Hi there! My name is Shelby Le Marquand, I am a college student, a future teacher, and an upcoming author raising money to help fund my first children's book, Love Like Olive !

Ever since I was a little girl, writing a book has been a wish-on-a-shooting-star type of dream! I love to read, create, write, and be inspired — just a few of the reasons why I chose to major in English at Sacramento State University. As a future teacher, having a successful side project is an important factor in generating sustainability and maintaining passion in my career! When I think about what that success could come from, I always come back to my lifelong dream of becoming an author.

I've worked with children for several years as a tutor, specifically for the past 3 years as a teacher at Marble Valley Academy in El Dorado Hills, and I am about to pursue my Master's Degree in Teaching next year! I am thrilled to be graduating with my Bachelor's Degree in English with Pre-Credential Preparation this December. Safe to say, I plan to dedicate my life to inspiring and educating future generations in a loving, hope-cultivating environment!

Love Like Olive is based on my sweet pup, Olive, who is the joyful heartbeat of our family. She's pretty cute too! After almost losing her last year and reflecting on the importance of the role that pets play in our lives, I found myself thinking: "Isn't it crazy that even though our pets are never able to tell us, we still know that they love us?" INSTANT EPIPHANY! I started to realize that pets, like Olive, were placed here on Earth to teach us that love is an action, not just a word. What an incredible example, right? Hence, Love Like Olive is a beautiful story about a dog discovering how she can show her family love, even when they can't understand her barking. I can't wait to teach this story in my classroom one day!

Congratulations if you've made it this far! Long story long, I would immensely appreciate any generous donations toward the lovely illustrations of Love Like Olive that will be done by the talented Yenna Mariana! As a self-published author, my project investment is solely based on illustration purposes. Yenna has kindly illustrated the last page for me so that I could get a feel for how Olive's story will come to life! Every penny and/or prayer towards this project will be so appreciated, and I would love to show (see what I did there!) my appreciation to anyone who is able to help!

With all of my love and gratitude,

Shelby Le Marquand

Hopeful Future Author Who Still Can't Believe She's Putting "Author" Underneath Her Name