Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Sherry was raised in the small town of Fairdale, a suburb of Louisville. Since eloping with her now-retired Navy husband to Tennessee shortly after turning eighteen, Sherry and her Navy husband lived in Kentucky, California, South Carolina, Michigan, Wisconsin, Virginia, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania. Living in different areas and meeting new people from vastly different regions has been a unique gift she is grateful for.
Sherry got her start in writing by pledging to write a happy ending for a good friend who was going through some really tough times. The story surprised her by taking over and practically writing itself. What started off as a way to make her friend smile started her on a journey that would forever change her life.
Sherry readily admits to hearing voices and is convinced that being married to her best friend for forty-one years goes a long way in helping her write happily-ever-afters.
Sherry is currently working on the sixth book in The Orphan Train Saga - a historical fiction series that revolves around the Orphan Trains.
Sherry and her husband have returned to their adopted state of Michigan to be closer to their children and grandchildren. She spends most of her time writing from her home office and greatly enjoys traveling to Libraries, Schools, and other venues where she shares her books and gives lectures on the History of The Orphan Trains. Sherry also offers virtual lectures.
Discovery - book one in The Orphan Train Saga- has won numerous awards and is endorsed by the National Orphan Train Complex.
In June of 2022, The National Orphan Train Complex presented Sherry with the prestigious Charles Loring Brace Award for the historical accuracy of her orphan train books.
More Books by
Sherry A. Burton
While most use their summer breaks for pleasure, third grade teacher Cindy Moore is using her summer vacation to tie up some loose ends concerning her grandmother’s estate.
When Cindy enters the storage unit that holds her grandmother’s belongings, she is merely looking for items she can sell to recoup some of the rental fees she’s spent paying for the unit.
Instead, what she finds are secrets her grandmother has taken to the grave with her. The more Cindy uncovers, the more she wants to know. Why was her grandmother abandoned by her own mother? Why hadn’t she told Cindy she’d lived in an orphanage? And how come her grandmother never mentioned she’d made history as one of the children who rode the Orphan Trains?
Join Cindy as she uncovers her grandmother’s hidden past and discovers the life that stole her grandmother’s love.
Discovery, The Orphan Train Saga, book one
Sherry A. Burton
Take A Journey on The Orphan Trains as Cindy Discovers the Life that Stole Her Grandmother’s Love
Book Excerpt or Article
In the mid-1850s, there were over 30k children living on the streets of New York City. Children as young as four and five who had to lie, cheat, and steal just to survive. Some of the children were true orphans. Others were not. Either way, their situation was dire, and something had to be done. So, between 1854 and 1929, over 250k children from New York and Boston were sent west on what was later referred to as ‘the orphan trains’ to find new homes. Children most people haven’t heard about.
My goal with this saga is to keep those children’s memories alive.
The early stories are based on true events, and then I use history to weave the rest of the story.
Each book will tell one child’s tale. The reader will follow each child from their earliest memory and find out what caused them to be without a home.
The reader will journey with the children on the train and follow as they grow.
When I began writing this historical fiction saga, I thought I was writing towards adults. While each book starts with the person’s first memory, the children grow up, and there are real-life situations.
With that said, the books are void of swear words, and there is no overly graphic content. Since Discovery’s release in December of 2018, I’ve received e-mails from children as young as nine, letting me know how much they are enjoying this saga and the history that surrounds it. So, now when I‘m asked I just say it’s for ages 9 to 109.
Lastly, while Discovery can be read and enjoyed on its own if you decide to keep reading – which I hope you do - you’ll want to read the first six books in order as some of the children’s lives are so intertwined that a subsequent book will give you a greater understanding of something from a previous book when told from a different perspective.
More Articles and Excerpts by
Sherry A. Burton
and other authors
S.P. Somtow | |
Donna Balon | |
Julia Ibbotson | |
ALISON HUNTINGFORD | |
Keira Morgan | |
Linda Bennett Pennell | |
Art Wyckerham | |
Nethaniel Spero | |
Gail Combs Oglesby | |
Vera Bell |