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The Jennifer Fisher Collection & Portfolio

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Clues to Nancy Drew Consulting

Got Clues? Want to learn more about Nancy Drew?

If you're interested in Nancy Drew and need an expert, you've followed the clues to the right place. I write, research, consult, and speak about Nancy Drew--a mysterious hobby to say the least...

Currently, I am writing a biography about the first Carolyn Keene, Mildred Wirt Benson: The Real Nancy Drew - interested publishers may inquire.

I give Zoom Presentations on Nancy Drew covering topics including The Mysterious History Behind Nancy Drew - all about those who created her - as well as Collecting Nancy Drew 101 - an overview about Nancy Drew books and collectibles from 1930 to present day. Contact me at nancydrewsleuth@aol.com if you're interested in scheduling a Zoom! Perfect for groups and libraries.

If you're working on a Nancy Drew article, book, or some kind of production or product, drop me an e-mail - nancydrewsleuth@aol.com

My website has been used for numerous research projects, articles, and product development. However, it only touches the surface of Nancy Drew and her mysterious history. If you're interested in getting the full scoop, I'm happy to clue you in.

At the very least, consider fact-checking your work with me. Unfortunately there is a lot of misinformation and facts that often get repeated erroneously which exist out there in media and print sources and keep getting repeated, so it's good idea to fact check.

Consulting & Nancy Drew Projects At A Glance

Scroll down below the following highlights for more clues on my consulting, writing, and research...

Writing:

Over 100 articles and Op-eds since 1998, various publications

Compiled Nancy Drew nostalgia book, Clues for Real Life: The Classic Wit and Wisdom of Nancy Drew, Nov. 2007. Meredith Books.

Currently working on several Nancy Drew nostalgia non-fiction and fiction books - at present the focus is on writing my biography of Mildred Wirt Benson, the original Carolyn Keene.

Lengthy article on Mildred Wirt Benson published in the December 2006 issue of Firsts Magazine.

Check out my Nancy Drew article published Sun. 3-28-10 in the LA Times: Kids Reading Room, 'Who is Carolyn Keene?'

"The Real-Life Adventuress Who Turned Nancy Drew Into a Modern Heroine" - my Mildred Wirt Benson essay first published in June 2018 via What it Means to Be An American's website via Zócalo Public Square and reprinted on the Smithsonian's website, in The Baltimore Sun, and published in the March/April 2019 issue of The Saturday Evening Post.

Images of Collection, TV & News interviews on Nancy Drew:

Click on the following links for images of my collection for these TV setups:

NBC Today Show

NBC-KPNX Phoenix Affiliate

Good Morning America (ABC) - July 9, 2009 Click for News/Pics! And click here for the video.

Fox 10 - Phoenix Affiliate - Local Interview/Collection Tour

The Today Show (NBC) - January 29, 2010

NBC-KPNX Phoenix (March 2012).

Newspapers & Magazines: Including NY Times, USA Today, Newsday, LA Daily News, Foxnews.com, The Associated Press, The Washington Post, Newsweek, and The Arizona Republic

Consulting:

Film Company Consulting: Warner Brothers and Lucas Films

Publisher & Licensee Consulting

Nancy Drew research and fact-checking

Library displays and programs

Graphic Design, High Res Scans

Nancy Drew Collection Rentals

See opening sequence to 2007 Warner Brothers Nancy Drew film.

I have over 4000 pieces in my collection. Click on TV links above for images of my collection.

Event Planning:

22+ Nancy Drew Sleuths Conventions and a scholarly 75th anniversary & 85th anniversary Nancy Drew Conferences

Speaking Engagements:

Nancy Drew Presentations, Literary Panels

Learn all about Nancy's mysterious history. Get clues to collecting Nancy Drew

Zoom Presentations on Nancy Drew History & Collecting 101

In the 20 years that I have been writing and researching, I have amassed a huge archive of research material, newspaper and magazine articles, and primary research documents. My research on the books themselves includes every Nancy Drew book and series written since 1930. Over 600 books and counting...

Companies I have worked with include: Her Interactive, Papercutz, Specialty Board Games, Chronicle Books, Warner Brothers, Simon & Schuster, Grosset & Dunlap/Penguin Random House (The Lost Files of Nancy Drew, Special 80th Anniversary Old Clock, etc.), Rizzoli/Universe (2010 Nancy Drew Calendar), Paper Studio Press (Nancy Drew Paper Dolls), Gumshoe Girls, Moda (Nancy Drew Fabric)and Lucas Films.

