Nancy Drew 2011 Convention Clues #34

Meet Dede!

Sleuth Dede Agosta both read and loved Nancy Drew books as a girl. My sister, friends and I would hide messages in the bushes by our houses, aka The Hollow Oak. Also, my father built our house and my sister and I were SURE that he had put in a secret room behind the brick fireplace. However, despite measurements and looking at the original blueprints of the house, we couldn’t find any hidden rooms or staircases. The Nancy Drew books inspired me to write a book, “The Secret of Mystery Mansion” while in the 6th and 7th grades. I loved Nancy’s independence, pluck and determination and her friendships with George and Bess.

My sister and I collected many of the Nancy Drew books throughout the years. At that time, they were sold at our local stationery store WITHOUT PAPER COVERS. That’s why the artwork is new to me. I later got confirmation that books were sometimes sold this way. Unfortunately, I don’t have any of them left now as I had a lending library one summer and they didn’t get returned to me. How I wish I still had them!

They have also been crafting since childhood and, through these joint interests and others, they have become best friends. I became re-introduced to Nancy Drew by my best friend, Sleuth Judy Hubbard. We went to the 2007 convention in Pasadena and have been an avid collector and fan of Nancy Drew collectibles and books since then. My book collection now has 100 books PLUS some Hardy Boys books, a Judy Bolton, a few Bobbsy Twins volumes and 10 Beverley Grey books. I got introduced to the latter series at the 2008 convention.

I also have made many hand-crafted Nancy Drew items (over 14 different categories) for gifts and for my collection. The 2007 Convention Gift Exchange and Lea's 2008 presentation about crafting Nancy Drew items have inspired me to bring Nancy Drew into my everyday life and decor. The latest convention has inspired several different peacock items. In my other life, I was a marketing and business development manager for Motorola and General Dynamics and am married, with a grown daughter and two cats.

Dede