Nancy Springer (born July 5, 1948) is an American author of fantasy, young adult literature, mystery, and science fiction.[1] Her novel Larque on the Wing won the Tiptree Award in 1994.[2] She also received the Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America[3] for her novels Toughing It in 1995 and Looking for Jamie Bridger in 1996. Additionally, she received the Carolyn W. Field Award from the Pennsylvania Library Association in 1999 for her novel I am Mordred.[4] She has written more than fifty books over a career that has spanned nearly four decades.[5]

Nancy Springer
Born (1948-07-05) July 5, 1948 (age 75)
Montclair, New Jersey, U.S.
Genre
  • Science Fiction
  • Fantasy
  • Mystery
  • Thrillers
  • Young Adult
Notable worksThe Enola Holmes Mysteries
Tales of Rowan Hood
Notable awardsJames Tiptree Jr. Award
Edgar Allan Poe Award
Carolyn W. Field Award

She released her first Enola Holmes book in 2006 and followed by 7 sequels in the series. Her other series include The Book of the Isle fantasy series and the Tales of Rowan Hood.[6] The Enola Holmes Mysteries was adapted in 2020 as the Netflix film Enola Holmes and a 2022 sequel Enola Holmes 2.[5][7]

Life and career edit

Nancy Springer was born in Montclair, New Jersey to Harry E. and Helen Connor,[8] moving to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania with her family when she was thirteen.

As a child, she read a lot about King Arthur and his Round Table and Robin Hood and had often read and reread Sherlock Holmes. She was raised to "speak grammatically" and is well versed with Victorian literature.[5] Her parents were born in 1906 and 1909.[citation needed] Her two older brothers had left the family for college by the time she hit puberty. Her mother was a professional artist, who painted oil portraits of pets. Springer was 14 when her mother's health began to deteriorate due to cancer, menopause and an early-onset form of Alzheimer's.[9][10] Her parents had purchased a motel, which she helped work.

She remained in Pennsylvania for forty-six years, raising two children, Jonathan Paul (born in 1974) and Nora Lynn (born in 1978), by her first husband Joel Springer, a minister and fine art photographer. They were divorced in 1996. She met her second husband, Jaime Fernando Pinto, in 1999, while she was working in a no-kill animal shelter.[9] In 2007, they moved to Bonifay, Florida, in a secluded part of the Florida panhandle, a place conducive to her hobbies of birdwatching, horseback riding and fishing, and his love of aviation.[5][11][10]

Works edit

Collections edit

  • Chance and Other Gestures of the Hand of Fate (1985)
  • Stardark Songs (1993)

Series edit

The Book of the Isle edit

  1. The White Hart (1979)
  2. The Book of Suns (1977) expanded as The Silver Sun (1980)
  3. The Sable Moon (1981)
  4. The Black Beast (1982)
  5. The Golden Swan (1983)

Sea King edit

  1. Madbond (1987)
  2. Mindbond (1987)
  3. Godbond (1988)

Tales of Rowan Hood edit

  1. Rowan Hood: Outlaw Girl of Sherwood Forest (2001)
  2. Lionclaw (2002)
  3. Outlaw Princess of Sherwood (2003)
  4. Wild Boy (2004)
  5. Rowan Hood Returns (2005)

The Enola Holmes Mysteries edit

  1. The Case of the Missing Marquess (2006)
  2. The Case of the Left-Handed Lady (2007)
  3. The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets (2008)
  4. The Case of the Peculiar Pink Fan (2008)
  5. The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline (2009)
  6. The Case of the Gypsy Goodbye (2010) also published with the title The Case of the Disappearing Duchess[12]
  7. Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche (2021)
  8. Enola Holmes and the Elegant Escapade (2022)
  9. Enola Holmes and the Mark of the Mongoose (2023)
  10. Enola Holmes and the Boy in Buttons (short story) (2021)

Awards and nominations edit

  • Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature Best Novel nominee (1982): The Sable Moon[13]
  • World Fantasy Best Short Story nominee (1987): "The Boy Who Plaited Manes"[14]
  • Hugo Best Short Story nominee (1987): "The Boy Who Plaited Manes"[15]
  • Nebula Best Short Story nominee (1987): "The Boy Who Plaited Manes"
  • Tiptree Award (1995): Larque on the Wing[2]
  • Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Mystery (1995): Toughing It[3]
  • Edgar Award for Best Juvenile Mystery (1996): Looking for Jamie Bridger[3]
  • Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature Best Novel nominee (1997): Fair Peril[13]
  • Carolyn W. Field Award (1999): I am Mordred[16]
  • Edgar Award for Best Juvenile Mystery nominee (2007): The Case of the Missing Marquess: An Enola Holmes Mystery[3]
  • Edgar Award for Best Juvenile Mystery nominee (2010): The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline: An Enola Holmes Mystery[3]

References edit

  1. ^ Davis, Stephen M. "The SF Site Featured Review: I am Mordred: A Tale from Camelot". SF Site. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
  2. ^ a b "Previous Awards—James Tiptree, Jr. Literary Award Council". James Tiptree, Jr. Literary Award Council. Archived from the original on March 13, 2012. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Edgar Award Winners and Nominees Database". TheEdgars.com. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
  4. ^ "Carolyn W. Field Award Winners". Pennsylvania Library Association. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d Bhattacharya, Suryasarathi (September 23, 2020). "Enola Holmes author Nancy Springer on her popular mystery series and the Netflix adaptation". Firstpost. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  6. ^ Carolyn Cox (August 10, 2022). "Interview: Nancy Springer Talks Searching for Love Through 50+ Years of Writing". The Portalist. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
  7. ^ Mark Meszoros (October 31, 2022). "'Enola Holmes 2' another charming bit of mystery with more good work from Millie Bobby Brown". The News-Herald. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
  8. ^ "Springer, Nancy 1948–". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  9. ^ a b "About Nancy". Nancy Spring. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  10. ^ a b Simmons, Tony (August 13, 2019). "'Stranger Things' star Millie Bobby Brown shooting film based on Bonifay author's novels". Panama City News Herald. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
  11. ^ "Nancy Springer". goodreads. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  12. ^ The case of the gypsy good-bye. Enola Holmes. Philomel Books. 2010.
  13. ^ a b "Mythopoeic Awards – Fantasy". Mythopoeic Society. Archived from the original on October 6, 2011. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
  14. ^ "World Fantasy Awards – Complete Listing". World Fantasy Convention. Archived from the original on October 15, 2013. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
  15. ^ "1987 Hugo Awards". The Hugo Awards. Archived from the original on May 7, 2011. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
  16. ^ "Carolyn W. Field Award". Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. Archived from the original on March 5, 2013. Retrieved March 2, 2013.

External links edit