what the activities were.

TRC: The character Emily Graham states that she had vivid childhood images of her ancestors' home before she even saw it and believes being in the house has awakened those sensory memories, yet she doesn't seem to draw any conclusions from those feelings. Is she assuming, as many of us might, that her feelings are the result of her grandmother's tales implanting the images in her mind?

MHC: Emily doesn't believe in reincarnation. I don't believe in reincarnation either. But haven't you ever gone into a place and felt as though you've been there before? I think most of us have had that experience when you meet someone and feel that person is an old soul.

TRC: Reincarnation is an ancient belief and a major theme in your storyline, woven into the lives of both the serial killer andEmily Graham. Through your research, did you find some pretty convincing studies that would support the theory that we are all affected in some way by previous lives?

MHC: I did research on it, because I wanted to be valid in what I was saying about the theories. I don't ask anyone to believe in it any more than I do, but I think for those who are interested let's look at the honest theories from the people who have made a lifetime study of it.

There was a man I met at a dinner who had five daughters. His ancestors were from France, and while visiting there he asked his cab driver to take him to a town that had the same name as his family. The driver kept getting lost, so this man finally told him, "Look for the old castle and then we'll know it's the right town." He told me he has no idea why he said that to the driver, it just came out. Then he went into the town's tavern and knew, before entering, that it had cobblestones on the floor. He sensed it. Later, he checked the town records about his ancestor that had lived there in the late 1600s. His ancestor had had five daughters and one son. The five girls had the same exact names as his five daughters. So there is something --- maybe it's genetic memory.

TRC: One of the intriguing undercurrents of the suspense are the comparisons between family photos of deceased relatives and their physical resemblance to the current characters. Wouldn't the suggestion of physical reincarnation be in direct conflict with what we know of genetics?

MHC: If you can look like someone who lived in the 1600s and have the same allergies, isn't it possible that there is memory passed along as well? I believe in that: that memory is passed along. How could Mozart play as a child prodigy at age three? Where did that full-blown talent come from? At any rate, it's good dramatic material to write about.

I read a book years ago where a three- or four-year-old child was describing his home in India. He said he used to live there and his name was the same as a child that died in that house. One of the theories of reincarnation is that if you die a violent, early death, you come back very quickly --- which is why the psychologist in the book wonders if the newborn baby may be Martha reincarnated.

TRC: The reporter who insinuates herself into the murder investigation, ultimately causes the deaths of innocent people because of what she reveals in her news stories. Despite her momentary pangs of conscience, she continues to report all she's learned. Should the news media be held responsible for the consequences of what they report?

MHC: I had more of a feeling of tabloid reporting in this story. Literally how they will dig into a story to the end, dig up the dirt. She is actually a darn good reporter, even though she's not likable. I think that by printing her story with specific names, she did endanger people's lives, and I think that is irresponsible. If she had said there was a witness at the party who had seen the scarf, it would have been a good story, a great headline. She certainly crossed over the line by being specific about who the reluctant witness was.

TRC: Although your novels usually contain an element of romance, you've never let that upstage the suspenseful storyline. But in ON THE STREET WHERE YOU LIVE, there is virtually no white knight charging in; Emily doesn't even develop a love interest. Is this evidence of a less traditional heroine edging into your writing?

MHC: I always like that little sprinkle of romance. I like Nick a lot. You can see that growing attachment, but I didn't want to wrap it up, that would be too cute. I just give you the feeling that something is going to happen. I wanted to convey that these two are right for each other and eventually end up a couple.

TRC: Sealing the records of youthful offenders is a very hot button issue these days. You've incorporated that briefly into the background of the plot as the various characters come under scrutiny. What are your feelings about this practice when it involves crimes of violence committed by a minor? Should those be accessible to the police? The public?

MHC: I don't think it's as much of a worry today as in the past. Traditionally juvenile records have been sealed, but I think today anyone at age 16 may be waved up to adult court. The publicity is going to be so strong when there's a violent crime, and we'll know their names. However, I don't think when some kid does something that's just stupid, it ought to follow them all their life. Some kids at age 15 are wild, and then, as adults, turn out to be the pillars of the community.

TRC: Of all the novels you've written over the years, which character, heroine or villain, was your favorite to write about and why?

MHC: I honestly don't have that feeling, because by the time I've told the story, I like the idea of the story or I think I've done my best telling it. It's almost like choosing between your children. I think LOVES MUSIC, LOVES TO DANCE was my scariest and I did like the main character in that one very much, but not more than the others. They're all different subjects, and I honestly can't say that one of them is a favorite. Obviously, the very first one, the one that made all the difference in my life and became my first bestseller --- it's like the firstborn child. There is something special about the first.

TRC: In ON THE STREET WHERE YOU LIVE you've included two detectives from different cities, who are both very interesting personalities. Obviously, the complexity of the plot limits the amount of storyline you can devote to these secondary characters, but it begs the question --- why haven't you written a book with a police detective as the focal point?

MHC: I've always used a woman as my pivotal character, even though there are viewpoints of men and a number of men in my books. I've just chosen to write that way, because I think a woman knows a woman better somehow. To do the detective story, I think you're better off having been a detective. I'd never say never, but I haven't done it so far.

TRC: As far as I know, there's never been a biography written about Mary Higgins Clark. With the wealth of family stories and personal experiences that you've given us glimpses of from time to time, have you given any thought to writing an autobiography or memoir?

MHC: Actually, I'm writing my autobiography now. They'd like me to have it ready for the fall of 2002, but I don't want it scheduled until I've finished it. I don't want the feeling of pressure on it. I want to be sure I'm telling it the way I want to tell it. It's a very personal thing to do, deciding what note you want to strike in writing it.

TRC: Can you tell us a little about what fans can look forward to in your next book of short stories or suspense novel?

