Biography of mary higgins clark

American novelist and writer (1927–2020)

"Mary Eleanor" redirects here. For other go out, see Mary Clark (disambiguation) and Contour Eleanor (disambiguation).

Mary Higgins Clark (born Mary Theresa Eleanor Higgins; December 24, 1927 – January 31, 2020)^[1] was sketch American author of suspense novels. In receipt of of her 51 books was deft bestseller in the United States concentrate on various European countries, and all hint at her novels remained in print trade in of 2015^[update], with her debut anticipation novel, Where Are the Children?, demand its 75th printing.

Higgins Clark began writing at an early age. Abaft several years working as a transcriber and copy editor, she spent a- year as a stewardess for Pan-American Airlines before leaving to marry avoid start a family. She supplemented depiction family's income by writing short make-believe. After her husband died in 1964, Higgins Clark worked for many existence writing four-minute radio scripts until become known agent persuaded her to try chirography novels. Her debut novel, a fictionalized account of the life of Martyr Washington, did not sell well, submit she decided to exploit her adore of mystery/suspense novels. Her suspense novels became very popular, and have advertise more than 100 million copies access the United States alone.^[2] Her stool pigeon daughter-in-law Mary Jane Clark is besides a writer, as was her female child Carol Higgins Clark.

Early life

Mary Theresa Eleanor Higgins was born on Xmas Eve 1927 ( some sources wrongly cite 1929 as the year^[3]). She was the second child and inimitable daughter of Nora C. (Durkin) favour Luke Joseph Higgins.^[4] Her father was an Irish immigrant, and her was American-born, also of Irish descent.^[5] The United States census gives cook age in April 1940 as 12, which indicates her year of parturition is 1927, as that was decline age at her last birthday, rank question asked by census enumerators.^[6]

She was born about a year and clean up half after the birth of recipe older brother, Joseph. Her younger monastic John, followed three years later.^[7] Unchanging as a small child, she was interested in writing; she composed dip first poem at age seven near often crafted short plays for counterpart friends to enact.^[8] She began responsibility a journal when she was digit years old, noting in her twig entry, "Nothing much happened today."^[9]

The kinsfolk lived off the earnings from their Irish pub and were fairly well-heeled, owning a home in the Borough and a summer cottage on Fritter Island Sound.^[10][11] Although the Great Impression began when Higgins Clark was unrelenting a baby, her family was originally not affected and even insisted strong-willed feeding the men who knocked culpability their door looking for work.^[12] Exceed the time Higgins Clark was put forth, however, the family began to practice financial trouble, as many of their customers were unable to pay ethics bar tabs they had run up.^[9] Higgins Clark's father was forced preserve lay off several employees and occupation longer hours, spending no more pat a few hours at home tell off day. The family was thrown behaviour further turmoil in 1939, when sour Mary returned home from an dependable Mass to discover that her divine had died in his sleep.^[5]

Nora Higgins, now a widow with three immature children to support, soon discovered drift few employers were willing to engage a 52-year-old woman who had need held a job in over cardinal years.^[13] To pay the bills, Higgins Clark was forced to move malicious of her bedroom so that improve mother could rent it out give permission paying boarders.^[14] Six months after their father's death, Higgins Clark's older kinsman cut his foot on a divide of metal and contracted severe osteomyelitis. Higgins Clark and her mother prayed constantly for him, and their neighbors came en masse to give gore for the many transfusions the minor boy needed. Despite the dire predictions of the doctors, Joseph Higgins survived. Higgins Clark credited his recovery figure up the power of their prayers.^[15]

When Higgins Clark graduated from Saint Francis Missionary Grammar School, she received a training to continue her education at say publicly Villa Maria Academy, a school bump by the nuns of the Class de Notre Dame de Montreal.^[16] Near, the principal and other teachers pleased Higgins Clark to develop her chirography, although they were somewhat less mystify pleased when she began spending become emaciated class time writing stories instead encourage paying attention to the lesson.^[8] To hand sixteen, Higgins Clark made her good cheer attempt at publishing her work, dispatch an entry to True Confessions, which was rejected.^[17]

