Statistics says that single, professional African American women have a very slim chance of finding a mate. Could the reason be that they do not know what they want? Or, is it that they set their standards so high, their ideal man does not exist? In Sherri Lewis’ third novel, The List, Michelle, Angela and Lisa are tired of waiting on their Mr. Right to find them, so they decide to give God a little help.

Michelle, divorced for five years, is ready to start dating and get married so she can have that family she has been longing for. Lisa, celibate for nine years is waiting on her ideal Mr. Right to find her. Angela, a 41year-old virgin has been patiently waiting on the Lord to send her the right man. Their lack of prospective dates could stem from them limiting their search for eligible men from church or work. To increase their odds, the women try internet dating. But, before signing up, they first need to compile a list of characteristics the potential husband must possess. Their venture into Internet dating sets the stage for hilarious experiences.

The List is Christian fiction and dating the Christian way is the main focus. Throughout the novel, Dr. Lewis offers the single reader many things to ponder about why God has not answered the ladies’ prayers. Could it be they just are not ready? What are they doing while waiting? What are their finances like? Does she keep her home clean? Does she cook? And does she really know what she wants? Hence the reason for a list. How can God bless you with the man you desire and you do not know the kind of man you want? I found the novel to be thought-provoking and it offered good advice to those in the dating game. I think fans of Christian fiction will enjoy this inspiring, yet funny novel.

Jeanette
Motown Review Bookclub
APOOO BookClub

CLICK HERE to pre-order a copy today.

Hi, Gang. Can't wait to see you tomorrow through Sunday in Bloomington, MN at the American Christian Fiction Writer's Conference. Please stop by and say hey to me at The Mall of America on Saturday. I will be signing books near Sears.


I had a blast September 6, 2008 at the Charlotte Literary Festival in Charlotte, NC. Beautiful city, beautiful book club fans. Can't wait to do it again. Here are a few pics my galpal, Dee Stewart took of me there.

Tune in to APOOO Books Blog Talk Radio To Hear Sherri Lewis

Discuss Her Latest Release with the Members of APOOO BookClub

DATE: August 10, 2008

TIME: 6:00 PM EST

LOCATION: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ycoleman

Call-in Number: 347-838-8511

Tune in to the APOOO Books Radio Show, Sunday, August 10th, 2008 at 6:00 PM EST to listen to Sherri Lewis discuss her latest release, Dance Into Destiny, with host, Yasmin Coleman, and the APOOO Books listeners.

APOOO is an online author and reader community dedicated to advancing African American literature. Our mission is to expose readers of all ages to a good book in any genre; to support African American authors, books, literary events and bookclubs; to provide marketing resources, tools and tips to authors; and, to promote literacy within the African American community.



My write-or-die chicks and ACFW-VIP members, authors Kendra Norman-Bellamy, Tia McCollors & me are featured in today's Atlanta Journal & Constitution. All women have cracked the Essence Magazine Bestseller's List; All women sit on this month's top ten edition. Here there stories:
Listen to this article or download audio file.Click-2-Listen

Click here to Read


by Sherri L. Lewis


Chapter One

“Quite honestly, Ms. Banks, if you’re not able to bring all your course grades up to a B average by the end of the semester, I’m afraid you’re going to have to withdraw from the Master’s program.”

Keeva Banks stared at her counselor, watching her cheap, red lipstick bleed into the little wrinkles around her lips. It was almost as if she was mesmerized by the words coming out of her mouth.

She wasn’t.

She knew this was coming. It was just a matter of when. Even still, hearing it out loud…

Keeva grabbed a lock of hair and twisted it around her finger.

Ms. Parker pulled a green file folder from her desk with Keeva’s name printed on the corner and began flipping through the papers in it. “I’ve received progress reports from each of your professors and I have to tell you, things don’t look good.” Ms. Parker’s voice faded into a droning tone like the adult characters on a Charlie Brown cartoon. “Waa wa wa wa…”

Keeva fastened her eyes on Ms. Parker’s clothes. She had to focus on something – anything – other than her impending doom to make it through this meeting without falling apart.