MHC: There's always a book scheduled for April of the next year. Last year Carol and I wrote the Christmas book together, which was a lot of fun, and it was one of the top 15 books of the year; but it also meant that last summer I worked like a dog writing it and then publicizing it. Then I worked all winter on the house restoration, so I said absolutely not another book for Christmas!

My next spring book will be titled DADDY'S LITTLE GIRL. You know the song they sing at weddings when the bride is dancing with her father? She is "Daddy's Little Girl." I'm still fleshing out characters and situations; it's still early on. But the way I'm seeing it, I think it will start with people getting notice of a parole hearing for a killer and they're all connected to one another. And it will include the killer's friends, as well. That will be the kickoff of it.

May 5, 2000

Bookreporter.com's Senior Writer Ann Bruns was thrilled to interview the prolific and beloved suspense writer Mary Higgins Clark. In a recent phone interview the two chatted about Mary's new book, BEFORE I SAY GOOD-BYE, and Ann took down as many of Mary's stories as she could. A conversation filled with laughter and anecdotes, this interview is by far one of our most intimate. Read on to find out more about Mary's new book, how she feels about psychics, ESP, eBooks, self-publishing and more. You'll even get a sneak preview of her next book's setting!

TRC: The original working title of BEFORE I SAY GOOD-BYE was "If Ever I Would Leave You," in keeping with your recent use of song references. But "Before I Say Good-Bye" was not listed in the credits --- is it from a song?

MHC: It's not from a song. We were a little concerned that it would be too long for the book cover. There was a short story that I wrote years ago that I liked a lot, and seemed to have this same theme, called BEFORE I SAY GOOD-BYE. It appeared in an obscure little magazine, but I always liked that story and decided I'd use that title for this book. I'm glad I did --- two Lerner and Lowe's in a row might have been too much. The joke is, the next book's title is going to be ON THE STREET WHERE YOU LIVE. I know it's a long title, but it's so perfect for the book it just has to be.

TRC: In BEFORE I SAY GOOD-BYE Nell believes she has experienced contact with the spiritual world as a child. How did you go about researching the paranormal aspects of your story line? Have you or someone you know attempted to contact, or been contacted by, loved ones who have died?

MHC: People do have a sense of the death of someone they love. Arthur Godfrey always told the story about when he was a 17- or 18-year-old kid on a boat during the war; and he dreamed so clearly of his father standing at the foot of his bed smiling. The next morning the captain called him in and said: "your father died." It was the exact same moment as his dream. There are many documented experiences like that where someone knew at the moment of death.

I went to a session once, conducted by a woman who was a psychic and very spiritual. She had a theology degree and the things she was talking about any priest, minister or rabbi would have said. But then she told us she'd like to speak to each of us alone. My sister-in-law had just been diagnosed with leukemia. I told her my sister-in-law was ill and asked if she could see anything. She said: "her aura is very dark. Her journey on this plane is completed. I think we're talking months." It was three weeks later, just last November, that she died. I used the psychic's lines exactly as she spoke them in my book.

TRC: When Adam's secretary comes to their apartment on that fateful night, Nell has a strong premonition of Winifred's death. Yet, despite childhood experiences with the supernatural --- which she clearly believes happened --- she seems unwilling to accept that she has a psychic gift. Why is she an adamant believer one moment and skeptical the next?

MHC: She is skeptical. Nell has the ability, but she doesn't consider herself psychic. She doesn't like the fact that she has a certain finely attuned ability to sense that kind of thing.

TRC: BEFORE I SAY GOOD-BYE poignantly portrays a woman who struggles with loneliness and isolation --- feelings which you suggest are particularly attributable to only children. Since you had two brothers and five children of your own, how did you manage to tap into the emotions of an only child?

MHC: I think writers have an intuitive sense. And I've seen this kind of isolation. There was a girl in our neighborhood, in fact, she still lives in the same house. Her mother was the dragon lady. The girl never married, never even dated. Her mother always spoke for her. This is the way I see Winifred.

As for Nell, I think Nell loved her grandfather and was happy. But to justify her marrying Adam, I think of him as having surface charm. She hadn't met anyone yet. She'd just been to a wedding and friends were showing pictures around; and she had this moment of thinking that when Gert and her grandfather were gone she'd be alone. I think that happens to too many women. I think there is a time when all women are vulnerable, even very smart women. There is that moment when the right person comes along --- or the wrong person --- and they're charming, they fill that need. Later on, you try to make it work.

TRC: In your recent Today Show interview, you were asked if you had any apprehensions about a story focusing on events of psychic phenomena. Your response was that you tried to maintain a balance between skepticism and the premise that there are things that we just can't explain. Is this middle ground basically where your own beliefs tend to fall? Is there any aspect of it that you firmly believe in?

MHC: I firmly believe in ESP. Sometimes there is thought transference --- you're thinking of someone you haven't spoken to in 10 years and the phone rings. I do believe that some people get a glimpse into the future --- precognition. I don't believe in channeling. Supposedly we all had much more ESP years ago and then we lost it just like the appendix, because it's not being used. People still have it and I think we can develop it.

In the beginning when cave men couldn't talk, they communicated by thought, by memory. For instance, in the book, THE CLAN OF THE CAVE BEAR, that was wonderfully researched. They really communicated with their thoughts.

There are many books on it...you should see the number of books I have. I read many books by psychics where they tell about your ESP, your ability to sense things in a much clearer way. Twenty-four years ago I went to have my palm read with some friends. The woman told me I'd be very well known all over the world, make a great deal of money, live to be very old, and die abroad. At that time WHERE ARE THE CHILDREN had come out in hardcover, sold nicely; but wasn't out on the list. As my friends and I left I thought: what was that one smoking! But just in case she was right I told them I'd stop traveling when I'm 80. The next week, WHERE ARE THE CHILDREN came out in paperback, went on the list and everything just exploded after that. So she did hit it, I have to say that.