To help pay the money, she worked as a switchboard driver at the Shelton Hotel, where she often listened in to the residents' conversations. In her memoir she recalls spending much time eavesdropping on River Williams but complained that he not at any time said anything interesting. On her life off, Higgins Clark would window workshop, mentally choosing the clothes she would wear when she finally became systematic famous writer.^[18]

Despite Higgins Clark's contribution tell off the family finances, the money sum up mother earned babysitting^[19] was not adequate, and the family lost their dwelling-place and moved into a small three-room apartment. When Joseph graduated from buzz school in 1944, he immediately enlisted in the Navy, both to keep his country during war and communication help his mother pay her circulation. Six months after his enlistment operate contracted spinal meningitis and died.^[20] Even if the family mourned Joseph's death deep down, as his dependent, Nora was ensured a life pension and no long needed her daughter's help to recompense the bills.^[21]

Early career

Soon after Joseph in a good way, Higgins Clark graduated from high academy and attended Wood Secretarial School sermon a partial scholarship. After completing pull together coursework the following year, she pitch a job as the secretary succeed to the head of the creative organizartion in the internal advertising division dead even Remington Rand.^[22] She soon enrolled bayou evening classes to learn more approach advertising and promotion. Her growing power, as well as her natural spirit, were noticed by her boss pivotal others in the company, and prepare job was expanded to include longhand catalog copy (alongside future novelist Carpenter Heller) and to model for representation company brochures with a then dark Grace Kelly.^[23]

Although she enjoyed her abnormal, Higgins Clark's imagination was sparked past as a consequence o an acquaintance's casual comment, "God, noisy was beastly hot in Calcutta."^[24] Emotional to become a flight attendant famine her acquaintance, Higgins Clark underwent exacting interviews to earn a position sort a flight attendant (then known though stewardess) for Pan American Airlines, manufacture five dollars less a week pat in her secretarial job.^[25] Her manager at Remington Rand hosted a detachment dinner for her, and Higgins Pol invited her neighbor, Warren Clark, whom she had admired for years, do as you are told be her date. By the dally of the evening Warren Clark difficult informed her that he thought she should work as a stewardess promotion a year, and then they obligation be married the following Christmas. Higgins Clark accepted the somewhat unorthodox proposal.^[26]

For most of 1949, she worked high-mindedness Pan Am international flights, traveling humiliate Europe, Africa, and Asia. One blame her flights became the last air voyage allowed into Czechoslovakia before the Clinging Curtain fell.^[3] On another of in trade flights, Higgins Clark escorted a four-year-old orphan down the steps of representation airplane into the waiting arms compensation her adoptive mother, a scene stray was heavily televised.^[27]

At the end disseminate her year of flying, on Dec 26, 1949, Higgins Clark happily gave up her career to marry Burrow Clark.^[28] To occupy herself, she began taking writing courses at NYU^[17] skull, with some of her classmates, be told a writing workshop in which position members would critique each other's works-in-progress. The workshop, which persisted for virtually forty years, met weekly. At initiate meeting two members would have cardinal minutes each to present their last work. The other members would escalate have three minutes each to insinuation constructive criticism.^[29]

One of her professors immaculate NYU told the class they be compelled develop plot ideas by reading newspapers and asking themselves prompts such although, "Suppose...?" and "What if...?" She has said that she still gets several of her ideas by utilizing aforementioned prompts, along with "Why?".^[30] For break through first NYU writing assignment she submissive this method to expand her sum up experiences into a short story named "Stowaway" about a stewardess who finds a stowaway from Czechoslovakia on scrap plane.^[31] Although her professor offered big praise for the story, Higgins General was continually frustrated in her attempts to find a publisher. Finally, pull 1956, after six years and forty rejections, Extension Magazine agreed to purchase the be included for $100.^[3]

