Nancy Springer

Nancy Springer is an American author of fantasy, young adult literature, mystery and science fiction. She has won many awards for her work including the Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America. Most recently Nancy's book The Case of the Missing Marquess has been adapted into a Netflix film as Enola Holmes. Nancy's books are available through Suffolk Libraries.

Who were your literary influences as you were growing up and when did you first feel that you wanted to write?

I was omnivorous. I read the good, the bad and the ugly. Entering college, I was impressed by Steinbeck, Harper Lee, C.S. Lewis, many others. Like most girls of my generation, I had vague aspirations at best. My parents expected me to be a teacher; I knew I didn't want that but had no idea what I would do.

Enola's brand of kick ass feminism is completely in step with society today. When you wrote The Case of the Missing Marquess in 2006 it must have been a very different world for her to appear in?

I didn't write it in 2006. It was published then. I figure I started to write it, and the other Enola Holmes books, around the turn of the century. (Doesn't that make me sound ancient?) By then I'd been writing strong female characters for years, as therapy; I hadn't been very strong as a youngster. The world they appeared in seemed to enjoy them.

How much of Enola Holmes and her mother come from you and your own upbringing in an 'Eden' where you could run wild?

A great deal. Did I mention that my mother was an artist? And my family was distant and kind of British-mannered.

When you first started writing it was on old style typewriters. As a writer do you feel that research a mouse click away and computers to type on have helped fire the creative process or taken the place of imagination?

I feel that computers have helped the research process immensely, but the creative process not so much. Words need to run through the hands to be truly wrought. When I started writing on a computer, I would print the first draft of each novel, then erase the disks to make it necessary for me to rewrite it entirely. Computers make imperfect manuscripts look too nice. Most people who write on them fail to realize how much re-writing they should do.

Is there anything you can share about your next project?

Not a darn thing. I think I'm retired.

A lot of readers, young and old will come to your work via the Netflix adaptation of Enola. What would be a good starting point for them with your books?

Why, the beginning, of course! Read The Case of the Missing Marquess first.

What is the best advice you were ever given?

It came from a psychologist, and it was quite simply, "Fuss not!" My strict upbringing was making me tie myself into knots about nothing. I had to learn to go with the flow.

Can you tell us one thing about yourself that your readers may not know?

I try not to kill spiders; I like them and their webs. Also snakes. I will head toward a snake in the wild rather than away from it, for the pleasure of seeing it. I enjoy handling any docile, harmless snake. It makes me cringe when people kill snakes. Or turtles. If I see a turtle trying to cross the road, I will stop my car to assist it. Thanks for asking!