Character Spotlight and Aussie Giveaway ~ Sherri Sand's Sierra Montgomery

Due to internet access problems on our holiday, I was unable to post two planned spotlights last week, for which I apologise. The good news is that you will have two extra spotlights to read this week on top of my regular Monday and Thursday spotlight posts ~ enjoy!

Today the spotlight shines on.........................Sierra Montgomery and Ross Morgan


Sherri Sand is a lovely person and a great writer! Her debut novel is fabulous so I was thrilled Sherri wanted to share more about her characters in this spotlight. We would love your comments!

Brief physical description

Sierra has dark shoulder length hair and dark eyes while Ross has more of a rugged look.

Actor/famous person who might resemble her/him

Matthew McConaughy makes a great Ross.

Sierra reminds me of Faith Hill in classiness, but her coloring is more Shania Twain.

Strengths and weaknesses

Sierra is warm-hearted and loyal, but has been hurt by an ex-husband and a dominating parent, so tends to be guarded even though she's drawn to Ross.

Ross's dyslexia kept him from succeeding in school and from gaining his dad's approval, so he tends to let his desire to succeed in business overshadow relationships.

Quirk (if any)

Sierra is terrified of horses due to a childhood accident. So when Chance, the horse she inherits, keeps getting loose on Ross’s property and into his landscaping plants, she ends up in quirky situations (like the time she was trapped in a hydrangea bush) trying to round up a horse she’s convinced is out to trample her.

Your inspiration for the character.

I wrote Leave it to Chance during a tough season in my life. Sierra and the struggles she faces, especially with her son, came to life as I navigated my own challenges. There are quite a few parallels between her life and mine. As the story unfolded, Ross evolved into a complex man who grew and developed as he faced his own trials.

Book Synopsis.

Single mom of three, Sierra Montgomery is desperate to find a new job to keep from having to move back home and be smothered to death by her mother’s good intentions and overbearing love. Then Sierra inherits Chance, a quirky old gelding that brings Ross Morgan, a handsome landscaper who happens to have an empty barn and fenced pasture, into her life.

But Sierra has a secret. She’s terrified of horses and wary of attractive men. Yet seeing the way her angry son idolizes Ross and adores that old horse forces Sierra to confront her fears and decide if she’s going to remain distrustful and self-reliant, or seek help from God and those who love her.

Thanks Sherri ~ I loved this book and can't wait to read your next story! I hope you are writing away ;-)

Tomorrow the spotlight will shine on debut author Jennifer Erin Lavent's Jessilyn Lassiter ~ please stop by and encourage Jennifer :)

Relz Reviewz Extras

Review of Leave It To Chance

Interview with Sherri

Visit Sherri's website and blog

Buy Sherri's book at Amazon and Koorong

Giveaway

To enter post a comment before midnight on Sunday 25th January, 2009. Please note you must have an Aussie mailing address to be eligible to enter :)

Leave It To Chance by Sherri Sand

Sierra Montgomery can't imagine anything else making her life more complicated than it already is. Her former husband is unreliable with financial assistance and in keeping his promises to their three children, moving back to her mother's home whose love smothers and advice hurts is humiliating and her faith in God is so low it may never recover. But nothing prepares her for the bequest she receives from the estate of a woman she barely knew ~ an ageing grey gelding called Chance. Driven by her childhood fear of horses, Sierra is determined to sell the huge animal despite the the joy and hope he generates in her children.

At the request of a friend, Ross Morgan agrees to house Chance in his empty paddock, striking up a friendship with Sierra's brokenhearted son, Braden. Working overtime to establish his landscaping business, Ross has little time for the complications a woman like Sierra could bring yet her compassion and tenacity despite the odds draws him to her. Yet sometimes life has a habit of getting in the way of the best intentions as Sierra and Ross discover.

Sherri Sand's debut novel is a gem ~ beautifully drawn characters with genuine struggles teamed with solid writing and an engaging plot make her an author to watch. Sierra represents the many single mum's striving to create a loving and stable environment for their children while Braden, Emery and Trevor epitomise children in the midst of pain they don't understand. In Ross, Sherri has created a great hero, not perfect but seeking to follow God's call on his life. Leave It To Chance is genuine storytelling at its best, leaving your heart warmed and your spirit uplifted.

