I just found out that this, which I recorded weeks ago, has finally run.

One thing that’s not in the interview – Renee Montagne uncovered an important Nancy Drew-Tess Monaghan link. She asked me how I came to start reading the books and I suddenly remembered that my family did not own any Nancy Drew books – we borrowed them from the Monaghans, who lived two doors away. (My sister later verified this.)

I chose Monaghan for Tess’s surname because it seemed to me the quintessential Baltimore name. Not only was it our neighbors’ name, but it also was on a tavern in Woodlawn, near our favorite bakery. But I had never, until that moment in the studio, stopped to think about the Monaghan-Nancy Drew connection.

I have been critical of Nancy over the years – she’s a bit perfect for me, and I don’t like the way Bess and George trumpet her fabulousness at every opportunity – but she is a good role model. As for my views on why the best books are essentially parent-less – well those ideas will be available soon, and I’ll alert you to the where and when as appropriate.