Exclusive Interview… - Trinitas Hospital

Your younger brother, John,lost his wife and child inquick succession and thendied an untimely death froma fall. How did you getthrough all that?MHC: There were so many at onetime that it just seemed as thoughthere was blow after blow after blow.Of course, you have a constantsadness. You can’t lay that on otherpeople. But a fact of life is that peopledie out of their time.In reading your memoir, Iwas intrigued by your mother.No matter what tragedybefell her, she forged ahead.MHC: I think the great grief of herlife was Joseph. The loss of my fatherwas, of course, devastating; butthere’s something about losing achild. He had been a ‘preemie,’ andMary Higgins Clark admits to writingher first children’s book, Ghost Ship(Simon & Schuster, 2007), “in anhour or less.”she never left his side during that firstyear; she was so afraid he would slipaway. She would have thrown herselfacross the tracks for any one of us,but there was something so tenderabout her relationship with Joseph.What attributes bestdescribe your mom?MHC: My mother never stayedangry, even if she had a reason tobe mad at someone. She alwayshad a sense of humor. Her heart wasbroken, but she was never gloomy.She never said ‘Why me’ to me ormy brothers. When you have faith,if someone is sick, you can stormheaven with prayers. And you takecomfort that there has to be a reasonfor all this; there must be a biggerplan that you don’t know about.Was your mom’s resiliencefollowing the sudden death ofyour father a model for youwhen your husband died?MHC: Since I knew how much Imissed my own father, I knew exactlyhow much my kids would misstheirs. I thought it was my job to bea mother who didn’t take the griefout on them, but also to do the best Icould because I knew how much theywould miss him.Continued on page 6Jersey Rules!Jokes about New Jersey are nolaughing matter for Mary HigginsClark. In an effort to shine apositive light on the Garden State,she intentionally set six of herbest-selling suspense novels inher adopted home state.They are—I Heard that Song Before 2007.No Place Like Home 2005.The Second Time Around 2003.On the Street Where You Live2001.All Around the Town 1992.The Cradle Will Fall 1980.(Clark’s books are all published inhardcover by Simon & Schusterand, subsequently, in paperbackby Pocket Books.) — J.T.FALL 2007 5