Thank you for stopping by! Shelley Shayner, THE ARTISTIC MYSTIC is inspired by all things mystical and beautiful, as well anything in nature—especially animals and trees. Her imaginative musings and insights take form in her novels and short stories—both fiction and non-fiction, and also finds expression through her many artistic gifts: illustrations for her books, commissioned pet portraits and spirit animal portraits, as well as her artwork. She also enjoys sharing her intuitive gifts.

With a hot cup of Earl Grey tea in her hand (sweetened with honey and cream), Shelley will gladly discuss the strange dream you had the night before and deliver its meaning to you wrapped in a cosmic bow. She is, after all, a dream aficionado, having honed her skills in dream work and symbolism over the past two decades. She gets her inspiration from the dreams, synchronicities and symbols that appear in her life and likes to weave these same threads throughout her stories and art. To her, everything in life can be viewed through this mystical lens and it’s why she loves to write fantasy.

Shelley is the author and illustrator of The Dreylyng Prophecy, the first novel in the Ogalon Series. She also has a short story published in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Dreams and Premonitions, and another in, Tall Tales and Short Stories from South Jersey.

Shelley spent her childhood in Laurel Springs, NJ — a sleepy Victorian-type square mile town whose claim to fame is the Whitman-Stafford Farmhouse. The famous American poet, Walt Whitman, spent a few summers in the old homestead. Shelley spent most of her summers camping across the U.S.A. Her favorite place of all was the Sequoia National Park because of its majestic trees. She enjoyed having puppet shows, doing arts and crafts, riding her bike, building snow forts and climbing trees, baking cookies, rescuing injured birds and watching cartoons non-stop. Both of her parents encouraged her to explore her artistic talent at an early age and on her fourth Christmas she received her first box of Crayola crayons. On the following day, she drew pictures on the living room and dining room walls to show her appreciation.

She received a B.A. in Illustration from Rowan University, and later won several awards for her artwork. The writing bug didn’t bite her until after she had a series of dreams that revealed the author and illustrator path she was to take. She is an active member of the South Jersey Writer’s Group, and resides with her rescue cat, Jasper, in Southern New Jersey. She can often be found hugging her favorite trees during her daily walks or handing out peanuts to the resident squirrels that regularly drive up to her office ‘takeout’ window.

P.S. If you happen to notice an ant crossing your path, it is telling you to be patient about something. And if a hawk swoops down over your car while driving, that feathered symbol is asking you to pay attention to an important message that is coming your way. Or, perhaps, you had a dream about a dog. If the dog was friendly, the friends around you are loyal, which in Shelley’s book, is something to be cherished.

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