For some, the past has meant pain and heartache. If we allow our past to make us a victim, then we have not entered into the grace that God has for us; and if we live on memories of past successes and fail to raise our vision for new things, we again are victims of our past.  [Os Hillman]

"When your memories are bigger than your dreams, you're headed for the grave" [Author unknown].

 

"See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland" (Is. 43:19).


Dream BIG, my friends!

The Shifty Characters are traveling to beautiful Puerta Princessa. It is the capital of Palawan, and a premier city in the Philippians with a population of more than 200 million.  

Hello Everyone,  the reviews are in, check out what people are saying about Shifty Characters:


  Shifty Can Be Good!

Generally when the word "Shifty" is included in a title or sentence, one tends to conjure up thoughts of evasiveness, deceit or trickery. But upon reading the cleverly written Shifty Characters, by Shirley Francis-Salley, you immediately see how children can learn, in an entertaining manner, how simply rearranging the order of letters in a word can create another word with an entirely different meaning. This book encourages imagination and creativity in the young mind to explore ways to bring about transition when you give thought to the letters that make up a word.

As my own 11 year old daughter read the book, she began to anticipate how a given word in the book would change to a new one. She, like I, took satisfaction in being correct as to the new word developed as we read through the interesting sentence rhymes that were framework for each word modification. The character qualities/traits that tie into good spiritual thoughts and behavior is a wonderful way to conclude this book on transformation. This is a great exposure to young people new to reading, right up through elementary school.

A.H. Newbold
Fayetteville, GA



  Great Concept!

This book is lots of fun and offers a unique way of explaining a large Biblical idea to kids! I like the idea of letters shifting and transforming into something new. I always associated the word shifty with something shady or underhanded but in this book, shifting is all about change, change for something new and change for the better!

Joseph Louis
Brooklyn, NY

 

Excellent Concept!

I truly enjoyed Shifty Characters. The concept of changing letters around to form new words quickly became a new and exciting game for my grandchildren. The illustrations played a big part of Shifty Characters. It showed different nationalities in the form of letters coming together and working together, as it should be with all of us.

Keep up the good work!

S. Lord
Sharon, SC



  Great Little Book!

This book is a great reading asset for young children. It not only combines letters and words, it has a spiritual connection. I think parents and children alike will absolutely love this book. It will become a favorite and a keeper. The illustrations are also amazing!

E. Dolan
New York, NY

 


A Book with Moral Fiber!

Shifty Characters will immediately captivate the young readers with its bold letters and colors!
I appreciate how the author shifts the child's frame of mind to changing personalities of people in a way that a child will surely relate to.

J. Walton
New York, NY

Shifty Characters will be officially available for purchase on Thursday, May 6, 2010.  
However,



Preorders received before Wednesday, May 6,2010 will be autographed and sold at the discounted price of $15.00 each. This includes tax plus shipping and handling.

 

Click on the Bookstore page at www.shiftycharacters.net  to place your orders.  PayPal and all major credit cards accepted.

 

After May 6, 2010 Shifty Characters will be sold on the publisher’s website at www.clayjarspublishing.com , the sales price is $16.99 plus tax and Shipping and handling for a total of $19.50. PayPal and all major credit cards accepted.

The shifty Characters are about to break out of their shell. The wait is just about over! I’m expecting a shipment of books any day now and you all will have an opportunity to order Shifty Characters and introduce them to your loved ones and friends! Just as soon as they arrive, you’ll be the first to know!

I promise!

 


The Shifty Characters are going through their final round of proofing which means they are making sure they have crossed all of their T's and dotted all of their I's. They're watching their P's and Q's in order to pass the fine tooth comb test. I'm sure they will pass because this is the third time they've taken it! And after all, it is an open book test!  Don't laugh, have you ever taken an open book test and failed? Let me tell you, it happens! But the Shifty Characters will prevail!

 Aidana, our trusty illustrator is tightening up the Shifty Characters font and getting it download ready and she's finishing up the letters on the coloring page of this site
(she completed four more this weekend) only a few  left to do! Looks like we'll be crossing the finished line in about two weeks!

So now, we wait!

 

Hi Folks, here it is in a nutshell:

The Shifty Characters left my hands and on the way to their destination they fell into the hands of book bandits who stole their money but could not steal their joy. They were knocked down but not knocked out. So they got up, dusted themselves off and from there God led them to my illustrator’s hands and while they were there, they secured a home in a brand new house called Clay Jars Publishing.

I was invited to come and live there also, and I accepted the invitation. Now, Clay Jars has placed the Shifty Characters in their printer’s hands, where they will be prepared to be placed in children and their parents' hands and all the while, God has had us all in His hands making it all possible.  Like the song says: He’s Got The Whole World In His Hand!

And, I'm so glad He does!!!


See Ya!

  Harriet’s Purpose

by Shirley Francis-Salley

Have you ever seen a railroad without a track, or a train to run upon it?

There was such a thing a time ago and slaves fled to freedom on it.

The conductor’s name was Harriet, Mrs. Tubman, if you please!

She ran the “Underground Railroad” through woods full of shadows and trees.

She helped slaves escape to freedom, right from under their master’s noses.

She led them to the “Promised Land” that’s why they called her Moses.

Why did Harriet Tubman take on such a dangerous task?

What would make her do it? Some of you might ask.

The reason that she did it was God gave her that job to do.

That was Harriet’s PURPOSE, and God’s got one for YOU too!

 

Dear Lord,

Even though I am a child,

I know you have a purpose for me.

I want to know my purpose

So I can do the things that please you.

Amen

Be Prepared!
 An excerpt from:  The Be Attitudes of a Christian Writer©
by Shirley Francis-Salley

It’s 4:00 A.M. Your eyes pop open automatically. You lay there giving the cobwebs a moment to untangle themselves from your brain and then it hits you. Sweet inspiration comes riding in on a cloud from on high with a precious morsel to be penned. You know you’ve got to get this down because sometimes it’s only there in that certain way for a fleeting moment.

You reach for your mini netbook but it is dead. You haven’t charged it in two days. Frantically your eyes pan your surroundings and you spot your voice recorder. Then you remember, you meant to buy batteries last night but you forgot. By now you’re trying to say the idea over and over again. You don’t want to lose it. And then, you spot your trusty pad and pen. You grab them and the vision becomes words that flow from your pen and are carried by a river of ink that soaks up the dryness of a blank sheet of paper. Whew! That was close! You could have lost that thought or the opportunity to create at that very moment!

There is nothing like basking in the happiness of having been prepared for the successes that opportunity brings when it knocks on our doors.  But what about the times when the knock at the door isn’t bringing happiness or success with it? What about the times when the knock on the door is that of Mr. and Mrs. Trouble and their bratty children, Frustration, Difficulty and Pain, and they’ve shown up on the doorsteps of our lives, hell-bent on wreaking havoc in our homes? Didn’t Jesus tell us that in this world we would have many trials and sorrows? (John 16:33, New Living Translation Bible)

Are we prepared for these opportunities? One might ask why connotations depicting unfavorable circumstances would be linked to the word opportunity, after all, it’s such a positive word! Here’s why:  God’s word says that He causes everything to work together for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28 NLT). These words are an anchor for us when we are like storm-tossed ships caught in the billows on the sea of suffering.

Sometimes we suffer as a result of our choices and actions, and there are times that God calls us to it; either way we have to prepare. While Jesus said we’d have trouble, He also said that we should take heart, for He has overcome the world (John 16:33 NLT).

Remember: When we fail to prepare we prepare to fail! (Benjamin Franklin)