VINA ST FRAN BIO
Reading and writing at a very early age has always fascinated Vina St. Fran. At the young age of 7, Vina began writing poetry while attending a Catholic school within the Detroit Archdiocese. Vina excelled in drama, English, and music studies throughout elementary and high school. At the age of twelve, Vina signed up for a Silhouette Romance subscription and began reading romance novels and developed a love for the predictable love stories she received on a monthly basis.
While coming back from a shopping weekend trip in New York City, Vina met Motor City Madman, Rocker Ted Nugent who sat next to her and a classmate on a plane heading to Detroit. Ted commented to Vina he thought she was beautiful and should consider a career in modeling. He handed her the name of a top photographer that could her build her portfolio. She would later follow his advice.
Before her high school graduation, Vina’s English Teacher submitted a short story she’d written in a competition and she was awarded the Pride of Performance Award for Creative Writing by the city of Southfield. Vina finished high school shortly after but turned down studying at the prestigious Barnard College and NYU, Tisch School of The Arts after her father was found murdered in his Detroit home.
Taking a break from school, Vina sought representation through agent, Ted Rozar while spending time in New York City. Ted knows talent, he happened to be Barbara Streisand’s first agent. He wanted her to focus on her music and acting career, and encouraged her to go back to school later, but Vina felt she needed to go home and complete her degree.
Vina began modeling and studying music with the late great gospel singer and teacher, Mattie Moss Clark after dealing with the tragic loss of her father. She was featured in many hairstyle magazine publications. Additionally, Vina was frequently a platform model where she had her hair styled by some of the best beauticians (Marvin Davis, James and John Gooden, Haith Johnson and Brenda Todd) known nationally for their craft representing several hair care product lines including, Bronner Brothers, Dudley, Paul Mitchell and others.
Vina began work on her singing career as well working with well-known music producers from Detroit’s underground scene when she had an opportunity between her studies. Ichiban Records once offered to sign Vina as a Recording Artist but the deal fell through. She continued paying her way through college by working at a local television station, and several major market radio stations.
There are many authors who Vina credits as her inspiration for writing throughout the years. They include Judy Blume, Danielle Steele, Gloria Naylor, Walter Mosley, and Mary Higgins Clark. One author in particular, the greatest female in Science Fiction, the late award winning Octavia Butler, once advised Vina during a Q & A Writer’s Workshop series, to write something everyday even if it is only just a sentence to overcome writer’s block when she asked the author for advice.
Vina also is a talented songwriter and has written over fifty songs and is a current ASCAP member. She also is a copywriter and her work has been showcased on radio station airwaves throughout the metropolitan Detroit area. Vina decided it was time to begin her first novel, “One Foot Outside The Door” which is a multicultural story after taking a long writing sabbatical away from fiction. Her writing style is appealing, innovative and appeals to wide audiences of people from all cultures.
Currently, Vina is hard at work managing all the business aspects of Zam Publishing, the company she founded in the fall of 2006. She says the self-publishing industry is a lot of work and you learn a lot about yourself and the publishing industry as a whole going this route versus working with a traditional publisher. She is also working on the follow up to her debut novel, “One Foot Outside The Door” and enrolled in a PhD program.