I've consulted with authors writing newspaper and magazine articles. My contributions have been acknowledged in the following books and collectibles:

-Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her by Melanie Rehak.
-Not a Girl Detective by Susan Kandel, author of the Cece Caruso mysteries.
-The Lost Files of Nancy Drew
-Nancy Drew 2010 Engagement Calendar: A Year of Mystery
-Nancy Drew Paper Dolls

Below, you'll find a few more clues to my writing, consulting, speaking engagements, and much more!

Rediscovering Nancy Drew

I began reading Nancy Drew books in the second grade and never looked back. Many adventures and 30+ years later, I research, write, and consult about the plucky sleuth. I rediscovered my passion for collecting Nancy Drew when I went to law school (JD, May 2000, Texas Tech University School of Law). Nostalgia led to actively collecting and searching out vintage books and collectibles. Collecting led to research which ultimately led to the creation of this website and many ongoing projects and consulting deals.

Research & Writing

I have written over 100 combined articles and Op-Ed pieces since fall 2000 for publications including: LA Times, Firsts Magazine, Clarion, Great Mystery & Suspense Magazine, The Whispered Watchword, Susabella Passengers & Friends, The Sleuth, Yellowback Library, Dime Novel Round-Up, The Guilded Lily, The Arizona Republic, and The Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star.

For a list of articles and publications/dates (updated through June 2016), click here.

Check out my Nancy Drew article (published Sun. 3-28-10) in the LA Times: Kids Reading Room, 'Who is Carolyn Keene?'

Nancy Drew & Mildred Wirt Benson: A Mystery Revealed. The original “Carolyn Keene,” nom de plume for the continually popular Nancy Drew mystery series, was “nobody’s sweet grandma.” She was Mildred A. Wirt Benson, a feisty, adventurous spirit. A career newspaperwoman, she set the standard for the enduring heroine that many fondly remember and still read today.

Read all about Nancy Drew and Mildred Wirt Benson in my article in the December 2006 issue of Firsts, a literary magazine for book collectors and enthusiasts. Firsts can be purchased on their website or in many independent and used/collector book stores!

"The Real-Life Adventuress Who Turned Nancy Drew Into a Modern Heroine" - my Mildred Wirt Benson essay first published in June 2018 via What it Means to Be An American's website via Zócalo Public Square and reprinted on the Smithsonian's website, in The Baltimore Sun, and published in the March/April 2019 issue of The Saturday Evening Post.

I compiled the book Clues for Real Life: The Classic Wit and Wisdom of Nancy Drew for Meredith Books--published fall of 2007. It features tongue-in-cheek advice from Nancy Drew on a host of topics from friends to men to career and dealing with villains. It features a running mystery and lots of fun quizzes and games throughout plus trivia and a chapter on the history of Nancy Drew. It's a cute nostalgia book. Signed copies can be purchased at The Sleuth Shop.

I put together a page of Nancy Drew Fun Facts for a special 80th anniversary edition of The Secret of the Old Clock published in 2010. An essay on Nancy Drew appears in the soon to be released Nancy Drew Paper Dolls set from Paper Studio Press--order yours here.

Currently, I am writing a biography on the original "Carolyn Keene," Mildred Wirt Benson. Do you own original letters or documents of Mildred's? I'd love to get photocopies for research - photo copies can be sent to me at Jennifer Fisher, P.O. Box 511, Higley, AZ 85236-0511. I'm happy to reimburse for your kindness in doing this.

I'm also at work on other non-fiction and fiction books related to the Nancy Drew phenomenon. Interested publishers may inquire. While this website is a good introduction into the world of Nancy Drew, you will find in depth analysis of all things Drew in my upcoming books. For my series of ten 75th anniversary articles, visit the Nancy Revealed section.

Presentations & Speaking Engagements

I am available for lectures, programs and conventions. Zoom Presentations too! Perfect for groups and libraries.

I often customize presentations to suit event needs with specialized subjects. I do have several routine presentations which can be shortened if need be:

Nancy Drew 101: Collecting Drew, focuses on collecting and the many Nancy Drew books and collectibles over the years since the series debuted in 1930. This presentation runs about 45 minutes.

Nancy Drew: A Mysterious History Revealed, focuses on the history behind the mystery from Nancy Drew creator Edward Stratemeyer to the various ghostwriters and Stratemeyer's daughters Harriet Adams and Edna Squier, as they created and shaped Nancy Drew into being America's favorite teenage sleuth. This presentation runs about 45 minutes.

