My Event w/ Mary Higgins Clark! Cape Cod #Book Signing #Author Panel

Not just meeting Mary Higgins Clark, but sitting on
an author panel with her and signing books right
across from her - a dream come true!

A few weeks ago, I had the tremendous honor of not only participating in an author panel and book signing to raise money for a children’s charity, but doing so with some very big names in the industry, including my childhood idol, Mary Higgins Clark.  I still can’t believe it all happened, really, but I have the pictures (and my name card for the panel, autographed by Mary Higgins Clark!) to remind myself.  So, I thought I’d share the pictures here as well, as a testament that dreams can come true!

I blogged about the event here, but in a nutshell, I was asked to participate in the event last spring, with no details other than the proceeds would benefit Dream Day on Cape Cod, an organization bringing children with life-threatening illnesses to Cape Cod for relaxation and vacation time with family.  I had no idea who the other authors on the panel would be, but I immediately said yes—a chance to help children and gain visibility for my novels is a win/win.  I didn’t learn the identity of the author panel until a few weeks prior to the event, and you should have seen my expression when I opened the promotional flier and saw “Mary Higgins Clark” next to my name.  Then I saw other very well-known names such as Hank Phillipi Ryan, Sally Cabot Gunning, and Jacquelyn Mitchard and nearly fell off my stool at the kitchen island. 

Trading books with Hank Phillipi Ryan!

The event was held at the Cape Cod Museum of Art, and it was entitled Art, Word, and Wine.  What a great night!  There were nine authors, each with a large table displaying our books, bios, and cards, and while we signed books there, Brewster Book Store employees took care of the sales.  Local shops offered wine tasting and appetizers, and there was a large raffle table as well.  We had a 45 minute author panel with a quick Q&A session; for the most part, we signed books at our tables and chatted with attendees.

Our author panel during Q & A

I was able to chat quite a bit with Mary Higgins Clark and Hank Phillipi Ryan, whose tables were near mine.  What an honor!  Mary Higgins Clark signed my author panel name card on request, and was so very gracious about it, and Hank Phillipi Ryan suggested I Facebook friend her.  Done!  Quite a few of my friends came to the event, as well as a number of members of the gym where I work.  And my mother-in-law came to drive with me, help carry my stuff, take pictures, and offer general support, which I appreciated very much. 

My name card from the author panel, signed by Mary Higgins Clark!

I met a lot of new people as well, including the County Administrator of Barnstable, who works right near the Old Haunted Jail from my novel Haunted Souls (which he purchased and said he enjoyed very much in follow-up emails!).  Since the building in that area of 6A are so old and filled with history—and possibly ghosts—he offered to give me a tour, which is coming up soon.  I can’t wait—maybe a new story idea will strike!  And I’ll take plenty of pictures and notes, so check back in for that post.  Thanks for stopping by!

My table!

Attendees received a hand-painted wineglass
made my children at Dream Day's camp 

Art, Word, #Wine Cape Cod ~ #Book Signing #Dennis #Barnstable #Brewster

It’s almost here ~ the most exciting book signing I’ve ever done.  Over the years, I have participated in some great events, but this Tuesday night will be more like something out of my wildest dreams: I’ll be part of a nine-author panel which includes some very well-known authors such as Mary Higgins Clark, Hank Phillipi Ryan, Sally Gunning, and Jacquelyn Mitchard.  To say I’m honored to be in such company is an understatement!  We’ll all be there for a fantastic cause: to help raise money for Dream Day on Cape Cod, a wonderful charity that brings children with life-threatening illnesses to the Cape.  I eagerly agreed to do the event with no knowledge of who else would be participating; to combine an opportunity to help children with a chance to share my novels is something I would gladly do any day.  But oh, how I wish I had video of my reaction when I first saw the promotional flyer and understood I’d be sitting at a table with Mary Higgins Clark!  I can still remember discovering her books as a preteen and sharing them with my best friend, a fellow reader.  Clark is an author whose books I read and re-read dozens of times, and the idea of not only meeting her, but signing books alongside her, literally takes my breath away! 

Art, Word, and Wine will be held at the Cape Cod Museum of Art on Tuesday, August 30^th, from 4 pm to 7 pm.  There is a $20 admission at the door, which goes to Dream Day on Cape Cod, and the authors are all donating profits from books toward the fundraising as well.  So if you’re in the area, come meet some famous authors, find some new reads, and enjoy wine, cheese and crackers, and artwork in a beautiful setting, all while helping Dream Day on Cape Cod achieve its mission.

Signing Books with Mary Higgins Clark! #CapeCod Art, Word + #Wine Event

In one week, I’ll get to meet one of my idols—Mary Higgins Clark, the “Queen of Suspense”—and, in a dream come true, I’ll actually be sitting on an author panel with her!  The two of us are part of the nine-author panel at Art, Word, and Wine, a charity event to raise money for Dream Day on Cape Cod.  The panel includes other well-known authors such as Hank Phillipi Ryan, Sally Gunning, and Jacquelyn Mitchard, so to say I’m honored to be in such company is an understatement. 

I’ve always been a voracious reader, and throughout my childhood, my father would bring home stacks of library books each week, selected with the help of the local librarian.  That’s how I discovered a ghost story/sweet romance entitled Jane-Emily, a novel which inspired my own books many years later.  But when I would inevitably finish all the library books in a few days, I’d turn to raiding my mother’s bookcase.  And that’s how I first discovered Mary Higgins Clark’s debut novel, Where Are The Children?

I can still remember my pulse racing as I tore through the pages.  I quickly hunted down the two other paperbacks we owned, A Stranger is Watching and The Cradle Will Fall.  Over the years, I read all three over many times in between waiting for new releases.  And before I began writing my debut novel, Silver Lake, I re-read Where Are The Children? as a lesson on building tension and suspense.  I was surprised to discover the book was set on Cape Cod, a place which meant little to me as a child, but has now become my home for the last 18 years and serves as a setting for Gull Harbor and Haunted Souls.

And now I’m one of the “great Cape Cod authors” who will be signing books at Art, Word, and Wine!  The event will be held at the Cape Cod Museum of Art on Tuesday, August 30^th, from 4 pm to 7 pm.  The $20 admission goes to a fantastic charity that brings children with life-threatening illness to the Cape.  So if you’re in the area, come meet some famous authors, find some new reads, and enjoy wine, cheese and crackers, and artwork in a beautiful setting, all while helping Dream Day on Cape Cod achieve its mission.