I Married a Beast

There's a moment in Disney's Beauty and the Beast that always makes me catch my breath. It's not the ballroom dance or even the transformation scene. It's earlier, quieter - when the Beast, nervous and awkward, throws open the doors to his library and watches Belle's face light up with wonder.

"It's wonderful!" she breathes, spinning among the floor-to-ceiling shelves.

"It's yours," he says simply.

In that moment, the Beast doesn't offer Belle jewels or gowns or empty flattery. He offers her what matters most to her - a room full of stories, ideas, and imagination. He sees who she really is. And in seeing her, he reveals himself. Two bookish souls, finding each other among the pages.

This is where their real love story begins, not with physical attraction or instant chemistry, but with shared passions and the slow recognition of kindred spirits. I had a moment like that soon after meeting my husband. I was dating the training manager at Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour, and Keith was engaged. We decided to go to the beach one day after work, and he noticed my old beach towel. I joked about it - I come from a family that gets every last drop out of a bottle of catsup. The next day, there was a new beach towel on the driver's seat of my car. This was during the days when you didn't have to lock your car, of course. 

Beauty and the Beast has endured across centuries and countless versions because its core truth remains relevant: real love requires looking beyond the surface to see someone's true character. Belle doesn't fall for the Beast's appearance - she falls for his kindness, his growth, his vulnerability, and yes, his library. She sees the person beneath the curse. The beast would have given her a new beach towel.

I kid my husband, Keith, that we're Beauty and the Beast - though I should clarify, he's actually quite handsome, and I've been known more for brains than beauty. But he can turn into a bit of a beast when he's hungry (hangry is real, folks) or when he encounters difficult people. More importantly, like the Beast with Belle, he's fiercely protective of those he loves. He guards our granddaughters and me like he's sitting on that proverbial fence, watching for any threat, ready to defend. As he says, "You want me on that fence!"

Like the Beast offering Belle his library, Keith and I have built our own collection of shared passions after fifty years of marriage. DVDs fill our shelves. We have close to 2,000 books in our Kindle Library that we own and subscribe to Kindle Unlimited. We understand each other's protective instincts, our quirks, our hunger-induced mood swings. We've learned to see past the "beastly" moments to the person underneath - and to let ourselves be fully seen in return.

In our current world, where we swipe left or right based on a photo, where first impressions are formed in seconds from social media profiles, and where we're constantly judged by superficial metrics, this message feels more important than ever. We live in a society obsessed with surface-level perfection, yet starving for genuine connection. The Beast's story reminds us that transformation happens through patience, understanding, and truly seeing one another - not despite our flaws, but through accepting our whole, complex selves.

And like Belle and her Beast, I didn't fall in love with Keith immediately. Our story is more like Ashley and Melanie in Gone with the Wind - though that comparison might raise some eyebrows - they were cousins! Stay with me here. In Margaret Mitchell's novel, Ashley reflects on how he and Melanie are suited to each other because they share the same background, values, and understanding of the world. They speak the same language, he says - much to Scarlett's fury, as she could never understand that compatibility built on shared foundations could be deeper than passionate physical attraction. She's beautiful and surrounded by suitors. Why couldn't she have Ashley, too? She didn't discover until after Melanie died that he wasn't right for her. Melanie was Ashley's one true love.

Keith and I discovered we were cut from the same cloth, like Ashley and Melanie. Our backgrounds were similar. Our fathers were born in Colorado, a few hundred miles apart. We both had devout Catholic mothers and fathers who converted to the religion - an unusual parallel that shaped both our childhoods in similar ways. We both love to read, losing ourselves in stories the way Belle treasured every book in that library. We both love movies, sharing that joy of storytelling in another form. We even both played hockey - he played ice hockey, I played field hockey. These weren't superficial similarities. They were the threads of shared experience and values that wove us together. We're the same age, know the same songs, and can speak in "movie speak" as we call it. We constantly use lines from movies, books, and songs to communicate. We're passionate about the Olympics and Oscars.

But our love wasn't love at first sight. It was the slow building of trust and understanding. It was finding someone who spoke my language. We met in February, started dating in July, got engaged in August and married the following February. 

