SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — A Seminole County woman's lifelong dream to have her words turned to film is now a reality.

What You Need To Know

  • Nancy Springer wrote a series of books about Enola Holmes, the younger sister of the famous detective

  • Springer said she wanted to create a female foil to challenge Sherlock Holmes

  • A movie about Enola Holmes, starring Millie Bobby Brown, was released on Netflix in September

There's no question Nancy Springer loves to write.​

"I love that it puts all of the craziness out of my head and puts it on paper," Springer said.

She's written dozens of books in fact, during an almost 50-year career.

A new challenge came 20 years ago, when her editor asked for a series set in London at the time of Jack the Ripper.

Sherlock Holmes' sister, Enola, was born. Springer describes herself as a feminist, and said she wanted to give Sherlock a female foil to challenge him.

"Enola is able to run rings around him because she understands the logic of women, and she understands the conspiracy of being a woman in Victorian times and having to communicate via fans and flowers," Springer said.

She said filming wrapped up before the pandemic, and Enola Holmes was supposed to be released as a feature film by Legendary Entertainment, but was in limbo.

Springer said at times she was worried the movie, which is based on the first book in the six book series, wouldn't happen because of the coronavirus pandemic's impact on the film industry.

Netflix later bought the film, and it was released September 2020. Springer moved to Oviedo in 2019 from The Panhandle of Florida after receiving the royalties from the film.

Springer said the star of the movie, actress Millie Bobby Brown, played a special role in the book getting to screen. She said Millie's sister Paige read the books and and passed them on to her. When Millie was around 12 years old, she expressed interest to her family that she wanted to do a film on the book.

She went to London summer 2019 to visit the set as the movie was being filmed.

"I gave her a big hug and told her how glad I was she had came into my life," Springer said.

Springer added that Paige and Millie are co-producers of the film.

Other notable actors in the film include Sam Claflin, Henry Cavill, and Helena Bonham Carter​

Springer said the film has performed well on Netflix and was #1 for about a month.

University of Central Florida Film Professor Dr. Gary Rhodes said while theaters struggle to remain open, he believes Hollywood will eventually recover.

"This has, of course, made streaming services, in some cases, stronger, more desirable, and we will see the fruits of that, too," Rhodes said.

For Springer, it's a dream come true in a challenging time.

"That was the shining light that got me through the pandemic so far," she said.