Her blouse was made of some cheapy, chintzy fabric with wide, horizontal brown and beige stripes. How could she have thought it matched the completely different shade of brown of her shapeless skirt? And didn’t she know someone with her figure, or lack thereof, should never wear horizontal stripes? Not to mention that her skin was too sallow to wear brown anyway.

Keeva looked at her own tailored Donna Karan pantsuit. The rich, burgundy color accented her cocoa brown skin perfectly. She had dressed carefully that morning, knowing she’d need to look good in light of the news she was about to receive.

She made her eyes go back to Ms. Parker’s face, not wanting to appear rude.

“From what I understand, so far this semester you’ve made, at best, C’s on your exams and you still haven’t completed the project for your Research Methods class.”

Ms. Parker paused as if waiting for Keeva to speak.

No way she could answer without her voice shaking. Or worse still, her bursting into tears. She nodded slowly, hoping that would be a sufficient response.

Ms. Parker’s closet of an office seemed to be shrinking. And did they have the heat turned up in this part of the building? Keeva pressed her hand down on her knee to stop her leg from bouncing. She rubbed her sweaty palms on her pantsuit.

“I have to ask, Ms. Banks, do you really want this degree?”

Keeva almost laughed. What difference did it make what she wanted?

She sat up straight and pasted on a camera-pleasing smile. “Of course I want this degree. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.” She hoped she sounded more convincing than she felt.

For the first time, and only for a minute, she thought about it. Did she want a master’s in Professional Counseling?

How could she help anyone when she didn’t have the answers? Keeva imagined herself counseling people, passing them tissue when they cried, patting their arms and giving them understanding looks in that annoying, empathetic way; bandaging them up to send them back into life to be bruised all over again. What was the point?

Would she ever really change anyone’s life?

Ms. Parker stood, came around to the front of her desk and leaned against it.

Keeva watched her hips spread out wide across the wooden edge. She sat back a little. Oh dear. Here comes the heart to heart.

“Ms. Banks, is there something going on that you need to talk about? A problem affecting your academic performance?”

Keeva mustered her last bit of emotional stability to paste on another smile. “No, Ms. Parker. There’s nothing going on. Thank you for your concern, though.”

And that was the worst part about it. There was nothing she could blame this on. She was healthy, all her needs were met; she had supportive parents, plenty of friends and a wonderful boyfriend.

Her life was…perfect.

All she had to do was get this stupid degree, start her career, get married, have 2.5 children, buy a Volvo and a home in an exclusive neighborhood and live out the rest of her years in Utopian suburbia.

What more could she ask?

She reached down to pick up her Coach briefcase and stood. She had to get out of the office before she erupted. “I really appreciate you taking the time to speak with me.”

That much was true. The last graduate program she flunked out of just sent a “warning” letter in the mail. It pretty much said get it together or else. Else had landed her here at Georgia State University.

Keeva flipped her hair over her shoulder and smoothed out her suit. “I assure you I’ll do everything I can to pull it together. Things will be better by the end of the semester.”

At least I hope.

***

Midtown Atlanta was a blur as Keeva drove to her apartment building. She couldn’t wait to get upstairs to the haven she had created for herself. She loved her one-bedroom loft. The airy openness of it gave her room to breathe. The large floor-to-ceiling windows let in abundant sunlight that kept her numerous plants flourishing. The designer yellow paint gave the room a happy feeling and was further brightened by the red, leather couch. Her place had an interior design magazine, art-deco feel to it.

Keeva winced as she imagined losing her apartment. She’d been there since her senior year at Spelman College. She and her boyfriend, Mark, then a senior at Morehouse, had picked it out together for her. If she flunked out again, her parents would withdraw their financial support and her penthouse loft, luxury car, and generous allowance would all be gone. There was no way her dad would call in another favor to get her into another graduate program.

