My Interview with Franca B Lawrence

What is your name and/or pen name? 
Franca B Lawrence (Fiction books)
Franca Lawrence (Non-Fiction books) 
What genre do you write? 
My first two books are Narrative non-fiction (The first one is an inspirational book while the second one is a motivational book) 
My third book is a children’s book, a fictional novel for middle-grade age 8 - 12. 
My fourth book is a creative non-fiction book. 
I like to make people laugh. I think it comes across in all my books, no matter what genre I write. I write about things I am passionate about and they are quite serious topics, but my strategy for getting people to read my books is to make it funny and entertaining. That is who l am as a writer. l guess you can say that is MY THING. 
What made you want to be a writer? 
My dad was a lecturer of English language and Literature. Books were a big deal in our home. I was an avid reader as a kid. I had a difficult childhood because I lost my beloved mother at the tender age of 9. I was put in boarding school a few years later, and was often very sad and lonely. All I did was bury my head in books. BOOKS SAVED ME. It was my escape from the pain of losing my mum. An escape into a wonderful imaginary world.
My love for books never went away and after my first degree (B.A - English) I knew I wanted to be a writer. I was taught poetry, drama, and playwriting. We wrote plays and staged them. It was amazing and I loved it. My imaginative and creative mind expanded and I knew I would never be fulfilled if I do not write books.
Another reason I became a writer was that I learnt a lot from books, which has helped me through many challenges in my life. I decided to write books that could help others in one way or another. This explains the didacticism in most of my books.
What do you use to keep yourself inspired while writing?
My passion and love for writing keeps me motivated. The desire to see my work in print usually keeps me going. I would gladly do it as a full time job if it paid my bills.