Today we’d like to introduce you to Shelly Snow Pordea.
Hi Shelly, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
For me, telling people where I started seems rather complicated. I didn’t grow up in a “normal” setting. Though I was born and raised mostly in St. Louis, I spent a few critical years away at what I now refer to as “headquarters.” We were part of a fundamentalist religious sect, and even though our church in St. Louis was a small part of it, the megachurch we left our city for made it seem like our group really was the best thing in the whole world. We returned to St. Louis only after my dad got his degree from the college and we kids had been fully indoctrinated in church schools for the six years we spent away from our family and hometown.
By the time I was old enough to go off to college, there had been so much trauma in my life that it wasn’t too surprising for me to choose to go back to headquarters, knowing full-well my degree would be unaccredited. Something touted as noble by leaders as a sign of God-ordained separation of church and state.
Where exactly did I begin to recognize the “me” I rarely felt I was allowed to share? I’m not sure. Instead, I was able to fake my way into exploring things like writing, teaching and music. All within the system’s strict parameters. At least for a while.
I married a European man and we moved to his home country when I was only twenty-three. I could thrive there. Outside the walls of our sect’s scrutiny, I began to read things I hadn’t had access to before and explore my creative talents without limit. It was there that, strand by strand, year by year, I began to pull at the strings that would unravel the truth of my story. A wife, mom, school teacher, and creator, I began to gain respect. And not just from others. From myself.
When our kids were getting old enough to enter middle school and high school, we decided to return to the States. But what I had known here, back in my hometown of St. Louis, Missouri, was nothing of what it actually is. So I floundered for a while. Unsure of how I fit into my own culture, not quite realizing that I had never been part of a typical American experience. It made me feel out of place even at forty.
I had so much more growing to do, then and now. But the year I was turning forty-one, I looked at my husband and said, “I want to do something with my story. I feel like if I let another decade slip by, I’ll never do what I really want to with my creative work.” So I googled “How to publish a book.” And I went for it. I had always been the type to dream, write stories, songs, paint or make crafts, and the story I had started after suddenly losing my father almost five years prior was begging me to be finished.
So, I did publish a book. In fact, I wrote and published that book, and another two, completing my time-travel love story trilogy. Last year, I published my first children’s book with an additional three bilingual versions of the story. Today, I do a lot of writing, but I also work as an advocate for those who have come out of cults or other high-controlled religious abuse environments. I’m writing a screenplay with my brother based on our experiences in the cult and connect with many survivors and advocates because of our work. It’s the story that wasn’t told for so long that has led to the most significant work of my life. Perhaps I’m just now getting started.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road to becoming an author is one I’m still on and learning about. Even though I help others write and publish, I’m constantly researching, and since technology is ever-changing, I feel like there will undoubtedly always be an obstacle to overcome. But I think there is always a way to do something you truly believe in your soul you need to do. Sacrifices have to be made, and I’ve taken a significant pay cut in order to pursue full-time writing, but for me, it’s been worth it. Finding a community of writers and creatives is paramount to my persistence. Without that, I may have given into the feelings of unworthiness or inferiority a long time ago.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I do all sorts of writing these days. From articles about alternative energy to ghostwriting full-length books for entrepreneurs, I make a living now doing what I love. But I specialize in creative writing and am most known for my trilogy as well as helping others self-publish their work. I think my story and current work, as well as my memoir to come about my cult upbringing, is truly what sets me apart. The side I some days wish I could deny is what brings an authenticity to my work I didn’t realize was missing for far too long.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I see the creative industry kind of as the backbone of society. Storytelling is what connects us, but it also is used to divide. My hope is that we see a strong ethic in our future of storytellers, marketers and creators. I’m not one to keep up with trends, so I can’t give predictions, but I do think that video consumption will continue to dominate and am excited to be dabbling in screenwriting for the future of streaming entertainment!
Contact Info:
- Email: shelly@thecreativu.com
- Website: https://www.thecreativu.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shellysnowpordea/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shellysnowpordea
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/shellypordea
Image Credits
Michayla Slone Photo (headshot) and Emmalie Christine Photo (family wedding photo) Trilogy Cover Art by Andrei Bat
