Seven Days to Goodbye by Sheri S. Levy

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Why do you write YA novels. What draws you to it?

Having taught many types of students, I enjoyed finding ways to encourage their interests and confidence. Pre-teens and teens develop in different stages and need subjects to identify with and connect. If they don’t have discussions with siblings or parents, it is helpful for them to read a book with the appropriate subjects. Writing for teens is exciting and a challenge. I like to address subjects affecting their lives and hope to encourage their own self-discovery.

Pretend your protagonist is at school and opens her locker- what will we see?

My protagonist is in the eighth grade. Trina is not neat and organized. The floor of her locker is filled with books, clothing left behind, and snacks in case she gets hungry. Her hobbies are training service dogs and riding the barn’s schooling horse, Chancy. She has filled the side of her locker with pictures of her very first dog, a white German shepherd, Gretchel, jumping over bushes, collecting gum balls in her mouth, and her favorite picture is the two of them sitting on the grass with her arm wrapped around Gretchel’s neck. Other pictures of her first black and white kitten, she received at Christmas, Claus, sits inside her dad’s shoe. And another of Gretchel and Claus snuggling, and sound asleep. But in the middle of the locker door is Chancy, a chestnut–colored-thoroughbred. Her head hangs over the stall door with her big brown eyes pleading for an apple chunk.

What’s your favorite sweet treat?

My favorite sweet treat has to be dark chocolate. I am allergic to gluten and have a reaction to sugar, so dark chocolate is safe. Occasionally, when we wander downtown, I can’t resist the ice cream shop and break all my rules. I order a double scoop-dark chocolate ice cream cone with chocolate frosting and Heath bar spread around the cone. Then a few hours later, I must take medication for a headache. It is always worth the discomfort.

Ideal summer vacation

There is nothing better than being on Edisto Beach, South Carolina. After growing up on California beaches, this southern beach is different than any other location. The water is brown instead of blue because the sand is made of crushed shells not quartz like you find on the Gulf beaches. The currents keep the sand stirred up, and keep the water dark. Sea grass grows in the sand dunes and rock jetties help reduce erosion. It is an old fashion beach without commercial activities. The one rental shop supplies kayaks, bikes, and beach toys. Patrons of the small island enjoy casual restaurants, a very small grocery store, and a liquor store. If you need to shop, you can browse the few souvenir shops and find beach clothing and essentials. We rent an older house over-looking the ocean, purchase fresh shrimp or fish caught that day, and enjoy watching the sunset. Our family usually joins us for a few days and livens-up our days. We kayak, ride bikes, or walk the beach looking for turtle nests and dolphins. I sit on the screened-in porch, listen to the waves roar, inhale the salt air, and watch for pelicans.

Life moves slowly, and I never tire of being on Edisto Island.

Sum up your book for twitter.

I am introducing my sequel, Starting Over. Trina trains a new pup, misses her 1st boyfriend, furious with a new girl at the barn, decides 2 offer help & suffers the consequences.

Thirteen year old, Trina has chosen to raise service dogs and have puppy after puppy. But during her seven day beach vacation, Trina struggles with having to return Sydney at the end of the week and worries about her best friend changing into a stranger. To complicate the week, Sydney, meets a young boy with autism and the girls meet his two older brothers. Tension is raised over the guys, and Trina fears she’ll lose more than her service dog. Will Trina's lose her best friend, also?

Enjoy an Excerpt

Uh, oh. The wind lifted the Frisbee into the air. It looked as if the disc had sprouted wings, and disappeared up and over the jetty. Sydney halted, staring at me. He was used to chasing his toy. His eyes asked for permission as his body quivered pent-up energy. Letting him struggle for a minute, I giggled and said, “Okay, Syd. Find Frisbee.”

I did a slow jog towards the rocks and seconds later, Sarah called, “Wait for me.”

I turned around and stopped. “Wow, you're joining me! Come on. I’ve got to find Syd’s Frisbee. It’s on the other side.”

We climbed over the jetty. The dogs used their four-legged drive and moved much faster than Sarah or me. When we reached the top of the mound, Sydney stood a distance away with his Frisbee at his feet, leaning close to a small boy. The boy continued to pat the sand in his bucket and turn it upside down, making a row of mounds.

My heart did a triple beat in quarter time. I started running. Sydney’s stub wiggled and jiggled as soon as the boy’s sandy hands rubbed his back.

“I’m sorry,” I said running ahead. I bent, face to face with the boy. “I hope he didn’t scare you.”

The boy never looked at me, only at Sydney and back to the sand. He said in a monotone voice, “Doggy, doggy.”

Sarah meandered up to us. I panted in fast spurts. Worried about the boy and Sydney, I never noticed the rest of the group. A little ways from the small boy, two guys around our age worked on a fort or it could have been a sand castle. The one who seemed to be the oldest, stood. He had long legs and was much taller than I expected. Using his hand, he shoved his longish brown bangs out of his eyes.

Oh, Sarah had definitely noticed. She smiled, pushed loose hair back into her braid and pulled her bathing suit in place.

I rolled my eyes. Okay. Here she goes.

About the Author:

Sheri, originally from California, moved to South Carolina with her husband, two children and a Siamese cat. Soon they adopted their first rescue dog who influenced their need to continue living with dogs. Sheri taught a multi-handicapped Special Ed class, and then a GED-parenting class, which included home visits. Because of her love of reading, Sheri found unusual ways to encourage children to read. After her rescue of a difficult dog, Sheri enrolled in dog classes to change his behavior. Her dream of writing, Seven Days to Goodbye, came from the culmination of her beach experiences, her understanding of behaviors, and from research with PAALS, a service dog organization.

Facebook: http://Facebook.com/Sherislevyauthor342003522553368
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Sheri-S.-Levy/e/B00NSGMS0S
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/SheriSLevy
Website: http://www.sherislevy.com

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