MaryHigginsClarkMaryHigginsClarklikestodelveintodifferentworldsinhercrackerjacknovelsofsuspense;butwhilethemilieuschange,herstoriesarealwayscompelling.Assheputsit:"Iwriteaboutpeoplegoingabouttheirdailylives,notlookingfortrouble,whoaresuddenlyplungedintomenacingsituations."BiographyTheQueenofSuspense,Bronx-bornand-bredMaryHigginsClarkhasachievedinternationalsuccessagainstheavyodds.Herfatherdiedwhenshewas11,andhermotherstruggledtoraiseandprovideforMaryandhertwobrothers.ClarkattendedsecretarialschoolafterhighschoolandworkedforthreeyearsinanadvertisingagencybeforeleavingtobecomeastewardessforPanAmericanAirlines.Throughout1949,sheflewinternationalflightstoEurope,Africa,andAsia."IwasinarevolutioninSyriaandonthelastflightintoCzechoslovakiabeforetheIronCurtainwentdown,"sherecalls.In1950,shequitherjobtomarryWarrenClark,aneighbornineyearsherseniorwhomshehadknownandadmiredsinceshewas16.Intheearlyyearsofhermarriage,Clarkbeganwritingshortstories,makingherfirstsalein1956toExtensionMagazine.Betweenwritingandraisingafamily,thedecadeflewby.Then,in1964,WarrenClarksufferedafatalheartattack,leavinghisyoungwidowwithfivechildrentosupport.Shewenttoworkwritingradioscripts;and,aroundthistime,shedecidedtotryherhandatwritingbooks.Inspiredbyaradioseriesshewasworkingon,shedraftedabiographicalnovelaboutGeorgeWashington.Itwaspublishedin1969underthetitleAspiretotheHeavens.(In2002,itwasre-issuedasMountVernonLoveStory.)Herfirstsuspensenovel,WhereAretheChildren?,appearedinprintin1975.Itwasahugehitandmarkedaturningpointinherlife.Sincethen,shehasdevelopedaloyalfanbase,andeachofhernovelshashitthebestsellerlists.Shehasalsoco-writtenstoriesandnovelswithherdaughterCarol,asuccessfulauthorinherownright.Inthe1970s,ClarkenrolledinFordhamUniversityatLincolnCenter,graduatingsummacumlaudein1979.Agreatsupporterofeducation,shehasservedasatrusteeofheralmamaterandProvidenceCollegeandholdsnumeroushonorarydegrees.SheremainsactiveinCatholicaffairsandhasbeenhonoredwithmanyawards.Herpublisher,Simon&Schuster,fundsanannualawardinhernametobegiventoauthorsofsuspensefictionwritingintheMaryHigginsClarktradition.Hometown:SaddleRiver,NewJerseyandNewYork,NewYorkDateofBirth:十二月24,1929PlaceofBirth:NewYork,NewYorkEducation:NewYorkUniversity;B.A.,FordhamUniversity,1979Website:http://www.simonsays.com/subs/index.cfm?areaid=12