Keeva dropped her briefcase off at the dining room table, ignoring the books there, begging to be read. She had to study, but needed to get rid of the heaviness that had been riding her since she stepped into Ms. Parker’s office.

Keeva went straight to her bedroom and peeled off her pantsuit. She put on some comfortable leggings and a T-shirt, and walked barefoot into the living room. She pushed the furniture towards the kitchen, careful not to scratch her hardwood floors. They had been a must when she was looking for an apartment. Even though she had given up hope of a professional dancing career, she still loved to dance.

She flicked on the stereo and pushed the “skip disc” button until she got to her African drumming CD. The pulsing tribal rhythms connected with something deep within her and began to restore the energy the day had drained.

Keeva inhaled slowly, breathing the music into her body. She began to sway back and forth until the music got into her feet, her body, and her soul. She moved around the room, slowly at first. Her movements grew bigger and stronger as she allowed herself to become enraptured in the music. As she leaped and twirled and kicked, the tension streamed out of every pore of her body. She danced herself into a frenzy until she reached a climatic point of release, and then lay in the middle of the floor.

She missed dancing.

Her mother enrolled her in her first dance class at the age of six so she could develop grace and good posture. Her father took her to see the Alvin Ailey dance troupe when she was ten. After that, all she dreamed of was being a professional dancer. She planned to audition for the troupe when she was seventeen, but her mother refused. Neither of her parents thought a dance career was appropriate for Keeva. They thought she needed a professional career to support herself, and that she could dance in her spare time, as a hobby. After they canceled her audition, dancing became bittersweet for Keeva and she quit taking classes.

Keeva jumped when the phone rang. She stretched back out and stared at the ceiling. The hardwood floor felt cold against her hot, sweaty skin.

The answering machine beeped. “Keeva, this is Shara Anderson from your Foundations class. I know you’re probably bogged down with studying for your other classes, but we need to get this project started soon. Please give me a call when you get a chance so we can set up a time to meet.”

Keeva rolled her eyes. In the midst of her midterm exams, her stupid professor assigned a research project. He randomly grouped the class into teams of two and she ended up with Shara.

Why was she calling her now? The project wasn’t due until the end of the semester.

Keeva didn’t know Shara too well. The most notable thing about her was how plain Jane she was. Her hair was always pulled back in a ponytail and she wore no earrings, no makeup, no nothing. She had a pretty face and would probably be nice looking if she fixed herself up a little. If she didn’t wear jeans everyday, Keeva would think she was one of those fanatical religious people who thought it was a sin to wear pants or look good. Like God would send someone to hell over a tube of lipstick and a pair of earrings. Shara definitely wasn’t the kind of person Keeva associated with and she wasn’t looking forward to the project.

She looked over at the clock. Mark would be dropping by in less than an hour to check on her. Keeva pulled the furniture back into place, then grabbed a quick shower. As she put on her make-up, she had to laugh at her new hair color. By some strange reasoning, probably a television commercial she had seen, she thought all she needed to fix her life was to spice up her hair color. She pulled her thick, brown hair, now with auburn highlights, up on top of her head and fastened it with a tortoise-shell clip. Mark liked her hair up.

As she poured a generous glass of wine, the buzzer rang, indicating that Mark was downstairs. A few minutes later, she heard him fumbling with his keys and went to open the door.

He pulled her into his arms. “Hey, how’s my Princess?”

Somehow Mark had adopted her father’s nickname for her. It was really a private joke between she and her dad. When she was growing up, he always thought Keeva’s mother was too hard on her and wanted her to be perfect, like a little princess. He thought she should get to enjoy herself more and not worry about what fork to use or how to enunciate perfect English.

Keeva inhaled the strong, masculine scent of Mark’s cologne and snuggled into his chest. “Fine, now. Do you want to come in or are we going to stand in the doorway all night?”

He kissed her on the nose. “You look beautiful as always. I love your hair like that.”