That's the real magic of Beauty and the Beast. It's not about the spell breaking or the prince returning to his handsome form. It's about two people learning to be vulnerable enough to show their true selves and brave enough to love what they find. It is about loving the person who makes you feel comfortable.

And speaking of Disney love stories we cherish - I'm starting a new YouTube series - Writing is Life, and I'll use my storytelling skills to write the next chapter in some of Disney Studios' masterpieces. If you been wanting to become an author, or learn screenwriting from a different angle - or even learn more about AI and animation, visit https://www.youtube.com/@sandijerome and please subscribe! I'm not trying to make money on YouTube; I'm trying to promote my books and screenwriting career.

What's your favorite moment in Beauty and the Beast? Have you found your own love story in an unexpected place? Share in the comments below.

 

Joyful and Fearless

 

Can I be Fearless?

In 1992, 20th Century Fox handed director Barry Levinson a blank check. Robin Williams was at the height of his popularity, fresh off hits like "Good Morning, Vietnam," "Dead Poets Society," and the voice of the Genie in "Aladdin." The supporting cast included Joan Cusack, Michael Gambon, and Robin Wright. The film had stars, songs, a massive budget, and every ingredient that should have guaranteed a hit. 

Yet when "Toys" was released in December 1992, it opened in sixth place and limped away with just over $23 million at the box office, barely half its budget. Barry Levinson was even nominated for a Razzie Award for Worst Director. How could such a well-resourced project fail so spectacularly?

The answer lies in a perfect storm of missteps that began before cameras even rolled. Barry Levinson and his then-wife, Valerie Curtin, developed the screenplay in 1979, inspired by a newspaper article about Soviet naval intelligence studying American submarine toy models. The script itself became a victim of its own ambition. Despite twelve years of preparation, the screenplay seemed pulled in two directions. The producers kept describing it as "whimsical," while studios kept interpreting it as a dark comedy. 

Even Robin Williams seemed oddly restrained, playing it warm and cuddly when the film desperately needed his manic energy. The result was a film that critics found visually stunning, but the story was confused, and audiences simply couldn't connect with what they were watching. 

But there was one part of the movie I enjoyed: the song "Let Joy and Innocence Prevail," sung by Grace Jones.

I tell you of a girl, her husband was a soldier
Gone to war in some strange country far away
No word had come to her but the rumors of great battles fought
And dying in their thousands and the world full of fear
As the day would turn to evening she would light a pure white candle
And place it in a window bright from where it could be seen
As she placed it in the window softly without thinking
She said let this burning candle be a beacon
Let joy and innocence prevail
Let joy and innocence prevail
Believe that luck will never fail
Let joy and innocence prevail
And one night, asleep
She dreamed she saw her husband fall
In a great white cavalry charge
And waking in tears
She saw the candle burning in the window
She still had hope
And through the window
A man in the distance
But as he came closer
She saw he was a stranger
The stranger said, "I bring a message from a General
A captain has been wounded, his life hangs by a thread
He calls out your name and he wishes you to come to him
But the journey is a hard road and you may be afraid"
And she laughed and said, "No road could be too hard for I am fearless
A captain and a husband, I have gained this bright new day"
And she said with all her heart, she would fly to be beside him
And her love would heal his wounds, restore him to her
Let joy and innocence prevail
Let joy and innocence prevail
Believe that luck will never fail
Let joy and innocence prevail
Let joy and innocence prevail
Let joy and innocence prevail
Believe that luck will never fail
Let joy and innocence prevail
Let joy and innocence prevail!

"Toys" remains a fascinating cautionary tale about what happens when unlimited resources meet unclear vision. But there's another lesson in this film, one that Grace Jones captured perfectly in the film's haunting song. The film's central message, that we must choose joy and innocence over warfare and destruction, resonates today.

A decade ago, my own husband faced his own battle: triple bypass surgery, then a stroke two years later. The doctors wanted him to stay in the hospital for two weeks of physical therapy, but he wanted to come home. He complained about the noise that prevented him from sleeping, the lack of regular meals, and they hadn't started any physical therapy. I was fearless enough to sign those release and liability forms and take him home, even though he couldn't walk and I could barely get him out of the car. 