On the other hand you get these phone psychics. One of the things that set me to writing this book was because our housekeeper has an 18-year-old daughter who quit college and went to work in a restaurant. She ran up a $450 phone bill, phoning one of these psychics. If that woman had only told her to go back to school, it would have been worth the money. I had a book signing in Florida and my driver turned out to be a temporary whose real job was as a psychic. I asked if she had training in ESP. She said: "Oh, you don't need that. You can tell what they want to hear and you feed it to them." That's the flip side of it --- they take advantage of people.

TRC: In that same interview, you remarked that good characterizations require that "characters have a cadence...," a recognizable voice that doesn't require identification each time they speak. Have you ever had a character that you just couldn't "get a handle on?" How did you resolve the problem?"

MHC: If I had a character I couldn't get a handle on, it would be because he or she didn't belong in the book. There's a certain point when the characters take over. They're well grounded and they know where they're going and they do things I did not expect them to do. That's when a book becomes exciting for a writer to write. If they won't get off first base, I revise or I say it's because I'm trying to make them do something that is out of character for the way I've portrayed them.

TRC: When you begin a new novel, do you establish an outline of the "big picture" first then create the various characters and sub stories to weave it all together? Or do you begin with one or two characters, flesh out their story and work outward to the overall plot?

MHC: I have to have the big picture. I have to know where it's set, what the problem is and I have to know whodunit. Then I start to do character sketches of the people who will be in the book. And I do background material. For example, for the last scene in this book I needed an apartment building that had an outside fire escape, so I went up to the neighborhood where they have them. These are things that are important. Little details start to make a story valid. I do my absolute, absolute best never to make a mistake; but, of course, sometimes I do. Usually they're very small mistakes and it's something I thought I knew.

TRC: Do you sometimes go back and rewrite because you've gone in a different direction and a character no longer works?

MHC: I rewrite all the time almost to a fault. In this book, I spent three weeks on the prologue and it's three pages! I finally decided to go back to it later. I do a great deal of rewriting but chapter by chapter. I have a very happy situation --- I send Michael Korda and Chuck Adams, my editors, every 20-25 pages; so they're editing as we go along. That works wonderfully for me.

TRC: Over the years, were there any story lines or characterizations that you and your editors seriously disagreed on? If so, do we dare ask who won?

MHC: On this book Michael said don't show that a particular character is still alive, it would be a mistake. But the funny thing was, I'd blown up so many people at the beginning of the book; I thought: why did I blow them up so fast! Now you have to see them through other people!

TRC: In these days of frugal publishing, even bestselling authors are facing limitations on hardcover editions and many of their older books going out of print. Yet, not only are your previous 19 novels still in print; they are all still available in hardcover! That must be immensely satisfying. Would you credit your 25 year association with the same publisher as the reason for this continuing availability?

MHC: Well, actually, the reason is because they still sell. Of course when one publisher has the entire line, it is very beneficial. Fortunately, I've been blessed. If they read one of mine, they pick up the others. But it's just too difficult to store all those hardcovers. The publishing houses just can't do it.

TRC: What are your thoughts on eBooks? Are they the wave of the future? We will ever see a Mary Higgins Clark book or novella as an e-only title?

MHC: Nobody really knows about eBooks. I think there's definitely a place for them, but they won't ever be cozy like curling up with a book. I don't think they will ever replace books. As for doing a book as e-only, I don't think the publisher would do it. However, they have just announced that they are going to release my entire line of novels in eBook form.

TRC: You worked hard and wrote for a long time before having a book published. These days it is far easier to be published as there are online self-publishing sites everywhere. What is your advice to authors who consider being self-published? What is your advice to writers taking the more old-fashioned route?

MHC: There is more self-publishing going on. I really don't know enough about it. There was a time when there was just one or two vanity presses. But are the books picked up? Everything is distribution. You can write WAR AND PEACE, but it won't matter if it's not carried in the bookstores.

TRC: We've recently featured several authors who write young adult fiction that crosses the line into the adult market as well. Your novels have accomplished the reverse --- written for adults but being read by children as young as 12. Did you start out intentionally writing for such a broad-based audience? What special difficulties does this present?

MHC: The reason is that I don't use the explicit sex or violence in my books. I don't criticize those who do, but I'm just not interested. I think "footsteps on the stairs" are scarier than the actual confrontation. "The door opening slowly, the horrified look" --- I find that scarier. I think the sexiest line of the century was "you'll not shut me out of your bedroom tonite, my dear." I think that's more interesting than all the "how to."

TRC: In the past, you've voiced your criticism of the violence on television and in movies, and the effect this has on younger viewers. With several of your books being made into films, do you retain any control over how those will eventually be presented?

MHC: I'm technically an advisor but you can advise just so much. The producer can't turn it over to you. But generally when they've bought my book, it was because they liked the story. They're not gonna go nuts with them. I've had books made into two feature films and the rest on television. I've been pleased --- I think they've done a good job with them. But I'm not violent or sexy enough for them now. Mine are more psychological.

TRC: Many authors are also screen writers these days. Have you ever been approached to write scripts for movies or television? Would you want to explore that at some point?

MHC: I don't EVER want to write a movie script. They do 6, 7, 8, 9 revisions ... I don't know how they stand it. And then the guy who wanted the revisions gets fired, and they start over with somebody else.

TRC: There have been some very heated battles recently over the banning of particular children's books like Harry Potter. As both a writer and a parent, do you feel schools and communities have any right to exercise control over what books are made available for children to read?

MHC: I frankly haven't read Harry Potter. I wish I'd written it! You've gotta go by community standards. One woman tried to get me banned in Boston, because WHERE ARE THE CHILDREN dealt with a child molester. There was nothing in that book that even uses the word, but she objected to it. But if the community as a whole wants to do it, then I think they have the right. I think the community's standards give people the freedom to do what's appropriate. There are some very, very conservative communities --- just as there are some very liberal ones --- and they have the right to be conservative.

