Showcase: Beware The Sheep by M. Lewis-Lerman

"A testament to Lewis-Lerman's rich imagination ... the start of a fantastic series" - KIRKUS REVIEWS

"All ages from middle school into adults will find Beware the Sheep ... original, powered by its delightfully-vivid scenes that come to life" - MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW


When illness strikes her best friend and a maniacal underground ruler wants to destroy all that is ‘different’, 16 year old Livi Dixon must lead -- not because of her bravery or abilities -- but out of necessity and fear.

With the hope of a cure, Livi makes a reckless gamble that just may save her friend -- but at what cost?

With her new allies (a strange and sundry group of outsiders including a handsome escaped prisoner and a kind but secretive old man), Livi sets off on a race against time, looking deep within herself in order to defeat a faceless enemy and (just maybe) manage to save her best friend in the process.

Livi's strength is tested, her character revealed, as an attempt to save one life turns into a quest to protect thousands. But is she enough to stop the shapeless evil sinking its teeth into the ones she loves? And in the end, will it even matter? 

M. Lewis-Lerman combines modern story-telling elements with centuries-old philosophical concepts to create fantasy and contemporary coming of age works relevant to ay age group.

She is an avid writer, reader, and lover of animals (for proof, look to her three dogs, Lola, Clara, and Eloise!). She lives and works in the Lower Hudson Valley, looking to its natural beauty as a constant source of inspiration. 

M. Lewis-Lerman’s forthcoming fantasy novel, Beware the Sheep, debuts March 11 2015. You can visit her online at http://www.mlewislerman.comconnect on twitter: mlewislerman

Mrs. Mommy Booknerd Q&A with M. Lewis Lerman

sQ.  What inspires your writing?

A. So much!  Nature, animals, books (of course!).  Traveling inspires me a ton.  I wrote a lot of Beware when I was living in Portugal.  During that time, I travelled extensively along the Mediterranean.  The infusion of culture is important to me in my personal life, so you may see bits of that in my writing as well.

Q.  What is your favorite thing about being a writer?

A.  The chance to stretch my imagination.  It’s a terribly underused muscle, in my opinion, and as adults many of us forget how.   But ask any 5-year-old, and I’ll bet she’ll be happy to offer up a lesson!

Q.  What is the toughest part of being a writer?

A. No one is going to do show you the path.  No one is going to sit you down every day and force you to write or meet your quota.  It’s an enormous amount of work with very little reward, and a ton of rejection.  But if you love it, none of that matters.

Q.  If you could not be writer, what would you do/be?

A.                  A mom!  You are the only blog to ask me this question – and how fitting! -- because truly the only other thing I can see myself doing in any full-time capacity is (eventually — I’m still waiting on Mr. Right!) raise a family and be a stay-at-home mom.  The best thing about being a writer, though, is that I can do both :)

Q.  What would the story of your life be titled?

A. Oh gosh! That’s a tough one.  How about The Mixed Up Files of Miss Maggie Lewis-Lerman.  Wait, is that plagiarism?  (Shout out to the late, great E.L. Konigsburg! You made museums trips just that much more exciting.)

Q.  What is your favorite book of all time?

A.  An impossible question, and one I refuse to answer!  My favorite book today (due to a recent reread) is Gone With the Wind.

Q.  Which character from ANY book are you most like?

A.  Wouldn’t it be nice if I were a perfect blend of Scarlett and Melly (after a thousand pages, do you blame me for being a bit single minded?) ;)

Q.  What character from all of your books are you most like?

A. This is an easy one because I work from what I know and build outward.  When I started Beware nearly every character was initially based on somebody in my life.  The main character, Livi, was based on me.  As the book grew, it delved further from the truth.  There’s still remnants of me, all over Livi Dixon, and I don’t mind that.

Q.  Which book would you love to take a weekend vacation inside of?

A. Great question!  There are SO many books I’d love to take a vacation inside of, but I’m going to go with my first instinct, which was Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland!

Q.  What do you want to be remembered for 100 years from now?

A. For being the best version of myself.

Q.  What is your favorite season?

A. Spring. And also fall … I can’t decide!

Q.  What inspired your book cover(s)?  Or what is your favorite book cover and why?

A. I worked with an amazing graphic designer for my cover, and he did most of the work.  I told him a little bit of what I was looking for regarding style, but at the end of the day, it was all him, and I just couldn’t be happier with the end result!  If you’re in the market for a book cover or any type of graphic design, make sure to check out Jake Clark at http://www.jcalebdesign.com/

Q.  Tell me something funny that happened while on a book tour or while promoting your book.

A. I don’t know if anything exactly funny happened, but I will tell you that promoting oneself and ones work is definitely a strange experience!  I am naturally a pretty introverted person, and talking about myself and answering all these questions doesn’t come all that easy.  It’s been a very interesting ride, though, and even cathartic in a weird way.

Q.  Are you working on something new?

A. Yes! I’m really excited about my current project! It’s a contemporary novel about a group of girls living and coming of age at a small boarding school for troubled teens in rural Connecticut (think Mean Girls meets Girl Interrupted and you have the idea).

I’ve also got the sequel to Beware in the works!

Q.  Anything you want to say to followers of this blog or those that are just stopping by?

A. Just thanks very much for having me!  You can log on to www.mlewislerman.com to learn more about all my projects and to get updates about upcoming release!