I became his personal physical therapist, watching YouTube videos and working with him all day. I put my programming projects on hold. In two days, he no longer needed the walker. In two weeks, he was walking to the mailbox. In two months, he was back at Disney, walking three miles a day. Like the woman in Grace Jones's song who said, "No road could be too hard for I am fearless," I learned that fearlessness and joy are not opposites; they are partners. You can be brave enough to defy the doctors, bold enough to bet on love and healing, while still holding tight to the joy and innocence that make life worth fighting for. "Toys" failed because it lost sight of that balance. My husband had lost the part of his brain that gave him balance and the doctors said he'd probably never walk again without a walker, but we've had a decade of travel and spending days at Disney. The walker still sits in the corner of the closet.

I'm writing the 4th book in my Kira and Henry series, War Games, while my husband is fighting his health battles again. When I write YA novels and screenplays, I use the Save the Cat! structure, and unlike Toys, I always know what my story is about and how it should be told. I become fearless and disciplined, but keep the joy of writing, because in life, in love, in the moments that truly matter, we cannot afford to lose it. It is time for me to be fearless again. And it is time to let joy and innocence prevail. 

Note: My April 2021 blog about my fearless granddaughter, Suby, tells the story of my great, great-grandmother on the Cook side of the family, who was truly fearless and went behind enemy lines to bring her captured husband home during the Civil War. 

The above picture is of my granddaughter, Tulaasi, on Mount Cook in the Ben Ohau Range of New Zealand's South Island. She and my oldest granddaughter, Chandra, fearlessly worked for years in Australia, New Zealand, and throughout Europe. My granddaughter, Vrinda, who is required to wear snake-proof boots to work as a field biologist in the Florida wilderness, is fearless. More about them in future blogs

I have been writing this monthly blog for over 6 years, every month - and I have so many stories I've yet to tell!

Happy Holidays to all of you!

Extraordinary Stories

Sometimes the most extraordinary stories begin with the most ordinary moments. In 1973, my husband, Keith and I were honeymooning in the quirky mountain town of Jerome, Arizona, a former copper mining boomtown. While exploring the local historical museum, I snapped a photo of what seemed like just another genealogy chart. Little did I know that dusty display would eventually lead to a decades-long journey culminating in my new book, Churchill's Mum: The Story of Jennie Jerome, an American Heiress.

That museum chart revealed something remarkable: the town of Jerome, Arizona, was named after Eugene Jerome, a wealthy New York financier who invested in the United Verde Copper Company. More intriguingly, Eugene Jerome was a cousin of Jennie Jerome, Winston Churchill's American mother. Through family lore and later genealogical research, I discovered that Keith's Jerome family connected to this same lineage, making Winston Churchill our fifth cousin (with a few "twice-removeds" thrown in for good measure).

What began as a honeymoon curiosity evolved into a passion project spanning decades. As a genealogist, I traced the Jerome family connections back through the Victorian and Edwardian eras that had always fascinated me. The more I learned about Jennie Jerome, the more convinced I became that her story deserved to be told with all the vibrancy she brought to life itself.

In 1873, nineteen-year-old Jennie Jerome from Brooklyn met Lord Randolph Churchill at a sailing regatta on the Isle of Wight. Three days later, they were engaged. Seven months after their wedding, she gave birth to Winston Churchill, a half-American son who would one day save Western civilization.

But this wasn't just another arranged marriage typical of the era when approximately 200 wealthy American heiresses crossed the Atlantic to marry into titled European families. Unlike the "cash for class" arrangements that dominated the headlines, Jennie and Randolph's was a genuine love match that defied both families' initial reluctance.

Jennie Jerome was no ordinary American heiress content to be merely decorative in British society. She refused to be seen and not heard. She organized political campaigns, founded an influential literary magazine, equipped and sailed a hospital ship to South Africa during the Boer War, and became one of the most influential women in England. Her energy, ambition, and American perspectives didn't just elevate her own status, they transformed British high society itself.

I believe that Winston represented the "perfect recipe" for the leader the world needed in 1940. He was half-American because of his mother, giving him unique insights into American politics and culture. This heritage proved crucial in establishing the "Special Relationship" with Franklin D. Roosevelt that would prove vital to Allied victory.