TRC: Your novels have incorporated a number of topics that often spark controversy in real life: parapsychology, fertility clinics, capital punishment, multiple personalities. Is there any issue that you would be reluctant to tackle in fiction?

MHC: There isn't any topic I would consciously not tackle. If I had a list, I would go down it and say there are some topics that are just not for me. I write about very nice people whose lives are invaded; so I wouldn't want to write, for example, a main character who was murdering old women. There are some things we would all automatically reject because we know it's not our type of story.

TRC: Do you have your next novel already roughed out in your mind? Can you tell us anything about it?

MHC: Yes I have and I love it. It's set in Spring Lake, New Jersey. We just bought an 1890s house there that we're renovating and the story line is set there. I think it's darn good and it's going to be a lot of fun to write. It's called ON THE STREET WHERE YOU LIVE --- that's firm --- and it's a psychological thriller.

April 28, 1999

TRC Writer Sofrina Hinton was eager to read and review Mary Higgins Clark's new suspense novel, WE'LL MEET AGAIN, since she has read and enjoyed many of Clark's other novels. When asked to come up with interview questions for the master storyteller, Sofrina quickly whipped up a slew of thought-provoking ones. Read on to find out how Clark got the ideas for the medical experiments in WE'LL MEET AGAIN, what books of hers she'd like to turn into movies, how her daughter Carol saved one of her character's from an untimely death, her advice for aspiring writers and much more.

TRC: In your latest book, WE'LL MEET AGAIN, you offer up several possible suspects and motives in the beginning, making it almost impossible for readers to guess whodunit.  When writing, is it a goal of yours to stump readers and delay the revelation?

MHC: Well, sure. You want the readers to be wondering "whodunit" as far into the book as possible. A writer has to give both real clues and ambiguous statements that aren't dishonest, but could be leading you up the wrong path. I want you to go pretty far along before you figure it out.

TRC: Where did you get the idea for the medical experiments in WE'LL MEET AGAIN?

MHC: There's a lot of ethical discussion going on about medical experiments right now and controversy about what point they go over the line. It's one thing if people approve of being part of experiments, for example, people who are terminal, but it's quite another if they don't know.

TRC: What types of resources do you use to research your books --- the Internet, libraries, etc.?  Do you have assistants? How long does it take you to research a book?

MHC: I start with the local newspapers, they have a wonderful medical writer who I read regularly. Actually, that's how I got interested in HMOs as a subject. I credit her in the book. Then I go on the Internet, and I got a load of information there about HMOs. I always like to do my own research because if I give someone a list of questions, they'll give me the answers, but when I do my own I'll usually find something I wasn't looking for. Basically, the research is going on right until the last page.

TRC: Your short stories, such as the ones you included in THE ANASTASIA SYNDROME are marvelously inventive.  Do you have plans for another collection?

MHC: I've done several, I did the Henry and Sunday stories called MY GAL SUNDAY, just about the Henry and Sunday characters. Then I did the collection of Alvirah and Willy called THE LOTTERY WINNER. I will do another, but at the moment I'm concentrating on my next book. Two books in a year is a little tight for me, I've decided. It means that you're never not working.

TRC: Which is more of a challenge for you --- writing short stories or novels?

MHC: It's a different kind of challenge. There are many plot lines that are not supposed to be five hundred pages, they're supposed to be thirty pages or seventy. The thing about a short story is that I can write about a subject that doesn't hold a novel. Ultimately, novel writing is what I make my reputation on, but I also enjoy doing short stories.

TRC: A friend of mine used to spend summers working in a bookstore on Cape Cod. She was a dedicated fan of yours.  She claims to have met you there and secured a long-standing offer from you to autograph each of her hardcover's and return them by mail.  Do you often strike up such a generous relationship with your fans?

MHC: Well, of course I can't invite everyone to send me 22 books (laughing) because my poor secretary would break her back lugging them to the post office. But people do still send me requests. I always say send 3-4 of your favorites and enclose return envelopes so I can sign them and return them.

TRC: Two of your novels have been made into feature films --- A STRANGER IS WATCHING and WHERE ARE THE CHILDREN while others inspired television films. If you could make another one of your books into a movie, which would it be and why?

MHC: Well, actually there are four right now being done for television. And of course, I'd love to see the new one, WE'LL MEET AGAIN, as a movie. I think it has a story line with enough action in it. The prevailing wisdom is that if a woman is the main character it's a television movie, but if a man is the main character it's a feature movie. The movies go into so much action and my books are more psychological. If Alfred Hitchcock were alive I think my books would have been made into more movies!

TRC: The titles of your books are always catchy. Do you start with them, or do they come later in the story writing process?

MHC: I have the title as I'm starting the book because it's always thematic to the book. I started using song titles, or a phrase from a song, and it works in developing the theme of the book. In WE'LL MEET AGAIN, a friend meets Molly again 17 years after high school and they are basically co-protagonists in this book. The one that I'm working on now is called IF EVER I WOULD LEAVE YOU, and the title is thematic to the book as well. It's supposed to come out a year from now.

TRC: In a past interview I remember you saying that you give your publisher Simon & Schuster the title of a book and a rough idea of the plot, and you obviously still work on this kind of schedule. Can you tell us how that happens?

MHC: My editor Michael, his assistant and I go out to dinner and talk about the next book, and I tell them my ideas which Michael takes one step further. We kick ideas back and forth.

TRC: Your daughter, Carol is also a mystery writer. Do you give her advice on her writing?  Does she give you advice on yours? Did this change after she was published?

MHC: We talk to each other. I'm talking my plot, she talks hers. Carol has very good insight. We help to edit each other in the concept, not line by line of the setting.  She kept Alvirah alive in WHILE MY PRETTY ONE SLEEPS and since then Alvirah has gone on to have a life of her own. Carol said she was too nice and too funny to kill off, and she was absolutely right.

TRC: Now your former daughter-in-law, Mary Jane Clark, is writing suspense novels.  How do you feel about the latest addition to your "writing family?

