JUST WHEN HE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE AN ORDINARY DAY,
A LITTLE SHEPHERD TAKES A JOURNEY AND GETS A SPECIAL SURPRISE.
A LITTLE SHEPHERD TAKES A JOURNEY AND GETS A SPECIAL SURPRISE.
Home > Shelby The Shepherd, The Musical - Shelby's Story
AS SHE TELLS IT
The Author/Playwright's Journey With The Beloved Shelby the Shepherd
The Author/Playwright's Journey With The Beloved Shelby the Shepherd
SHELBY GETS A SOCIAL START
It was early December 2013. I was just doing the scrolling through social media thing when I saw that a friend had posted about the character that comes out every Christmas and reports back to the North Pole about the kids’ behavior. It had become pretty popular at that time, and she wasn’t being negative about it. She was just sharing that she wished there was something else—something like an angel or a shepherd—that put more attention on the real meaning of Christmas, and she was asking if there already was such a thing.
I really didn’t have much of a stake in what she was wanting because my one daughter had graduated high school that summer and was a little old for that kind of thing. But I did agree with what my friend was saying, and I couldn’t think of anything. Her friends commented that they didn’t know of a lot of alternatives either and that maybe they could get something going.
And I thought, OK. Well, maybe I can, too.
I brainstormed some and came up with a couple character ideas. Other than a shepherd, I know I gave some thought to an angel and a wise man. But the shepherd was the one I kept coming back to, and that’s when a little story started taking shape beyond just a stuffed doll that needed to be found every morning.
I worked on the story bit by bit after Christmas that year. But after a little while when everyone else had moved on from the holidays and I kept hitting walls of writer’s block, I just put it away. Then one day toward summer I had the strong urge to get it back out, and I finished the last half of it in the matter of an afternoon.
And that’s when I realized I really had something that could be what my friend had been hoping for.
Or even more.
I had been given a story of hope and encouragement and a look at the Christmas story from an inspiring point of view— through the eyes of a little boy whose biggest dream to that point was getting to care for more than just his single sheep, Little One. More than anything—and just like Shelby—I was being given an unlikely but wonderfully surprising journey.
I really didn’t have much of a stake in what she was wanting because my one daughter had graduated high school that summer and was a little old for that kind of thing. But I did agree with what my friend was saying, and I couldn’t think of anything. Her friends commented that they didn’t know of a lot of alternatives either and that maybe they could get something going.
And I thought, OK. Well, maybe I can, too.
I brainstormed some and came up with a couple character ideas. Other than a shepherd, I know I gave some thought to an angel and a wise man. But the shepherd was the one I kept coming back to, and that’s when a little story started taking shape beyond just a stuffed doll that needed to be found every morning.
I worked on the story bit by bit after Christmas that year. But after a little while when everyone else had moved on from the holidays and I kept hitting walls of writer’s block, I just put it away. Then one day toward summer I had the strong urge to get it back out, and I finished the last half of it in the matter of an afternoon.
And that’s when I realized I really had something that could be what my friend had been hoping for.
Or even more.
I had been given a story of hope and encouragement and a look at the Christmas story from an inspiring point of view— through the eyes of a little boy whose biggest dream to that point was getting to care for more than just his single sheep, Little One. More than anything—and just like Shelby—I was being given an unlikely but wonderfully surprising journey.
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SMALL BEGINNINGS ARE STILL BEGINNINGS
I knew I would need an illustrator for the book I called Shelby the Shepherd and His Special Surprise, so my sister did a concept drawing for me so I could put the word out. I told her I wanted it to be “simple with a touch of whimsy,” and she did the sweetest pencil drawing of Shelby and Little One. All these years later it’s still very precious to me. In her picture, she gave both Shelby and Little One those little thought bubbles. Shelby is thinking, I hope she likes us, and Little One is thinking, Me too, also. It’s adorable.
