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Patricia Heaton on her book, 'Raymond,' lifeBelly laughs
(PEOPLE) -- Inside the offices of the production company she created with her actor husband, "Everybody Loves Raymond"'s Patricia Heaton sat down recently with PEOPLE L.A. correspondent Pamela Warrick to talk about kids, show business and her new book, "Motherhood & Hollywood: How to Get a Job Like Mine." Q: With four kids and your full-time job starring on "Everybody Loves Raymond," how in the world did you find the time to write a book? A: Well, I just stayed up later than the rest of my family. I would rush upstairs to my husband's office every night after I got all four boys (Sam, 9; John, 7; Joe, 5; and Danny, 3) to bed and I would try to keep going until about midnight. This went on for about six months. For the most part, the chapters just flowed. I would write a chapter and send it to my brother Michael (46) who has a column called the "Minister of Culture" at the Cleveland Plain Dealer and he would read it and send it back with any suggestions. We work closely together because we have the same voice and the same sense of humor. The biggest hurdle was getting it started. Once I got going, though, it was really fun. Rereading it now, I feel there is so much, so many incidents I didn't include that maybe there might even be another book in the offing. Q: Well, you come from a family of journalists, don't you? A: I do. In fact, until I got up the courage to tell my dad I actually wanted to act for a living, I was a journalism major at Ohio State. I always assumed it was my father's dream that I would be a journalist like him. My dad, Chuck Heaton, was a sports columnist -- a very well-known sports columnist -- at the Plain Dealer when I was growing up. Anyway, when I finally told him that I wanted to change my major from journalism to theater arts, he said, 'Okay, okay, sure, go ahead.' I was just astonished because I thought my decision would break his heart. Q: But there was heartbreak in the Heaton household when you were growing up ... A: Yes, yes there was. When I was 12, my mother -- for whom I am named, Patricia Helen -- suffered a brain aneurysm, without warning, and she died. She was 46. It was the worst thing you can possibly imagine. My mom was such an amazing person and I do miss her, especially now that I'm a mom. She never had a housekeeper, and with five of us kids, she had her hands full. But I loved helping her, even with housework, I never minded it. One of my favorite chores was dusting, spraying the Pledge and polishing the wood to a shine. I remember she taught me how to polish the silver for special occasions and chop nuts for brownies --things I do now with my kids. Q: You write freely about being in therapy. How has that helped you? A: Seeing a therapist has helped me in a lot of ways. Certainly, having lost my mother, there was a reason to examine my feelings. But these days, I talk more about my children and how I can be a better parent. A lot of what goes on in therapy now has to do with my kids. And whenever I actually take her advice, it works! Read more from Patricia Heaton on PEOPLE.COM: Plastic surgery | Being an actor | An exclusive book excerpt
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