MHC: I think it's great. Mary Jane works on the news staff of Dan Rather, she writes all the time, her first book was very well received and her second book is coming out in September. We're good friends.

TRC: Are any other people in your family writers?

MHC: My entire family COULD be writers, but not all of them will be, although I think my youngest might write. She'll write romance, not suspense. She was offered a contract five years ago, but she doesn't have the time yet. She has the ability, but you need to have the drive as well.

TRC: What writers inspired you to become an author?

MHC: I wrote my first poem when I was seven, it's just something that was inside me. I was always writing and I always knew I would be a writer, no question about it. The books I curled up with were always suspense, I went through Ngaio Marsh, Sherlock Holmes, and Agatha Christie so it was natural for me to go into suspense.

TRC: What was the last really good book you read?

MHC: I'm reading RED DRAGON by Thomas Harris, it's really good. He has a new one coming out in June and of course I loved SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. I just finished TARA ROAD by Maeve Binchy last week and the week before I read CHARMING BILLY. Those are the three most recent.

TRC: What phrase best describes you, as a writer?

MHC: I'm a storyteller, I think I tell a pretty good story. A good book, whether it's highly literate or a suspense novel, should tell a good story and care about the people.

TRC: One of our reviewers once said that your books remind her of the television show, "Murder She Wrote." While the writing is somewhat formulaic, readers are still so deeply intrigued and captivated by the story that they pick up the next one just as they would tune in every Sunday night. Can you comment about this comparison?

MHC: It's flattering because that was such a popular show. I think Angela played her character so well, you wanted to see what she would do next week. There was good writing and production, but most of all you wanted to see what she'd do.

TRC: What advice would you give for aspiring writers?

MHC: Write. You'd be surprised at how many people say "Someday I'm going be a writer...I"m going to write as soon as..." is the most popular phrase. "As soon as" are three fatal words. You've just got to write. Also, I think you should take courses in writing. You need to know the craft, even if you're a good story teller. It's like someone who has a lovely voice, you should learn how to use it.

TRC: When all is read and done, what would you like the legacy of Mary Higgins Clark to be?

MHC: That I was a storyteller. And that sometimes I helped people get through difficult times. A women from France wrote to me and told me that for six weeks she sat by her son's bedside who had Leukemia not knowing whether he was going to make it. She said she didn't think she could have done it without your books. It's also nice when you find a young person who usually doesn't like to read, then has to read one of my books for school and ends up liking it.

TRC: Tell us a little about THE PLOT THICKENS, the anthology of stories that you contributed to and edited with Janet Evanovich and Lawrence Block. How did you get involved with this/how did this come about?

MHC: All the proceeds went to Literacy Partners. I've been active in the Literacy Partners and I was asked to edit and contribute to a book where the funds would go to literacy. The publishers and I put together a list of authors that we wanted to contribute and we decided to have a running theme. So every story had to contain a thick book, a thick fog and a thick steak and we called it THE PLOT THICKENS. It did very well.

TRC: What are your thoughts on the millennium?

MHC: I was always intrigued by the turn of the century. My mother used to talk about the century turning. She was little during it, but it was still very exciting. I hope, however, after what you saw in Littleton, Colorado the other day, we get back to some straighter values.  Excessive violence is being shoved at us and our children in video games, movies and television shows. The amount of violence absolutely has an effect on younger people. We had cops and robbers, but the only person who ever got shot was the really bad guy. It wasn't massacres like now. That's really very frightening.

April 21, 1998

On April 21, 1998, the Queen of Suspense, Mary Higgins Clark, joined THE BOOK REPORT to discuss her new book, YOU BELONG TO ME. Our interviewers were Jennifer Levitsky and Niloufar Motamed, both typing under BookpgJL. Our esteemed host was MarleneT.

BookpgJL: Thank you for being here tonight!

MaryHClark: I am pleased that you are interested to be with me tonight and I am delighted to be here with you. It is a pleasure to be a writer whom people enjoy reading.

BookpgJL: You're known as the Queen of Suspense. How do you know when you've created a suspenseful story?

MaryHClark: I have always loved to read suspense stories. Growing up, I was always analyzing them. A suspense writer must give legitimate proof and also some red herrings, but I know that the suspense is working if I am aware of the fact that the house is settling or there is a creak in the stairs. One night, I woke up my little dog and made him keep me company while I finished a chapter!

BookpgJL: What inspired your current novel, YOU BELONG TO ME?

MaryHClark: I lecture on a cruise ship once a year. It gives me a chance to see the world and I get to do some writing while I am on board. And I noticed that some women are alone and they are really looking to find husbands. I would be on a ship and hear that so-and-so had married so-and-so. I thought, suppose someone is on one of these ships -- a serial killer -- purely on a ship to pick out a victim. And I thought -- that is a good premise! I am always astonished how people call talk shows and bare their souls. They have a tendency of telling all and thinking that just because they don't give their names that it is ok. Are they crazy? In 1981, I was in D.C. when Reagan was shot and I had a press pass and I was in the auditorium with the media in the next 5 hours. When a doctor finally came in and started answering questions about the president's health, I was one of the ones who asked a question. Of course everybody was glued to the TV and my son who was watching said to his sister "My God, doesn't that sound like mom?" And that was one single question in a room full of questions. If a killer is listening, the person talking can be tracked down.

Question: How can I find out about your book-signing timetable?

MaryHClark: I am going to be in Long Island a couple of times over the weekend -- Saturday and Thursday. I am going to be in D.C. in a couple of weeks. I am going to be in St. Louis, Arkansas...

Question: I have just begun reading YOU BELONG TO ME. So far it is reminiscent of STILLWATCH, one of my favorites of yours. Were you thinking along the same lines as that one when you were writing YOU BELONG TO ME?

MaryHClark: The only thing was that there was a TV anchorwoman and this is a psychologist with a radio show. Other than that, I honestly don't see similarities.

