Thrills for Mystery Fans as Mary and Carol Higgins Clark Hold Book Signing at Wegmans

Bestselling authors--the mother and daughter duo of Mary and Carol Higgins Clark--entered ' Timber Room to a host of cheers and applause from the crowd assembled for their book signing at the supermarket last Sunday afternoon.

Nearly 300 fans signed up to snag a spot in line that snaked around the room, and about 40 "walk ins" were expected to add to that. The Higgins Clarks' respective releases "I'll Walk Alone" (Mary) and "Mobbed" (Carol) were the most frequently signed, but attendees did bring other titles for the authors' signatures. Although Wegmans stated the signing would go from noon to 2 p.m., the Higgins Clarks' pens were still flying across pages, and there were still people waiting in line, as the clock struck 2:30 p.m.

The present readers were mostly female but varied in age. "Mother and daughter" was the unofficial theme of the day. Carol Higgins Clark told a reader that writing had not been her lifelong goal, but she first dabbled in that world during her college years when she retyped her mother's books for her. Many moms and their daughters were in attendance, and other readers credited their mothers with sparking their Higgins Clark appreciation. Sisters--and Collegeville residents--Carol and Janet Zebliski have been fans for 20 years, having picked up their mother's Higgins Clark books.

Susan Miscavage, of Gilbertsville, was another longtime fan who got her introduction to the Higgins Clarks' works thanks to her mom. Meeting the authors thrills her, once almost to a fault.
"I was coming back from a book signing in King of Prussia, and I was so excited that I got a speeding ticket," Miscavage said.
"I told the officer, 'I just met Mary Higgins Clark!'" Unimpressed, she still received a ticket, but the police officer did remember her when they both appeared in court when Miscavage fought the ticket. "He pointed at me and said, 'Mary Higgins Clark!'"

As delightful as the signings are for the readers, the authors enjoy them just as much. Carol Higgins Clark said it was "great to meet the fans" and hear them ask about her long-running character, Regan Reilly. "When you write, you're in a room by yourself," and at signings she gets to see impact of her work. She's still working on her next book idea, and draws some inspiration for settings and events from her own life. A real-life garage sale and her desire to set a story at the Jersey Shore--where she spent time while growing up--are part of her latest tome, "Mobbed."

Mary Higgins Clark also thanked readers for attending the signing--and expressed her affection for Wegmans. She did the chain's first-ever book signing 12 years ago, and said she "would do anything if they'd let me put an apartment above a store."