Sherri Lewis's new novel...The List

Welcome back to Urban Christian Fiction Today, Sherri. Give us an synopsis of The List. Rhonda, you know how sometimes you write something and it makes you smile and pat yourself on the back? I love the blurb for The List.

Single and satisfied? Not Michelle, Angela and Lisa. These saved but sexy, successful black women think they’re getting too old to keep waiting on God to send their soulmates. Under the protective eye of their more spiritual sistergirlfriend, Vanessa, and the scrutiny of newly saved manhater, Nicole, the ladies go on a hilarious adventure to “be found” by their husbands.

Armed with their list of essential must-have’s, would-be-nice’s, icing-on-the-cake’s, and total-deal-breakers, they start their search – but soon encounter issues specific to the saved woman on the dating scene. Is online dating okay for Christians? How long do you wait before you tell the hottie you just met that you’re celibate and plan to stay so until married? He’s too fine to pass up – how saved does he really need to be? And of course, how do you keep things holy when he’s oh-so-sexy?

It’s not long before they realize they still have to trust God to know what’s best for them and that He loves them enough to send them everything on The List.

Here's a audio recorded excerpt Sherri shared:


Sounds great. Well, actually I know it's great, because I already read it. Share your inspiration for this story? I always say that writing is therapy for me. It’s much cheaper than going to a shrink and I actually get paid for it. I also get to bless other people and make them realize they’re not alone in whatever difficulties they may be facing in their lives. So The List was inspired by my experience as a single black woman over the past 5+ years since my divorce. It has been hilarious, painful, educational and so many other things. Because I realize that almost ½ of black women are in the same state that I’m in, I thought it would be fun to share the laughs and pain. So far, the response has been great. Women that have read the book can relate completely.

What would you like readers to take away from The List? Most importantly, I want them to get a good laugh. With some of the dates I’ve been on and men I’ve met in the past five years, that wasn’t hard to do. Don’t anybody email me and ask me if some of those dates really happened. I ain’t trying to get sued! It can be really painful enduring what can be a lonely season waiting for Mr. Right. It can be even more painful finding Mr. Wrong and having to deal with the heart consequences of it. So to be able to laugh about the whole thing can be very healing. Hopefully laughing will be therapy for all my single sistahs out there who find themselves looking up at God on a Friday night wondering why. The other take home point is that we serve a God who loves us deeply and is concerned about every detail of our lives, even our hearts and our desire to be in love. If we submit that desire to Him, He’ll grant us our hearts desire, in His timing. It’s important to be prepared for that time, and also to have the wisdom to choose well to avoid heartbreak and disaster.

Who is your favorite character and why? I really enjoyed hanging out with the whole cast of the book while I was writing. Michelle, the main character, of course I really liked. I loved the interactions between all the sistahcircle of friends she’s surrounded us with. Felt like I was hanging out with a beautiful group of lifelong friends. I’d have to say my absolute favorite is Isaiah. The great things about being an author is that you get to create the best MEN in the world! I’m head over heels in love with him. Too bad he’s trapped within the pages of the book…

What events do you have planned for the release of the novel? I have a full calendar for March. Thankfully I just quit my job otherwise I don’t know how I would do it!

March 7th 1-3 pm Book Signing at Barnes and Noble Camp Creek Parkway Atlanta, GA
March 14th 3-5 pm Book release party!!! Mocha Match Café, Decatur, Georgia
March 21st 2-4 pm Book Signing at Borders Stonecrest Mall, Lithonia, GA
I’ll be doing a full weekend in Dayton, Ohio the last weekend in March.

More events to follow on my website. I also have several Internet radio interviews scheduled:

BlogTalk Radio Interviews
KC Girlfriends March 2nd 8pm EST
AAMBC March 5th 7pm EST
The Rapturous Reader March 8th 5pm EST
Sistah Confessions March 13th 9pm EST
ASA Network March 21st 8pm EST

Whew! I’m tired just looking at it!

Thanks for stopping by Sherri. Readers can learn more about Sherri at her website http://www.sherrilewis.com/ and visit her blog where she asks the question, a list - Should You Have One or Not? http://sherrilewisbookclub.blogspot.com/