I initially had an illustrator contest, but it didn’t really turn up exactly what I was looking for. So I ended up hiring the friend of a cousin of a niece, or something like that. I just knew he could draw, and he agreed to work within my very, very small budget. I remember one illustrator I contacted wanted several hundred dollars per picture, and I had about one hundred for all of them! I was the Bible verse in Zechariah, verse 4:10, that says, “Who despises the day of small beginnings?” I never did tell my illustrator exactly how small my budget was. But it was so small that even though we were meeting at a coffee shop and I offered to buy him a coffee the first time we met—because that’s what professionals do—every other time we met after that I prayed he would beat me there and would have his coffee paid for because I just didn’t have the money for it!
Thankfully we finished in time to make Shelby the Shepherd and His Special Surprise available for Christmas 2014, with its simple and whimsical black-and-white illustrations. And I sold it for two years with its own little stuffed sheep and clue card gift set that parents could use to play a hide-and-seek game with their kids all the way from December 1st to Christmas.
It was one of the neatest things I’d ever done, and folks really loved it.
Then 2016 hit, and it hit all over me. I had health issues that caused financial issues that caused depression and anxiety issues that caused faith issues, and Christmas came and went without poor Shelby hardly getting any of my attention. Let’s just say my beginnings were so small—and not just about Shelby and Little One—that I wasn’t sure if any of them could have happy endings.
Thankfully things were starting to look up again by mid-2017. I was beginning to heal and get my feet back under me. But then Christmas rolled around with another surprise. I was scrolling through social media again, and this time I saw the one thing I didn’t expect to see—and didn’t want to see—and that was my idea on a Christian bookstore’s ad, but with someone else’s name on it.
I was absolutely heartbroken. All I could think of was, Have I been too afraid to really take a chance and give Shelby a chance? Has God gone and chosen someone else to finish the job? I know now that I wasn’t the first and I probably won’t be the last to tell the Christmas story from an unlikely point of view, but at the time, I was just sick about it.
And that is when God stepped in and said, “I’m not done with Shelby yet. I’m not done with you yet. Do you want to hear about it?”
I initially had an illustrator contest, but it didn’t really turn up exactly what I was looking for. So I ended up hiring the friend of a cousin of a niece, or something like that. I just knew he could draw, and he agreed to work within my very, very small budget. I remember one illustrator I contacted wanted several hundred dollars per picture, and I had about one hundred for all of them! I was the Bible verse in Zechariah, verse 4:10, that says, “Who despises the day of small beginnings?” I never did tell my illustrator exactly how small my budget was. But it was so small that even though we were meeting at a coffee shop and I offered to buy him a coffee the first time we met—because that’s what professionals do—every other time we met after that I prayed he would beat me there and would have his coffee paid for because I just didn’t have the money for it!
Thankfully we finished in time to make Shelby the Shepherd and His Special Surprise available for Christmas 2014, with its simple and whimsical black-and-white illustrations. And I sold it for two years with its own little stuffed sheep and clue card gift set that parents could use to play a hide-and-seek game with their kids all the way from December 1st to Christmas.
It was one of the neatest things I’d ever done, and folks really loved it.
Then 2016 hit, and it hit all over me. I had health issues that caused financial issues that caused depression and anxiety issues that caused faith issues, and Christmas came and went without poor Shelby hardly getting any of my attention. Let’s just say my beginnings were so small—and not just about Shelby and Little One—that I wasn’t sure if any of them could have happy endings.
Thankfully things were starting to look up again by mid-2017. I was beginning to heal and get my feet back under me. But then Christmas rolled around with another surprise. I was scrolling through social media again, and this time I saw the one thing I didn’t expect to see—and didn’t want to see—and that was my idea on a Christian bookstore’s ad, but with someone else’s name on it.
I was absolutely heartbroken. All I could think of was, Have I been too afraid to really take a chance and give Shelby a chance? Has God gone and chosen someone else to finish the job? I know now that I wasn’t the first and I probably won’t be the last to tell the Christmas story from an unlikely point of view, but at the time, I was just sick about it.
