Shy Shelly is Back!

A few months back, I wrote about The Secret Story of Shy Shelly. I thoroughly enjoyed it and let my 8 year old son read it too. He was able to identify with the main character as he is quite shy himself and was encouraged to know that there are other shy people like him out there.

I was informed by OMF Literature recently that the second book in the Shy Shelly series by Justine Hail, illustrated by Elbert Or, entitled Shy Shelly vs the Bully is already available!

Shy Shelly vs the Bully

friends forever

“In the second book of the Shy Shelly series, author Justine Hail takes her readers even deeper into Shelly’s world. Get to know more of her friends and classmates— from Shelly’s best friend Vanna, the Secret Squad’s decisive leader Patty to the ever-ready for action twins Ryder and Dash— and the class bully Jake. Here, we also find out the secret location of the the Secret Squad’s meeting place in the big Claustro Field Academy Campus. Illustrator Elbert Or has also included a must-try recipe for chocolate cake into the mix, a handy guide on how to fix a hole in your pants, and the best advice from Patty on keeping secrets.” Summary from OMF Lit webpage http://omflit.com/shyshellyvsthebully/”

And as a treat to the readers of this blog… I was able to interview the author of this series, Ms. Justine Hail.

I asked Ms. Justine Hail to share a bit of information about herself…

My name is Justine Hail De Jesus. My pen name is Justine Hail. I’m a content creator and entrepreneur. While running Checkers, a condominium cleaning service I started with my sister, I write stories, poems and create videos. You can check out my work at www.justinehail.com.

How did she come up with the character of Shy Shelly? Is she based on a real life character?

Back in the summer of 2013, while entering the pantry of our office, the idea of a girl who couldn’t introduce herself popped in my head. For every word unspoken, a moment of greatness passes her by. I felt just like her because there are times when I think I should speak but I opt to be silent. I felt that many people would be able to relate to Shelly because we are all shy to a certain degree. I thought of how many kids miss out on wonderful opportunities because of shyness. I don’t want kids to live with regrets. This inspired me to create the character of Shelly (whom I initially called Shirley) — a shy girl who fights to be heard.

Is Shy Shelly Ms. Justine Hail’s first book? Did she always aspire to be a writer when she was young?

Yes! I didn’t think that I would become a writer growing up. Although as a child, I did love studying my language notes, reading stories and writing scripts. I first wanted to be a newscaster because I was part of a kiddie journalist show in the 90s called 5&Up. But my interests changed after college and I became a campus missionary for 4 years. Soon, I felt called to do something creative. Because I only had paper and pen and no high tech camera or laptop that time, I pursued writing. I attended screenwriting classes and eventually landed a copywriting job in the marketing department of OMF Literature. After working there for a couple of years, I decided to brave full-time content creation.

What was her favorite part on Shy Shelly vs The Bully? Why?

My favourite part was when Shelly discovered that the Secret Squad’s enemy is being bullied himself. I think it’s an important scene because it opens our eyes to the reality that hurt people hurt others too.

Here is Ms. Justine Hail’s short message to all shy or introverts out there who loves Shy Shelly 🙂

Just like Shelly, there are a lot of great things you can do as a child. Silent-type or talkative-type, you can make a difference in your family, among your friends, in your school, even in the world! Who knows? You may be called to invent a toy, play a sport, declare a speech, write a story! Don’t let timidity get in the way of your childhood mission! Pray for courage. You can do it!