Carol Higgins Clark

Carol Higgins Clark (born July 28, 1956) is an American mystery author and actress. She is the daughter of suspense writer Mary Higgins Clark, with whom she co-authored several Christmas novels, and the former sister-in-law of author Mary Jane Clark.

Carol Higgins Clark
Born (1956-07-28) July 28, 1956
New York City, U.S.
OccupationNovelist, acting
NationalityAmerican
EducationB. A.
Alma materMount Holyoke College
GenreMystery
Notable worksRegan Reilly series
Relatives
Mary Higgins Clark (mother)

Mary Jane Clark
(former sister-in-law)

Writing career

Born in New York City and raised in Washington Township, Bergen County, New Jersey,[1] Clark received her B.A. from Mount Holyoke College. During college, she began re-typing her mother's transcripts. She also made contributions such as renaming locations and characters.[2] She was the only one of four siblings to become a writer. One thing that affected this decision was helping her mother. While Mary Higgins Clark attempted juggling a full-time job and trying to finish her second book, the younger Higgins Clark grasped this opportunity to familiarize herself with the process of writing a book and telling tales, not knowing this would be her start in becoming a well-known author.[3] Just as her mother did, Clark writes suspense books. One difference in the mother and daughter's writings is that Clark's books contain a slight sense of humor that her mother's do not possess.[4] All of her novels feature Regan Reilly (a famous recurring character), plot points about male escorts, and pantyhose conventions that come from real sources.[5] In her video for NJN Public Television, Clark explains how she used her first job experience to help her with ideas about her book. In her book "Iced", she uses a woman who is working at a dry cleaners. The woman uncovers evidence found in the pockets of a customer.

Acting

Clark chose acting as her profession[6] and began to study acting after graduating from Mount Holyoke College. In 1975, she starred in "Who Killed Amy Lang", which aired on Good Morning America. She also performed in Wendy Wasserstein's play "Uncommon Women". She played the lead in the film A Cry In The Night, based on a novel by her mother.[7]

Personal life
The impact damage to the Belaire Apartments

Clark's New York apartment building, The Belaire, was hit by a small plane on October 11, 2006 flown by New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle.[8] Her 38th floor condominium was just a floor below the main impact zone; she was not at home during the accident.[8] Clark has appeared on the game show To Tell The Truth.[9]

Bibliography

Regan Reilly series
  • Decked (1992)
  • Snagged (1993)
  • Iced (1995)
  • Twanged (1998)
  • Deck the Halls (2000) (co-written with Mary Higgins Clark,crossover with Mary's Willy & Alvirah series)
  • Fleeced (2001)
  • Jinxed (2002)
  • Popped (2003)
  • The Christmas Thief (2004) (co-written with Mary Higgins Clark,crossover with Mary's Willy & Alvirah series)
  • Burned (2005)
  • Hitched (2006)
  • Santa Cruise: A Holliday Mystery at Sea (2006) (co-written with Mary Higgins Clark,crossover with Mary's Willy & Alvirah series)
  • Laced (2007)
  • Zapped (2008)
  • Dashing Through the Snow (2008) (co-written with Mary Higgins Clark, crossover with Mary's Willy & Alvirah series)
  • Cursed (2009)
  • Wrecked (2010)
  • Mobbed (2011)
  • Gypped (2012)
  • Knocked (2021) Due date per publisher

Other novels co-authored with her mother
  • He Sees You When You're Sleeping (2001)

Collections co-authored with her mother
  • The Christmas Collection (2010)
  • A Holiday Collection (2010)

Awards

Clark's début novel Decked was nominated for the 1992 Agatha Award and the 1993 Anthony Award for "Best First Novel".[10][11]

See also

References
  1. Rohan, Virginia. "Mystery is in this Jersey writer’s blood", The Record (Bergen County), April 10, 2011. Accessed December 22, 2013. "For her 14th Regan Reilly mystery novel, Carol Higgins Clark chose a backdrop she knew well.... Mobbed is the first Regan Reilly book that Clark, who grew up in Washington Township, has set in the Garden State."
  2. Flamm, Matthew. "An Author Typecast by Heredity? Hardly." Galileo, Apr. 19, 1998. Accessed July 1, 2010.
  3. Bancroft, Colette. "The Other Higgins Clark." Galileo, Oct. 30, 2003. Accessed July 30, 2010.
  4. Due Brade, Tananarive. "Writer Inherits Mom's Talent for Hot Mysteries." Galileo, Dec. 15, 1995. Accessed July 3, 2010.
  5. Shih, Evelyn. "Reactive Connections Highlights Chapters of Their Lives." Lexis Nexis. Galileo, Apr. 8, 2008. Web. July 6, 2010.
  6. Miliokas, Nick. "The Star Phoenix (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan)." Lexis Nexis. Galileo, Feb. 18, 2004. Web. July 29, 2010.
  7. Carol Higgins Clark at IMDb
  8. "Lidle dies after plane crashes into NYC high-rise". ESPN. October 12, 2006. Retrieved April 3, 2012.
  9. "Carol Higgins Clark Speaker". Total Speakers. Archived from the original on July 15, 2012. Retrieved April 3, 2012.
  10. "Malice Domestic Convention - Bethesda, MD". Malicedomestic.org. August 23, 1988. Archived from the original on April 12, 2010. Retrieved April 3, 2012.
  11. "Bouchercon World Mystery Convention : Anthony Awards Nominees". Bouchercon.info. October 2, 2003. Archived from the original on February 7, 2012. Retrieved April 3, 2012.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.