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American Morning

A Writer's Life

Aired November 19, 2002 - 09:37   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: She's called the queen of suspense, but you don't have to be a fan of mystery books to know of Mary Higgins Clark. She's written 27 novels, which have sold more than 70 million copies in the U.S. alone. And her new book is called kitchen privileges. And it actually clears up a few mysteries. It is the writer's long-awaited memoir, her story of growing up Irish in New York during the Depression. Mary Higgins Clark joins me now.
Good to see you again.

MARY HIGGINS CLARK, AUTHOR, "KITCHEN PRIVILEGES": Good to see you again, Paula.

ZAHN: Congratulations.

CLARK: Well, it's fun to have it out, you know, it really is. It took 10 years of deciding whether to write it or not, or how to write it, rather than whether or not I'd write it.

ZAHN: What made you nervous about how you were going to tackle this one?

CLARK: Well, I know I wanted to do it. It was always in my mind. When I was little, I promised my mother I would, because when my father died, she put a -- she said, to save the house, we've got to rent rooms. And we moved downstairs. And she put a discreet little sign, furnished rooms, kitchen privileges on the side of the door. And the neighbors didn't mind furnished rooms, but they thought kitchen privileges kind of cut down the tone of the neighborhood. So she cut the sign this way. Isn't it good I didn't get the metal sign that would have cost money and I would have lost it? And I said, you know, some day I'm going to write a book, kitchen privileges. And so it's been there.

ZAHN: And what kind of metaphor has that been in your life? Because I don't think people understand what you went through growing up and what you endured in a very young marriage.

CLARK: Well, the thing is that people's lives are up and they're down, and you know, and some of us hit high peaks and pretty low peaks. My father died when I was 11, and Joey was just turning 13, and Johnny was 7. But, you know, look at the young mothers who after 9-11, and my husband died, I was 36, and there were five kids. But again...

ZAHN: And at that point in your life, you weren't particularly qualified to go on in the work force, right?

CLARK: No, I had sold short stories. But trust me, you do not make a living selling short stories and bringing up five kids. So I started writing radio scripts for a living, and it actually taught me a great deal about writing, having to do that. And I was always glad I had the kids. I mean, they were great kids. I always wanted six. I got five.

ZAHN: Well, you were blessed. Help everybody out there understand what those days, early days of widowhood were like, when you really did have to be concerned about putting food on the table for these kids and had to figure out how to make a future for your family alone.

CLARK: How many women have been faced with that. You know, you've got to step up to the plate, you really have to.

I was lucky I was able get a job writing radio scripts, because I had sold short stories, so I was qualified. And the first year I stayed home writing. But then they said, we need someone in New York. So I started commuting with the two men in the neighborhood, my brother-in-law and another man and they said it was indecent to look in the back seat of the car until we hit the George Washington Bridge, because I was getting dressed. I had gotten the kids off to school. Carol, the writer, you know, was always asleep. I was waking her up trying to get her to eat something. Patty always said, my stomach hurts, I can't go to school. Pat, your stomach does not hurt.

ZAHN: I can just envision the scene. That's probably how most households in America look trying to get kids off to school.

CLARK: And wearing my uniform hat, I left my homework, where did I leave my homework.

ZAHN: When did you realize you had finally made it? How many books were out?

CLARK: When the second book sold, "Where Are the Children?" did very, very well, and then it went on the paperback best seller list. But then the next book, "A Stranger is Watching," I got a call that it had been bought for $1 million. And I was going to Fordham at night at that time, and I had three classes that night. I was going from work to Fordham, because the kids were old enough. I think Patty was in college. And I started to write $1 million in Roman numerals, you know, across the page, in little boxes. And on the way home, I got in the car that had 146,000 miles on it, and the tail pipe and muffler fell off. So 21 miles I plugged home. And people were beeping, going, as if I'm too stupid to hear this racket.

ZAHN: You're holding, $1 million, $1 million. I hope you traded that car in.

CLARK: My dear, the next day I bought a Cadillac.

ZAHN: Good for you, girl. Well, it really is an amazing story of how -- where you came from and your enormous success. Continued good luck to you. And the name of the book is "Kitchen Privileges." And it's always a delight to see you. How many more books do you have in you?

CLARK: In mind?

ZAHN: Yes, I know you'll live to 120. Do you have about 15 more in you?

CLARK: Well, I'll always keep writing, unless I get hit over the head. The time may come when someone will say, Oh, I've read enough of her. But if I can tell a good story, I guess a few people will still like it.

ZAHN: You've got 70 million sold out there so far. So I guess the appetite continues to be strong. Good luck to you.

