Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Guest Author and Picture Book Giveaway: Shelby Herman's Shimmer the Glowworm Finds Her Glow





The Story Behind Shimmer the Glowworm Finding Her Glow

Shimmer the Glowworm Finds Her Glow is about finding your true purpose and the realization that we are all connected.   When I was a child, I was always creating and drawing pictures.  I took every art class in school and had great encouragement from my parents.

Even though I felt understood, I wondered why I was here. At three years old, I would ask my parents but never got an answer that satisfied me.  Shimmer the Glowworm feels that way too; the yearning for an answer to the question, “What is the purpose of life?  What am I supposed to be doing?”

Much like Shimmer, I got clues along the way.  When I was a teenager I learned about meditation through new family members that practiced a philosophy from India.  I felt that many questions were finally answered and was at peace.  I still didn't know my purpose, but I felt that I had a better understanding of the circle of life.  They offered me a lot of wisdom, just as Ollie did for Shimmer.

Years later, I had my daughter which gave me huge sense of purpose and she, of course, became my focus.  When she was grown, I went through a major transition and great loss; the kind that shakes you to your core, wakes you up, and opens your eyes to new understanding.  What an amazing gift that was.   Because of my strong foundation, I knew I would be okay.  I had more time for meditating and creating things.

I wanted to make something for children to reinforce their self esteem, and I began creating ME TREES with the inscription:  “When we have strong roots grounded in love, our branches grow and flourish with all the beautiful qualities we possess.”

This led to the story that came to me as I was meditating/brainstorming one night about the meaning of the ME TREE.  I was so excited and felt compelled to create the book.  I could see it in my imagination almost like a movie, with the characters in 3D.  I was having conversations with the characters in my imagination, which is something I often do.  I love to be in a state of imagining and creating.  That is where anything is possible!

The song Show Your Glow came to me in the same way.


I was waking up in the morning with rhymes in my head.  A couple days later, I had the melody.  I think sometimes you have to venture outside of your comfort zone to find yourself, like Shimmer did. I hope my journey and Shimmer's will inspire you to go on an adventure of your own and discover just how amazing YOU are!



Shimmer the Glowworm Finds Her Glow  
by Shelby Herman 

Paperback: 54 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (October 3, 2014)

Kindle Edition

File Size: 23041 KB
Print Length: 54 pages
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Publisher: Inner Treasures (October 31, 2014)
Publication Date: October 31, 2014
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc. 

About the book: 

Shimmer the Glowworm has a low glow and goes on an inspirational journey to find it. She discovers that helping others find their glow is what makes her glow show and the ME TREE she lives in reflected that all along.

About the author:

Shelby Herman created ME TREEs to empower and inspire children and they are being used in classrooms to teach mindfulness. She expanded on that with the story of Shimmer the Glowworm and soon after, she wrote the theme song Show Your Glow. She lives in Belmont Shore, California where she works as a court reporter and enjoys meditating, spending time with her daughter and going to the beach with her pink dog Roxy where she finds inspiration everywhere to write and create things. She is currently working on a second Shimmer the Glowworm adventure. You can read more about her journey at Shimmertheglowworm.com



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