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21 March 2016

Nancy Drew Is On The Case | Blogging From A To Z Theme Reveal


April 1st is going to be a big day here at The Cynical Sailor. Not only is it April Fool's Day, but it's also the kick-off of the 2016 Blogging from A to Z Challenge. Every day during April (except Sundays), I'll be following along with the alphabet and posting on the blog. Committing to doing 26 blog posts during the month is challenging enough. But, what's going to make it even more challenging this year is that I've signed up to do a theme. That means that all of my blog posts have to relate to the theme I've chosen. No more slapping up random blog posts to tick off a particular letter of the alphabet. Things are going to have to be a lot better planned. Yikes.

Theme Reveal

You've probably guessed what my theme is from the image on the top of this blog post. Yes, Nancy Drew is back on the case. Some of you may remember when Nancy made an appearance on the blog at the end of last year during her investigation of the Case of the Slowly Sinking Ship. Nancy never did figure out where the mysterious leak on my boat was coming from, but she gave it a valiant effort and she looked immaculate the entire time she was investigating, even when she was poking around in the bilge with a turkey baster.

{By the way, for those of you new to The Cynical Sailor, I live on a sailboat, which is currently located in southern Florida. I often blog about life as a live aboard, along with a whole host of other random topics. You can find out more about our backstory here.}

The Nancy Drew posts were pretty popular, so I thought I would bring her back to investigate the Case of the Missing Anchor as part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. Here's how it's going to work. Every day (except Sundays), I'll post an installment of the case (it will basically end up being a short story by the end of the month), along with some random thoughts on the day's particular letter. For example, on April 1st, you'll be reading about A is for Anchor, where Nancy and her friends discover that an anchor has gone missing at the local marina. Then, I'll tell you a little bit about the real case of the missing anchor that this story is loosely based on. Next, there will be B is for Boatyard, C is for Catamaran, D is for Ditch Bag and so on. Sounds like fun, doesn't it?

Who's Nancy Drew?

Now, some of you {gasp} may not be familiar with Nancy Drew. I know, it's a bit shocking, but we better get everyone up to speed before April 1st rolls around.

The original Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series was published between 1930 and 2003. During that time, there were 175 books written by a number of ghostwriters under the pen name of Carolyn Keene. A major revision took place in 1959 to update the series, remove racist stereotypes and shorten the books to be faster paced. This was the version of the series that I read when I was a girl, published between 1959 and 1979 with the trademark yellow spine.

There have been other Nancy Drew book series, such as Nancy Drew on Campus and the Nancy Drew Files, as well as TV series and movies, and Nancy and her friends have evolved over time. But, the Nancy you'll see during the A to Z Challenge is based on the books I read during my childhood. My Nancy is an 18 year old amateur sleuth, who lost her mother at a young age and lives with her father, a well-to-do attorney, and their housekeeper, Hannah Greun, in the town of River Heights. Nancy is resourceful, bright, independent, kindhearted, wholesome and always solves the case. She has a handsome boyfriend (Ned Nickerson), drives a blue convertible, wears fabulous clothes and never has a hair out of place.

During the Case of the Missing Anchor, you'll meet Nancy's two best friends - George Fayne and her cousin Bess Marvin. George is an athletic tomboy who is an expert in judo and doesn't easily frighten. Bess is more feminine in nature, tends to worry, flirts with all the boys she meets and constantly talks about food and shopping. Nancy's boyfriend, Ned, will make an appearance, along with Bess and George's boyfriends.

If you want to find out more about Nancy Drew you can check out Wikipedia and the Nancy Drew Sleuth site and blog.

The Case of the Slowly Sinking Ship

If you missed the original Nancy Drew posts, you can check them out here:

The Case of the Slowly Sinking Ship, Part 1 - Where a leak is discovered aboard a sailboat and Nancy investigates the likely suspects.
The Case of the Slowly Sinking Ship, Part 2 - Where Nancy narrows down the list of suspects and her friend Bess worries about alligators in the marina.
The Case of the Slowly Sinking Ship, Part 3 - Where a new leak appears on Thanksgiving and Bess consoles herself with apple cobbler.
Nancy Drew is a Total Slacker - Where a mysterious beep is heard during the middle of the night and a new case is opened.
The Case of the Disappearing Cat - Where I start to turn everything into a Nancy Drew investigation, even when cat sitting. This post really has nothing to do with Nancy Drew, but if you like cute cat pictures, this might be right up your alley.

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Linked up with the A to Z Challenge Theme Reveal

A to Z Challenge Theme Reveal 3-21-2016

78 comments:

  1. C must be for Cat...!

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    1. Surprisingly, I didn't go with cat for the letter C. But, maybe I'll see if a cat can make an appearance in one of the Nancy Drew installments.

