Nancy Drew 2011 Convention Clues #33

Meet Amanda!

Hi there, My name is Amanda Arkebauer and I am a flight attendant who lives in Seattle, WA. I have collected Nancy Drew books my whole life! I have books that belonged to my mother and my aunts and I still have many of my original books that I purchased via mail order in the 1970's. I got serious about collecting in the early 90's and was so happy to encounter The Nancy Drew Scrapbook by Karen Plunkett-Powell. It opened up a whole new world for me by exposing me to the Yellowback Library and The Whispered Watchword. These are periodicals that specialize in series book information. I have always collected more than just Nancy Drew. I am a huge fan of Ruth Fielding, Vicki Barr, Anne of Green Gables, The Dana Girls, Susan Sand, Beverly Gray, Robin Kane, Beanie Malone, Betsy-Tacy, Laura Ingalls Wilder and many more.

I have made pilgrimages to the grave sites of Edward Stratemeyer and Walter Karig. I have visited the Syndicate archives at the NYC Library and at the University of Oregon. In addition to visiting sites that were inspiration for Nancy Drew books, I have also visited Prince Edward Island (Green Gables) and traveled the Laura Ingalls Wilder highway through Wisconsin, Minnesota and South Dakota!

It has only been recently that Nancy Drew items have been available to purchase in the marketplace. 20 years ago, if you wanted a Nancy Drew t shirt or bumper sticker, you had to make it yourself! So out of necessity, over the past 20 years I have made many different Nancy Drew crafts, from quilts and cross-stitch to greeting cards and jewelry.

Amanda