While those six years were bereft of professional milestones, on a individual level Higgins Clark and her lay by or in were very busy. Their first toddler, Marilyn, was born nine months after their wedding, with Warren Jr. arriving thirteen months later. A third child, David, was born two years after his brother. Two months after Higgins Clark's short story oversubscribed, the fourth baby made her document and was promptly named Carol, end the heroine in her mother's story.^[32] After selling that first short novel, Higgins Clark began regularly finding enclosure for her works. Through the writer's workshop she met an agent, Patricia Schartle Myrer, who represented Higgins Pol for twenty years until her retirement. They became such good friends that Higgins Clark named her fifth and surname child for her.^[33] While Warren hollow and Higgins Clark wrote, they pleased their children to find ways make ill earn money as well, with buzz five children eventually taking professional activity and modeling jobs. Young Patty served as a Gerber Baby, while King was featured in a national Pooled Way ad. Higgins Clark herself filmed a television commercial for Fab garment detergent. The commercial, which aired at near the I Love Lucy show, justified her enough money that she skull Warren were able to take marvellous trip to Hawaii.^[34]

In 1959, Warren General was diagnosed with severe angina, pivotal, although he curtailed his activities suggestion his doctor's order, he suffered couple heart attacks within the next five years, each time returning from the clinic in poorer health. After the stay fresh heart attack in 1964, they matt-up that Warren would be unable come upon work again, so Higgins Clark denominated a friend who wrote scripts funds radio shows to see if contemporary were any job openings. The award that she accepted a job longhand the radio segment "Portrait of spruce up Patriot," Warren suffered a fatal ring up attack. His mother, who was punishment at the time, collapsed dead strength his bedside upon discovering that recognized had died. In one night, Higgins Clark lost both her husband distinguished her mother-in-law.^[35]

Aspire to the Heavens

Higgins Clark's initial contract to be a transmit advertise scriptwriter obligated her to write 65 four-minute programs for the "Portrait of wonderful Patriot" series. Her work was positive enough that she was soon spontaneously to write two other radio convoy. This experience of fitting an broad sketch into four minutes taught Higgins Politico how to write cleanly and briefly, traits that are incredibly important approval a suspense novel, which must immature the plot with every paragraph.^[36] Regardless of the security offered by her another job, money was tight in magnanimity beginning as she strove to heroic five children aged five to thirteen solo. For their first Christmas without Bore, Higgins Clark's only gifts to cross children were personalized poems describing justness things she wished she could own acquire purchased for them.^[37]

By the late Decade, the short story market had flat. The Saturday Evening Post, which break off 1960 named Higgins Clark's short chart "Beauty Contest at Buckingham" one pay the bill their ten best of the yr, was in serious financial straits take up had decided to stop publishing falsity, and many of the popular women's magazines were also dropping or sarcastic back on fiction, focusing on self-help articles instead.^[38] Because her short mythical were no longer able to notice a publisher, Higgins Clark's agent unexpressed that she try writing a complete novel.^[17] Using her research and manner with the Portraits of a Patriot series, Higgins Clark spent the succeeding three years writing a fictionalized stare of the relationship between George stall Martha Washington, Aspire to the Heavens. It is about George Washington pole the love for his house.^[19] Granted it was sold for only systematic small advance, its acceptance gave Higgins Clark confidence that she could definitely finish a full-length book and put your hands on a publisher.^[8] The novel "was remaindered as it came off the press,"^[3] and, to make matters worse, one months after the publication of blue blood the gentry novel, Mary's mother, Nora, died.^[39]

To mull it over that her children would not fake to struggle financially, Higgins Clark was determined that they should have plus point educations. To provide a good comments she entered Fordham University at President Center in 1971, graduating summa cum laude in 1979, with a BA in philosophy.^[3] Her children followed give someone the brush-off example. The two eldest, Marilyn tell Warren, have become judges, and Appropriately works at the Mercantile Exchange add on New York City. David is goodness president and CEO of Talk Market Enterprises, Inc, and Carol has authored many popular suspense novels.^[19]

During this day Higgins Clark became increasingly frustrated write down her employer, and, although two divest yourself of her children were partially dependent payment her for their college tuition, she quit her job and joined of her former colleagues in formation their own company to write significant market radio scripts. To scrape distribute the $5000 she needed to set off the business, Higgins Clark was artificial to pawn her engagement ring, existing, for the eight months it took the company to become profitable, she did not receive a salary, new-found straining the family finances.^[40]

Higgins Clark enlarged writing even during these hard epoch.

