About Shelly Beach

I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to be a writer, but word on the street when I was young was that trying to support yourself writing was like trying to support yourself juggling. So I went for the big bucks and became a Christian school English teacher instead.

I met my husband Dan when he was working as a youth pastor making fifty bucks a week and living in a church basement, but I wasn’t daunted. He wrote wonderful poetry and had a yummy Yamaha 650. We crashed it on our second date, and I knew I was in love. For the past thirty years, Dan and I have worked together in churches and Christian schools. I eventually earned an M.R.E. from Grand Rapids Theological Seminary (1990) and, to my knowledge, was the only woman in that era who commuted to classes on her motorcycle.

God blessed us with two phenomenal children. Nathan lives in Iowa and works as a construction supervisor. He’s passionate about God and has been spared from so many near-death experiences he could have a starring role in Cats.

Our daughter Jessica was born with a suitcase in one hand and a day planner in the other. Her love for God and people has drawn her to orphanages, hospices, churches, schools, camps and ministries across the world. She’s currently cooking for thousands at Warm Beach Christian Camp and Conference Center north of Seattle. (She did not learn how to do this from me. I am still practicing my Jell-O recipe.)

I began writing for publication when my children were small, and I discovered that people were willing to pay me for doing what I loved. I submitted to secular and religious publications and regularly sold as-told-to articles, features, fiction for youth, women’s interest, and as-told-to pieces. I eventually began consulting with small businesses and conducting writing seminars. When we moved to Iowa, I founded the Cedar Falls Christian Writers’ Workshop, an intimate, hands-on conference for aspiring authors.

When I’m not writing, you might find me with Dan on the back of our Harley. I also write for Fidelis Fund Development, a company that works with non-profit organizations. I’m also an adjunct professor at Cornerstone University, and I love speaking at conferences, retreats, and seminars.

Like most writers, I’ve mined my life experiences in my writing. My brain lesion, caregiving struggles, love of family, insecurities, and aspirations are all woven through my fiction and nonfiction. But central to everything I share with my readers is my passion for Illuminating truth through the power of story – the truth that Jesus Christ gives purpose and meaning to all that we do and all that we are. I believe I’m a steward of the stories God has given me – whether those stories are fictional or true. My desire is to impact lives with truth and to encourage people to be all God created them to be in Jesus Christ.