ABOUT ME
July 15, 1984. Shelly Oakley (now Maynard) was born and lived in tiny Ashmore, Illinois until 1998 when her parents relocated to Manchester, Tennessee. Starting a new high school and making new friends was hard enough but it was that point in her life where it came time to make life-changing decisions in regards to college, careers, etc. Shelly had spent so much time following in others' footsteps that she never had a plan for her career. The only dream she'd ever had was to become an author but that was laughed off by family and friends.
By 2002, Shelly was in college and switched her major from nursing to teaching and finally business. One year in and she discovered that she was pregnant with her first son. He joined the world in 2004 and was followed by a brother in 2006. During the second pregnancy, Shelly fought demons of a bad marriage and started trying to rebuild her life. She met her (now) husband in the Fall of 2006 and they've been inseparable ever since. Her three guys are her entire heart, soul, mind and spirit!
After searching for several years, Shelly decided that it was time to find a place to settle in her career. She started working for a local, family-owned steel fabrication company in 2014 and was surprised when she found more than a job - she gained an extended family and friends who provided a tremendous amount of support. Between the support of her husband, children, family and friends, Shelly started writing again.
In 2015, Shelly stumbled upon the opportunity to read Eternal Dawn by Kathi Haacke Morehead. The book reached down in her soul and opened her eyes to view the world as she never had before. The writing bug flourished and Shelly knew it was time to pursue her dreams. Past demons haunted her but she wanted to set an example for her children and follow her dream through to the end to prove that hard work, persistence and dedication pays off!
Living in Lynchburg, Tennessee, Shelly Maynard is your typical mom - she enjoys spending time with her family, friends and for nine of the twelve months per year, you'll find her at a ball field watching her children. She enjoys front-porch-sittin' with a glass of sweet tea and the occasional margarita. She loves her morning coffee, a good book and writing for her blog. It's the simple, "little" things in life that make life grand!