BookpgJL: Do you ever listen to the radio talk shows like Dr. Susan's?

MaryHClark: Yes, I like to when I am in the car. Imus in the morning, I love. In fact, Carol, my daughter, and I are going to be on him this Thursday at 8:20.

Question: Your books are exciting, but they keep a lid on violence. I wish you could have a TV show. It would be a big improvement over most of what is on. What are the chances?

MaryHClark: USA Today is doing 4 of my books. They have been done in movies and there is a series so I am pretty well represented in TV. Me -- on TV. Oh God!

Question: So tell us the truth is the reason you've waited so long on a new book is because you were still honeymooning with your husband?

MaryHClark: Well, no, I have been doing a book a year for many years but bless your heart for wanting more!

BookpgJL: What was your honeymoon?

MaryHClark: We went up to our house in Cape Cod for our honeymoon. We needed a little relaxation at this point. We were going on another trip shortly thereafter.

BookpgJL: Can you tell us anything about your next book?

MaryHClark: I promised to do a short Christmas novel and that will be out in late October.

Question: Are there any special events in your life you have based your books on?

MaryHClark: When you write a book, you always go into your memory the way you go into your attic when you are looking for something, and I have used incidents that I remember from childhood in some books. For example, Alvira, the lottery winner is based on the woman who lived next door to me when I was a little kid. And in ALL AROUND THE TOWN, when the 11 year old comes home to discover that her sister is gone is the exact description of when I came home and found a crowd around my house after my father had died in his sleep.

BookpgJL: Was it cathartic to write about that?

MaryHClark: It is not so much cathartic as you understand the emotions of the moment, and hopefully can make the character seem real and the emotions seem real for the reader.

Question: Are you planning any books with the Internet as a location for the story?

MaryHClark: I am sure I will at some point. I just haven't really become an expert enough at using it to do it with authority yet. I think I would do it with a short story first. Although in MY GAL SUNDAY, one of the stories has the use of the Internet.

BookpgJL: How do you and your daughter, Carol, help each other with writing?

MaryHClark: We were just signing together in Pennsylvania over the weekend. I will talk about a plot that I am doing and she is VERY good for me. And she will talk about what she is working on or throw me a chapter and ask me what I think. I would say we are very good sounding boards for each other. We are both mother and daughter and good friends.

Question: Ms. Clark, is there a way your fans can reach you either by e-mail or snail mail? Are you on the Internet?

MaryHClark: Care of the publisher is the best way -- they send me all my mail.

Question: Hello Mary, I was wondering if you could clear up a slight disagreement about what your first book was entitled?

MaryHClark: My very first book was a biography about George Washington. It was called ASPIRE TO THE HEAVENS, which was Washington's mother's family motto.

BookpgJL: Why did that topic interest you?

MaryHClark: I had written short stories and radio shows about patriots and I thought that George Washington had gotten a raw deal -- he was a very interesting man. The book was a failure but it proved that I could write a book and get it published.

Question: Any movies in the works based on your books?

MaryHClark: I just had a lunch today at the Four Seasons about that. There are three scripts being written now for PRETEND YOU DON'T SEE HER, LOVE AROUND THE TOWN, and LOVES MUSIC, LOVES TO DANCE. A lot of them have really been made.

Question: What is your ideal writing situation? Time, place, atmosphere, etc...?

MaryHClark: The third floor of my house has a tower-like room that has sky lights in it, bookcases. It is painted a wonderful shade of Cardinal Red. There is lots of oak, and my desk. There is a love seat in an oriental pattern in red; a state of the art computer. My ideal is to come up here after an early light breakfast and get right to work. For me, the best thing to do is to work from 8 till 2 and have a sandwich at the desk. And to stick as much as possible to that schedule. By the time I am getting to the end of a book, I work about 17 hours a day.

Question: Good evening...I would be interested to know who Miss Clarks' favorite mystery authors are...and what she has read recently...thank you.

MaryHClark: I think Sue Grafton is terrific. PJ James is wonderful. So is Donald Westlake -- he is divine -- Margaret Marron, and Ann Rule, who is a fantastic true crime writer. Patricia Cornwell is a fine writer as well. That gives you a few off the top of my head.

Question: I've read that you write on notebook pages and spread them on the floor to put them in order. Is that true?

MaryHClark: That is sort of out of context. When I am writing, I will have time pages where I have each character and what they are doing at a specific time. With some of the books, I have had each main character on a separate sheet and I will spread them out to make sure that I am not messing up on the time and the date -- it depends on the book.

Question: In most, if not all, of your books, the victims are female. Do you think that's an accurate reflection of society?

MaryHClark: I think I tell a story from the woman's view point. I never even thought of it like that but it is much more likely that this is a story I would tell -- that a woman is the one in danger. I don't deliberately do that -- it is more about how the story is unfolding. In YOU BELONG TO ME, a little shopkeeper, a man, is killed because he knows too much. When you have a woman protagonist, it is inevitable that it is a "woman in danger" kind of story.

BookpgJL: Would you consider writing another genre now than suspense?

MaryHClark: Oh yes, I will do an autobiography at some point. I would love to write a novel that is not at all suspense. I would use a pseudonym and send it to a publisher without an agent -- to the slush pile -- and see what happens. If I ever get the time, I will absolutely do that.

Question: Is your mystery magazine going to continue publishing additional magazines?

MaryHClark: Yes, we have one coming out in May and another in September.

Question: Of all your books, which one is your favorite and why?

MaryHClark: There is no such thing as a favorite book. They are just like your children. It is as though you have borne a child. And while you are working on it, it is like having a cranky baby who gets all the attention. But when I turn it into the publisher, it is a story I wanted to tell and I have told it as well as I am capable of telling it.

BookpgJL: Do you have a preference for writing novels or short stories?

MaryHClark: I am a novelist first but I have always loved short stories. There are many storylines that simply are not large enough for a novel -- they belong in a short story.

