About Shellie

My name is Shellie Braeuner. I’m a nanny for a family with four children in Nashville Tennessee, and I’m also the winner of the First Cheerios Spoonfuls of Stories New Author contest. 

I’ve been telling and writing stories since I was a child.  My mother gave me back one short story that I gave her for Mother’s Day when I was five.  I live a terribly uninteresting life, which is probably one of the reasons I love making up stories.

I was born in Indiana and moved around most of my childhood.  That meant that I met new friends every two or three years.  It also meant that I had a lot of pen pals.  There was always a period of time after each move but before I made friends that I was kind of lonely.  Since I hated writing about sad things, I would write stories to my old friends about all the things that I wish was happening, or what I imagine could happen. 

In Junior High School, I discovered theater classes, and loved them.  I studied drama, mime and storytelling.  I was lucky enough to learn from Master Storytellers at the Appalachian Center for the Arts.

I continued writing and acting through college, where I majored in both Theater and Psychology.  I especially enjoyed working with young people through Psycho-Drama therapy. 

After Graduation, I continued to tell stories and work with children.  Finally, in 2005, family and friends encouraged me to take my writing more seriously, and I started learning both the craft and business of writing.

In December of 2007, I received a call that changed my life.  I discovered that I had won the very first Cheerios Spoonfuls of Stories New Author contest.  In addition to getting my first book published with Simon and Schuster, my work would also be included in 1.5 million cereal boxes.

Read Shellie's profile at Simon & Schuster - click here