By Jolynn Tumolo

As a nurse practitioner for the Dallas Public School System, Francis Ray can only do so much. When students step into her office to see "Nurse Ray," her warm personality and clinical expertise are usually enough to fix what ails them. But when she sends her elementary school students out into their real lower- to middle-class worlds, she's sending them into circumstances beyond her control.

Sometimes, that troubles her.

"I see a lot of things that I wish were not as they are. I wish I could help certain kids, help their mothers, help their families," Ray says. "So many times in school nursing there are situations that I have no control over."

Fourteen years ago, Ray's desire to bring about the "happily ever after" prompted her to turn to writing. Today, she's a successful author of 19 books, one of which was made into a TV movie. Her April 2001 release, The Turning Point, hit No. 3 on Amazon's best-seller list for romances and went to No. 1 in Dallas-area bookstores. Still a practicing NP, Ray has broken new ground in romance fiction by staying true to her ideals.

Pick up any of her works and you'll experience the unique formula that has earned her a loyal following: African-American characters, monogamous relationships, a belief in the power of faith and, of course, a happy ending.

Finding Inspiration

Francis Ray's April 2001 release, "The Turning Point," hit No. 3 on Amazon's best-seller list for romance novels.

The book was Shanna by Kathleen Woodiwiss. And when Ray picked it up in the late 1980s, it changed her life. "I had no idea I wanted to write until I read that book," she says.

A previous work by a different author wasn't as inspiring. The main characters fell under the weight of interpersonal trials and were sexually promiscuous—not exactly the stuff of an ideal relationship. "I didn't want to read 400 pages of anybody's book only to see the characters go through trials and still end up miserable and unhappy. I wanted to read a book about the type of marriage I had, and my parents had, so I tried Shanna," Ray remembers.

Immediately, she was glad she did. The book portrayed a man and woman who, while independent, worked through their problems together and kept their relationship intact and healthy.    

"When I read it, I thought, This is what I want to read," remembers Ray. "By the end of Woodiwiss' third book, I thought, This is what I want to write."

Ray enrolled in writing classes, joined a writers' group and did what any aspiring writer does to succeed: wrote constantly. Her first novel, Fallen Angel, was published in 1992. The title was among the first to cater to a yet untested African-American romance market. With several more releases, including Forever Yours in 1994 and Undeniable in 1995, the writer proved it was an audience worth tapping. Her books showed up repeatedly on the BlackBoard African-American Bestsellers List and similar lists in Essence and Emerge magazines.

In 1999, the Black Entertainment Television (BET) network translated Incognito, a Doubleday Book Club selection, into a made-for-TV movie. "I got to travel to Hollywood, go to the set and meet the stars, who were so down to earth," Ray says. "It was really thrilling to see the book come to life."

Over the years, Ray's been churning out short stories and novels at a pace that far surpasses many full-time authors. "It can be exhausting, but I love what I do," she says. "It's different from the writing I do as a nurse practitioner, which is so concise and factual. When I write my books, I can create my own world of fantasy and just dive into it."

A supportive family helps, she adds, referring to her husband, William, a professional photographer, and her 30-year-old daughter, Carolyn Michelle. "When the house is not as clean as it should be and the food isn't cooked, they don't mind," she says. "Most nights I'm able to get to the computer by 7 or 8 o'clock and spend 2 to 3 hours writing."

Messages of Healing & Power

While much of Ray's work falls within the realm of romance, The Turning Point marked a shift in her writing career. The book centers around a woman who works up the courage to leave her abusive husband to start a fresh life in New Orleans. Along the way, her car breaks down and she finds employment caring for a rich, single and breathtakingly

Francis Ray (right) at the book release party for her novel, "The Turning Point." The event also marked the kickoff of The Turning Point Legal Defense Fund.

well-chiseled neurosurgeon.

Sound easy? Not quite. Recently blinded by a brutal attack by thieves, the man is depressed and bitter. His refusal to accept his condition, or help from others, only worsens his misery and fuels his outbursts.

The Turning Point focuses on the emotional growth of the characters as they confront and subsequently overcome their personal demons. Love blossoms, but Ray resists the urge to take it center stage. I Know Who Holds Tomorrow, Ray's latest full-length novel, follows a similar path. Shocked to discover that her newly deceased husband had not only been unfaithful but also fathered a child with another woman, the main character must work through her anger to relate to the child who, she comes to realize, is innocent, too. The novel debuted in March.

"Even though I love romance, sometimes life just isn't that organized. In my newer books, I want to deal with the kinds of issues that kick you in the teeth and put you flat on your back," Ray says. "I will continue to enable my characters to bounce back, though. That is important to me."

So is the power of faith, hope and love, a theme that echoes in every one of Ray's works. Consequently, there is more in a Francis Ray story than just good writing, fans say.

