After 25 years working as a union electrician, 10 years serving in elective office and 10 more in emergency management, I found myself ready to pursue a lifelong passion, writing children’s books.

The story of Franklin began several years ago while serving as an AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America).  As part of our service, VISTAs from across Texas gathered twice a year for training. During one of those gatherings, we had the opportunity to read books to children at a low-income daycare center in Houston.

Eventually, we ran out of books to read.

But the children wanted another story.

So, I did what any storyteller would do.

I made one up.

Right there, on the spot, I told the children the story of a little gray tabby kitten named Franklin who dreamed of becoming a Ranger.

And that was the day Franklin was born.

The story has changed quite a bit since then, but the seed for Franklin and the Red Dot Ranger was planted in that Houston classroom.

A few years ago, I finally decided it was time to put Franklin’s story down on paper. Then came another challenge: finding a way to create the illustrations I had imagined in my head. Advances in technology eventually gave me the tools to bring Franklin, Ellie, Erin, Los Gatitos Ranch, and the rest of Franklin’s world to life.

But Franklin and the Red Dot Ranger is only the beginning.

Over the course of the series, Franklin will face bullies, meet kittens who are different from him, discover the importance of school, investigate a mystery in the middle of the night, learn why telling the truth matters, discover what it really means to be a leader, face a powerful Texas storm, learn when a secret is too dangerous to keep, help search for a runaway kitten, comfort a grieving friend, and eventually discover what it means to grow up.

Through every adventure, Franklin will face new challenges, make mistakes, help others, and learn another part of what it truly means to live by the Red Dot Ranger Code.

What began ten years ago as a story made up for a group of children in a Houston daycare classroom has become something I never expected: a published children’s book and the beginning of an entire series.

For me, Franklin’s journey is also a reminder that sometimes the most unexpected moments can lead us down entirely new paths.

I walked into that Houston classroom to read stories to children.

I never imagined I would walk away having created one of my own.

And now, ten years later, Franklin’s adventure is just getting started.