Churchill's powerful oratory rallied the British people, but his diplomatic skills, honed by his understanding of American sensibilities, helped secure crucial American support through Lend-Lease and other programs before Pearl Harbor. As Churchill himself wrote to Roosevelt, "I feel I have a right to talk about these things because English and American blood runs very strongly together in my veins."

Without Jennie Jerome, there might never have been a Winston Churchill. Without Winston Churchill, there's a reasonable possibility that Britain might have sought peace terms with Germany following Dunkirk. The ripple effects are staggering to contemplate.

After working on this story for over a decade, when my manuscript was nearly finished, my manager suggested I co-author with another of her clients, Churchill expert, David R. Stokes. Initially, I'll admit, I was disappointed. Didn't she think I could write this book myself? Did she doubt my qualifications? This wasn't even a book about Winston Churchill; it was about his mother, based on her memoirs that rarely mention Winston since they were written before he was famous for anything.

But then I had an idea that transformed everything. What if we wrote this from Winston's perspective on his mother? I created a second timeline featuring a fictional reporter interviewing an aging Churchill at Chartwell. This dual narrative structure not only provided "eyes to the world" to help readers navigate Jennie's rather complicated memoir, but it also allowed us to explore how her influence shaped the man who would become history's most crucial wartime leader.

It worked beautifully! We ended up with a fantastic book that I think we're both proud of, one that's richer and more compelling than what either of us might have created alone.

Churchill's Mum weaves together these two compelling timelines: Jennie's extraordinary life from American heiress to British political force, and fictional 1964 interviews where an aging Winston Churchill reflects on his mother's profound influence while painting at his beloved Chartwell estate. Through the eyes of fictional journalist Sophia Carter, readers witness Churchill's final months as he reveals how his mother shaped not just his character, but the course of history itself. As I developed the limited series, I decided to put in a little surprise. There is no Sophia - the same actress can play both Jennie and Sophia and maybe she was all in Winston's aging mind. Not sure the producers will like this, but if they do, that talented person will surely get nominated for an Emmy!

Drawing on over 50% source material from Jennie's own 1908 memoirs, now in the public domain, I tried to capture not just what she did, but who she was and why she mattered to the course of human events. Like a restored painting, I kept the original canvas intact while filling in colors that time had faded and highlighting connections that hindsight makes clear.

This project is perfect for fans of The Gilded Age, Downton Abbey, and anyone fascinated by the untold stories of remarkable women who shaped history. Churchill's Mum illuminates how one American woman's influence reached across decades to help forge the alliance that saved Western civilization.The fascination with American heiresses marrying into British nobility continues in contemporary media, but Jennie Jerome's story stands apart. She wasn't just an American who bought her way into British society, she was a woman who refused limitations, embraced challenges, and raised a son who embodied those same qualities when the world needed them most.

Churchill's Mum: The Story of Jennie Jerome, an American Heiress is now available on Amazon. Who knows? Your "by chance" family history discovery might just unlock a story that changed the world. https://a.co/d/6QiygkU - Watch the Trailer https://youtu.be/SLRkNX9GZGU?si=q8mWLMM3kpvw90x5

"It had to be snakes," from Indiana Jones

I like snakes. When I find one in the yard, I follow it around, making a lot of noise so we both know who is the bigger animal. I grew up with good and bad snakes. The bad were the rattlesnakes in Escondido. My dad showed me how to always put my bicycle in between the snake and myself to catch the strike in the spokes and to watch it coil. Like a hurricane, a rattlesnake lets you know that it is coming. Lots of warning as It rattles its tail and coils into a tight circle – ready to strike.

A few months ago, my manager did an episode of her podcast, The Heart of Show Business with with Andrea Crosta. The Italian-born, Los Angeles-based Crosta is the founder of Earth League International, a small conservation NGO that operates like a mini-FBI, using undercover operatives to infiltrate wildlife trafficking networks while feeding information to law enforcement about the key players and their modi operandi.

