Today we’d like to introduce you to Shirley Franklin
Hi Shirley, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’m a Christian who is devoted to my faith, and to living out the purpose for which God created me. By faith in God’s word, I am also spiritually a Hebrew.
God blessed me to grow up around people who used words so naturally and masterfully, that I was drawn to the power and beauty of words. When I dovetail that with the acts of speaking right things, remembering that words framed this world, and the fact that I was deeply drawn to the wellspring of words as a means of creation and expression in my own life, it resulted in writing being my strongest God-given gift. Thus, God has made me a ready writer for the kingdom of God and a storyteller. God has blessed me to write and self-publish a number of books under my imprint Writezous Publishing. My latest one is a author’s guide titled, “Write Like a Reader, Think Like the Media,” which came out in June of this year. In the last 8 months, God blessed me to launch a teacher treatise, a Bible Study workbook for adults and an Illustrated Bible Story Book for children that doubles as a coloring book. This triad of books all center around Old Testament Jews – Ezra the Bible Scholar/Scribe and Nehemiah the rebuilder of the gates and walls of Jerusalem. Both of these devoted men played pivotal roles in getting the Jews and Jerusalem back to their former glory.
Some things that fueled my passion for writing include an Intercollegiate Press Association Award for Journalistic Excellence for an article that God blessed me to write while in college. God blessed me to win an award for a series of short stories. I used to work for Texas Medicaid, and a precious Christian co-worker and someone in authority who read my Quality Assurance report of findings complimented my writing and encouraged me to pursue higher education. Soon after this, God made a way for me to start college and was I blessed by God’s grace to earn both an Associates in Radio, Television and Film and a Bachelor’s in Communications within a span of less than 3 years.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Part of my true storyline is that I struggled severely to get where I am today. I had very little support from some of my most treasured family members – people who did not attend my graduations, people who did not know about the books I wrote or who found excuses to get off the phone when I tried to talk about one of my book projects, people who have not bought one book from me in the almost 30 years that I’ve been writing and self-publishing books. I had to trust God with this deep hurt, and it does not impact me any longer, nor do I love the non-supporting family members any less.
I’ve been through a few seasons of homelessness; including after sustaining massive soft-tissue injuries stemming from an auto accident where I was hit from behind during rush hour traffic and pushed across two lanes of traffic. My vehicle was headed for an 18-wheeler, and I could not get the car to stop. Fortunately for me, after I called on my Savior Jesus Christ, a divine intervention led to me striking another vehicle instead. My car then spun around and went backwards across the freeway and almost crashed through a guardrail with a steep drop below. The person who hit me had insurance, but through some wrangling, the people I hit received all the money except the $1,500 I received for the total loss of my car. At the time, I was one class away from finishing my Master’s in Education which God blessed me to pursue as a struggle student who depended on Him for my daily bread. Fortunately, that class was a portfolio preparation class, and God blessed me to complete the class and to finish the degree. All medical providers dropped me as a patient when they found out there was no insurance to cover my medical treatments. With all of my injuries, I was not able to enter into a teaching contract right away. It was 4 years after the accident before I was able to return to full-time teaching, and 1 year later I was able to start having corrective surgeries and extensive physical therapy. It was 9 years afterwards that I finally started having pain-free days without medical intervention. Once I was in better medical condition, God blessed me to steward 6 more books.
Strangers have supported me, and true friends. I recently attended my high school reunion, and many classmates were extremely supportive and bought books and expressed their interest in supporting my writing endeavors going forward. That was very affirming for me.
My heart has been healed from a lot of disappointments and trauma, so the future looks bright and promising because I’ve placed my life and plans in the hands of Almighty God.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Writezous Publishing – pronounced “Write-chous”?
In the business, God blessed me to mostly publish books that I’ve written. The company name comes from the word “righteous,” which is a description of my position as a believer on Jesus Christ based on 2 Corinthians 5:21. It states, “For we hath made Him who knew no sin to be no sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.”
As a Christian, I strive to produce books that are devoid of foul language, that are wholesome, and that do not glorify immorality. There is one exception, which is “Will I See You Later?” Even that title, which did well in the marketplace, has some unusual drama in the storyline, yet it still has redemptive quality.
Writezous Works is where God blesses me to produce games, activities and educational learning materials – which I sell on the Etsy Shop and Teachers Pay Teachers shop that God blessed me with.
Integrity and excellence in my books and receivables are two distinctions that God has given me in my work.
the books for which God gives me more of a personal sense of accomplishments are the bundle of spiritual books about the Holy Bible characters Nehemiah and Ezra. There’s, “One Hand to Build, One Hand to Fight: Being a Christian Teacher of Love, Light and Spiritual Might,” the teacher guide. There’s, Revive & Build Like Ezra, Pray & Build Like Nehemiah,” the workbook. There’s also, “A Tale of Two Jews,” an illustrated Bible Study Book for children 10 and above.
There’s some excellent offerings for families and teachers on my Etsy and Teachers Pay Teachers shops. A Genre Bingo board game and a Rocking & Rolling With Vocabulary card game are two examples of deliverables that you can find there.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
There was a time when many of my family members lived within 3 blocks of our house. We would gather at one of the houses during summer months and we used an old fashioned crank style ice cream maker to make ice cream. We would take turns turning the crank and watch ice, rock salt, sugar, and a couple of other ingredients become delicious soft-serve ice cream.
The fact that we all contributed to the process, and the peek-a-boo progress checks and anticipation made it such an enjoyable treat.
Eating it after our labors was one of the most enjoyable experiences.
Pricing:
- Affordable
- Worthwhile Investment
- Occasional Discounts
- Freebies
- Value
Contact Info:
- Website: https://teactreasures.etsy.com/ and writeouswriter.blogspot.com
- Instagram: @shirleyafranklin
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100095222071405
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/shirley-a-franklin-01688029b
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@shirleyfranklin2379
- Other: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0D4HCZ7X4/allbooks
