Nancy Springer Reflects on Five Decades of Storytelling and the Enduring Legacy of Enola Holmes
PHOTO: Nancy Springer, award-winning author and creator of Enola Holmes, at home in the Florida Panhandle.
A Literary Icon Explores Her Creative Evolution, Award-Winning Mysteries, And The Final Chapter Of Her Beloved Enola Holmes Series
Nancy Springer discusses her prolific writing career, the creation of Enola Holmes, the impact of literary awards, and how her diverse passions inspire richly imaginative stories across genres.
Nancy Springer is one of literature’s most versatile and imaginative voices, with a career spanning more than five decades and over fifty novels across genres as diverse as mythic fantasy, magical realism, psychological thrillers, and young adult mystery. Her writing is witty, wise, and always emotionally resonant—qualities that have earned her two Edgar Awards and the enduring admiration of fans around the world. Best known for creating Enola Holmes, the indomitable teenage sister of Sherlock Holmes, Springer infused Victorian England with a modern sensibility that captured the hearts of readers and viewers alike, leading to the successful Netflix adaptation.
Mosaic Digest is proud to present this intimate and engaging interview with Nancy Springer, a literary icon whose work continues to delight, challenge, and inspire. From the rich textures of her early fantasy novels to the brilliant evolution of Enola Holmes, Springer’s stories never fail to surprise. In this conversation, she reflects candidly on her creative journey, her writing instincts, and the passions that fuel her storytelling—from wildcats to Fibonacci numbers. We are honoured to spotlight an author whose imagination is as boundless as her courage to follow it.
Nancy Springer’s writing is bold, emotionally resonant, and enchantingly original—anchored by characters who challenge conventions and illuminate the human spirit.
Your career spans over four decades with more than fifty novels across various genres. Reflecting on this journey, what pivotal moments or decisions significantly shaped your path as a writer?
First, in 1974, was the decision to offload my emotional baggage by writing a novel. But more importantly, around 1979 or 1980, I decided to think of myself as a writer, not as a housewife who stole moments to write as a hobby. From then on, I allowed myself to focus on my writing (not the laundry or the dishes) as my priority every morning, and many was the time I scrawled in a notebook with one hand while I held the baby in my lap with the other.
“I decided to think of myself as a writer, not as a housewife who stole moments to write as a hobby.” -Nancy Springer
The Enola Holmes series has captivated readers and was adapted into successful films. What inspired you to create Enola, and how did you envision her standing out in the Holmes universe?
“Inspired” may be the wrong word; it was just business as usual. My favorite editor asked me to write something set in “deepest, darkest London at the time of Jack the Ripper.” I thought he was crazy. I mean, me, write historical fiction? But, thinking again, I realized that the time of Jack the Ripper was also the time of Sherlock Holmes – the complete stories of whom I had memorized by the time I was twelve years old! As a writer, I had already invented the daughter of Robin Hood, so why not give Sherlock Holmes a daughter – but no. No way. My instincts cried out that Sherlock would never be so careless as to father a child. But I could give him a sister, and, after double-checking chronology, that’s what I did. I found myself doing a tremendous amount of research, but still, I was just writing another novel. I never dreamed Enola Holmes would succeed the way she did.
Your fantasy novel Larque on the Wing earned the James Tiptree Jr. Award in 1994. What themes did you explore in this work, and how did this recognition influence your subsequent writing?
It’s now called the Otherwise Award, and it celebrates gender identities that do not conform to traditional gender norms. My protagonist, Larque, underwent a magical makeover that gave her a gloriously androgynous body with a pop-on dick and removable boobs. But, writing this remarkable novel, I wasn’t so much exploring themes as writing what the voices in my head told me to, typing at top speed and without revision, in rebellion against a crappy contract that gave me not nearly enough pay for the completed manuscript. I didn’t care if the publisher rejected it, but as it turned out, they published it without changing a thing. How did its success influence my subsequent writing? I guess I learned to trust the voices in my head – in other words, my instincts.
In 1994, you had five different books released by five different publishers, and in 1995, you won your first Edgar Award. How did this period of prolific output and recognition impact your career and writing approach?
The prolific output was just an effect of my financial reality at that time, meaning that I was supporting, by writing, my family, my horse, and one-third of my mother. I don’t really recommend writing so much that one is competing with oneself! But the Edgar Award for Toughing It was a wonderful revelation, because up until I received it, I didn’t think I wrote mystery or ever could! Regarding that genre, I disliked the first murder, the second murder, the third murder, and all the red herrings. My Edgar winner was, I thought, a novel about the grieving process directed at reluctant readers. A year later, when I won a second Edgar for Looking For Jamie Bridger, I still didn’t think I wrote mystery, but my literary agent told me quite firmly that I did. So I do. I still don’t like murders or red herrings – I never insert false clues, and the Enola Holmes mysteries, you will note, are not about murders, but missing persons.
Your upcoming book, Enola Holmes and the Clanging Coffin, is set to release in February 2026. Could you share insights into this new installment and what readers can anticipate?
Clanging Coffin is, word of honor, my last Enola Holmes novel. I know this because it makes Enola a member of the Holmes family in a way she had never been before; she “arrives,” so to speak, as a Holmes. And it deals with an event which, for Enola’s sake, I had been dreading and avoiding: Sherlock’s “death” at Reichenbach Falls. Enola Holmes and the Clanging Coffin completes Enola’s character arc and puts a period on the whole Enola Holmes series.
Beyond writing, you’ve been involved in rescuing feral cats and enjoying the wildlife of the Florida Panhandle. How do these personal passions influence your storytelling and creative process?
Oh, my goodness, I have so many personal passions. During different periods of my life I have been crazy about singing and playing folk guitar, or doing embroidery, or horseback riding, or fishing, or doing handwriting analysis, or painting watercolors, or lowering the property value of my house by painting murals on the walls, or camping, or exploring the back roads of the countryside, or, as you said, adopting stray cats. (The most I ever had was seven at one time.) All of this and much more quite naturally percolated into my writing. If you want to be creative, it really helps to be childishly interested and enthusiastic about all sorts of things – such as Fibonacci numbers. Watch out for them in Enola Holmes and the Clanging Coffin!
