By Staff
1988 Washington High graduate sets sights on writing career
By KEVIN SCOTT CUTLER
Lifestyles &Features Editor
A Washington native is hoping to make her mark in the world of mystery writing and she’s well on her way with the recent publication of her first novel.
Athelda R. Ensley, a 1988 graduate of Washington High School, is the author of “‘M’-Inent Domain,” a mystery story set in the small town of Sandwich, Mass.
Already a published poet, putting pen to paper has been a longtime hobby for Ensley.
After graduating from WHS, Ensley attended North Carolina State University and married Sean Ensley, whose work with the federal Justice Department has taken the couple to Alabama, Georgia and now Texas, where they reside in Baytown, a suburb of Houston.
But Ensley maintains strong ties to Beaufort County; she has numerous family members living in the area, including her mother and stepfather, Elizabeth and Sam Leggett. Her younger brother, Sam Jr., is a student at East Carolina University. And she returned to Washington this fall to attend her 20th high school reunion.
Ensley said she has her mother to thank for her interest in mystery stories.
That Christian element is one thing that sets Ensley’s work apart from other mystery novels. The stories are also reader friendly.
Kicking her writing career into high gear, Ensley has signed a contract for her second book to be published.
As a stay-at-home mom, Ensley works her writing around a busy schedule that includes being a home school educator and volunteer in her community. She estimated that it took her five months to write “‘M’-Inent Domain,” with an additional six months devoted to research and rewriting.
For more about Ensley, visit her website: www.freewebs.com/atheldaensley.