Cheryl McKay
Writer and Producer, Cheryl McKay (Price), became my friend as tragedy hit our family. My brother Rick was in the hospital on a respirator and struggling to get healthy from pneumonia and right-sided heart failure. Although I filled a momento book with his impact and testimonials from hundreds of people (we had no idea) after he went to heaven, one stood out. She needed my support and to grieve with me. Rick, apparently, was instrumental in her career and a mentor in her scriptwriting. She continually shared that she wouldn’t be where she is today without his support and care of her. With each text and message, we grew a bit closer, and bonded in our shared loss.
I followed along as Cheryl continued to work in the industry. I was part of her prayer team in the years she was looking for a home for THESE STONES. And now, her hard work has paid off and it is finally streaming on the Up Faith & Family Network.
Review of These Stones
Rick Bonn, Stormie Omartian and Cheryl McKay
This show, my friends, is worth your time and of course, I am not surprised. Rick was a stickler for quality in Christian work and apparently, so is Cheryl. I have also taken this approach in my own writing and connection with other Christian writers (CCW). And after returning from heaven recently, I realize even more so how important it is that we reflect Jesus-quality (as much as possible) in our work for Him here.
The award-winning THESE STONES meets a need for humanity of compassion, spirituality and loving as Jesus loves. From the score to the acting to the cinematography, the quality shows. In the scheme of “Touched by an Angel” and “Highway to Heaven” (only with several fun twists), each episode is uniquely watchable on it’s own but you won’t want to stop at one. The colors, brillance and writing of these stories will touch your heart. Heads up – it is a drama and may elicit some tears from some sensitive ones (or those who know the story behind it!) but it is well worth your time. I believe that the Up subscription comes along with your Amazon Prime membership and I noted that I did have to go into Amazon on my television screen to access it (top, small print).
Although I waited awhile to watch THESE STONES, I was so excited after watching two episodes last night that I piled Cheryl with questions today. She was kind enough to share with me and give permission to pass them onto you!
Interview with Cheryl McKay
The last earthly message between Rick and Cheryl. They will message again, just in a different way. :-)
Hi Cheryl. Thank you for joing us. How did you get started on your journey as a scriptwriter/producer?
I started writing plays when I was five. I would stage them and act them out with (and for) the neighbor kids. (Captive audience, I’m sure!) My original goal was to act, but in a BFA undergrad acting program, my professors told me that was not my talent. I didn’t believe them at first. But it was the best rejection I ever had because it redirected me to my true professional love, which is writing. It was orchestrated by God to get me on the right path. I was already writing all the time. When I was 15, I saw an Afterschool Special on TV that I loved! I tracked down the writer/director/producer, Susan Rohrer, and asked her how I could one day do what she does. She’s been my writing mentor (and life mentor) and great friend ever since. She also directed all 6 episodes of my new TV series, THESE STONES. This series was my first chance to produce what I wrote and also serve as the showrunner.
Cheryl McKay Price and her hubby Chris Price, on set.
Thanks to Susan, for her part. How inspirational is that! Cheryl, what have you learned along the way? What has God shown you?
God is much more concerned with the character I am than the characters I write. There was time I had made writing an idol, more important than Him. I was living in Los Angeles at the time, and very obsessive about getting that first real writing job in LA. I’d write morning, noon, and night around the hours of my “day job” at PAX TV in the promo department. I saw writing as my “salvation” out of that post production job. It didn’t work out so well. God didn’t want anything else to be more important than Him. I came to a place where I willingly gave it up. I became a sub-teacher to at-risk students and for a season of time drastically changed my life. I feel like once He knew I could be trusted with the gift I so wanted, He was able to give it back to me. And He did, in the form of a job writing the feature film, The Ultimate Gift.
I’ve also learned so much about the Power of the Pen, and how much responsibility we have with what we write (or produce, or act in). You can’t argue with the fact that media (including television and movies) shapes culture. That can be for good or bad. I want make sure my work has an eternal impact, a positive impact on others and inspires good. One of the things that excites me most about my new series, THESE STONES, is the way we can inspire hope, inspire others to dig deeper into the Bible stories we hint at, or even learning about the acts of kindness that can grow out of ideas inspired by the stories. My director and I co-wrote a devotional study guide to go with the series, THESE STONES: Your Personal Devotional & Group Handbook for Season 1. The book contains lots of what we call ACTIVATIONS that are ideas inspired by each episode of the show. I hope people start to do them and share stories about it online or with friends and family.
Cheryl on set with the Stuart family
I have always loved rocks. To my detriment. In fact, my folks had me watch “The Long, Long Trailer” with Lucille Ball (hilarious!) and once my husband, who was packing them around in Arizona for me, told me I was cut off. LOL.
Cheryl, please tell us about any future dreams/projects?
Of course, I hope THESE STONES gets multiple seasons. I love the show, its format, and the types of stories still left to tell. We are just starting to air season one so it takes a while to find out if you can do more. My number one writing dream is to have Never the Bride, my favorite script I’ve written, made into a movie (and possibly movie series) in three parts or a spin off into a TV series, called Love Almighty. I started that project in 2006 when I was single and annoyed at God for taking so long to write my love story. It’s loosely based on my fights with him.
Never the Bride is about a woman who accuses God of being asleep on the job of writing her love story and God Almighty shows up to face those charges. And He’s handsome, close to her age. He has a proposal for her: the only way He will write her story is if she surrenders her pen, the same purple pen she’s used her whole life to write in her journals how her love life should go.
The latest version of the script has been winning a lot of awards lately as Best Romantic Comedy or Best Screenplay. So hopefully, that dream will become a reality. I also sold the novelization rights to Random House and it was adapted into that novel by Rene Gutteridge, my incredibly talented friend who also novelized The Ultimate Gift.
That’s so exciting. I can’t wait! What is one thing most people do not know about you?
I wish I could say my addiction to 85% dark chocolate and that I eat it every day is a secret, but it’s not. Or that I love cats, even though I’m allergic. That I have an insatiable desire to see leaves change colors in fall or celebrate Christmas before Thanksgiving starts for about 6 weeks straight. But any friend on social media already knows that stuff.
Something I’ve only recently started sharing is that when the time comes that I don’t write screenplays anymore, I don’t want to retire. I hope to become a novelist and just self-publish whatever stories I still have left in me to tell. One of those is based on my complete obsession with Solvang, California. My novel series about a set of 4 sisters will be called Windmill Falls. One day…but I’m in no hurry to get there.
What else would you like to share with us?
I miss Rick all the time and loved working with him when he got me several writing jobs at Pure Flix. He could be challenging at times. (Yes, lol) But he also was my fiercest defender. He stuck up for what he believed in. I’m a better writer today because of him. I wish he could watch THESE STONES today. I know he’d be so happy to see my dream has come true: to both write and produce my own show.
Thank you, Cheryl. And yes, he would be oh so proud of you, just as we all are. I’m pretty sure he knows all about it and can’t wait to congratulate you someday. ;-)
