ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shelley Powers is a Mississippi author, journalist, and communications director whose lifelong love of storytelling has taken many forms — from newsroom deadlines and curriculum editing to children’s fiction that celebrates wonder in everyday life.
Professional Life
A graduate of Mississippi State University with a degree in Communication (Print Journalism), Shelley began her career as a staff writer for The Mississippi Press and assistant editor for Coast Magazine and Coast Business Journal. She edited classroom curriculum at JBHM Education Group. She served as public relations director for the Mississippi Arts Commission and later joined another state agency, where she established and leads the Communications Department as a member of the agency’s executive team. Over her tenure, she has reimagined the agency’s visual identity, managed statewide and national media outreach, and built subscriber communications that now reach tens of thousands of Mississippians.
Writing Life
Outside of public service, Shelley has always returned to creative writing — first through her well-received and widely-read blogs, Sunnyhuckle and Ada’s Garden Diner, and now through Creekline House, her independent publishing imprint devoted to stories of heart, humor, and hope for young readers. Her work often draws from her Southern roots and her lifelong ties to education, shaped by being the daughter of two Mississippi teachers, a former violin instructor herself, and an advocate for curiosity as a form of kindness.
Her debut middle-grade novel, A Very Strange Reversal of Scales, and her upcoming How to Fry Chicken & Ditch the Nightlight reflect her signature blend of warmth, wit, and quiet wisdom — stories that honor both the courage and the questions that shape growing up.
Personal Life
When she isn’t writing, Shelley can usually be found in her garden, where she tends herbs, vegetables, and her dog, Petey — known affectionately as Stinky Pete. She believes deeply in the power of faith, community, and the small moments that connect us — the same threads that run through every story she tells.