Shelby Savage says she fell in love with writing as a second grader, but she never expected it would take her all the way to the nation’s capitol.

As the winner of the Coosa Valley Electric Cooperative’s 23^rd annual Youth Tour competition, she’s earned trips to Washington, D.C., and Montgomery “to learn more about how government operates, the history of those places, and all that they have to offer,” the Pell City High School junior said, adding that it all started with an essay.

“We had to write about how coops in general are different from for-profit businesses. (Chauntiel) Carr, who’s been my English teacher for the last two years, suggested that I enter.  I’ve always loved to write, and the essay was one of the easiest parts of the competition, which also included an interview with a panel for judges, and a test about statistics and history.”

Active in school activities, Savage described the most difficult aspect of the Youth Tour competition, discussed her desire to be a published author, and identified the career path she hopes to pursue.

The origin of her love of writing:  “When I was in second grade, we had to write and illustrate our own books about whatever we wanted to.  My favorite animal at the time was a dolphin, so I wrote a story about a girl who became friends with a dolphin.  The girl got cancer, and they found a cure for cancer at the bottom of the ocean.  I’ve always liked making up my own happy endings.”

Shelby Savage, novelist:  “Being published has actually always been a little bit of a pipe dream of mine!  I’m fairly positive I would write young adult fiction, since that particular genre has been such a huge part of my life. I also feel like young adult novels have the power to inspire and encourage teenagers.  These books give them a much-needed place to escape to. It would just be nice to give someone else at least some of what was given to me.”

Authors who have inspired her:  “Kathryn Lasky, Carolyn Keene, and, J.K. Rowling all got me through elementary school, so I’m eternally fans of theirs. Cassandra Clare, Hannah Harrington, Sarah Dessen, Suzanne Collins, and Veronica Roth have been with me since middle school and continue to aid me every single day; they’ve taught me life lessons, helped me on bad days, and made me believe in laughter and love over and over again, so they’ll always go down in the books as some of my favorites.”

What makes her laugh:  “This is a little embarrassing, but I find cheesy jokes absolutely hilarious. Just the other day, a customer at work told me this one: What did one snowman say to the other? ‘Do you smell carrots?’ I had to step away from the register for that one. Whenever I’m having a bad day, I just Google ‘cheesy jokes’ and let the fun begin.”

 Her greatest fear:  “I’m very tempted to say spiders, because, let’s be honest, they’re probably the most terrifying creatures ever, but I guess my biggest real fear is failure. No one wants to fail at something they work so hard at. Luckily, that’s a very conquerable fear and one that I work on daily.”

Something an acquaintance might be surprised to know about her:  “I’m super disorganized. I think when people hear about all of the activities I’m involved in, they assume that I have everything in neat folders and a well-used day planner. In reality, I can’t even find my day planner and my binders look they all experienced a tornado. I’m extremely lucky that my teachers and friends tirelessly remind me of things that I forgot to write down or did write down and just…lost.

Her favorite indulgence:  “Ice cream, especially if it involves caramel. I know I shouldn’t eat too much of it, but if it’s been a bad day, health is the last thing on my mind, and ice cream is definitely the first. Especially Karmel Sutra by Ben & Jerry’s.” 

Her favorite guilty pleasure:  “I have plenty, ranging from reruns of Seinfeld to cheesy romantic comedies to reality TV to anything involving Jesse McCartney.  I’m not sure if I have a favorite one, but I partake often.”

The person she most admires:  “That’s difficult to narrow down.  My mother is one of the strongest people I’ve ever known, and she inspires me to overcome any of the obstacles I face. She’s always been s huge source of inspiration in my life, and I’m eternally grateful. But my English teacher, Mrs. Carr, is by far one of the most impressive people I’ve ever met! She’s so incredibly intelligent, and I don’t think Jay Leno or Conan have anything on her sense of humor. Finally, (Katie) Frost, my journalism sponsor, has one of the greatest personalities I’ve ever experienced. She’s a great mother to her son, a great teacher for her students, and definitely one of my personal heroes.”

The greatest challenge facing young people today:  “Obviously, there’s the rise in alcohol and drug use, but from my point of view, anyone who has ever been a teenager knows how pressure

Her biggest pet peeve:  “Probably rude people. I know that’s pretty broad, but after working in the fast food industry, I just can’t understand why people are so unkind. I can’t help but feel like their lives would be a little easier if they just smiled a little more or kept their rude comments to themselves. There’s no need to release that negativity into the world.”

At PCHS:  Savage serves as editor of the school’s newspaper, The Panther Paw; vice president of the debate team, and FBLA secretary, and a member of the Beta Club, Interact Club, the high school library’s book club, and Scholar’s Bowl team.  She also works at Zaxby’s in Pell City.

After high school:  “I’m looking at a couple of colleges where I’d like to study criminal justice with a minor in political science or philosophy and law, and then go to law school.  I want to be a prosecutor for the state.”  She’s interning this summer with a local family law practice. 

If she could change one thing about the world:  “It would probably be less selfish to say ‘solve world hunger’ or something like that, but I really feel like everything would be better there was no more hate.  I don’t understand the way people discriminate against others’ skin color, sexuality, religion, or anything else.  We’re all here together, and we all face similar challenges.  Why should we make it more difficult on each other?”

How she describes herself:  “I’m very driven.  Once I have a goal, that’s what I work toward.  When I learned that FBLA nationals would be in California last year, I got a job so I could pay for my expenses there.  Winning state to qualify for nationals was just a technicality.”

If stranded on the hypothetical desert island with one magazine, one meal, and one CD:  “The magazine would be Cosmopolitan.  I’m an avid Cosmo reader.  The meal would be macaroni and cheese.  It’s one of the few things I can cook.  The music would be Snow Patrol.  I entered a Snow Patrol phase in eighth grade and can’t seem to get out of it.”

The best advice she ever received:  “My dad once told me the famous Dr. Seuss quote, ‘Those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.’ I guess that’s technically from Dr. Seuss, but I’ll never forget it because of the way my father said it. It’s completely true. I have a lot of odd quirks about me, and more than my fair share of insecurities, but that piece of advice gave me the confidence to be myself, and I genuinely believe I wouldn’t be where I am today without it. If you believe in yourself, you don’t need anyone else to, but you may be pleasantly surprised when they do.”