"The writing of Francis Ray came into my life around the time of one of the greatest losses of my life, losing my husband of 14 1/2 years to cancer," says Brenda J. Woodbury, 48, of Orlando, Fla., who has read Ray's entire collection. "Francis Ray and many other romance authors … their books comforted me in my loss. So never let anyone fool you that books cannot change the turn of your life, because I am a living witness that they can."

Readers also find Ray's strong female characters appealing. "A lot of women in my books are virgins or aren't in relationships, and they're not willing to settle for less just to be with a man," explains Ray. "I get mail from women all of the time who tell me they still haven't found that special man in their lives, but that my books remind them that love is possible. They realize that they can wait; they don't have to settle for less, either."

Difficult Life Lessons

Writing fiction takes more than just a fruitful imagination. Ray spent almost 2 years doing research for The Turning Point. She read botanical literature to pin down the types of plants and flowers characteristic of Shreveport, La., the setting of the book. She visited a center that provided free legal counsel to abused women. And she interviewed neurosurgeons on everything from their career motivations to the latest research on treating blindness brought on by brain hemorrhage.

A personal scare several years back gave her special insight into the emotions surrounding blindness. Soon after her writing career began to flourish, Ray noticed blank spots on the page when she tried to read. A meeting with a retina specialist revealed that she had macular holes in both eyes and would need emergency surgery. The specialist's last surgical patient had permanently lost her sight.

Ray held off and consulted with a second retina specialist, Susan Parks, MD, of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, who eventually performed surgery on her left eye (the right had resolved by itself). "I was never so frightened in my life when my vision didn't clear on the exact day and hour that Dr. Parks thought it would," Ray wrote in a letter to readers included in The Turning Point. Although later than expected, Ray's vision did clear and she now has 20/25 vision in her left eye.

Fortunately, Ray's experience with domestic abuse wasn't as up close and personal. Still, she didn't have to look far to find it. "It's just rampant here," says Ray, referring to her home state. "Just last weekend a man here in Dallas called his ex-wife on the phone and while he was talking to her he killed their two children. The weekend before that, the same thing." In 1997 and 1998, Texas led the nation in deaths from domestic abuse, Ray adds. "When I spoke with the lawyers at the women's shelter while doing research for my book, I thought, what can I do to help?"

Ray found her answer in establishing The Turning Point Legal Defense Fund, a trust coordinated through a local women's shelter. Proceeds raised go toward providing free legal counsel to battered women.

Writing A Path to the Future

Francis Ray surrounded by the cast of "Incognito," a 1999 BET movie based on her book of the same title.

To say that Ray's evenings and weekends are devoted exclusively to writing would be wrong. As an established author, Ray also answers fan mail. She attends books signings all over the country. She speaks at writers' conferences. She brainstorms about new book proposals. She gives interviews.

"It never seems to stop. And, hopefully, it never will," Ray says. "Because when it stops, you're in trouble. I want those phone calls and letters to keep coming in. I want my editor on the phone asking, 'What's next?'"

Despite the quick pace of her writing career, Ray puts it all behind her when she walks through school doors and begins work each day as a nurse practitioner.

"She is a refreshing breeze of air in the morning," says Cheryl Freeman, principal at Joseph J. McMillan Elementary School. "Her personality and dedication as she works with the teachers and the boys and girls is just wonderful. I believe she really enjoys what she does."

Yolanda Thompson, principal at Jimmie Tyler Brashear Early Childhood Development Center, calls her a true professional. "She is an energetic go-getter," she says. "Nurse Ray is always on top of things. She's an organized person, and I love that about her."

Occasionally, her dual careers do collide when students come seeking autographs on their parents' behalf. "They'll say, 'My mother sent this book for you to sign.' And I'm thinking, Do not open this book! You're too young …" Ray says with a laugh. "But I know they're looking through them. I know they're finding the good parts!"

Ray has managed to juggle two demanding careers for a decade now. However, she anticipates a time in the not-so-distant future when she will likely hang up her stethoscope to take up the pen full time.

"Because the writing is getting so busy, I'll probably be leaving here in a couple of years," she says. "But I probably will come back to the school and volunteer. I love to help the kids. I don't want to leave them."

With a legacy of books promoting the hard work, faith and love that Ray believes in, some could argue that she never will. As a writer, Ray has made an inheritance of high standards and happy endings forever accessible to her readers … when they're old enough to handle the good parts, that is.

Donations for The Turning Point Legal Defense Fund can be sent to The Family Place, Attn: Maria Thomas-Jones, Director, P.O. Box 7999, Dallas, TX 75209. Phone: (214) 941-1991.

Jolynn Tumolo is the associate editor of ADVANCE for Nurse Practitioners.