CLARK: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired November 19, 2002 - 09:37   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: She's called the queen of suspense, but you don't have to be a fan of mystery books to know of Mary Higgins Clark. She's written 27 novels, which have sold more than 70 million copies in the U.S. alone. And her new book is called kitchen privileges. And it actually clears up a few mysteries. It is the writer's long-awaited memoir, her story of growing up Irish in New York during the Depression. Mary Higgins Clark joins me now.
Good to see you again.

MARY HIGGINS CLARK, AUTHOR, "KITCHEN PRIVILEGES": Good to see you again, Paula.

ZAHN: Congratulations.

CLARK: Well, it's fun to have it out, you know, it really is. It took 10 years of deciding whether to write it or not, or how to write it, rather than whether or not I'd write it.

ZAHN: What made you nervous about how you were going to tackle this one?

CLARK: Well, I know I wanted to do it. It was always in my mind. When I was little, I promised my mother I would, because when my father died, she put a -- she said, to save the house, we've got to rent rooms. And we moved downstairs. And she put a discreet little sign, furnished rooms, kitchen privileges on the side of the door. And the neighbors didn't mind furnished rooms, but they thought kitchen privileges kind of cut down the tone of the neighborhood. So she cut the sign this way. Isn't it good I didn't get the metal sign that would have cost money and I would have lost it? And I said, you know, some day I'm going to write a book, kitchen privileges. And so it's been there.

ZAHN: And what kind of metaphor has that been in your life? Because I don't think people understand what you went through growing up and what you endured in a very young marriage.

CLARK: Well, the thing is that people's lives are up and they're down, and you know, and some of us hit high peaks and pretty low peaks. My father died when I was 11, and Joey was just turning 13, and Johnny was 7. But, you know, look at the young mothers who after 9-11, and my husband died, I was 36, and there were five kids. But again...

ZAHN: And at that point in your life, you weren't particularly qualified to go on in the work force, right?

CLARK: No, I had sold short stories. But trust me, you do not make a living selling short stories and bringing up five kids. So I started writing radio scripts for a living, and it actually taught me a great deal about writing, having to do that. And I was always glad I had the kids. I mean, they were great kids. I always wanted six. I got five.

ZAHN: Well, you were blessed. Help everybody out there understand what those days, early days of widowhood were like, when you really did have to be concerned about putting food on the table for these kids and had to figure out how to make a future for your family alone.

CLARK: How many women have been faced with that. You know, you've got to step up to the plate, you really have to.

I was lucky I was able get a job writing radio scripts, because I had sold short stories, so I was qualified. And the first year I stayed home writing. But then they said, we need someone in New York. So I started commuting with the two men in the neighborhood, my brother-in-law and another man and they said it was indecent to look in the back seat of the car until we hit the George Washington Bridge, because I was getting dressed. I had gotten the kids off to school. Carol, the writer, you know, was always asleep. I was waking her up trying to get her to eat something. Patty always said, my stomach hurts, I can't go to school. Pat, your stomach does not hurt.

ZAHN: I can just envision the scene. That's probably how most households in America look trying to get kids off to school.

CLARK: And wearing my uniform hat, I left my homework, where did I leave my homework.

ZAHN: When did you realize you had finally made it? How many books were out?

CLARK: When the second book sold, "Where Are the Children?" did very, very well, and then it went on the paperback best seller list. But then the next book, "A Stranger is Watching," I got a call that it had been bought for $1 million. And I was going to Fordham at night at that time, and I had three classes that night. I was going from work to Fordham, because the kids were old enough. I think Patty was in college. And I started to write $1 million in Roman numerals, you know, across the page, in little boxes. And on the way home, I got in the car that had 146,000 miles on it, and the tail pipe and muffler fell off. So 21 miles I plugged home. And people were beeping, going, as if I'm too stupid to hear this racket.

ZAHN: You're holding, $1 million, $1 million. I hope you traded that car in.

CLARK: My dear, the next day I bought a Cadillac.

ZAHN: Good for you, girl. Well, it really is an amazing story of how -- where you came from and your enormous success. Continued good luck to you. And the name of the book is "Kitchen Privileges." And it's always a delight to see you. How many more books do you have in you?

CLARK: In mind?

ZAHN: Yes, I know you'll live to 120. Do you have about 15 more in you?

CLARK: Well, I'll always keep writing, unless I get hit over the head. The time may come when someone will say, Oh, I've read enough of her. But if I can tell a good story, I guess a few people will still like it.

ZAHN: You've got 70 million sold out there so far. So I guess the appetite continues to be strong. Good luck to you.

CLARK: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com