ST. PAUL, Minn. — Soldier, lawyer, wife, mother. These are just a few of the ways in which Capt. Kelly Francis, serves her family, the Minnesota Army National Guard and her country. And just last month, she added another: published author. Her novel, “The Ghost of Fort Leavenworth,” which is part mystery and part legal thriller, hit Amazon’s online shelves in the end of October.
Francis always thought she would someday join the U.S. Army, but it wasn’t until she graduated law school that she decided it was time to raise her right hand and join the JAG Corps.
“In some ways, joining as an adult and a professional was easier than coming in fresh out of high school and in some ways it was harder,” said Francis. “But I’ve enjoyed the challenges, the comradery and the pride I get from being an army officer.”
Francis, who currently serves as a legal adviser with the 34th Infantry Division, is a full-time civilian attorney for a small nonprofit law firm and works in the field of labor law and government contracts. Having recently returned from a nine-month deployment to Kuwait as trial counsel for the 34th Combat Aviation Brigade, she found that the time was right to wrap up the fictional story she started in JAG school and send it to print.
“The fictional story begins when a young captain is murdered on post in Fort Leavenworth,” said Francis. “There’s some suspense, some romance and hopefully a compelling tribute to people who bravely served their country and didn’t come back quite the same.”
Francis has always been a writer and is sure that she will never stop. Although she lives a busy life, she won’t let anything get in the way of her passion or creativity. She encourages her fellow soldiers to always make time for what they love. For her, that means writing a few words at a time.
“Service members are such a small sliver of the population, and most people don’t really know who we are or what we do apart from what they see in movies,” said Francis. “There are so many talented and inspiring people in the Army. People with a lot of depth and character and it’s important for us to tell our own stories.”
To purchase “The Ghost of Fort Leavenworth” and to contact author Capt. Kelly Francis Antoine, visit the website www.theghostoffortleavenworth.com.