At one point in the podcast, Alexia mentions how Andrea looks like Leonardo DiCaprio - and I remembered how Leo was a villain -- who becomes a hero in the movie Blood Diamond.  Leo also produced Netflix's documentary 'The Ivory Game' about Andrea's work. A few days earlier, I met James Fox during Heidi’s Hage Saga's Virtual Workday https://hanesaga.com/2024-speakers and read James’ series opener, Revolution - The Sol Saga Book 1, where the evil Silas kills his targets and takes over their body and lives -  and thought, what if someone envied a person so much that they decided to take over their life?

Python Pursuit is about a handsome, passionate wildlife conservationist who breaks up one of the biggest exotic pet trade enterprises and creates an enemy that not only wants to take away our hero's life but his identity, too, in the most gruesome way possible. Yes, it had to be about snakes.

My manager is very excited about the script, but I got worried. I'm not a thriller/horror writer. I like writing about Christmas, love, kittens, soccer, and history. Uplifting stuff, funny, with happy endings. In addition, my new friend, Melissa, who is producing Hijacked (last month's blog,) is trying to get the film rights for one of my favorite books -- a SciFi. Over the past year, my manager has acquired coverage for my scripts from Heidi Stangeland, a former book editor – turned screenwriter. She writes Thrillers and SciFI. In addition, I've discovered that everything that Heidi says about my scripts is "spot on." I call her ideas –  the "magical touch" that my scripts needed. Then, it came to me. Why not partner with Heidi?

One problem: I don't like partnerships. My hero, Steve Wozniak, wrote in his book, iWoz “Artists work best alone. Work alone.” I was able to get him to autograph his book with this quote for Keith's birthday and he added…"except with Sandi." 

“Artists work best alone. Work alone.”

― Steve Wozniak, iWoz

How can I consider having a writing partner who isn't the guy I married to? Simple, I figured out that it is a lot like programming. Rarely do programmers "collaborate" when programming. I decided that this could work in screenwriting. We'll get ideas from our manager or a producer who has an existing project or book option that we'll adapt. We can also use ideas of our own. Next, I'll do the the outline, using one of the best structures for the story like Save the Cat or the 8-sequence method that I learned in the Native American fellowship last year and write the screenplay. Then off it goes to Heidi, who will add what the story, characters, or dialogue needs. Character and dialogue are my weaker areas, and Story and Structure are my strong suits. The key in our process is that when I'm finished with the first draft – that is it. Heidi will make all the changes she wants without asking me. No collaboration or committee discussions. I like the saying that a camel is a horse designed by a committee.

Our process will greatly improve our timeline and hopefully prevent creative differences. My hope is that the next time I see the story is on the screen, I want to move to the next project. Speaking of projects, my screenplay from last month, Hijacked, has taken on a production company, Autumn Bailey of AB Entertainment. She produced On a Wing and a Prayer with Dennis Quaid and has been looking for another faith-based airplane movie. This happened by chance. I use a listing service called Inktip, where I have my scripts, and various producers put out "leads" of scripts they are looking for. With 12 feature scripts and another 7 TV pilots, I respond to about 5 leads a week, and finally, someone contacted me and asked to read one of my worst scripts! Yuck. 

But when I responded to her, I thought I'd do a little research and maybe find something nice to say to her - to make up for sending her a vomit script. Well -- I found she produced On a Wing and a Prayer, and  I complimented her and gave the link about Hijacked and told her I used On a Wing as a "comp" for our movie. She immediately emailed me -- "Call me!" I did - right away, and we spent an hour on the phone talking about Hijacked. She always gets asked by Netflix, Amazon, and Apple+ - if she has another airplane/faith movie. I connected her with our Hijacked producer, Melissa and my manager, and a lovefest started. Everyone was in a buzz - but the hold-up was the Coverage for the script. That is when the dreaded reader decides if my script is a Pass, Consider, or Recommend.  It came back as a Recommend (from Heidi) the best! She made some suggestions that I took before sending it off for the WeScreenplay coverage that Autumn likes. I think you can see how this came full circle as Autumn is now a producer of Hijacked, AND has 3 of my Christmas/faith scripts in a 6-month shopping agreement.  Fingers crossed that it will be a very Merry Christmas in a few years!  I have to end this blog and get back to my Python Pursuit - and yes, "It had to be snakes!"

