‘The Someday Letters’

“This is the story of how two young college students on two different paths met,” wrote author Ellen Watts as she described her recently published book, a tribute to her late husband, Dale Watts.
Ellen noted the short book features love letters the two sent back and forth over the years.
She explained that Dale lived in Kernersville while she lived in Scotland, NC but the two met 50 years ago while attending what is now The University of North Carolina at Pembroke.
“Dale passed away two years ago, which is why I wrote the book, and there are people who still live here that were here in the 1970s that knew him,” she said.
In the book, Ellen shares the story about how they met and how their love grew over the years, sharing excerpts from the various love letters they saved throughout their courtship.
She noted their first love letter was written by her the day after what they considered as their first date.
“His letters were so heartfelt, and I treasured every word,” she wrote in the book leading up to a love letter Dale wrote, which is featured in the book.
As she spoke about the book, Ellen said those who read it will find out who she and Dale were and why they fell in love with each other.
Ellen explained that while this is the first book she has written, she has written various other things, including poems and for the recipe book at her church, First Presbyterian Church in Kernersville.
“I’ve also been writing short stories for years, but this is my first book,” she said.
As for the title of the book, Ellen features a poem in the book that she wrote, entitled “Someday.”
Ellen began writing “The Someday Letters” one year after Dale’s passing. While she mentioned that it was helpful in her healing, she wanted to write it for her grandchildren.
“I really wrote it for my grandchildren. I knew how my parents and grandparents met, and I wanted them to know how we met,” she said. “When I give them things like China, I write a story to go with it, and I felt that they needed to know this story.”
Ellen said the book was self-published and is available for print on demand through Book Baby, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and more.
“The editing process was a huge learning adventure for me,” she said. “I had to learn different things with editing online.”
Ellen said the book has been very well received so far and is something that can be read in one sitting.
“It’s letters from when we were in college and started dating, and went home for summer before going back to college,” she said. “It tells our love story.”