As seen at TitleTrakk.com

Relz Reviewz Extras

Interview with Sherri

Visit Sherri's website and blog

Buy Sherri's book at Amazon or Koorong

Getting to know Sherri Sand

Debut author, Sherri Sand is gaining glowing reviews for her novel, Leave It To Chance, available now from David C Cook.

Sherri manages to squeeze her writing around her fabulous husband, four young children and her love for running and racquet ball!

I have enjoyed getting to know Sherri better through this interview and her encouraging and thought provoking posts at her blog, Creations in the Sand.

I hope you do too. Over to you, Sherri :)

Your first pet's name?

My first pet was a cat I picked out on a neighbor's farm when I was four and named Thomas. He was a dear friend for eighteen years. Our family now has an adorable Jack Russell named Milo.

If you were stranded on a desert island what one object would you want with you? (Besides your Bible of course)

Sunscreen

What's your favourite ice cream flavour?

Half-baked. But truly, anything with chocolate, caramel, brownie pieces and almonds.

When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

When I was ten I wanted to be an author, then in high school an Egyptologist until I realized I'd have to move to Eygpt, so decided I'd prefer to be an accountant. In college I studied to be a psychologist, but got married and moved to Germany instead of going to grad school. And here I am full circle, writing the books I dreamed of as a child.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?

I think I was meant for a tropical locale. I could live in Hawaii without batting an eye, but would settle for Paris.

Besides God, who has influenced you the most?

My husband, Mat. He is the most amazing, wise man. I've grown so much with him and because of him. My children adore him. He's a great dad and husband.

What part of your daily routine do you enjoy most?

When I'm not crazy with kids or deadlines, sitting by the fire (okay, it's a gas fireplace), with a blanket, a book and chocolate in a quiet house.

What's your favourite movie?

How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days. My husband gives me measuring glances when we watch it and thinks I laugh a tad too long when the poor guy is getting dumped on.

Where's the most interesting place you have been?

Paris.

What's your most fervent prayer?

That my children will grow up strong, wise and discerning and love God with all their hearts, minds and souls and teach their children to do the same.

What's the bravest thing you've ever done?

Brave as in stupid brave? Like don't ever let your children do this? In high school I jumped thirty feet off a train trestle into the Willamette River.

My brother and I also used to walk along the cross beams beneath the roof of my grandpa's barn. My mom would have had heart failure if she'd seen us.

What is your favourite Bible verse (or "one" of your favourites) and what does it mean to you?

Eph. 3:16-19 - I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

It means the world to know that God loves me that much and that I can be rooted in him.

What was your most embarrassing moment in High School?

My junior year I transferred from a rural school of about 150 students to one of 1200. At the time, I was beyond terrified of speaking in public. And I was required to give a speech in front of the whole class of these people I had no connection with. I came up with this fear-driven, not-so-brilliant plan of taking the speech up with me and actually reading it, while pretending I had it memorized. The teacher caught on and took my speech away and made me fumble through it again with the entire class staring at me in shock that I was caught cheating. It was horrible and I learned an enormous lesson about integrity at all costs.

What was the best advice you received on marriage before you were married?

Live on his income and put mine into savings. Early on, we had decided that I would be a stay-at-home-mom and as we had chosen to live solely on his income from the beginning, we didn't have to scale back. And the bonus was we used my income to pay off student loans and purchase a house.

Leave It To Chance

You are now a published author! What has been the highlight in it all?

I loved Sierra's story - her struggle with single parenting, her issues with her mother and fears about a possible relationship.

How did Sierra come to be?

She lived in my head for a while and gradually her story emerged.

How much of you is there in Sierra? Your husband in Ross?

I think I'm quite similar to Sierra in a lot of ways. I had some of the same struggles with one of my children as she did with Braden. I think Mat shares some of the qualities of Ross, but I don't see them that much alike.

Sid has a special relationship with Ross but eventually recognizes he may have contributed to Ross' estrangement from his father. What made you include this friendship?

Sid surprised me. I didn't realize he was going to play such a large role in the story. Ross needed Sid's friendship and guidance as did Sierra. Sid had a lot of wisdom to share.

Please tell us you have another book on the way! A sneak peek?

My agent came up with a stellar idea for a series. We are in the development stage of the project, but it's truly exciting to see where it's going.

Thanks Sherri ~ appreciate your time and I am looking forward to news of your future writing plans!

Relz Reviewz Extras

See my review at TitleTrakk.com soon

Visit Sherri's website and blog

Buy Leave It To Chance from Amazon or Koorong