Zoom Presentations run about 45 minutes - can be shortened or lengthened and combine a nice overview of the History Behind Nancy Drew and Collecting Nancy Drew 101.

Previous Speaking Engagements:

Upcoming Events:

Consulting & Nancy Drew Projects

I was the Nancy Drew Consultant for Warner Brothers on the 2007 Nancy Drew movie, Nancy Drew. A large portion of my Nancy Drew books were used by Warner Brothers to film an opening sequence for the movie which should prove to be nostalgia filled!

My collection is available for displays, photographing and for articles and books. Portions of my collection have been photographed for the production of licensed Nancy Drew products by Chronicle Books. You'll see a credit to myself and fellow Sleuth member Karen Finlay on the bottom flap of the fabulous postcards set.

I've provided images of Nancy Drew covers for many news publications and magazines such as Country Living, Firsts and Harpers and Queen.

I often consult and offer direction and advice on merchandise--suggestions and even advice on targeting and marketing to fans. Sometimes I'm hired to do a little more and get to be involved more directly through providing images from my collection that go on products to quotes and text, to hands on consulting and helping shape how a product turns out. Here are some of the neat books and merchandise items I've been honored to be a part of--shown below: Nancy Drew Pocketbook Mysteries, The Lost Files of Nancy Drew, Nancy Drew Paper Dolls, Chronicle Books Stationery products, Lucas Films Young Indiana Jones DVD extra documentary on Edward Stratemeyer, 2007 Nancy Drew movie, the 2010 Nancy Drew Engagement Calendar, a 2007 special release of The Secret of the Old Clock, and a special 80th anniversary edition of The Secret of the Old Clock featuring a page of fun facts I put together:

Quotes from my book, Clues for Real Life: The Classic Wit and Wisdom of Nancy Drew can be found on these neat leather accessories by Alicia Klein and a Cobble Hill 500-piece Nancy Drew puzzle:

As time allows, I consult on book identifications and values of Nancy Drew books. School projects and papers on Nancy Drew are quite popular and I have been happy to help many kids with their research and answer their questions.

Nancy Drew Appearances & Interviews

Check out the Nancy Drew collecting article on my collection in the October 24, 2018 issue of Antique Trader. It profiles my collection, Nancy Drew, and the Nancy Drew Sleuths fan club!

Check out the Nancy Drew collecting article in the Feb. '09 issue of Collectors News! It profiles my collection, Nancy Drew, and the Nancy Drew Sleuths fan club!

I have appeared on television for the NBC Today Show Weekend Edition (Jan. 2004), NBC-KPNX Phoenix (Oct. 2005), ABC Good Morning America (Jul. 2009) (See video here), KSAZ-FOX 10 Phoenix (Oct. 2009), and the NBC Today Show (Jan. 2010), and NBC-KPNX Phoenix (March 2012).

I've been interviewed on radio and online Blog Talk Radio interviews for various events but notable are the 80th anniversary pieces at Media Bistro and the CBC Radio Edward Stratemeyer Documentary. Also during the 85th anniversary of Nancy Drew, I was interviewed for two CBC radio stations and also this interview done with BBC Newshour.

I have been interviewed about Nancy Drew for The Washington Post, The Iowa Press-Citizen, The Huffington Post, Slate Magazine, Country Living Magazine, Collectors News Magazine, The New York Times, The Associated Press, USA Today, Newsday (twice), LA Daily News, The Boston Globe, FoxNews.com (twice), Contra Costa News, The East Valley Tribune, The Arizona Daily Star, The Washington Post, Newsweek, The Times-Picayune, The Gambit Weekly, The Arizona Republic, The San Antonio Express-News, The Eagle-Tribune, Traverse City Record Eagle, The Toledo Blade, The Sun News, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Des Moines Register, The Baltimore Sun, The Hamilton Spectator, LA City Beat, Copley News Service, Erie-Times News, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, The Costco Connection, The Flint Journal, The Beaumont Enterprise, The Oregonian, The Burg.com, Deseret News, The Daily Beast, The Patriot-News, Media Bistro, The Orlando Sentinel, The West Orlando News, Upstate Moms, The Charlottesville Daily Progress, The Hook, The Daily Herald (a Chicago area paper), The Kansas City Star, and The News Gazette.

