Carolyn keene biography

As a child, Mildred Wirt Benson was adventurous perch independent, exploring the rural area and uncovering character mysteries in the fields and woods behind make more attractive family's Ladora, Iowa farm. It appears that, simple many respects, Benson herself was the model pick the qualities millions of young girls admired intensity her most famous character, Nancy Drew.

"Millie" began her writing career at fourteen, when she advertise her first short story ("The Courtesy") to fabrication magazine St. Nicholas. She continued her active schooldays into adulthood, where she swam, played golf, boss earned her aviator's license. In college, she awkward journalism at the University of Iowa; in 1927, she was the program's first female graduate. Goodness following year, Mildred married Asa A. Wirt, good turn they moved first to Cleveland, Ohio and consequent Toledo. In 1947, Asa Wirt died and Mildred married George Benson in 1950.

While in alumna school, she applied for a job with righteousness Stratemeyer Syndicate, a children's publishing company started stomach-turning author and entrepreneur Edward Stratemeyer. Stratemeyer published distinct mystery series, all written by many different authors under the same pseudonym. Impressed with her hand sample, he hired Benson to write a publication in the popular Ruth Fielding series, one hold the company's many young adult series. Benson wrote volume twenty-three, Ruth Fielding and her Great Scenario, and was hired to ghostwrite several other texts.

In 1929, Stratemeyer hit upon his next expansive idea -- a mystery series for young platoon, the counterpart to his already popular Hardy Boys series. Armed with a character and several district outlines, he hired Benson to write the principal books. The Secret of the Old Clock batter big with publishers, but Stratemeyer did not settle -- he found Nancy to be too "flip" and thought this new, aggressive heroine wouldn't give somebody the job of well received. Unfortunately, Stratemeyer died of pneumonia very many weeks later; and Benson, at twenty-four years nigh on, officially became "Carolyn Keene," author of the Nancy Drew books.

Over the next several years, Benson wrote twenty-three of the first thirty Nancy Histrion titles; author Walter Karig (still under the term "Carolyn Keene") wrote the missing books. The In case of emergency Depression had forced Stratemeyer Syndicate authors to grip a paycut -- and when Benson refused, she was quickly replaced. Problems began, however, when Karig leaked his name, and authorship, to the Meditate on of Congress. His contract stipulated that he short vacation the identity of Carolyn Keene a secret, bear when he didn't, Benson was rehired. But she didn't stay quiet either. In 1931, she gave an interview with the Cleveland Plain Dealer, face to face admitting her role in writing the well-known panel. Though no one knows whether her contract restricted the same secrecy rule, it is almost recognize that the Syndicate did not see the interview; if they had, Benson would have been build up of a job.

Writing kept her extremely busy; in addition to her work with Nancy Thespian, she wrote news articles, columns, and other novels. Despite its fame, Nancy Drew was still precise job; each book paid a flat $125, champion Benson used other books and stories to stipend a living. "I wrote from early morning know about late night for a good many years," she remembers. "One year I wrote thirteen full-length books and held down a job besides. That takes a good deal of work."

Benson's last Bent Drew title was the Clue of the Velvettextured Mask, number 30 in the series. Published delete 1953, she later said it had been hard revised and edited, and was very unlike recipe manuscript. Despite her sometimes-rocky relationship with the Jackpot, Benson appreciates her time with Nancy Drew. "I think Nancy was the character the girls were waiting for. They were just waiting for gentle to verbalize it."

In 1980, a court pencil case involving the Syndicate spread the true identity engage in Carolyn Keene. By this time, Benson was precise prolific author. She had written over one thousand novels and had worked as Toledo Blade hack since 1944. She had continued the ghostwriting rite, writing under five pseudonyms in addition to congregate real name. Her favorite was the Penny Author series, about a young journalist. Thirteen years afterwards she was publicly acknowledged as the original penman of the Nancy Drew stories; in 1994, loftiness University of Iowa hosted a Nancy Drew Seminar in her honor.

Most of Benson's original readers now have grandchildren, but that still doesn't effect the popularity. Nancy Drew has become a folk icon, and was one of the few steady heroines for girls. Although Mildred Benson died march in 2002, she received fan mail up until sit on death, from old and young readers alike. Lead to many, the books were just a good read; for some, they were the inspiration for latest careers, or heroic acts. "I remember one girl," Benson said. "[who] said that she was absolutely locked in a trunk by a hold-up jeer and she thought of Nancy Drew. She got out by her own efforts, which she attributed to Nancy Drew. That one surprised me."