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Shelley Divnich Haggert by Lisa Beamer

Justly deserving her recent "Indy 500" win in the 2002 Momwriter's Golden Pen awards, Shelley Divnich Haggert has truly come a long way in her writing career in recent years. The Windsor, Ontario native has not only written many articles and essays and recently co-published an ebook with fellow Momwriter Linda Sherwood, but she has enjoyed the exciting distinction of having two columns published in Maclean's (a large Canadian weekly news magazine) in 2001. Says Shelley, "I didn't know how impressive that was until the editor wrote me a letter of reference pointing out how unusual it was for a writer to be in that column twice, especially in a short period of time."

Like many of us, Shelley began writing quite young, encouraged by several teachers along the way. Her journey into print began with letters to the editor. Ten years ago, she had a piece appear in a local magazine called Opinion. "I remember the editor calling to tell me they were going to print it," says Shelley, "I was so excited that I didn't even care that I wouldn't be paid." Her next big career step was having an essay accepted by Today's Parent two years ago. "[I] consider that my "jumping off point" into my writing career."

Though she sometimes strays into the political arena, Shelley primarily writes non-fiction articles and essays. "My favourite type of writing is parenting/lifestyle humour, just because it seems to flow so naturally." Shelley also enjoys playing around with fiction, and she has a few children's picture book manuscripts in her collection as well as a YA novel that was inspired by the brief time she spent living in Northern Ontario. The most bizarre thing to happen in Shelley's career was when she was handed the job of editor for a local parenting magazine. "Never in a million years would I have put that in my "plan," but it came about because the person leaving the job could tell by my writing that I was the right person to replace her."

Shelley's love of parenting-related writing and children's books is understandable considering that she has three daughters of her own: Angelica (12), Alexandra (10) and Amanda (5). She and husband Michael are raising them in the same house that was once her grandmother's. "Both of my parents, my grandmother and my in-laws live within six blocks. It really gives a strong sense of belonging when I have such long term ties to the neighbourhood."

Shelley attributes much of her success to the encouragement and support of two fellow MWs, Linda Sherwood and Kim Hoelzli. "Many of the decisions I've faced and challenges I've met have come about because I've said to myself, 'What would Linda do?' And Kim has been a daily source of support for almost
two years. Both of them have given me ideas, in conversation, that have grown into published essays. They let me think out loud at them, and point out the perspectives I might be missing." Earlier this year, Linda and Shelley published "Writing Lessons Learned - We Learned The Hard Way So You Don't Have To," which has been released by Booklocker.

Michael offered his support to Shelley's writing career last year by building her an office in the basement. "We call it my cube, because it's so small, but it's all mine," Shelley jokes. ".There's something about being in an office, at a desk, that makes my writing feel like my "work" and helps me to take it more seriously."

When Shelley isn't writing, you might find her reading in her bedroom, or you might find her in the company of several little girls as a Girl Guide leader, which she has done now for nine years. "Girl Guides has given me a great deal of confidence, some wonderful friendships, and an appreciation for the outdoors that I didn't have before."

When asked what advice Shelley would offer to a new writer, several things come to mind. "I think the one piece of advice I'd give is find an experienced writer who has what you want, find out what they did to get there, and then follow their example. And put your fear in storage, because it's only going to get in your way. Never think you know so much that you can't learn something new."

Some fun facts about Shelley:

Favorite Authors/Books: Diana Gabaldon, Judy Blume, S.E. Hinton, JK Rowling. "Outlander" by Diana Gabaldon. "I also liked "How to Be A Canadian" by Will Ferguson and Ian Ferguson. I'm starting to appreciate Canadian humour, and Kim is trying to get me to appreciate Canadian literature."

Favorite Vacation Spot: "Disney World, because I think life should be about having fun and everyone there is so darn nice!"

Last Movie Seen: "Ironically, E.T. I enjoyed it, but not as much as I did when I was 10. It gave me a great sense of having grown up, sitting there watching it with my kids."

Favorite Quote: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." (Margaret Mead)

If Shelley could create her own ideal writing environment, what would it be like? "I've always wanted a garret. An attic room somewhere, with a big window overlooking a busy street, like the houses on Avenue Road in Toronto. There would be a comfy easy chair for sprawling out and reading in, and the latest in computer technology. Lots of bookshelves and books, of course, and fresh air."

You can learn more about Shelley by visiting one of her web sites: her personal site, http://www.shelleyhaggert.com, or her professional site, http://www.thewritesideup.com. You can discover more about her and Linda's book at (Link not available at this time), and you may reach Shelley at shelley@shelleyhaggert.com.

Previous Momwriter Spotlights -

	Abbi Perets
	Angela Giles-Klocke	Tina Miller
	Linda Sherwood	Terri Brown
	Karen Hawkins a.k.a. barefoot karen	Carma Haley Shoemaker
	Shirley Kawa-Jump	Susan Younan Attiyah
	Bobbi Dempsey	Serena Gordon
	Lisa Crayton	Kim Hoelzli
	Linda Dupie	Elisabeth M. Abbott a.k.a. Tigger
	Denise Vitola	Ginny Hermann
	Kathryn Lay	Brette McWhorter Sember
	Leanne Ely	Sharon Waldrop

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