June '08 E-News & Clues

E-mail: sleuths@ndsleuths.com

Sleuths,

Hope you are all enjoying your summer thus far and making time for a little summer reading! You can subscribe to these postings using the subscriber link at the bottom of the page! Check out my Nancy Drew blog for some new collectible finds and some neat gaming news and images:

http://nancydrewsleuths.blogspot.com

I have overhauled our Nancy Drew Sleuths website with quite a lot of new changes and updates, making it more streamlined and adding some fun touches. Check out the changes at the site and in the "Members Only" section:

http://www.ndsleuths.com

Registration has closed now for the 2008 PA Witch Tree Convention and we'll have nearly 60 people attending! Hope you all are ready to walk in Nancy's footsteps and eat some Shoefly Pie! Information on next year's convention below.

In this month's E-News & Clues Blog entry: Nancy Drew News, Website Changes, Convention News, The Sleuth: May/June '08, Sleuth Members Map/Get Togethers, and Sleuth Gift Exchanges.

NANCY DREW NEWS:

June Releases:

--Nancy Drew Girl Detective: Pageant Perfect Crime
--Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys: Danger Overseas

WEBSITE CHANGES:

As noted above, we have revamped the website in some areas, so have fun sleuthing through the site. Our Members Only section has a nice update as well. If you have any issues logging in, e-mail me.

http://www.ndsleuths.com

CONVENTION NEWS:

If you couldn't make this year's convention, plan ahead/save for the next few years! If you're wondering about Hawaii, never fear, it's on the list :) Check out our tentative schedule (tentative past 2010):

2009: October. Las Vegas, NV. Forgotten City/Venice/CSI Theme

2010: 80TH ANNIV OF ND SPRING (April)

Florida & Cruise. We’ll spend a couple of days in Florida and 4 days at sea! Nancy Drew's 80TH anniversary & NDSleuths 10th Anniversary Fun!

2011: Charlottesville, VA. Hidden Window. (Spring–April when book set)

2012: Spring: Hawaii, Golden Pavilion (Mar. Or April)

2013: Florida Keys. Crocodile Island. Spring

2014: Maine for Tolling Bell Theme Spring or Fall

2015: Cooperstown, NY for Mirror Bay Theme. Spring or Fall

THE SLEUTH MAY/JUNE '08:

Check out our latest issue of The Sleuth:

http://www.ndsleuths.com/thesleuth.html

Theme: Nancy Drew & The Law. We're looking for columnists and regular writers, so contact me if you're interested! I'm interested in articles on other series as well for our series spotlight column.

Haven't subscribed yet?! Take 3.00 off your subscription total if you subscribe by July 31st. How to subscribe can be found on the above website link.

SLEUTH MEMBERS MAP/GET TOGETHERS:

Check out the Blog entry below: we're working on organizing members regionally. Start a book collector group/discussion group at your local library or book store and recruit new members aka book hunting/get together pals :) The map of Sleuths by state/country can be found here and also in the Blog posting below this one:

http://www.ndsleuths.com/sleuthmembersmap

SLEUTH GIFT EXCHANGES:

Finalized: 2 exchanges per year from now on. Spring: April: Nancy Drew's Birthday Exchange and Fall: October: Spooky Sleuths Halloween Exchange. Check out the "Members Only" section for more info!

Jenn:)

Sleuth Member Locations/Map

Hi Everyone!

I updated our member roster and finalized an organized file of members by location to facilitate a few things. Some of our members have been expressing an interest in getting together locally/regionally with nearby Sleuth members for book hunting, book discussions and other fun activities.

Our Carolina Sleuths have been getting together and having a lot of fun. Their adventures have been recounted in past issues of The Sleuth. (http://www.ndsleuths.com/thesleuth.html)

If you would like to organize Sleuth members in your locale, contact me and I'll help you set this up and contact nearby members! If you don't have many members in your area, this is a great opportunity to recruit some book hunting pals! Consider starting a discussion group/book collector group at your local bookstores or library! Contact me for ideas if you're stumped!

Click on the map above to view how many members you have in your state/country. The map is also on display in the "Members Only" section of our website:

http://www.ndsleuths.com

Jenn:)

NDSleuths Website Overhaul

Sleuths,

I've spent a couple days overhauling the website:

http://www.ndsleuths.com

And lots of changes/updates in the members only section there-click on that link on the left tool bar.

I've streamlined and revamped and added! So check it out, I think you'll welcome the changes:)

Also, the gift exchange will be 2 times per year:

Nancy Drew's Birthday Exchange: April each year
Halloween Spooky Sleuths Exchange: October each year

Jenn:)

The Case of the Mysterious Sneaky Sleuth Gift

Hi Everyone,

Hope you're all doing great! We had a few people sign up for our spring/summer exchange and I've seen a couple of postings to the group about gifts received. They're lots of fun and I encourage you all to participate at least once in an exchange! Not only do you get to do something fun and creative, you also receive something neat in return:) Check the "members only" section and sleuth in the "gift exchanges" sub-section for pictures of gifts that Sleuths have received in the exchanges!

To my surprise, I received a box postmarked Iowa in the mail from a "Sneaky Sleuth!" I didn't participate in the exchange as I generally run them all and am not able. So it was really sweet that one of you took the time to think of me and I really appreciate that:)

I have a suspect in mind and have e-mailed you:)

I wanted to share some photos with you all of the gift I received. The theme was The Sign of the Twisted Candles and it came with a neat card. And there were images of the original and revised text versions. There was a neat collage/shadow box featuring the Tandy illustration along with 2 twisted candles, a silver platter and a tea set to go with it. A fun sudoku puzzle Nancy Drew style. There was a neat journal with the name "Nancy" on it and a set of cute pens. A set of neat handmade cards with artwork from Twisted Candles, Old Album, Dancing Puppet, and Jewel Box. A neat planner. And a really cute shelf of miniature Nancy Drew books: UK Larkspur Lane, Moss Mansion, Broken Locket, Shadow Ranch, Wooden Lady, Old Clock, Hidden Staircase, Haunted Showboat, Hidden Window, Hollow Oak, Mysterious Letter, Tapping Heels, and Twisted Candles.

