Shellie M. Saunders writes Christian-based “empowerment fiction” that reaches readers in their broken places. Sending a reminder of God’s restorative power, her edgy writing incorporates story lines that reach people right where they are.
Shellie earned a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Media Arts with an emphasis in Print Journalism from Hampton University. She later received a Master's degree in Written Communication from Eastern Michigan University while she worked as a technical writer.
She found her passion for fiction when a middle school English teacher encouraged her to test for a high school creative writing class.
While Shellie’s corporate writing career blossomed, she was determined to fulfill her dream of becoming a novelist. But a quick rise on the corporate ladder, commuting to graduate school, managing a small editing business and dealing with two stress-related medical diagnoses left her struggling to finalize her manuscript.
Once she completed the manuscript, Shellie attempted to find a traditional publisher and prayed for an opportunity. Ultimately, she followed God’s direction to self-publish her novel and planned to release the book in late 2011, two months before she and her husband were expecting their first child. However, even with forced bed rest, complications caused her baby girl to arrive 16 weeks early. Her daughter stayed in the NICU for three months.
With her preemie daughter’s health finally stable, Shellie self-published her novel, Broken Vessels, in 2013.
Broken Vessels was born from the desire to tell a story of overcoming adversity. As Shellie dealt with her own battles, her writing and her faith evolved. This included a deeper exploration of betrayal, acceptance and forgiveness—the major themes of the novel.
Broken Vessels reached #22 on Amazon's African-American Fiction Best Seller List. Later, the ebook landed two #1 spots on Amazon best seller lists.
Shellie is currently working on the sequel to Broken Vessels. It will be the second book in the Trinity Porter Series, based in Detroit.
When she isn’t writing, Shellie is reading about the craft of writing, stealing a date night with her husband, playing with their six-year-old daughter and trying to curb her addiction to Starbucks lattes.
Shellie earned a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Media Arts with an emphasis in Print Journalism from Hampton University. She later received a Master's degree in Written Communication from Eastern Michigan University while she worked as a technical writer.
She found her passion for fiction when a middle school English teacher encouraged her to test for a high school creative writing class.
While Shellie’s corporate writing career blossomed, she was determined to fulfill her dream of becoming a novelist. But a quick rise on the corporate ladder, commuting to graduate school, managing a small editing business and dealing with two stress-related medical diagnoses left her struggling to finalize her manuscript.
Once she completed the manuscript, Shellie attempted to find a traditional publisher and prayed for an opportunity. Ultimately, she followed God’s direction to self-publish her novel and planned to release the book in late 2011, two months before she and her husband were expecting their first child. However, even with forced bed rest, complications caused her baby girl to arrive 16 weeks early. Her daughter stayed in the NICU for three months.
With her preemie daughter’s health finally stable, Shellie self-published her novel, Broken Vessels, in 2013.
Broken Vessels was born from the desire to tell a story of overcoming adversity. As Shellie dealt with her own battles, her writing and her faith evolved. This included a deeper exploration of betrayal, acceptance and forgiveness—the major themes of the novel.
Broken Vessels reached #22 on Amazon's African-American Fiction Best Seller List. Later, the ebook landed two #1 spots on Amazon best seller lists.
Shellie is currently working on the sequel to Broken Vessels. It will be the second book in the Trinity Porter Series, based in Detroit.
When she isn’t writing, Shellie is reading about the craft of writing, stealing a date night with her husband, playing with their six-year-old daughter and trying to curb her addiction to Starbucks lattes.