Valerie Sherrard was born on May 16, 1957, in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada. She is the daughter of Robert Allan and Pauline May Russell. Her father was in the Air Force so the family moved often, and was sent to live in Lahr, West Germany.
While living in Lahr, West Germany, Valerie's grade 6 English teacher, Alf Lower, encouraged her writing and the idea of becoming an author was born.
Valerie has made her home in New Brunswick since 1980. A personal tragedy led Valerie to make the decision to become a foster parent. Over the years, she fostered close to 70 teens for various lengths of time. Sherrard also worked for twelve years as the Executive Director of a group home for adolescents, Glenelg Youth Alliance. It was quite natural, in light of those experiences, that when she began to write in earnest, she wrote for young adults.
In 2002 Valerie's first book "Out of the ashes" was published. Her other works include the "Shelby Belgarden Mysteries," "Watcher," "Sarah's Legacy," "Speechless," and her first historical novel, "Three Million Acres of Flame."
Valerie eventually gave up fostering and her work at the group home, but she still enjoys writing for teens and children. In 2008, she expanded her work to include picture books and junior novels and she enjoys the new challenges of writing for those age groups.
In 2020 Shelley published "The Rise and Fall of Derek Cowell." It is written in the light-hearted style of Sherrard's well-received 2015 novel, "Random Acts."
(Short-listed for the 2003 Red Maple Award and Arthur Elli...)
2002(An unexpected delivery from the florist points to a secre...)
2006(Commended for the 2007 Canadian Children’s Book Centre, s...)
2006(When Shelby Belgarden’s peaceful hometown of Little River...)
2003Quotations: "I write for young people because they are dealing with my heart because I like and respect them. It is my hope that any influence my work may have on teens will be to help them look more deeply inside themselves, and more carefully at the world around them."
Sherrard enjoys reading, writing in the early morning, brain teasers and Sudoku, and playing chess and scrabble with her husband. She has too many favorite books to name, and her favorite movies include 'The Dead Poet's Society' and 'Pride and Prejudice.'
Valerie's husband, Brent, is also a published young adult author (and a carpenter). They have three children: Anthony, Rebecca, and Pamela.