 

Chevy and Nature's Way

We recently entered my script, Nature's Way, in The “Writer-Driven Shorts” program, presented by the Black List x General Motors Marketing and Media Incubator Fund, which will grant two emerging filmmakers with $100,000 in production funds to shoot a short film based on their feature scripts. 

My script is about a passionate wildlife biologist who drives an old Chevy Blazer, and is determined to marry the right guy (who wants her to get a new BMW) and then falls for a minister posing as a car salesman.  I think it is pretty "Hallmark-like," but if we win, I can write it into a short that discusses why she wants to get a Chevrolet EV - like I do.  The actual applicant and filmmaker is my cohort in the Native American Medial Alliance fellowship - Derek Quick - who is an aspiring filmmaker. He has an award-winning short, Camping, that is making the festival circuit, and I'll see it next month at LASkinsFest. 

I love Chevrolet.  Next year, I hope to trade in my Equinox for a new Equinox EV.  My first new car was a 1973 Chevrolet Vega we bought during the oil crisis. My dad's first new car was a 1960 Chevrolet Bel Air. My first job was at a Chevrolet dealership in San Diego.

I met my husband at the new Farrell's Ice Cream opening in Escondido while I was in high school.  After being forced to quit Farrell’s, which had a policy against managers (Keith) dating employees (a lowly server like me), I went to an employment agency to find full-time work while attending college.  I aced a “Wonderlic” intelligence test and was quickly sent out on two job interviews, one at a mortuary and another at a car dealership.  The mortuary was wonderful: plush carpets, polished rich mahogany desks, and everyone spoke so softly.  The car dealership was horrible: loud overhead paging, steel desks, rude people and ugly furnishings. 

When I returned from the interview, the agency said, “Good news, you got the job at the dealership!”  I was sad and asked, “Can we wait to hear from the mortuary?”  They replied that I had to accept the first job offered, so I started a long career in accounting and car dealerships, eventually developing software for the industry.  It took me almost a decade to finish college, and I earned a degree in Accounting with a minor in Computer Science and became a CPA, but stayed in the car industry. The picture above is from Automotive News, taken at one of my first clients, a Chevrolet dealership in South Dakota. I sold that tech company last year and picked back up my first choice of career - writing screenplays after getting an Advanced Screenwriting Degree from UCLA.

This picture of my mom and dad was taken with his first Chevrolet that he bought used and eventually traded in on that shiny blue Chevrolet in 1960. I remember how proud he was of that new car; we took a road trip to visit Mom's family in Missouri and his family in Oklahoma. I remember this trip so well because our more rural relatives had outhouses - which reminded me of camping. That gets me back to Derek's script, Camping,  which is based on his years growing up on the reservation in Oklahoma and later being homeless - or, as his mother would say, "camping."

Wish us luck that we'll be able to make Nature's Way into an amazing short!

 

Writing is Life

My first blog was almost four years ago when I decided to retire and become a full-time writer.  It was about my high school sport, field hockey.  My husband Keith taught me how to play soccer after we got married since he was All-CIF soccer in high school and his favorite sport of ice hockey was nothing like what I had played – but soccer was. It was so much easier to kick the big soccer ball instead of hitting a tiny hockey ball with a stick. Soccer has a similar field, rules, and goal as field hockey. But Keith insisted I learn to kick with my foot instead of my toe. Not only does this prevent you from breaking your toe, but it gives your kick more speed and control. 

Over the years, soccer has been a big part of our lives. We’ve been to Olympic soccer games, along with NWSL games. We’ve seen greats like Marta, Abby Wambach, and Megan Rapinoe, but the best was watching our four granddaughters play.  Each girl was an amazing player – inside and out. Soccer is also a fun game.

We loved managing and coaching soccer teams and even the most athletically-challenged child can play.  It isn’t like baseball where they go to bat – all alone - and strike out.  Instead, young soccer players get so many chances to get their foot on the ball, especially in youth soccer where the team can swarm together around the field like a beehive. Keith would smile when he’d spot a young girl more interested in a little tiny flower growing on the field instead of paying attention to the game. She was having fun!

