The SpecialMoms Parenting Magazine 3rd Issue | Page 30

Karen Franco, Author
stories, but it is writing nonetheless. I always
felt I could communicate better in writing,
and it was therapeutic for me especially after Jacob came into my life. It was my way
to express my feelings. Jacob’s special needs
have brought such a different dimension to
my life and I had to learn to cope with all the
challenges…writing does that for me. Writing also gives me a way to help other people
and families who may be facing similar challenges with their children.

How did you bring it from an idea
to reality? What were the first
steps you took to get it going?
I had my story written for a while, but I
was having trouble finding an illustrator. A
friend, Marybeth Zuhlke, a retired educator,
but now does consulting work in the schools,
with a focus in art. She had a program at
Roosevelt Elementary School in Kenosha
and that is where she met my future illustrator, Gabbie Jensen. She told me about Gabbie’s talent and was adamant that I meet her.
I ended up meeting Gabbie and her family.
Gabbie sat down and showed me her artwork. I was so impressed. I knew right then
she was the one. Another unique part of the
story is, Gabbie has a little brother who has
Down’s syndrome, so Gabbie was able to
capture all of Jacob’s emotions so well in her
artwork because she lives with special needs
every day.

What was the biggest struggle
you encountered when
starting your business?
Marketing my book is my biggest struggle.
Finding the time, finding places to sell my
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book, making sure I advertise in some way
so people are aware of my book. It can be a
challenge. Keeping up with the social media
so that your brand is consistently in front of
people while maintaining their interest.

What is your proudest/greatest
accomplishment to date
in your business?
I actually have two…my first one is when I
held my published book in my hands for the
first time. I couldn’t have been happier, and
another moment to date is a message from a
parent…here is her message:
“Last weekend, I finally had some time to myself. I grabbed a box of Kleenex and finally
read Just Hold My Hand. I read it three times,
and each time it was more wonderful than the
previous. Yes, I cried my eyes out, but that’s
just me.
Your message in Just Hold My Hand is so simple yet so extremely powerful. We have tried
versions of this and nothing really worked too
well. After reading your book, we wanted to
try a gain, with the simple suggestion of holding
Jacob’s hand. It was amazing...IT WORKED
:). Jacob has a huge amount of anxiety around
noise, to a point where we can’t go to a place
where we anticipate noise, or we had to leave
a place because there was too much noise, and
not just noise, but even music.
I also found “Meet Jacob,” “Meet the Illustrator,” “Ackowledgements,” and the “Editorial
Evaluation” on your website, extremely inspiring and I thank you for that. It is obvious
that this book is written from the heart. I love
it. You are absolutely right. It is very helpful
to know that people are dealing with similar
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