Question: When did you realize that you had a talent for writing?

MaryHClark: I have been writing since I could hold a pencil. I wrote my first poem when I was six or seven. I used to write short plays for my friends to act in. I was writing short stories in math class. Forty years after I graduated, I went back to see the nuns who were my teachers at the academy and a nun who was pushing 90 said "Miss Higgins, you were a dreadful math student."

Question: Will there be another book with Henry and Sunday?

MaryHClark: Of course! I love them. It is not everyday you get to be the former president of the United States with all his powers.

BookpgJL: Speaking of the President, what do you think of what's going on with him?

MaryHClark: I wish that we would stop writing and talking about it. I am much more interested in Ireland and the Arab and Israel problem. I think he should be more discreet in his personal life.

Question: I have never heard of your magazine before tonight -- is there a way to order it off the Internet, or do you have to get it off the newsstands? I have never seen it in the stores.

MaryHClark: It goes into newsstands and what we want to do is to have subscriptions. If people want a subscription, they should write to Family Circle Magazine and tell them. If enough people do, it might become available by subscription. It is also in bookstores but they do not stay on the stands very long.

Question: Which of your books is or was the most successful?

MaryHClark: It really goes by longevity. Each hardcover sells more than the last. There are over 1 million in hardcover now. And the paperbacks sell constantly -- I am on the reading lists for schools from age 12 up because I don't use the explicit sex or violence. And I find that 35 year olds bring their 13 year old and say "I started with WHERE ARE THE CHILDREN."

Question: How did you feel when Carol's first book was published?

MaryHClark: I think it's wonderful! I am always astonished when someone asks if I found that a problem! If a doctor's child decides to become a doctor, everyone is pleased. Why isn't it the same with a writer?

BookpgJL: We've got time left for just one more question from the audience.

Question: Have you ever doubted your magnificent ability?

MaryHClark: Every day when I am writing.

BookpgJL: Thank you for being here!

MaryHClark: Many, many thanks. If you keep reading me, I'll keep writing! If you didn't read me, publishers would stop asking me to write.

April 15, 1997

On April 15, 1997, THE BOOK REPORT celebrated the filing of income taxes with a nail-biting event of its own --- a visit from Mary Higgins Clark, the Queen of Suspense. The intrepid interviewers for TBR were BookpgXena and TBR editor Jesse Kornbluth (BookpgJK). Fielding thousands of anguished questions was our online host, the unflappable MarleneT.

Bookpg JK: Good evening, Mary. What's more frightening, a hit man on the trail --- or a huge faceless crowd in an AOL auditorium?

MHClark: I'm not afraid of crowds! I enjoy meeting my readers.

BookpgXena: One of your trademarks is your ability to deftly weave mystery with romance, a good suspense plot with interesting personal relationships. What elements first hook YOU on a new book?

MHClark: The book starts with the concept --- always the concept. I have to be able to tell you what the story is about in one sentence. Once I have that... In PRETEND YOU DON'T SEE HER, it's a young woman who witnesses a murder by a Mafia hit man and has to go into the Witness Protection Program. Everything follows from that. And then there's her job --- that's very important. Why would she witness a murder? I thought: Suppose the mother of a dead young actress is selling her daughter's apartment. She is sure her daughter was murdered. I like glamorous jobs for my main characters. They work, they didn't inherit, so they have to have interesting jobs. I think real estate is interesting --- to match the person to the home is interesting to me. So then: What are the circumstances of the young woman's murder? That's the second element. Then you develop the characters. I knew a restaurateur in New York who had his young daughter's face painted in the murals of his restaurant. He became my image for the father of the dead girl. And then there's the question of the witness: Where will she go? I thought of Minneapolis because I'm familiar with it. They often put people in the Midwest. And then, of course, you have to be credible about the love interest, and about how they find out she is in Minneapolis. And soon you have a plot! The other thing I use as a cornerstone is that I write about very nice people whose lives are enveloped by evil. In this book, Lacey Farrell --- the real estate agent ---- was not looking for trouble. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Which is my point: If a woman wears a tight black skirt and walks down 9th Avenue at 3 AM and something happens to her, you may say "That's sad," but you're also going to say, "But WHAT were you doing there, taking such a chance?" In all my books, the main character is doing exactly what she should be...and something happens.

BookpgXena: What was it like researching the federal Witness Protection Program?

MHClark: I have a friend who's retired from the FBI. I called him. He put me in touch with a man who had been in the Program and then came out of it and went home. He recorded some of his impressions for me of what it was like. Then I did some regular research, reading articles and so forth.

Question: I bought your latest book, PRETEND YOU DON'T SEE HER, at lunchtime yesterday and finished it last night. I thought it was wonderful. Do you plan to follow up on the characters of Lacey and Tom? What happens to them now?

MHClark: I think it's implied that they will get together. For me, that was a given. But I don't do sequels of my books. I have two sets of characters I follow up on: Alvirah and Willy, the lottery winners; and Henry and Sunday, the ex-President and his young congresswoman wife.

BookpgXena: What has made these characters so much more "repeatable" for you than your other characters?

MHClark: Well, they were originally in short stories. Alvirah appeared briefly in a book, WEEP NO MORE, MY LADY, but I liked her so much she just took off! And, so, they became sequel characters.

Question: How long does it generally take for you to write a book? How much of that time is research and how much is the actual writing?

MHClark: It used to take three years --- when I had a full-time job and five young children. Then it took two years while they were growing up. In the last seven years, I've done a novel a year, and some short stories. I've found that very tight. I now plan to do one book a year. I research as I go along. I do initial research, then I keep going. I always do my own research because I find things I didn't even know I was looking for.

Question: Do you have a favorite author?

MHClark: Me! Let's shame the devil and be honest about it!

Bookpg JK: And your second favorite?

MHClark: My daughter.

Question: What book will be coming out next and have you started writing it? Does your daughter help you a lot, or do you do it all on your own?

