Chris Enss
Author

Chris Enss is an author, scriptwriter and actress/comedienne who writes for print, television and film.  She and author JoAnn Chartier teamed up in 1995 to write a series of books,  including With Great Hope, Women of the California Gold Rush, published in 2000. Their second book, Love Untamed, Romances of the Old West, was released in 2002, and Gilded Girls, Women Entertainers of the Old West, was published in 2003. In 2004, Chris published two books:  Playing for Time: The Death Row All-Stars (a true story of a 1911 Wyoming baseball team composed of death row inmates, as long as they kept winning, their executions were delayed – this book will soon be made into a major motion picture) and The Cowboy and the Senorita (a biography of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans) presently in first stages of feature film production.

Chris Enss resides in Grass Valley, in Nevada County, California.

 

Chris Enss – profile questions

When did you arrive in this area? What were your first impressions?

I arrived in the Northern California in the winter of 1991. As I had spent much of my life in Arizona and had grown accustom to sunshine I was not to happy to be in Nevada County .I found the area to be quite lovely, but cold. It snowed for days after I got here and I cried the entire time. Proof positive that I'm a desert rat.

Describe what you do.

I am an author and screenwriter. I have a background in radio and television and focus primarily on writing true stories about remarkable women of the old west.

Who or what are inspirations for your work? What are your plans for the future?

Much of my inspiration to write what I do comes from the subject of my work. I love the old west and find the accomplishments of the frontier ladies to be fascinating and compelling.

What are your plans for the future?

My plans for the future are to add to the titles I have already authored on the old west women by writing new biographies about their influence beyond the Mississippi.

What is your favorite spot in the region? Why?

Some of my favorite spots in the region include Bridgeport, the Empire Mine Park, Coloma and Old Sacramento. Each of these sites conjures up images of hopeful pioneers and eager miners entering the territory .I'm just passing through history, but the covered bridge at Bridgeport, the Empire Mine and the Gold Rush towns are history.

Why do you think this region holds such a fascination for people?

Because I write history books I am more drawn to the background of this area. How it was settled, who settled it and why. So many passed emigrants came here to stake out a claim for themselves or work a homestead. They left their mark everywhere you look. The history is so thick here you have to brush it away from your face like cobwebs. History lovers would appreciate this area like none other .

If you had to describe your feelings about the Sierra Nevada region in one word (or a few words), what would you say?

My one word description of this area would be "lush". It overflows with beautiful vegetation, historic sites, and kind inhabitants.