When I played on adult teams - mostly over-30 women’s indoor soccer, I’d constantly remind my teammates that nobody was getting paid and we all had to get to work the next day, so let’s be careful out there. It needs to be fun.  At that time, there were no professional women’s teams but today that has all changed.  The world of women’s professional soccer, especially the NWSL is exciting and lucrative for some of the players and owners.  It is still called soccer in this country instead of football like the rest of the world, but it is fun.  One of my favorite scenes in Ted Lasso is when the new player, Dani Rojas screams “Football is Life!” But for me, writing is life.

My latest script, AimMe Coach, is almost done.  It was originally a one-hour dramedy like Ted Lasso called Aim Me, but I worked with an amazing mentor – Kris Crenwelge as part of the Native American Media Alliance fellowship that I won.  She is a staff writer on True Lies and is currently in the Native American showrunner fellowship. Kris suggested that I cut out half of the characters and make it a network half-hour comedy.  That meant removing half of what writers like to call “their darlings.”  Gosh, that was hard since I killed off my main character.  But surprisingly, that left the hero to be my Native American character, Suby Mankiller, and back full circle to my granddaughters.  My youngest and strongest is named Suby and is in the bottom left of this picture. She packs a lot of dynamite into her petite body.

This picture sort of brings everything full circle for me.  I quit writing twenty years ago after graduating from UCLA’s screenwriting program when tragedy struck and Keith and I had four little granddaughters to help raise.  I put my dreams on hold and had a new objective to earn enough money in the technology industry to support our daughter-in-law getting certified as a teacher and those amazing little girls.

I had also taken a bad hit in my right eye with a soccer ball and had a partially detached retina and poor vision to contend with.  But with big monitors and dozens of surgeries, I do pretty well – just don’t ask me to drive at night!  My lack of depth perception makes playing sports difficult, so I walk a lot instead, at least a 5K a day and lots of yoga. 

For me, writing is life – I feel like Dani Rojas, each morning – excited to get up and write, write, write.  If you want to see my YouTube about Aim Me (the hour-long version)  here’s the link and I hope to have the ½ version done soon. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLx_8Ja4anZU7427aV5A98VQUPYtmdfWJc 

https://nama.media/sandi-jerome/

Taking Chances

One of my dad's favorite sayings about Las Vegas is, "They didn't build those big casinos from our winnings." I don't like to gamble; it must be the accountant in me. The odds are not in my favor. The most I've ever done is put a few coins in a slot machine with predictable results - I didn't win. 

But as part of my screenwriting training, I wanted to do the opposite of the recommendation "write what you know." Could I learn something from a book, then write about it?  A true screenwriter can be told a pitch - somebody else's dream and story and then craft a movie or TV pilot.  I want to be able to do that. How hard could it be to write about blackjack - a game I've never played?

I had seen my husband and best friend play blackjack In Las Vegas, and one time, my best friend, Laura, called me over and handed me a pile of chips and said, "Don't give these back to me, no matter how much I beg."  I thought, "What a weird game."  I bought a book about blackjack and learned about card counting and the basic strategy.  

My screenplay, Last Hand, was born.  I entered it in Nicholls and was a Quarter Finalist, but since then, I've done a lot of rewrites to focus on the emotional issue of the special relationship between a father and daughter. I shaved off twenty pages to make it a better financial risk, removing the water skiing scenes. I made my main character Cherokee and changed her name from Madison to Kimi - which means secret in Cherokee. My story has lots of secrets.  The reviews have been good, and I'm a Quarter Finalist in a 2023 contest.

 "Last Hand" is a well-crafted story that features strong character development, a clear plot direction, and relatable themes. The film does an excellent job of balancing its multiple storylines, while also maintaining a consistent tone and pace throughout. 

One of the strengths of the film is its fully-realized characters.  Her father, Flip, is a flawed character whose past mistakes continue to haunt him. The other characters in the film are also well-developed and add depth and nuance to the story.  The film's plot is driven by clear goals and conflicts. 

Overall, "Last Hand" is a strong character-driven drama that is sure to appeal to a wide audience. The film's themes of family, legacy, and addiction are universal and relatable, and its well-crafted plot and characters will keep viewers engaged from start to finish.  