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  2. What an interesting theme! I'll make sure to keep on reading :) All the best!
    http://thetrucktraveller.com/trucking-atozchallenge

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    1. Thanks Zeljka! Definitely looking forward to yours as well :-)

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  3. I'll definitely be reading these. Loved Nancy Drew and mysteries when I was growing up which is probably why it is still my favorite read.

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    1. I remember getting so excited when I would get a new Nancy Drew book or two for my birthday and other holidays. They definitely had an impact on me when I was younger.

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  4. Love this! I read a mystery story during the challenge last year and I enjoyed it A LOT! So, no pressure, but I'm going to read your too ;-)

    @JazzFeathers
    The Old Shelter - Jazz Age Jazz

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    1. No pressure :-) I hope I can pull it off and keep people wanting to come back each day to read the next installment.

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  5. I haven't actually been introduced to Nancy Drew before (I think the Brits stop American literature from coming off the boat as retribution for the tea kerfuffle) so I'm excited to read this during April!

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    1. Did you guys read Enid Blyton when you were kids? Nancy Drew is a real iconic American character. Hopefully, she'll translate okay to folks who didn't grow up with her.

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    2. No I didn't! Clearly a very deprived childhood. We did have Agatha Christie though!

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    3. Agatha Christie is one of my faves. They stand the test of time and I've always enjoyed rereading her books.

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  6. Hi TCS - I've never read Nancy Drew - though know people who swear by her from their childhood days ... so these sleuthing stories will be fun .. cheers Hilary

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    1. The Nancy Drew books were a real favorite of mine and really stuck with me. It's so interesting what books you read as a child that you still vividly remember as an adult. Cheers - Ellen

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  7. Once again, you've outdone yourself, Ellen! I loved your earlier Nancy Drew posts and can hardly wait to follow along in April.

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    1. Well, I'll only have outdone myself if I actually manage to finish writing the rest of the posts before April 1st rolls around. Tick tock. I'm really looking forward to reading yours!

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  8. This is so creative! Looking forward to it. :)

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  9. Nancy Drew... Aah! This has taken me back to school days. Loved reading her mysteries and adventures then. April looks exciting on your blog. I will be back on 1st! Cheers :)

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    1. Writing these blog posts has taken me right back to my school days too :-) Thanks for popping by!

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  10. I'll follow you all month, but I won't participate. It was easier when you used a letter in the alphabet. This is way harder and I'm way too lazy for all this work.

    Have a fabulous day Ellen. ☺

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    1. Honestly, I don't know why I sign up for these challenges. They are a lot of hard work ;-)

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  11. Found you on this year's list and I'll be following along.

    www.thriftshopcommando.blogspot.com (No. 115 on the list)

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    1. Thanks Tami! I've got you on my Bloglovin' feed too.

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  12. What a great idea for a theme. Will Nancy Drew and her friends be able to solve the case? We shall wait with bated breath :)
    Tasha
    Tasha's Thinkings | Wittegen Press | FB3X (AC)

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    1. I'm hoping Nancy can solve this one too. She utterly failed me last time :-)

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  13. I used to borrow Nancy Drew books and The Hardy Boys from my friends. I loved those book but never owned my own sets. Looking forward to following the case.

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    1. Oh, yes the Hardy Boys. I remember them. I read a few of that series, but much preferred Nancy.

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  14. I totally cannot wait to read these posts and i am dead envious of your ability to write Nancy Drew mysteries. So much fun!!

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    1. I'm not so sure it's really an ability as much as it is a form of plagiarism. Why create something of your own when you can copy the style of someone else.

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  15. Wow, Ellen! This sounds like so much fun, to write and to read! I'm looking forward to following your blog and Nancy in April. PS: I have signed up for the A to Z challenge as well. It's my first year and my theme is a bit less challenging than yours! :-)

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    1. I'll definitely be following along with your posts!

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  16. Looking forward to seeing how this one plays out, A to Z.

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    1. You and me both - I'm really looking forward to seeing how it plays out too. Especially how the mystery is going to be solved. I hope my inner muse lets me in on all of the details soon.

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  17. Very cool idea! I'll be coming back to check this out :)

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  18. Sounds intriguing! Good luck with the challenge.

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  19. Very interesting and creative! I was more of a Hardy Boys kid myself, but I'm familiar enough with Nancy Drew, and look forward to your posts!

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    1. The Hardy Boys were okay, but Nancy was my favorite. Although, I did like the Hardy Boys TV show when it was on.

