Application for employment

Position applied for: Trixie Belden ghostwriter (the esteemed position of Kathryn Kenny)

Name:

(Only fill in if you want credit for your work, and if you don’t mind that your name will keep popping up in research papers and/or when Trixie fans nit-pick the books)

1. What makes you qualified to continue the Trixie Belden series?

1. I have read all the books.
2. I have read all of the books authored by Julie Campbell, and most of the later books.
3. I have read only the first six books
4. I skimmed plot summaries for each book, but it’s not like I really paid attention to everything.

2. If you were to write a Trixie Belden mystery, would the Bob-Whites go on vacation?

1. Yes! I’d send them to my hometown and write a mystery surrounding actual places.
2. Sure. I would send them to another country so I can write about the differences in culture. It would be educational.
3. No. I really prefer the mysteries that take place in Sleepyside.
4. It makes no difference to me. I can write either way.

3. Trixie has stumbled upon a new mystery! What are the Bob-White’s reactions?

1. They are all supportive, of course!
2. Trixie immediately gets a lecture from the boys about her safety
3. They all make up excuses why they can’t help her out, leaving her to fend for herself
4. Jim loses his temper.

4. Would you hint at any romantic feelings between two of the Bob-Whites?

1. Oh, definitely! I’m dying to write a (insert girl and boy) moment!
2. Nah! They’re just teens. There’s no sense in writing about a relationship that has little to no chances of developing.
3. Oh, come on. Teen romance is something that shouldn’t be encouraged!
4. Sure! It would only be a crush, though.

5. Let’s just say that the mystery Trixie finds leads the Bob-Whites clear across the country. Do all the Bob-Whites go?

1. No. 7 people and a chaperone along with a whole new community of people is just too hard to write. At least one or two of them stays home.
2. Yes. They are the Bob-Whites! They work together.
3. No. Dan is too hard to write. He stays home.
4. Yes, but it would just be the 7 Bob-Whites, the chaperone, and the criminal and several faceless people.

6. The previous book took place in April. Your book takes place 7 months from then. What month is it? (Hint: If you answer is not 7 months from April, you are more than qualified to do this!)

1. January
2. April
3. November
4. May

7. Using the above time period, who will have had Birthdays by the time your book takes place?

1. Trixie and Mart only.
2. Brian and Dan only.
3. Trixie, Jim, and Diana only.
4. Everyone but Dan. We don’t know at all what time of the year he was born.

8. Would you give the Lynch girls names?

1. No. It adds to the charm when they are left without names.
2. Yes! Sandy and Mandy! (Well, they have to rhyme to match their brothers’ names)
3. No. They probably wouldn’t even be in the story.
4. Yes. Harriet and Laurie. (Rhyming names is corny)

9. Would you give one of the characters a talent that was non-existent in the previous books?

1. Sure! It’s always fun to be creative!
2. No. Mart’s spoonerisms, Moms’ tongue twisters, Mr. Belden’s ukulele playing, Diana’s artistic abilities, and Honey’s fetish for anything that involves a needle and thread is enough.
3. I don’t know. It all depends if I suddenly need one of them to have a talent.
4. Why not? It adds more character!

10. Trixie finds a mystery and she tells the others. What is Jim’s reaction?

1. He’s pissed.
2. He’s supportive!
3. He’s determined to find a way to get Trixie away from the mystery.
4. "I have to study."

11. Where did Trixie solve the mystery behind the sheep thieves?

1. Arizona
2. Iowa
3. England
4. Vermont

12. You’ve written quite an intriguing mystery, but you don’t know how to end it. Do you…

1. Sweat blood and desperately try to finish it because the deadline is coming up?
2. Say, "No sweat" and give it the "It was all just a dream" ending.
3. Scratch the book. You had no business writing about something you didn’t know anything about, let alone getting Trixie into a situation with out an escape. Besides, it probably was going to suck anyway.
4. Stick with it even if you need to get an extension. Just as long as the ending is believable.
5. Laugh and say, "Easy! Go back and leave a clue for one of the boys to find so that they can come in and save the day!"

13. Would you introduce a new character?

1. No. There are plenty of other characters to work with already.
2. Yes. And they would have to have red hair, green eyes, and be an orphan.
3. Yes, as long as I get to model the character after myself and make him/her perfect in every way.
4. Yes. They would just remain faceless citizens of Sleepyside, or whatever setting I have the book take place.
5. Yes. This new character would also be female blonde, pretty, and would automatically catch Jim’s eye.

14. How does Sgt. Molinson react to Trixie’s mystery?

1. He yells at her to stay out of it.
2. He thanks her for the information and promptly arrests the criminal.
3. He laughs and tells her that her imagination is in overdrive and hangs up on her.
4. He doesn’t do anything because Trixie and Company will be solving the world’s problems in another state.

15. How would you characterize the criminal?

1. They drive a dirty green Buick.
2. They take an instant disliking to Trixie.
3. Their features remind Trixie of that of a weasel.
4. They are too nice to be a criminal, so Trixie is shocked at the sudden plot twist.

16. Oh-oh! The outline you have been given says that not all 7 Bob-Whites can participate in the mystery and someone has to stay home, or busy themselves with something else. It’s your decision who.

1. Dan, of course. Why mess with tradition?
2. Diana. She’s just so hard to write.
3. Brian. He’s so boring, he won’t even be missed.
4. Jim. Trixie might solve the mystery faster without Jim around to distract her.
5. Mart. It’s easier to leave him home than to agonize over his use of big words.
6. None of them! Screw the outline! Leaving any one of the others home would be like leaving Trixie home: pointless.

17. How does this mystery end?

1. In a fight! Yeah Jim!!!
2. The boys rescue the girls.
3. Trixie calls the police and tells them were to pick up the criminals.
4. Trixie tells Honey to call the police while she goes to investigate. She ends up getting kidnapped, but never fear, the police are sure to show up any minute now…

18. There is a Bob-White banquet in every book. What kind of banquet will yours have?

1. Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, cottage cheese, punch, and a double-layer chocolate cake.
2. Roast beef, sautéed mushrooms, corn on the cob, fruit salad, apple cider, and a crabapple pie.
3. Swedish meatballs, mashed potatoes, green beans, gelled cranberries, milk, and pumpkin pie.
4. Hamburgers, baked beans, carrots and ranch dip, fruit cocktail, soda pop, and a cherry pie.
5. Turnip and Eggplant casserole, celery sticks with peanut butter, dried apple chips, iced water, and strawberry rhubarb pie.

Any other qualifications you have that would make you a certifiable Kathryn Kenny?