And that is when God stepped in and said, “I’m not done with Shelby yet. I’m not done with you yet. Do you want to hear about it?”
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SECOND CHANCES TAKE CENTER STAGE
I had walked the aisle of my church to say that special prayer when I was 10 years old, but my faith had never really grown much beyond what I could figure out in my head. So, did I want to hear what God had to say about a dream I thought He had given to someone else? Honestly, I wasn’t sure. But I guess my hesitant “OK” was enough of a “Yes” for Him, and that’s when He told me that Shelby was headed to the stage.
To the stage!
With lights and costumes. And a script. And music! And I was going to write both. “And by the way,” He kept going, “since we’re talking about it, get your pen and paper out because here are some lyrics and some set ideas and some new characters you can add. And while I’m at it, here are some ways that you’re going to tweak the book for what the script will be. One, two, on your mark. Go!”
And that’s when I felt the "Shelby the Shepherd" excitement all over again.
I have loved what the stage lets me do for Shelby and Little One and their sweet story. I love how I get to help the underdog be hopeful. I love how I get to imagine this grand unfolding of faith and change—for my characters and for myself—and all kinds of new stories being unearthed from old ones. I love how I get to give the audience the chance to take it all in with their own Ah-ha! moments and thoughtful moments and “Wouldn’t it be neat if it happened just this way?” moments.
I never imagined that Shelby’s one line in the book—about being special enough for everyone—would become such a powerful message. It was just an excited little boy’s innocent and truthful explanation of a mysterious and wonderful moment in time. That’s exactly what it was supposed to be. But to see its effect, to see how it can speak truth in a simple way, it’s wonderful.
And I can’t wait to see where God is going to take it from here.
To the stage!
With lights and costumes. And a script. And music! And I was going to write both. “And by the way,” He kept going, “since we’re talking about it, get your pen and paper out because here are some lyrics and some set ideas and some new characters you can add. And while I’m at it, here are some ways that you’re going to tweak the book for what the script will be. One, two, on your mark. Go!”
And that’s when I felt the "Shelby the Shepherd" excitement all over again.
I have loved what the stage lets me do for Shelby and Little One and their sweet story. I love how I get to help the underdog be hopeful. I love how I get to imagine this grand unfolding of faith and change—for my characters and for myself—and all kinds of new stories being unearthed from old ones. I love how I get to give the audience the chance to take it all in with their own Ah-ha! moments and thoughtful moments and “Wouldn’t it be neat if it happened just this way?” moments.
I never imagined that Shelby’s one line in the book—about being special enough for everyone—would become such a powerful message. It was just an excited little boy’s innocent and truthful explanation of a mysterious and wonderful moment in time. That’s exactly what it was supposed to be. But to see its effect, to see how it can speak truth in a simple way, it’s wonderful.
And I can’t wait to see where God is going to take it from here.
WANT TO LEARN MORE?
Find out even more about Shelby the Shepherd!
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- PRODUCERS' INFORMATION >
Access the full musical synopsis, get to know the musical characters and creative team, and request additional production information for your theater, church, or school. - THE ORIGINAL BOOK > Do you have a few minutes? You can even read the sweet Shelby the Shepherd and His Special Surprise Christmas book that started it all, available in a FREE PDF format! If it hasn't already, it could easily become one of your favorite holiday traditions! - GAMES & ACTIVITIES > Did you know he is even more than a book & musical character? Shelby the Shepherd also has his own DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Games & Activities! |
"LIKE A WHOLE BUNCH OF LOVE GOT HERE ALL AT ONCE."
-Shelby
"And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts..." (Romans 5:5).
-Shelby
"And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts..." (Romans 5:5).
QUICK LINKS
Shelby The Shepherd, The Musical Home
Producers' Info
Shelby's Story
Games & Activities
Books
Contact
Thanks & Credits
Shelby The Shepherd, The Musical Home
Producers' Info
Shelby's Story
Games & Activities
Books
Contact
Thanks & Credits
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©2014-2022 Wendi Miller
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