Sheri Levy – Award Winning Author With a Focus on Service Dogs
Seven Days to Goodbye by South Carolina Author Sheri Levy is a superb example of drawing on your own skills and personal experiences to write a book.
Service dogs are a great topic to write on and Sheri has beautifully crafted the story of a young girl’s emotional experiences with service dogs.
“Seven Days to Goodbye,” is about a puppy raiser who has completed her dog’s training and she must decide at the end of the week if she wants to raise another service dog.
On Trina’s first beach day, her dog, Sydney, finds a young boy, Logan, who has autism. Sydney has been trained to work with autism and makes a magical connection with Logan. He also has two older brothers, and the girls meet guys for the first time.
The story involves, first crushes, growing up, and understanding new relationships.
Sheri Levy is a teacher and highly skilled writer who has adopted and trained many dogs and has a special interest in service dogs.
What is a Service Dog?
Service dogs provide human beings with assistance. They have specific training to help people who have a variety of disabilities. These can range from Post traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), mobility impairment, diabetes, hearing impairment and visual impairment.
Special Book Awards
I know from personal experience how much effort is required to get a book published. Sheri has surpassed this milestone having a second book published with a third on the way and has been winning awards for the first book.
In 2014 Seven Days to Goodbye was the winner of the Dog Writers Association of America’s writing contest – Special Interest category.
More recently the book has won the 2017 Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal Winner in the Fiction Animals genre.
Sheri is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) Carolinas. She also provides writers workshops and author visits, tutoring students, and volunteers with an accredited, non-profit service dog kennel, PAALS.
I contacted Sheri to find out more about her author career in this highly appealing genre
Growing up in Southern California, allowed me to go to the beach, and snow ski on the local mountains.
After I married and had two young children, we moved to South Carolina. We have lived longer in the South than in California. I guess that makes me a southerner, without an accent!
Working Career
I received my Special Education teaching credentials in California, one for Mentally Handicapped and the other for Educationally Handicapped.
As soon as we arrived in Greenville, S.C, I was offered a job with a Multi-
Handicapped class in the same school my children attended. But I needed one more credential for Learning Disabilities. Once again, I attended evening classes twice a week and taught school during the day.
After sixteen years with Special Needs children, I taught an adult GED program for nine more years.
My adults needed skills in reading and writing, and this spurred my interest in writing. As a young student, I always spent time writing, but had I never thought about writing novels.
As I taught my students, the desire to write began to fester. When I retired, I took online classes and joined SCBWI- (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.)
Adopting the First Dog Led to More
My husband and I adopted a neighbor’s German shepherd. She was our first dog, and the reason we had more dogs.
When Charlie died, we raised an eight-week-old White shepherd, and then our first Australian shepherd, Sydney.
When Sydney was six months old, a Black lab blew into our yard during a snow storm. He had been injured, and after paying the medical bills, he was ours. Sydney and Jake enjoyed many adventures together.
When both passed on, we continued with the Aussie breed. We now have Aussie number three and four; Mulligan, rescued at seven months old, and Slater, chosen at eight-weeks-old.
I trained each dog, but Mulligan required the most attention because of his stressful puppyhood.
Service dogs
I spent years learning how to write a novel. My interest in Special Needs prompted me to research service dogs.
One afternoon, I met a young boy in a store, walking his dog who wore a cape. Because I had researched service dogs, I assumed he was a puppy raiser. I asked his mother for permission to speak with him, and I found out the dog was his own Diabetic Alert service dog.
I interviewed him and wrote my first article for Clubhouse Magazine and entered this story in the Dog Writers Association Contest, in 2010, and it won in their Special Interest Category. This category is sponsored by the Planet Dog Foundation Sit. Speak. Act. Canine Service organization. This award gave me the confidence to continue writing.
Plot-line for Seven Days Through Research
My craving to write blossomed. I had taught children with autism, and found a reputable service dog organization, PAALS, close to my home. I visited their program and took notes.
A young girl, who worked as a puppy raiser, allowed me to interview her. Her information helped create my story character and plot.
The setting takes place on my favorite beach, Edisto Beach, S.C., and I included Sydney. “Seven Days to Goodbye,” was born.
I had included Jake in the first draft, but after a wonderful critique, I was encouraged to remove him to make my story stronger. My husband and I toasted Jake that evening, knowing he’d be with us in memory.
It took three years from the start of writing of, “Seven Days to Goodbye,” to getting it published and entered Seven Days to Goodbye in the DWAA contest and the novel won in the Special Interest Category in 2014.
There are no special programs to write my novels, but I have a critique group who I depend on for advice. I write often, but on my own schedule. The computer is turned off by 5:00 p.m. and I enjoy a normal evening with my husband.
Writing, Publishing and Marketing
Since I have a reputable publisher behind me, I have an editor and an illustrator. I have had to learn how to market the novels and promote myself.
The writing is the fun part. Marketing is very time consuming and draining. I have been very fortunate to have support from friends, and readers.
My publisher does special sales, and helps with some advertising on Twitter and Facebook, and other sites behind the scenes.
Having wonderful reviews has built my confidence. It does take a while after the first book is birthed, to see success trickle out over time. All of the wonderful feedback has been very positive and encouraging.
I have found Twitter to be a huge surprise. Using only a few words, I have made new friends and have had new marketing opportunities. I target areas involved with dogs, special needs, and teens.
One of my biggest thrills was to be asked to do a motivational Skype program with three high schools in Nigeria. Weeks later, I taught writing to three different age classes. It is special to know I may have helped others.
Story Line of Seven Days to Goodbye
“Seven Days to Goodbye,” is about a puppy raiser who has completed her dog’s training and she must decide at the end of the week if she wants to raise another service dog.
On Trina’s first beach day, her dog, Sydney, finds a young boy, Logan, who has autism. Sydney has been trained to work with autism and makes a magical connection with Logan. He also has two older brothers, and the girls meet guys for the first time.
The story involves, first crushes, growing up, and understanding new relationships.
Second and Third Books in the Series
Without giving away too much on, “Seven Days to Goodbye,” I will be careful on explaining, “Starting Over.”
Trina has new responsibilities, learns people are not what they seem, and learns more about being a friend. The characters are more developed and many teen issues are involved.
There are many wonderful reviews on Amazon and Goodreads and I am busy writing the third novel, “For Keeps,” in the Trina Ryan Novel Series.
I do have another novel to write, which is entirely different from this series. I can’t expand on it right know, but I can say, my next novel will be based on a true, escape story.
My publisher is BarkingRainPress.org. Please check out their website. You can order books through them, or at any bookstore, or online.
You can stay in touch with Sheri Levy at:
Twitter: @SheriSLevy
Facebook: www.sherislevyauthor
Website: www.sherislevy.com
Email: eightpawswriting@yahoo.com
‘Seven Days to goodbye‘ and ‘Starting Over‘ by Sheri S. Levy are available on Amazon in paperback and kindle Editions.
If you would like to meet Sheri Levy she is at a book signing event in her home town, Bluffton, S.C., October 24th, and a Book Festival November 17th – Visit Sheri’s web site News and Events sections for further details 
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