She beamed at his compliment.

Mark took her glass so she could twist the lock on the door he could never seem to work. He took a sip and frowned. “Wine? I thought you were studying.”

“I’m through for the evening. I was relaxing until you got here.”

“You know I don’t like it when you drink wine. How many times do I have to tell you that?”

Keeva clenched her teeth and turned to walk toward the couch.

He followed her. “All you had to do was wait until I got here. I know how to relax you.”

She rolled her eyes. Oh, no – not tonight. She searched her mind for excuses but couldn’t think of anything. She took a deep breath and turned towards him, making herself smile. Demurely, she asked, “Really? How?”

“Come here, I’ll show you.”

Mark kissed her for what seemed like an hour. She knew him well enough to know what was next and wished she hadn’t said she was finished studying. She slowly pulled herself away. She dodged his searching lips every time he tried to reengage her in another kiss until he finally gave a frustrated groan and said, “What?”

She lowered her eyes. She couldn’t look in his face and lie. “I’m sorry, baby. It’s that time of the month.”

“Again? Wasn’t that two weeks ago?” He was paying more attention to when her cycles were, probably because she was using that excuse more and more.

Truth was, she’d barely had a period since she started getting Depo-Provera shots over a year ago. “You know that Depo has my cycles all crazy.” She turned her back to him.

He rubbed her shoulders. “You know I hate that stuff. It’s unnatural – all those extra hormones in your body. That’s probably the reason for the extra pounds you’ve gained and your constant moodiness.”

She whipped around. “What?”

“Don’t get upset. I’ve noticed you’ve picked up a few pounds. And you’re always in a bad mood. I know school is difficult, baby, but you can’t just let yourself go.”

Keeva took a deep breath and pulled a strand of hair. “Mark, I’m really tired and I need to get some rest. I have to get up and study early in the morning. Thanks for coming by, but –”

He tried to smooth things over with a kiss. She stood there limp.

“Mark, I have a study group in the morning. I need to go to sleep.” It wasn’t exactly a lie. She did eventually have to set up a study date with Shara.

“You don’t have to be so sensitive. I wasn’t trying to hurt your feelings. I’m sorry, Princess.” He slunk to the door like a sad puppy with his tail between his legs.

She walked over to kiss him. “I’m sorry. I’m just tired from all the studying. I’ll feel better after a good night’s rest. I’ll call you in the morning, okay? I promise we’ll spend some quality time together after midterms are over.”

Mark accepted her apology with a kiss on the forehead. “All right, we’ll make it a date.”

Keeva closed the door behind him. She went to her dining table and flipped open a textbook. She had to make herself read at least two chapters before she went to bed. For the past few weeks, whenever she tried to study, she somehow ended up on the couch watching television. Lifetime always had a good movie on, one after another.

Later, as she undressed to get into bed, she stood in her full-length mirror and turned from side to side, trying to find the extra pounds Mark mentioned. She studied her twenty-five year old body, but didn’t see any difference.

She pulled her favorite pair of jeans out of the closet. They were a size four and usually fit her perfectly. She pulled up the zipper. They fit the same way they always did. Mark probably noticed something she didn’t. Gotta start going to the gym.

Keeva sat on the edge of the bed and opened her nightstand drawer to pull out a bottle of Ambien tablets. She didn’t like having to depend on pills, but she had to get a good night’s sleep. If she did her usual tossing and turning for hours, she’d never be able to study tomorrow.

She slipped between her crème-colored, satin sheets and started her deep breathing and relaxation techniques, hoping for sleep to come. The pill would soon chase away images of her flunking out of school and losing everything she held dear. (Urban Christian, $14.95, 300pp)

Come visit my bookclub blog at Sherri Lewis Book Club and follow me on Twitter.






































Hey everybody!!!

Just wanted to let you know about a booksigning coming up next weekend. Not only will you get to meet an awesome group of authors, but you'll have a chance to support a group of young boys in a book club called Boys Who Dare (Dare stands for Dream About Reading Everyday.)