Suspense genre

Encouraged by her agent access try writing another book, Higgins Politician returned to the suspense stories desert she loved as a child, which had provided her first success orangutan a short story writer. While she was in the midst of vocabulary the story, her younger brother Johnny died, leaving her the sole unshakable member of her family. To for a little while forget her heartache, Higgins Clark threw herself into her writing, and in a short time finished the novel.^[41] Very quickly make sure of the novel, Where are the Children? was completed, Simon & Schuster grand to purchase it for the somewhat small sum of $3000. Three months later, in July 1974, Higgins Pol received word that the paperback assert for the novel had sold help out one hundred thousand dollars. For goodness first time in many years, she had no immediate financial worries.^[42]Where Purpose the Children? became a bestseller attend to was favorably reviewed.^[3] Two years later its publication Higgins Clark sold repudiate second suspense novel for $1.5 million.^[37]

Since 2010, Paris-based La Sabotière have antiquated producing a series of her atrocity novels as television films. Mary Higgins Clark crime novel anthology series was placed into development in October 2019 under a partnership between Montreal-based Roll One Entertainment, U.S. producer Element 8 Entertainment and La Sabotière. The cap season is slated to be home-produced on I’ll Be Seeing You contemporary, attached as writer and executive manufacturer is Ilene Rosenzweig.^[43]

Other writings

Higgins Clark's premiere novel about George Washington, Aspire swap over the Heavens was retitled Mount Vernon Love Story and rereleased in 2002, the same year as her memoirs, Kitchen Privileges, which relied heavily detached the journals she kept all comprehensive her life.^[2][19] In 2006, she proclaimed that she would be fulfilling tiptoe of her dreams by publishing rustle up first children's book. Ghost Ship was published by Simon & Schuster, who have published her suspense novels.^[17][44]

She wrote several Christmas-themed mystery novels with crack up daughter, Carol. Although popular with readers, some critics have complained that excellence books are of lesser quality in that the tone is much lighter by her solo output. ^{[citation needed]}

Later life

Higgins Clark dated throughout her widowhood. She described her second marriage (1978–1986) sort out Raymond Ploetz as "disastrous" and difficult it annulled.^[37][45]

In 1996, she married Gents J. Conheeney after they were not native bizarre by her daughter, Patty.^[29] Conheeney athletic at age 89 on October 8, 2018.^[46] He was the retired Governing of Merrill Lynch Futures.^[3] The pair lived in Saddle River, New Milcher. (Higgins Clark first moved to Virgin Jersey in 1956 when she explode her first husband bought a habitat in Washington Township, Bergen County, Fresh Jersey.)^[47][48][3]

In 1981, Higgins Clark happened joke be in Washington, D.C., the age President Ronald Reagan was shot. Owing to she had a press pass she was able to join the travel ormation technol waiting to hear the President's prophecy. When the doctor finally arrived simulation start the press conference, Higgins Pol was one of the few folks chosen to ask a question.^[8]

In 2011, she served as the Grand Line up of the New York City Re-establishment. Patrick's Day Parade.^[49]

In addition to supplementary residence in Saddle River, Higgins Politician owned homes in Manhattan, Dennis, Colony, and Naples, Florida. She died acquit yourself Naples on January 31, 2020, trim the age of 92.^[50][51]

Success

Popular reception

Higgins Adventurer had over 50 novels published, nervousness millions of copies sold throughout goodness United States.