I absolutely love it and I thank my Sneaky Sleuth:)

Jenn:)

May/June '08 The Sleuth

Our May/June issue of The Sleuth is ready to mail out! Check out the cover and the contents below. Contribute to a future issue or become a columnist! 3 articles within a 6 issue run=free subscription :)

CALLING ALL SLEUTHS: EDITOR'S NOTE By Jennifer Fisher

THE CLUE CONUNDRUM: HERE'S TO THE LADIES WHO LUNCH

NANCY DREW & THE LAW By Jennifer Fisher

STAGING NANCY DREW By Dawn Allen

FOLLOWING IN NANCY DREW'S FOOTSTEPS… AROUND THE WORLD WITH NANCY DREW. ASSIGNMENT: JAPAN By Lea Fox

PARTNERS IN CRIME: A BRIEF GLANCE AT NANCY DREW'S ACCOMPLICES IN CRIMINAL UNDERTAKINGS By Todd H. Latoski

NANCY DREW NEWS

SERIES SPOTLIGHT: MORE SHERLOCKIAN LORE By Rick Sayers

PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN DIALECT AND GERMAN USAGES IN THE WITCH TREE SYMBOL PART I Compiled By Christine Berwanger

RECIPES FOR PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN FOOD MENTIONED IN THEWITCH TREE SYMBOL Compiled By Christine Berwanger

DREW INTERVIEW: RENEE WALKER ON THE DARK SIDE OF RIVER HEIGHTS Part I - Interviewed by Todd H. Latoski

CRAZY EIGHTS WITH MICHAEL G. CORNELIUS By Michael G. Cornelius

THE HARDY BOYS/NANCY DREW MYSTERIES: A LOOK BACK AT TV'S FIRST NANCY DREW: EPISODE 1.6 - SECRET OF THE WHISPERING WALLS By Todd H. Latoski

NANCY DREW'S SURVIVAL GUIDE: SLEUTH LESSON #11

Jenn:)

May '08 E-News & Clues

E-mail: sleuths@ndsleuths.com

Sleuths,

Welcome to our new E-News & Clues format! From now on, all E-News & Clues each month will be posted to our Blog! Check them out, comment on them and chat with other members in the comments section! Or use the above e-mail to e-mail me privately. I think most of you will find this format preferable.

In this month's news: John Axe Update, Blog Updates, Convention Updates/Reminders, The Sleuth/Subscriber Special, Nancy Drew Book Theme Gift Exchange, and Latest Nancy Drew News/Releases.

JOHN AXE UPDATE:

Our dear friend and series book collector/author John Axe is doing really well! I wanted to update everyone on that. I'm sure he has appreciated your well wishes during this time. If you'd like to send a card to John, contact me and I'll give you his address.

BLOG UPDATES:

Check out below if you haven't already seen the new pictures added:

Sleuth Dean, Nancy Drew Car, Nancy Drew Costume pictures.

CONVENTION UPDATES/REMINDERS:

The deadline to register for this year's Sleuth convention is June 15. You can snail mail a check or Pay Pal. All the info you need for the convention and how to register is located at our website:

http://www.ndsleuths.com

We'll be having between 30 and 50 Sleuths attending this year, come see us!

THE SLEUTH/SUBSCRIBER SPECIAL:

***Check out the very bottom of this Blog page for a poll regarding The Sleuth. We'd like to know what your favorite features are and other interests! Polls are anonymous. Select all that apply.***

Our May/June issue of The Sleuth will be mailed around the 10th of June and has an interesting focus on Nancy Drew and the law! Lots of good articles this issue. Look for a future Blog entry on this issue.

Special: If you haven't subscribed before, check us out. Sample a back issue or jump right in with a subscription--you won't be disappointed! For new subscribers, take 3.00 off your total through June 30:

http://www.ndsleuths.com/thesleuth.html

NANCY DREW BOOK THEME GIFT EXCHANGE:

See the image at the top of this blog for a visual on what you can do with a vintage book!

We're going to try something new! We're going to have a special crafts exchange this summer. It will work like the usual exchange where you make a gift and send it to a fellow Sleuth member. You in return will also receive a gift from another Sleuth member. The theme of this exchange is crafting items using vintage Nancy Drew books. Now before some of you pass out, my suggestion is to use worn out falling apart books, not a new vintage book if you're going to alter the book in any way. Some things we have seen done with vintage books: journals, clocks, lamps, purses. There are so many other things that could be done. I'd like to see how crafty everyone can get! The great thing is, that you'll get something really neat and crafty back for all your hard work in designing your gift to a fellow Sleuth! Need a worn out book? You can find plenty cheap on eBay!

Join up for this exchange by July 1, shipping gifts around mid-July. We have had dwindling numbers in the exchanges the last couple years, so I'd like to see if this special theme exchange helps encourage more to participate!

LATEST NANCY DREW NEWS/RELEASES:

May 2008:

Nancy Drew and The Clue Crew: The Zoo Crew
Papercutz: Doggone Town

June 2008:

Nancy Drew Girl Detective: Pageant Perfect Crime
Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys: Danger Overseas

Jenn:)