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  20. I binged on Nancy Drew during my childhood. And now she'll be back, in your blog! I'm a little choked up. Nancy, I'll be seeing you in April, along with your little red roadster and your motherly middle-aged housekeeper Hannah Gruen. Just call me: en route to Riverdale...

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    1. Hannah was the best! If we had ever had a housekeeper, I would have wanted her to be just like her.

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  21. Oh this sounds like a great bit of fun! I need to find the time and go back and catch up on everything!

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    1. I know, that's the problem. There are so many great blogs to check in on during the challenge. You pretty much have to not to anything else during April if you want to stay on top of them.

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  22. How neat! I loved Nancy Drew as a girl - I probably didn't read all 175, but I know that I read a lot.

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    1. When I was younger, there were a lot of books, but not 175 of them. It would be kind of interesting to read the ones that were published after I stopped reading them.

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  23. How cool! I feel old that some people might not remember Nancy Drew. I think the books are still being published. This sounds like a fascinating theme!

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    1. They definitely ring a bell for American women of a certain age, but I'm not sure how much younger girls read Nancy Drew nowadays, even though they're still publishing different series featuring her.

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  24. What fun! I read the same Nancy Drew books you did and always loved them.. so I will definitely be around to read your posts ~Lori~

    Lori @ As the Fates Would Have It
    Lori @ Promptly Written

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    1. Thanks Lori - look forward to seeing you back here, as well as checking out your blog.

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  25. I miss Nancy Drew. I'm looking forward to reading your posts.
    Elizabeth Hein - Scribbling in the Storage Room

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  26. I plead guilty of not having read any Nancy Drew, but I'm looking forward to know her through your short story!
    Catherine @ La muse du Ninja

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    1. Anne of Green Gables probably trumped Nancy Drew up in Canada :-)

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    2. Probably! But where I'm from, Anne of Green Gables books were not that popular. But the tv show? Oh yes!
      Growing up in Quebec (in french...) in the 80s and 90s, we all read books from a collection named "La courte échelle". Different authors, characters, stories. But all very relatable. Some of the characters were solving mysteries, other were just dealing with family and love.

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    3. I loved the TV series. I didn't actually read the book until a few months ago and thought it was wonderful. I cried at the end - always a good sign.

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  27. I would willingly save my allowance money for three weeks in order to go the local five and dime and buy another Nancy Drew - my absolute favorite! What a fun theme and I look forward to following your posts throughout the month of April.

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    1. You sound like you had great priorities as a child - spending your allowance on books :-)

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  28. I'll be back in April to see how Nancy solves the case :)
    Sophie
    Sophie's Thoughts & Fumbles | Wittegen Press | FB3X

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  29. Sounds like fun. See you in April - maybe for real.

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    1. That would be great if we could work out a way to catch up while you're in Florida!

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  30. Clever! We'll be getting a Nancy Drew story serialized.

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    1. Thanks Alex - hopefully, it all works out okay in reality.

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  31. Well crafted theme, cool! Nancy Drew is a favourite from childhood. Have a great A-Z challenge.

    Best wishes,
    Nilanjana.
    Madly-in-Verse

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  32. Love the theme and I'm looking forward to the adventure.
    Thank you for your kind comment on Sailing For The Soul (1232)
    It's going to be fun!

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    1. Thanks Jonathan - I'm Looking forward to seeing your A to Z posts next month!

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  33. I read loads of Nancy Drew mysteries when I was kid in the 80s and I loved her! Great that you are bringing her back for the challenge :)
    Debbie

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    1. Nancy is always to investigate a new case, so it wasn't to hard to convince her to join in.

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  34. I love Nancy Drew! I devoured all her books when I was a new "chapter book" reader. Also loved Trixie Belden series....don't get me started on book nostalgia! Good luck on the challenge
    Gail at Making Life An Art

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    1. I'm not familiar with the Trixie Belden series - I'll have to check that out. Thanks for stopping by!

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  35. Wow! So much involved theme. Good.
    Good to visit your site as a part of my A to Z visits. My theme Blog Promotion
    Welcome to A to Z April Blogging Challenge 2016 - Co-Participant - Nrao - NRao Blogs
    @knoltweet
    NRao Blogs - 2016 A to Z Challenge Blog Posts
    Management Theory Review

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    1. Thanks for stopping by and all the best for the A to Z challenge as well!

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  36. Can't wait to see your AtoZChallenge, it sounds amazing. I'm blogging blessings at http://llmcalling.blogspot.com and also poems about MS at http://mscalling.blogspot.co.uk/p/a-to-z-of-ms.html

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    1. Thanks Emma! Thanks for the links - I'll check out your blogs :-)

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