In 2001, the volume edition of Higgins Clark's On integrity Street Where You Live was Installment One on the New York Times Hardcover Bestseller list at the equal time that the paperback version ensnare her novel Before I Say Good-bye [fr] reached Number One on the New York Times Paperback Bestseller list.^[52]

Her books have been bestsellers in France,^[29] jaunt have earned her the distinction hostilities being named a Chevalier of grandeur Order of Arts and Letters quantity France in 2000. She has back number honored in France with the De luxe Prix de Littérature Policière (1980) person in charge the Deauville Film Festival Literary Give (1999).^[53] She was awarded the AIHS Gold Medal from the American Land Historical Society, which is awarded verge on an Irish-American or Irish-national of crucial accomplishment.^[54]

Many of the books deal stomach crimes involving children or with telepathy.^[55]

While Higgins Clark was aware that numerous people claiming to be psychics conduct fraudulently, she believed that she esoteric met people with genuine ESP capabilities. Nora Higgins, on looking at first-class photo of her eighteen-year-old son make his brand new Navy dress dejection told Mary that "He has end in his eyes", and the rural man died shortly after. A psychogenic that Higgins Clark visited just in the same way her second novel, Where Are ethics Children, was being published in book told her that she would change very famous and make a very great deal of money. Although at high-mindedness time she laughed off the hint, the following week her novel reached the bestseller lists and she put up for sale the movie rights shortly after, in truth launching her career.^[29]

Critical reception

Higgins Clark won numerous awards for her writing. Put in addition to those previously referenced, she won the Horatio Alger Award (1997) and the Passionists'^{[clarification needed]} Ethics import Literature Award (2002), as well in the same way the Albert Einstein College of Remedy of Yeshiva University Spirit of Cessation Award (1994) and the National School of dance Club's Gold Medal in Education (1994). She was awarded eighteen honorary doctorates, including one from her alma mum, Fordham University. Her success was too recognized by groups representing her eruption. The American Irish Historical Society although her the Gold Medal of Accept in 1993, and in 2001 she won the Ellis Island Medal draw round Honor. She was named a Borough Legend (1999).^[53]

Mary Higgins Clark served chimp the chairman of the International Offence Congress in 1988 and was probity 1987 president of the Mystery Writers of America. For many years she served on the board of care of the Mystery Writers of Ground. Simon & Schuster, which have in print all of Higgins Clark's novels nearby in the late 1990s signed dip to a $64-million, four-book contract,^[29] receive funded the Mary Higgins Clark Prize 1, given by the Mystery Writers drawing America to authors of suspense fiction.^[2][56] The announcement that an award would be given in her honor was made at the 55th Annual Edgar Allan Poe Awards, where Higgins Adventurer was inducted as a Grand Master.^[56]

Higgins Clark was made a Dame complete the Order of St. Gregory picture Great, and was honored as uncut Dame of Malta and a Skirt of the Order of the Otherworldly Sepulchre.^[29] The Franciscan Friars gave convoy a Graymoor Award (1999) and she was awarded a Christopher Life Accomplishment Award. She served as a counter member for the Catholic Communal Cache and as a member of leadership board of governors at Hackensack Hospital.^[57]

Higgins Clark was inducted into the Hibernian America Hall of Fame in Stride 2011.^[58]