Nancy Drew Collection Photos

My extensive Nancy Drew collection can be viewed in four TV setups by clicking on the following links:

NBC Feb. 2004 Set Up
NBC 12 News Phoenix, AZ 2005 Set Up
Good Morning America (ABC) - July 9, 2009
Fox 10 - Phoenix Affiliate - October 2009.

I love to sleuth through old used book and antique stores for vintage Nancy Drew, but I have found most of my items at eBay. Though my collection of books and collectibles includes over 4000 pieces, I am always in search of a few elusive items. Perhaps you might have a few clues to items on my Want List... I am what people would call an "Anything Nancy" collector--I am continually adding to the collection.

Some recent shots of about 85% of the Nancy Drew collection which includes other books by Mildred Wirt Benson and some other series I've begun collecting--shown in one particular shelf, circa Spring 2014. I have other collecting items and lots of paper ephemera stored in a drawer cabinet and flat files which are not shown in the images below. Click on these to view larger images:

The Nancy Drew Sleuths, Event Planning & Upcoming Events

As an event planner, I have been planning social functions for many years. I run a small party company, The Vintage Halloween--vintage flair for every affair! With emphasis on my favorite spooky holiday - Halloween. As President of The Nancy Drew Sleuths, I have planned the Sleuths' 22+ annual conventions. I coordinated the Nancy Drew 75th/Stratemeyer Syndicate 100th Anniversary Conference which was held in NYC, June 16-19, 2005, and the 3 Nancy Drew Anniversary Mini Cons held in IA, OH, and NJ in 2015. My goal in planning these conventions and conferences is not only to have an exceptional experience, but to take it to the next level and make the Nancy Drew mysteries that so many hold dear, really come alive! With no party products on the market for Nancy Drew, I have helped many families and kids plan their own Nancy Drew parties. I have several printable Nancy Drew party kits and products in The Sleuth Shop. I also am editor-in-chief of the Nancy Drew Sleuths' series zine focusing on girls' and boys' series books--including Nancy Drew--The Sleuth.

Website & General Research Bibliography

In creating this website and also in separately researching for my upcoming book and various articles, I have conducted the following research:

Added to my reading and analyzing of the Nancy Drew series, is personal research at the trial archives of the 1980 Grosset & Dunlap trial, the Mildred Wirt Benson archives at the University of Iowa Women's Archives, the New York Public Library Stratemeyer Syndicate archives which portray a very interesting and factual history--the big picture if you will--of the Stratemeyer Syndicate and the many people who contributed to its success, personal interviews with Mildred Wirt Benson, an e-mail interview with a Stratemeyer family member, and other esteemed and dignified researchers and writers like myself. Any other source material is duly noted throughout this website.

15 of My Favorite Nancy Drewisms

  • 1. Russell H. Tandy artwork
  • 2. The Hidden Staircase
  • 3. Hannah Gruen's cooking
  • 4. A baffling mystery
  • 5. Fabulous frocks and sleuthing heels
  • 6. Moon Lake (how dreamy)
  • 7. Roadside tearooms
  • 8. A suspenseful cliffhanger
  • 9. Lipstick SOS
  • 10. Original text melodrama
  • 11. The genius of Edward Stratemeyer
  • 12. Those snooty Topham sisters
  • 13. Dirk Valentine's Treasure
  • 14. Ned Nickerson
  • 15. Secret passageways

My Most Favorite Nancy Drew Moments

My mom taking me book hunting for those treasured volumes, sneakily reading Nancy Drew books in the elementary school library during class activities, finding an old school paper where I listed reading Nancy Drew books as my favorite thing to do, acquiring a first edition and first printing of The Secret of the Old Clock, making wonderful friends through collecting, The Nancy Drew Sleuths, and this website, and meeting the first Carolyn Keene--Mildred A. Wirt Benson.

Appreciation and Nostalgia

My mother and grandmother encouraged me to read at an early age and helped spark my interest in Nancy Drew. Nancy Drew wouldn't be Nancy Drew without Harriet Adams and Mildred Wirt Benson, the real "Carolyn Keenes," whose contributions to this series and children's series literature helped to foster the enduring legacy of Nancy Drew.



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Copyright © 2000-2019 by Jennifer Fisher. All Rights Reserved. Nancy Drew® and the Hardy Boys® are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved. This site is neither affiliated with nor endorsed by Simon & Schuster, Inc. Any of Simon & Schuster's Copyright material appearing on this site complies with fair or acceptable use principles established in U.S. and International copyright law for the purpose of review, study, criticism, or news reporting.