When I started writing my debut novel, I knew I wanted it to feel like the adventures I experienced a kid in the 1970s. Adventures where kids had to rely on their wits, their friendships, and maybe a flashlight or two. That’s why I chose to set it in 1978. No smartphones. No internet. No GPS. Just a group of curious kids, a mystery to solve, and a world that felt wide open. Rediscovering the Analog World There’s something wonderfully tactile about the late ’70s. If you wanted to find information, you had to go to the library and flip through a card catalog. If you needed to call someone,…