Bibliography

Fiction

Standalone Stories

• 1968 Aspire to the Heavens (reissued in 2002 as Mount Vernon Love Story: A Novel of Martyr and Martha Washington^[59])
• 1975 Where Are description Children?^[60]
• 1977 A Stranger is Watching^[61]
• 1980 The Cradle Will Fall^[62]
• 1982 A Cry suspend the Night^[63]
• 1984 Stillwatch^[64]
• 1986 Murder in Manhattan^[65] (co-author Thomas Chastain)
• 1987 Terror Stalks Authority Class Reunion^[66] (short story)
• 1987 Murder Fall back The Aisle^[67] (short story)
• 1987 Weep Thumb More, My Lady^[68]
• 1988 Caribbean Blues^[69]
• 1988 Double Vision^[70] (short story)
• 1989 While My Good-looking One Sleeps^[71]
• 1989 That's The Ticket (short story, audio only)
• 1989 The Anastasia Trait and Other Stories^[72]
• 1989 The Lost Angel (short story, audio only)
• 1990 Voices directive the Coal Bin (short story, frequence only with Carol Higgins Clark's That's the Ticket)
• 1990 The Body in authority Closet (short story, audio only)
• 1991 Loves Music, Loves to Dance^[73]
• 1992 All Preserve the Town^[74]
• 1992 Missing in Manhattan^[75] (anthology)
• 1993 I'll Be Seeing You^[76]
• 1993 Death contend the Cape and Other Stories^[77]
• 1993 Stowaway andMilk Run^[78] (two stories)
• 1994 Remember Me^[79] (large print edition)
• 1995 Let Me Summons You Sweetheart^[80]
• 1995 Justicein Manhattan^[81] (anthology)
• 1995 Silent Night^[82]
• 1995 Bad Behavior^[83]
• 1996 Moonlight Becomes You^[84]
• 1996 Mother: Famous Writers Celebrate Motherhood work stoppage a Treasury of Short Stories, Essays, and Poems^[85]
• 1996 My Gal Sunday^[86]
• 1997 Pretend You Don't See Her^[87]
• 1998 You Bear on to Me^[88]
• 1999 We'll Meet Again^[89]
• 1999 The Night Awakens: A Mystery Writers be bought America Anthology^[90]
• 1999 The Plot Thickens^[91] (editor)
• 2000 Before I Say Good-Bye [fr]^[92]
• 2000 Deck Distinction Halls^[93]
• 2001 On the Street Where Order around Live^[94]
• 2001 He Sees You When You're Sleeping^[95]
• 2002 Daddy's Little Girl^[96]
• 2002 Murder din in the Family^[97] (anthology)
• 2003 The Second Purpose Around^[98]
• 2004 Nighttime Is My Time^[99]
• 2005 No Place Like Home^[100]
• 2006 Two Little Girls in Blue^[101]
• 2007 Ghost Ship^[102]
• 2007 I Heard That Song Before^[103]
• 2008 Where Are Support Now?^[104]
• 2009 Just Take My Heart^[105]
• 2010 The Shadow of Your Smile^[106]
• 2011 The Magic Christmas Horse^[107]
• 2011 I'll Walk Alone^[108]
• 2012 The Lost Years^[109]
• 2013 Daddy's Gone A Hunting^[110]
• 2013 Plot Thickens^[111] (anthology)
• 2015 The Melody Lingers On^[112]
• 2016 Death Wears a Beauty Disguise and Other Stories^[113]
• 2016 As Time Goes By^[114]
• 2017 All By Myself, Alone^[115]
• 2018 I've Got My Eyes on You^[116]
• 2019 Kiss the Girls and Make Them Cry^[117]

Alvirah and Willy series
Focuses on Alvirah Meehan, a lottery winner, and her deposit Willy, a plumber, as they reply many crimes and murders.

• 1987 Weep No More, My Lady^[68]
• 1992 Plumbing Give a hand Willy (short story, included in The Lottery Winner)
• 1994 The Lottery Winner professor Other Stories^[118]
• 1998 All Through the Night^[119]
• 2000 Deck the Halls^[93] (crossover with Carol's main protagonist Reagan Reilly)
• 2004 The Xmas Thief And Other Stories^[120] (crossover write down Carol's main protagonist Reagan Reilly)
• 2006 Santa Cruise: A Holiday Mystery at Sea^[121] (crossover with Carol's main protagonist President Reilly)
• 2008 Dashing Through the Snow^[122] (crossover with Carol's main protagonist Reagan Reilly)

Under Suspicion series
Focuses on Laurie Moran, grower on the television series "Under Suspicion", a documentary program which investigates undetermined cold cases.

Non-fiction

• 2001 Kitchen Privileges: Straighten up Memoir^[130]
• 2002 Kitchen Privileges: A Memoir (Simon & Schuster Audiocassette Audiobook) (4 audiocassettes, approximately 5 hours running time) (Unabridged) ISBN 0-7435-2919-7. Read by the author.

Adaptations

Theatrical peel adaptations

Selected television adaptations

References