MHClark: I haven't chosen the subject for the next book yet. Ideas do jump around. I do show my daughter ten pages at a time and say, "What do you think?" And she will do the same with me. We're sounding boards for each other, but we aren't co-writers.

Question: What is your own personal favorite of all your books?

MHClark: That's like asking, "Who's your favorite child?" There's no such thing. Although I will say that it's true that the newest one, like a crying baby, gets more attention.

Question: Congratulations on your recent marriage. Are you still living happily ever after?

MHClark: I am indeed. And will continue to do so. He was worth waiting for.

Question: How long did it take you to write your first novel?

MHClark: The one about George Washington took three years and WHERE ARE THE CHILDREN also took three years.

Question: Do you like the film versions of your books and did you have any input on them?

MHClark: I'm a consultant. I read the scripts in the various versions and they ask for my opinion, but I'm not the writer. And I do understand that a film, quite necessarily, makes its own statement. I think some have been very good. I would love one big blockbuster movie, where everyone stands in line.

Bookpg JK: But do you think to do that, you might have to change your standards? That is, add the gratuitous sex and violence that you have so artfully avoided?

MHClark: If I just put a dinosaur in a car chase, I think I could do it!

BookpgXena: Your fans on TBR's message boards often mention how gracious and friendly you are at book signings. Your philosophy obviously differs from some other celebrities who don't even give autographs, period. How has your special relationship with your fans developed over the years?

MHClark: I love my fans! I think that any writer who has any understanding at all knows that you should value your fans. Readers are very intelligent. If you slap out a book, they'll notice --- and move on. I have a healthy respect, even admiration, for my readers.

Question: I loved all your books. If you had not made it as a writer, what other profession would you have pursued?

MHClark: I won the Drama Medal in high school and I really wanted to go to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. My mother sent me to secretarial school instead. I'm glad it worked out this way.

Question: You create such tension and suspense in your stories, but you seem like such a mild-mannered person on TV. Which is the real you?

MHClark: The real me is someone who loves to tell scary stories. I've done it ever since I was a child. It's like an actor taking a part. Both of those people you see --- they're me. My son once said, "My mother is the most non-violent person I know. Where she gets this stuff, beats me."

Question: What happened to the Mary Higgins Clark Mystery Magazine in Family Circle?

MHClark: There is another one coming out in about three weeks. The first one was a test. It was well-received, so...

Question: I vacationed in West Yarmouth with my family every July. I love your books! Does Remember House really exist? I have looked for it, but never found it.

MHClark: Remember House is a composite of several houses. I have friends who have houses that they swear are haunted. I took some of the old legends about Cape Cod and wove them into the background of the house I was writing about.

Question: Out of all of your books, who is your favorite character, or do you have one?

MHClark: Don't think I do. At the time I'm writing, I become involved with the characters and like them, but when I finish, it's like moving out of the neighborhood. You say, "Love you guys, I'm going to miss you... write if you get work!" I have to like my characters in order to write them. When a character starts to tell her own story, I know the book is under control.

Question: Will you ever do any more books with short stories like THE ANASTASIA SYNDROME?

MHClark: Probably.

Question: What other hobbies do you enjoy besides writing?

MHClark: I'm very involved with my children and grandchildren. We just came back from a vacation in Hawaii --- l9 of us. And I'm just back from a 3-week cruise with my husband. I love to travel! And I love the theater.

Bookpg JK: When you see a play like, say, "Deathtrap," are you tempted to pick up on your old ambition to be an actress and write a thriller for the stage?

MHClark: I used to think I'd try a stage play, but I haven't had time. I don't want to be an actress, but, like Hitchcock, I do have a cameo in all my movies!

BookpgXena: Your books reflect an obvious love for New York City. Besides the theater, what else so attracts you to New York and how much time do you spend there now?

MHClark: I have a small apartment in New York. I go back and forth. I'm a born New Yorker! If I go out of New York for any length of time, I touch the buildings when I come back and say, "Has anyone been mean to you? I'm here to help."

Question: Where can we obtain a schedule of your booksigning tour?

Bookpg JK: We will get one from Mary's publisher and post it later this week.

Question: How many more books can we expect to see out this year? I can't read them fast enough. You're a wonderful writer!

MHClark: To that person --- you are my new best friend! No other book in 1997, there will be two short stories. One will be in the MHC Mystery Magazine and the other will be in an anthology called MURDER FOR REVENGE.

BookpgXena: How does your approach differ with short stories versus novels? Which do you prefer?

MHClark: I always thought of myself as a short story writer. I had published 30 or 40 before I tried a book. It's not either/or --- some stories just work better at 25 or 30 pages. Although, obviously, financially it's much better to do a book.

Question: What inspires you to begin a new story and how do you get some of your ideas?

MHClark: I had just turned in MOONLIGHT BECOMES YOU. I was kicking around several ideas. I had been thinking about doing something about the Witness Protection Program, but nothing had clicked yet. Then, in a restaurant, I heard the owner sing a song called "Pretend You Don't See Her." I said, "There's my next book. That's the title!"

Question: I loved LOVES MUSIC, LOVES TO DANCE. How did you get the idea for that?

MHClark: I heard an FBI agent lecture. He had pictures of seven young women with their mouths taped and their hands bound. Their killer had overpowered them, photographed them, and killed them. The common denominator was that they had all answered the killer's personal ads. The FBI agent's comment was, "Nice people can meet nice people through these ads. They're also a mecca for losers and loners --- so be careful."

Bookpg JK: The obvious last question then is: Should we fear the strangers we meet in online chat rooms? Does a killer lurk among us tonight?

MHClark: That's a lovely question! I can see the plots coming from it. Just as you wouldn't invite a complete stranger into your home, I wouldn't reveal too much to a stranger online.

Bookpg JK: Well, we thank you enormously for letting us invade your home.

MHClark: You are my honored guests. Thank you.