Ottawa Lake author releases children’s book

A local author of numerous book genres has found inspiration from her own family for her newest work, a children’s book.

Nancy Jasin Ensley, of Ottawa Lake, recently released her book, "Isla and the Imaginary Iguana," through Dorrance Publishing. The book follows the adventures of a young girl named Isla along with her two favorite stuffed animals: a bear that is falling apart and an iguana.

Ensley, a longtime nurse and educator, said that during her career, she always liked to experience as many things as she could, which has translated to her work in writing. However, her first spark for writing came at a much younger age.

“At 8 years old, my mother gave me a book of opera and a book of poems,” Ensley said. “I loved it. I read all the time.”

Ensley added that she started writing poetry at a young age and later made her own Christmas cards with greetings. She also found inspiration to write in the workplace.

“I did a lot of writing for the jobs I had,” she said. “I had a wonderful literature teacher at Waite High School during my senior year. She was college-level. She had us writing essays. She was very critical, but she was key in my ability to write prose.”

Later in her career, she decided to take her writing to the next level. However, it was a slow transition.

“I’ve written in every job I’ve had – magazine articles, essays,” Ensley explained. “About 20 years ago, I wanted to write a memoir. I started to write it, but I was working two jobs, so I kind of put that away.”

After retirement – her first retirement, as she has retired three times – she picked up again on writing her memoir, titled "The Tire Swing," and eventually completed it.

“Getting that published – I just loved that,” Ensley said. “My sister is an artist, and she did the cover.”

Since then, Ensley said she has completed 10 books and worked with independent publishers to release five of them. Genres range widely, and her works include three children’s books. "Isla" is the first to be published.

Ensley said the inspiration for the Isla character was not far from home.

“She’s my great-granddaughter,” Ensley said. “She’d put her hands on her hips and say, ‘I’m Isla, and you don’t say the S,’ and I thought that would be a great start for a book.”

Ensley said that the real-life Isla takes her friendships with her stuffed animals very seriously, treating them as though they are alive.

“She thinks they actually have feelings,” Ensley said. “I thought, let’s do a little story about the things that she’s done.”

There is also an educational aspect of the book. Ensley uses visual elements with certain letters to help kids learn how to pronounce words.

“It’s very important for kids to use phonetics to learn how to read,” Ensley said.

There are also spaces within the hardcover book for kids to draw as well. While Ensley said that this makes the book more expensive, it was worth it to provide a space for kids to interact more with the pages.

“I tried it out on a 7- and 8-year-old, and they loved it,” she said. “They filled it up.”

Ensley said that working with Dorrance publishing again – she had previously published the book "Orphans," a Twain-like story about two boys, with Dorrance – has been beneficial.

“I like the artistry they did, and I liked the cover,” Ensley said. “Some indie publishers, you don’t get a lot of help. They make you do all the work.”

Currently, Ensley is also in the process of converting "The Tire Swing" into an audio book as well as promoting several of her works on Amazon.

“It’s expensive to publish your own book,” she said. “I’m working on marketing a bit more and getting a new website.”

Ensley will also appear at several book signings in the near future, including at local libraries and an appearance on Oct. 7 at the Whiteford Fall Festival. She will be donating half of her sales to a fund to a joint special needs and senior activities project at Whiteford StoneCo Park.

Whatever the future holds for Ensley, she plans to stay busy, as she has done throughout her career and well into retirement.

“I just keep writing.”

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Ottawa Lake author Nancy Jasin Ensley releases children’s book