Board Name: jabogitlu

Name: Austin

Age (range): I'm done with puberty but can't vote.

Location: East Tennessee, USA

Time Zone: EST

What's your Occupation? Student

Brief bio: Single (as all teenagers should be), living with two great parents and one gato rey, in the midst of 2000+ books piled haphazardly wherever they can find a spot. I love music, both to play and to listen, and enjoy a wide array of genres. I am a messy person who wants everything neat, so I'm always surrounded by a choking mass of clutter. Other interests include foreign languages, English as literature, philately, watching the tennis circuit.

When did you start reading the Hardy Boys? Somewhere between 6-8 years old.

Who started you reading the Hardy Boys? My grandmother, who gave me my uncle's old copy of Tower Treasure.

When did you start writing Fan fiction? Never have, probably never will!

Who is your favorite character? I like Frank, but my favourite character is secretly Aunt Gertrude in the very early books. She's a hilarious old motorboat!

What attracts you to the Hardy Boys? The humour and suspense of the early editions, smirking at the trashiness of the new ones, and I'm a collect-a-holic anyway!

What is your favorite Hardy Boys Series? The original texts volumes 1-34

What is your favorite Hardy Boys Book? Not one, but I can narrow it down some. Secret Panel, Phantom Freighter, Skull Mountain, Crooked Arrow, Wildcat Swamp, Lost Tunnel, Cabin Island, Hunting for Hidden Gold, Tower Treasure, Caves, House on the Cliff...oh...wait...no, I can't narrow it down any!!!

What is your favorite Hardy Boys moment? In the paralyzing snow storm in Hidden Gold. I read it when I was very young, probably 9 or 10, and was thrilled. I evidently hadn't learned the words 'status quo,' and was convinced Frank was going to die!!! I also like the eeriness of the bottle in the ceiling at Cabin Island, exploring the Tower Mansion, going through the stairs in House on the Cliff, the weird house in Secret Panel, being on the ranch at Crooked Arrow...

What is your favorite Hardy Boys moment in your own stories? If I had any, it would be to combine some gothic element and humor, even as half as good as Mr. McFarlane could!

Which of the Hardy Boys books do you own? 1-58 OT and RT in jackets-PCs-Glossies and my original tweed set, all the Digests (all formats included) except approx. 10, all the Casefiles, all the Supermysteries, the smaller series (Be a Detective, etc.). I also own a good stock of foreign editions.

Anything else you would like to add? I think you're probably bored by now!!! I will add two pictures of three of my five main shelves

Editor's Note: Austin is the co-editor of The Bayport Gazette and a moderator on it's companion message board Hardy Boys Chat.  Austin also has the website Everything Hardy--one of the best sources for Hardy Information