Kirk Franklin Releases New Book: THE BLUEPRINT

NEW YORK, May 17 -- For some people, obstacles are minor bumps in the  road on the way to success. For others, they represent a major  catastrophe threatening to disrupt any chance at success. But for  seven-time Grammy award winner Kirk Franklin, obstacles are challenges  needed to propel you through life. In THE BLUEPRINT: A Plan for Living  Above Life's Storms on sale from Gotham Books on May 18, 2010 ($25.00),  Franklin reveals how he turned negative aspects from his own  life--drugs, an absent father, teenage parenthood, poverty, etc.--into  blessings.  Franklin doesn't claim to be perfect or have insider  knowledge on how to live your life, but rather puts his setbacks and  faults at the forefront showing that anyone can turn their life around  and become a success. THE BLUEPRINT fills the void of not knowing which  way to turn and arms readers with the necessary tools to succeed.

By  the time Franklin was fifteen years old, he was a young father and just  another statistic. He explains in THE BLUEPRINT, "The street corner was  my classroom. The hood was my Harvard." He went through life thinking  he knew it all, and blamed his failures on not having a role model,  until he realized he had to become the man he needed to be on his own.  Franklin wants to help young men and women out there by providing them  with THE BLUEPRINT he wished he had--advice and tips for how to become  the person they need to be, no matter what the situation, or background.

Today,  Franklin is the proud father of four and devoted husband of fourteen  years, as well as one of the biggest multiplatinum-selling gospel  artists of all time. He credits his faith in God and a very close mentor  he found later in his life for his success.

THE BLUEPRINT is the  essential guide to creating a better you, one day at a time.

www.kirkfranklin.com