Many Washington High School graduates might remember him as a tennis coach, a Spanish teacher or, later, an assistant principle. But after 43 years in education, Ron Hignite has taken up a new role, that of fiction writer.

Hignite recently published his thriller, “The Devil’s Damsel,” a mystery built around a true event. It’s not his first published work — there are three collections of poetry, four religious works, also poetry, and two children’s books that bear his name — but it’s the first time he’s tackled a different genre.

“About a year and half ago, I began to think about going in another direction in terms of fiction,” Hignite said. “It was then that I ran across an article in the newspaper. It got my attention because it was a twist of fate that occurred in a home invasion, robbery, in Wisconsin. It just triggered my attention and what I did was take that event and begin to write around it.”

The book follows Chicago Detective Jack Revelle as he tracks down “the devil in disguise and her evil accomplices.” The book explores the universal themes of fair play, love of family, strength through faith in God and the search for life’s meaning, according to a press release from Hignite.

The fictional account is a departure from his previous work, one that was not without its challenges, Hignite said.

“The challenge is the creation of characters, the creation of events. The bringing together, how shall we say it, of the different elements of a novel — those were the challenges,” Hignite said.

Hignite said he got hooked on poetry in college, especially the work of John Keats. Over the next several decades he’d write poetry on and off — he remembers discussing the art form with WHS English teacher Jim Ferrell — but it wasn’t until 2008 that he decided to amass enough work to publish.

“I had a collection of poetry at that point — 25 poems written in the past — and added another 25 to 30 poems to it,” Hignite said.

That collection became “Reflections of the Soul.” His move to crime fiction came with his retirement and more time to write.

“That’s where my focus has been, between that and tennis,” Hignite said.

In many ways, Hignite believes that his 26-year-long role as school administrator informed his fiction debut — that he gravitated toward crime fiction because of personal experience.

“For 26 years, I investigated many, many, many incidents. Anytime you had to discipline a child, or suspend a child, there was an investigation. I was always investigating. …  In the book, the son of the detective has problems at school I knew how he felt when he went to the principal’s office that day,” Hignite laughed.

“The Devil’s Damsel” can be found on Amazon.com, and will be available at Hignite’s book signing next week, another new experience — promoting his work.

“In one thing writing, but it’s trying to put yourself out there. I think that’s really important for an author, to put themselves out there,” Hignite said.

The book signing will take place Dec. 10, from 6-9 p.m., at the Coffee Shack, located at 168 Beacon Drive, Winterville.