Wednesday, August 2, 2017

Scribble Picnic - CURTAIN


We had to bring a CURTAIN to the picnic this time.  My curtain would be on the cover of a mystery book about a ghost as I blended the ICAD prompt for GHOST with this.  
 
 
I was a Nancy Drew fanatic as a kid.  I couldn't wait to get my hands on the newest edition, usually at Christmas.  We're talking late 60's early 70's here so at that time the "ghost" writer writing under the name of Carolyn Keene was Harriet Stratemeyer Adams.  She was one of several women and men who wrote the Nancy Drew mysteries.  Her father Edward Stratemeyer was the original author of the series as a companion to his Hardy Boys novels.  He subsequently hired other writers to pen more novels.  It was only after his death that Harriet took up "the family business" and began writing as Carolyn Keene. 
 
My sister actually met her at a then well-known restaurant in our area when she waitressed there.  Of course I think I was a little jealous because I was the one with the Nancy Drew fixation and I don't even know if my sister had read any of the books. 
 
Harriet's family owned a farm in our area called Bird Haven Farm.  Apparently she was responsible for creating a garden or gardens there that were, and are still showpieces.  In my research I see that they will be open to the public on September 9th of this year.  I think I might have to talk HWNSNBP into a little gallivanting!
 
I doubt that I could take on a novel, but I might consider putting some pages behind the cover in the form of a children's book someday.  There are some ideas swishing around.
 
But for now I will head over to the Picnic and see what's behind everyone else's CURTAIN this week.  You can join me by clicking here


24 comments:

  1. The red slippers gave me a chuckle, nice to read about Nancy Drew, I was also a fan of the books. Yes, you should go see those gardens!

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    1. Thanks. I'm going to try Christine. If I do there will be pictures here.

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  2. I remember reading some of the Nancy Drew novels. I didn't realize there was more than one author. Looks like a great cover for a future children's book! joining from scribble picnic.

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    1. To be honest, until I looked the author up today I did not know either.

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  3. I found the red slipper toes..how clever and that title would draw me into the book. Yes many of us were Nancy Drew fans back in the day.

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    1. I think that's why there are so many detective shows. Everyone wanted to be Nancy Drew.

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  4. I have read most of the Nancy Drew series and they are pretty good read though I was never a fan of the Hardy Boys.

    I like the little peek at the shoes at the bottom. and the blue of the curtain is just wonderful. good take on the theme.

    have a lovely day.

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  5. Thanks lissa. I can't say I like the Hardy boys either.

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  6. Gorgeous curtain! I was also a huge Nancy Drew fan in the 60s, bringing home at least one of her mysteries from our town library each week until I'd read all they had. How fun if you pursue putting together a children's book!

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    1. Thanks Jolene. It's on my bucket list to get published so maybe I'll have to start working at it a bit harder to achieve it.

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  7. Ahhh ... Nancy Drew. Believe it or not I was into animal books when she was popular, so, though I knew about the books, I never read them. A shame really because now I am an avid mystery reader. Love a good and winding plot and it keeps my mind off of reality for awhile. Nicely done, Lorraine and I have to ask ... who is HWNSNBP?

    Andrea @ From The Sol

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    1. Thanks Andrea. HWNSNBP is He Whose Name Shall Not Be Published - my husband. Because - his given name is Thaddeus, however, depending upon how a person knows him they will call him something else. I call him Thad, his family calls him, Tad, his work associates call him Ted, and his close buddies/friends call him Teddy. When I started the blog I asked him which name I should use and was promptly told he did not want his name published so I had to give him a code name.

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  8. Gosh I can't remember the last time I read a Nancy Drew book but I LOVE your idea of a book cover. This is fabulous and I love the tips of the shoes peeking out from behind the curtains. :)

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    1. Thank you Alexandra. I hope you are feeling better.

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  9. I like the bright blue defined curtain in this!

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    1. Thanks Trina. I couldn't decide on a color so I chose blue - my favorite color.

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  10. I desperately wanted to be a junior detective when I was a kid. I'd have totally snatched this book off the shelf at the library.

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    1. Thanks Paula. I wish I had time to read like I did when I was younger. I do miss it.

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  11. Lorraine,
    Yes yes start writing your story. I can't wait to read it. Lovely sketch and I didn't know the acronym either. I loved Nancy Drew and read some of the Hardy Boys but mostly I read Trixie Belden. My granddaughter is reading a new series about a girl who wants to be like Nancy Drew.
    Blessings
    Janis

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    1. Thanks Janis. I'm going to check with our school librarian about that series. Sounds very "up my alley".

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  12. Love your take on the theme, Lorraine...we were on similar wavelengths with shoes peeking out from beneath curtains. hehe

    I remember reading some Nancy Drew novels in my younger years, as well as The Bobbsey Twins created by Edward Stratemeyer. You should definitely go gallivanting and take in those gardens. Do post about your experience.

    Have a lovely week ~ :)

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    1. Thanks Serena. Yes, I saw your peeping shoes! Lovely. If we go I'll definitely be posting. Have a great week!

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  13. Lorraine, that is a wonderful cover and certainly adds that air of mystery. I love it!

    Also, funny, but I never even realised that the Nancy Drew books were written by more than one person nor that it woudl ahve ever been a man! I knew they were in answer to the hardy Boys though. you see, in UK, we grew up with our equivalent whcih were the Enid Blyton books of which I read many.

    your stroy above is fascinating! And that garden looks perfectly as I would hope for such a writer to have started. Love it.

    Thank you so much.

    P.S. Sorry I'm running late visiting everyone- bust week with too many late nights of work!

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    1. No worries Michael. I've been stretching my days with projects and work myself. So hard to find time for fun things sometimes. I will have to check out Enid Blyton. Thanks for visiting.

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