On Friday, August 1st, in Atlanta, Georgia signing with Travis Hunter, Denene Milner, Nick Chiles, Sherri Lewis, Tia McCollors and DiShan Washington to raise money for a group of young men in a program called Boys Who Dare. This is a group of young boys (ages 6 - 16) who belong to a monthly book club, but who are now raising money to attend the inauguration in January! Barnes and Noble will be donating a percentage of every book sold to this cause. Imagine, we can change these young men's lives. Please come out, and support not only the authors, but these young men!:

Friday, August 1 7:00PM -9:00PM 2370 Union Road, SW Atlanta, Georgia 30336

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 18, 2008
Contact: Dee Stewart
(770) 298-7539, deegospelpr@gmail.com

Atlanta Author Shorts Christian Fiction’s Best
Marital Grace Defeating Homosexual Disgrace Makes Debut Novel a Good Read

My Soul Cries Out made the list. The novel depicts an unsuspecting wife realizing that her husband, a music minister has been struggling with homosexuality since childhood, and that their church has been covering up this secret shame for just as long. The novel has already received acclaim through book clubs, reviews and author endorsements. It is also an Essence Magazine Bestseller.
Winners will be announced on September 20, 2008 at the ACFW Convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota


About Sherri Lewis
Ms. Lewis is a staff physician at a Georgia Department of Corrections’ women’s prison, and the author of two bestselling novels, My Soul Cries Out and Dance into Destiny. Her third novel, The List will be released March 2009. To learn more, visit Sherri Lewis at www.sherrilewis.com.

About ACFW
The American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) is an association of 1500 authors, editors, agents, publicists and aspiring writers working in the Christian publishing industry.

Essence Magazine
When you pick up your copy of the August Edition of Essence Magazine (Usher Raymond and son is on the cover) check out the books section, then go online.



My second novel, Dance into Destiny has made #6 on the Essence bestselling book list. Thank you all for supporting this novel, and once again getting my books on the list. Now if you want me in the magazine I have to get on top five, so my call to you is to get the word out and let's get me in the next issue.

This month Sugar & Spice Magazine chose Dance into Destiny as their July book of the month pick. Please stop by and join in on the conversation. They have an online community. Click here to join and share. It's free.

* Saturday, June 28, 2008, 11-3p.m.
2nd ANNUAL STATEWIDE BOOK CLUB MEET AND GREET --- Held at the Richard Wright Library (515 W. McDowell Road * Jackson, MS), book lovers from all arond are invited to meet and discuss their love of words with Bestselling authors Diane Dorce', Electa Rome Parks, V. L. Green, Terrance Dean, Joy King, Craig Alexander, Supreme Understanding, Sherri Lewis and Voncele Savage. Bring your lunch and be prepared to hear from some of the most powerful voices of our generation and learn what others are reading as well. Admission is free.

This Saturday I will be very busy.

  1. I will be participating in "Book Lovers Day" with Conversations Book Club at Comfort Inn, 795 Pollard Drive, Atlanta, GA.
  2. Teaching you how to develop your writing craft from Rejection to Redirection during the ACFW-VIP Online Writing Conference

Those of you who register for the VIP Conference, earns a ticket in a raffle to receive a free 20 page critique from me. Wow!

I remember when I had my writing critiqued by Victoria Christopher Murray. I was so excited and so scared at the same time.

But you know what?

It was everything I had hoped it would be, and more. To have a published author--one whose books I so admire--read my writing emboldened me. My mustard seed faith blossomed into a published, bestselling author.

Can you believe that?

It can happen to you. Please join me this Saturday. If you're in Atlanta meet me at the Conversations Book Club. It's free. If you're not or can't leave home, then meet me online.

Get on the VIP List. Let's see where your faith will take you.

I would love the chance to chat with you.

God bless you,
Sherri


 

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