Mary Jane Clark (born 1954; Mary Jane Elizabeth Behrends) is an American author of two series of suspense novels. Her first twelve books are media thrillers influenced by her three decades of experience in

broadcast journalism Broadcast journalism is the field of news and journals which are broadcast by electronic methods instead of the older methods, such as printed newspapers and posters. It works on radio (via air, cable, and Internet), television (via air, cable, ...

. She plots murder mysteries investigated and solved by the characters who work at KEY News, the fictional television news world she has created. Her next series is ''The Wedding Cake Mysteries'', featuring an actress-turned wedding cake designer who gets involved in murder cases which threaten to prevent ceremonies.

Early life

The daughter of a

special agent In the United States, a special agent is an official title used to refer to certain investigators or detectives of federal, military, tribal, or state agencies who primarily serve in criminal investigatory positions. Additionally, some special ...

with the

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

who uncovered Russian

espionage Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering, as a subfield of the intelligence field, is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information ( intelligence). A person who commits espionage on a mission-specific contract is called an ...

during the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

and, later, worked on kidnapping and extortion cases, her interest in suspense started at an early age. She attended Immaculate Heart Academy in

Washington Township, Bergen County, New Jersey Washington Township (officially the Township of Washington) is a Township (New Jersey), township in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 9 ...

, graduating in 1972. With the goal of working in television news, she graduated from the

University of Rhode Island The University of Rhode Island (URI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Kingston, Rhode Island, United States. It is the flagship public research as well as the land-grant university of Rhode Island. The univer ...

with degrees in

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree of accuracy. The word, a noun, applies to the journ ...

and

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

. She started her professional career as a desk assistant at

CBS News CBS News is the news division of the American television and radio broadcaster CBS. It is headquartered in New York City. CBS News television programs include ''CBS Evening News'', ''CBS Mornings'', news magazine programs ''CBS News Sunday Morn ...

headquarters in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, eventually becoming a producer and writer.

Present

Clark resides in

Hillsdale, New Jersey Hillsdale is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in the northern portion of Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, within the New York City metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's po ...

and Florida. She has two children, a daughter, Elizabeth, an actress, and a son, David who has

Fragile X Syndrome Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is a genetic neurodevelopmental disorder. The average IQ in males with FXS is under 55, while affected females tend to be in the borderline to normal range, typically around 70–85. Physical features may include a lo ...

, the most common inherited form of

developmental disability Developmental disability is a diverse group of chronic conditions, comprising mental or physical impairments that arise before adulthood. Developmental disabilities cause individuals living with them many difficulties in certain areas of life, espe ...

. Mary Jane supports the FRAXA Research Foundation, a

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

that supports

scientific research The scientific method is an empirical method for acquiring knowledge that has been referred to while doing science since at least the 17th century. Historically, it was developed through the centuries from the ancient and medieval world. The ...

aimed at finding a treatment or a cure for the condition. Clark's former mother-in-law and sister-in-law are the well-known American authors

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a female given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religion * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blesse ...

and Carol Higgins Clark, respectively.

Books

Key News * 1998 ''Do You Want to Know a Secret'' * 1999 ''Do You Promise Not to Tell'' * 2000 ''Let Me Whisper in Your Ear'' * 2001 ''Close To You'' * 2002 ''Nobody Knows'' * 2003 ''Nowhere to Run'' * 2004 ''Hide Yourself Away'' * 2005 ''Dancing in the Dark'' * 2006 ''Lights Out Tonight'' * 2007 ''When Day Breaks'' * 2008 ''It Only Takes a Moment'' * 2009 ''Dying for Mercy'' Wedding Cake Mysteries * 2011 ''To Have and To Kill'' * 2012 ''The Look of Love'' * 2013 ''Footprints in the Sand'' * 2014 ''That Old Black Magic''

References

External links

Mary Jane Clark Official Website

Book Reporter Interview

Authors on the Air
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Jane 1954 births Living people 20th-century American novelists American mystery writers American thriller writers Immaculate Heart Academy alumni People from Hillsdale, New Jersey University of Rhode Island alumni Novelists from New Jersey Novelists from New York (state) 21st-century American novelists American women novelists 20th-century American women writers Date of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American women writers American women thriller writers American women mystery writers Writers from Bergen County, New Jersey