BIO: At one time, Mary Higgins Clark supported her five children as a widow by writing material for radio programs. Although she had a pile of 40 rejection slips, she continued to hold out the hope of becoming a successful novelist. Ms. Clark had a dramatic change of fortune when her 1976 suspense novel, "Where Are The Children," became a bestseller. Since that time, the inherited flavor of her immigrant father from Roscommon, and her grandparents, born in Cos. Mayo and Sligo, has permeated her writing. Her family emigrated circa 1900, the family name HIGGINS. Raised in The Bronx, close to her future alma mater, Fordham University, Clark grew up surrounded by Irish characters. "They spoke with great lyricism and directness," she recalled. "Their style has influenced the way I developed as a writer...I know these people to their very bones." With more than 17 bestsellers to her credit by mid-1998, Clark continues to write, while delighting in the successes of her daugher, Carol, who has followed in her mother's inspiring footsteps. -- Excerpt, "The World of Hibernia," Summer 1998