Carolyn Keene, who signed her name to the first " Nancy Drew" mystery novel in 1930, began her career as a freelance writer for pay magazines. She then branched into publishing, having her own short-lived newspaper, writing pulp fiction for other publishers, and selling "quickie" novels to movie producers. Under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene she wrote the first "Nancy Drew" novel in 1930 under contract to publisher Edward Stratemeyer. She went on to write 156 more titles in the series
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In 1947 she created the "Damon Runyon Mystery" series, a mixture of mystery and comedy featuring a hard-boiled detective with a heart of gold. The series was published by Alfred A. Knopf, which has since acquired most of her backlist from various publishers.
In 1955 she met and married crime novelist Richard S. Prather. In 1960 her husband was killed in an automobile accident, leaving her with major depression from which she never recovered.
She moved from New York City to California in 1968 and retired from writing in 1977.