She started as a copy editor before she was married, then sold her short stories to add to the family’s income while raising five children. She started a writing workshop in NYC with other writers to improve each other’s work. When her young husband died in 1964 after 15 years of marriage, she supported her family by writing radio scripts. After one failed novel, she switched to suspense fiction with Where Are The Children? Since then she has written more than 50 books, including her memoir Kitchen Privileges.