About Lowell Sheppard

There are three types of biographies listed on this site. One is written by my publicist with the purpose of promoting me as a speaker and author. It is a factually-written piece without hyperbole but nonetheless it is written ‘to sell.' If you care to read it, then click here.

The second type is the one I use for the submission of book proposals. It is in outline form and fairly comprehensive. If you are bored and want to read it click here.

But of more relevance, I offer the following outline of my writing life.

When I went to college as a mature student, I scored very low in the English Placement test. The results came as a shock. I had been rather proud of my essay, written as a creative piece with suspense and a twist. What I failed to realize is that the essay was to be a properly structured argument with a thesis statement, points, and conclusion. Consequently, I was placed in what I initially perceived as the English Class for Dummies. It was the best thing that could have happened to me though, as it required me to go back to the basics of writing. I had acquired the notion that to be a good writer, you had to be different, innovative, and unpredictable. My professor taught me that fundamentals are important: a writer must know both why and to whom you are writing. He taught me that the thesaurus can be a curse and weaken your voice. “You should write from within rather than rely on the external,” he said.

Over the years, I have learned that the broader your life experience, the deeper your writing. Words are packed with meaning. But if we overuse or abuse them, their value is diminished and our writing appears shallow.

My first writing job was with the Fraser Valley News Herald, in Langley, BC. I had studied theology and political science at two different institutions and was uncertain whether I wanted to become a minister or a journalist. The paper offered me a job as an advertising salesman, but it meant that I could write copy for the ads. I loved it, but secretly envied the reporters who had the real writing jobs. I sensed that my envy of them was matched by their disdain for me: advertising and the guys who sold it are necessary evils for journalists. Over the years, I wrote for various magazines and newspapers and, for a time, had my own column in a weekly newspaper.

My book publishing career started when an editor heard me speak and approached me to write a book. Chris Catherwood, an editor with Crossways books (later purchased by IVP), matched me up with a freelance writer to work on the first book, Never Ending Adventure.

My next two books, Miracle in Mostar and Their Future our Passion, were co-written with one of my best friends, Gerard Kelly. He was a published poet, but had never written nonfiction. We also wrote a booklet together (not featured on this site) called Preparing to Parent Teenagers. Our bookwriting careers were launched simultaneously; Gerard now has several books to his credit, and I have been writing solo for four books.

Oh, and I did become a minister. I left the newspaper to work in Mexico for a year, interning with a missionary group who used airplanes to reach remote areas. I returned from Mexico and was ordained and subsequently appointed interim minister at a small church on Saltspring Island, on the west coast of Canada. While I enjoyed the people and the place it was evident that caring for a local parish was not something I was cut out for, so I took my disposition towards service of others and entered the non-profit sector.