About the Author
Leslie J. Sherrod is a wife, mom, writer, and a therapist in Baltimore, Maryland, where she lives with her husband and three children. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Maryland at College Park with a B.S. in Family Studies. She also studied writing at Johns Hopkins University before completing her Masters in Clinical Social Work at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, where she specialized in Child, Adolescent, and Family Health.
Leslie is the author of three novels, Losing Hope (coming September 2012); Secret Place (Urban Christian, 2011); and Like Sheep Gone Astray (Grand Central Publishing, 2006), which earned a Starred Review from Booklist and was featured on AOL’s Black Voices. She is also a contributor to a couple of women’s devotionals in the bestselling A Cup of Comfort series (Adams Media). A short story, “The Jericho Band,” is available on Kindle.
Through suspenseful and thought-provoking stories, Leslie offers readers hope and encouragement to live out their God-given dreams and purposes. One of her favorite Bible verses is Ephesians 3:20, which states that “[God] is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.” It is this message she carries to book signings, bookstores, workshops, and church events both in her neighborhood and across the nation.
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life. Proverbs 13:12
About the Book
From the acclaimed author of Like Sheep Gone Astray and Secret Place comes a riveting new series with twists and turns to the end.
Social worker Sienna St. James is a woman with a complicated past and a confusing Tuesday morning.
In one single day, every advance Sienna has made in getting over her long lost globe-trotting husband unravels in unexplainable fashion. From a mysterious package that hails from another continent to a new teen client who claims to have a missing sister, Sienna finds herself in the middle of a city-wide scandal, all while sorting out the painful details of her personal life. At the center are two suspicious foster parents, a mega-church ministry leader, and Sienna’s own fragile emotions over a man who changed the direction of her life. It’s a race against time as Sienna seeks closure from a love she never understood and answers about whether a little girl named Hope ever existed. And if she did, where is she now?
In this first installment of the suspenseful Sienna St. James Series, finding hope in the midst of questions and chaos becomes essential when life takes an unexpected turn.
What did you hope to accomplish with this book?
I want to establish Sienna St. James as a memorable character with a story to tell. I am hopeful that readers will be intrigued enough about her past to care about her future so that the series can continue… at least until I feel like her story has been fully told. I want to establish her adventures as both suspenseful and meaningful as it addresses such issues as hope, identity, and purpose; relationships, life-changing choices, and disappointment.
What came first with this story, the characters or the plot? Why?
Sienna St. James came to me with her story intact, i.e. I could not separate the character from the plot. She was a package deal. The premise of the series greeted me one day while I was finishing my Masters degree in Social Work. I’ve always loved a good suspense novel, and the idea of a social worker, who works with the whole gamut of humanity, playing a mock detective with her caseload, immediately appealed to me. Her personal story line – the mystery surrounding her estranged husband – made sense as it gave her character depth and an opportunity to share life lessons beyond the novel’s central plot.
Purchase the Book Online at:
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Book Trailer:
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Book Review
Leslie J. Sherrod artfully crafted a suspenseful story with memorable characters that will keep you intrigued, while it addresses issues of life changing choices, disappointment due to deferred dreams, purpose and hope.