In some ways, I've been taking chances by trying various genres and formats. I've been asked, "Do you want to write sitcoms, novels, movies, or animation?" My answer is simple - yes!  I love writing, I spend hours doing it every day.  I go to bed at night thinking of my scripts and wake up excited to start writing. I am lucky because I type as fast as I think, and I have fantastic technology skills - so using screenwriting software is easy for me.

Most Vegas movies fare well - people enjoy watching films about their dreams of being a winner.  In 2008 a movie came out, 21, about the MIT Blackjack Team that used scientific theory to make a bundle. It only cost $35 million and grossed $159 million. I hope someone will take a chance on my screenplay, Last Hand.

Everybody Needs Deadlines

 

Keith and I work differently.  

Whenever I have a task, I see if I can finish it now; or at least before the end of the day.

Keith (left) always asks, "What is the deadline for this?"  He works off of that date and often waits to the last minute to start a project.  The reason for this is that he thinks about it for a LONG time. 

Sometimes we'd be walking and I'd ask him a question and he wouldn't respond.  I'd ask him, "Are you programming?" and he'd smile.  Yes, that is the reason why he waits to start a project; he starts programming it in his head for days.  I instead, start outlining the project and create a planning document of the steps I need to do. I work with deadlines also, but rarely wait until close to the deadline to start the task.  Yes, I was that person in school that asked, "Can we start on this now?"  I like to get things done early and there is a problem with that.  If you don't spend the time to "program" it out in your head, you might miss some valuable ideas.

We recently went to the Magic Kingdom to see the progress of the new Tron ride.  We found  this sign with Walt Disney's quote, "Everyone needs deadlines."  I thought it was so fitting for Keith and took this picture.  Disney is a big part of our lives today.  We both grew up going to Disneyland since it opened right after we were born and our grandparents lived up in Orange/LA area - so that made trips there special.  After we got married, we'd go there at least once a year and then when we moved here to Florida over a decade ago, we became Florida Resident Annual Passholders.  This means we pay one annual fee and can go as many times as we want.  We currently go twice a week but when we fully retire in two more years, we'll up that to three times a week.  

Guess what?  We don't like to ride most of the rides.  Instead it is a great place to walk.  Keith had a stroke over three years ago and lost his balance.  Instead of the more common, ischemic stroke, Keith had the very dangerous, hemorrhagic stroke that only has a 26% survival rate.  It happened at a training seminar that we were presenting for our software and across the street was the hospital.  The wife of our General Manager insisted on taking him over there (he wanted to go home) and we think that saved his life.  If he had gone home, he would have gone to sleep and probably died. It was deep in his brain; in the cerebellum area that controls balance.  It took many months of physical therapy to get him walking again and now years of continued walking therapy to increase his balance to prevent falls.  

My favorite place is Disney's Animal Kingdom that has uneven walkways through winding paths and lots of things to look up and see.  This is great for Keith's balance therapy.  Going to the other parks when they are crowded provides a whole other challenge; dodging little kids, strollers, and ECVs.  Now about 4 years later, he is about 99% recovered and has lost almost a 100 pounds.  He can go up ladders again, although I'm always next to him for safety.  Next month, we're walk/running a 5K at Disney which will be a challenge since it starts in the early morning dark.  But we've been training for it all year and we're excited for the challenge.  We knew the deadline of the run, and worked backwards on what we needed to do.  So, yes - everyone needs deadlines; it helps get you to the finish line.

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Lucky I'm in Love with My Best Friend

 

I met my husband in the spring of 1972, the year I graduated from high school.  Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor was opening in our small town and my best friend, Laura and I wanted to work there. It was a “cool” place in so many ways.  I was already accepted as an International Agriculture major at Cal Poly Pomona with a full scholarship.  I had enough credits to graduate from high school after the first semester, so I was able to leave school at 10:30AM because my favorite teacher, Mr. Alstrum let me be his teaching assistant for that 4th period.  I got hired as a daytime waitress for the lunch shift, and Laura was a nighttime cashier.  Close to opening day, Keith came in from another Farrell’s and was charged with teaching all of us how to properly fill the condiment jars according to health department rules.  I made a comment to my friend, “I can’t believe this guy is showing us how to fill a jar” and I swear I heard a growl to go with his icy stare. 

From then on, it was “game on '' between us.  Keith was our assistant manager and was engaged to get married in a year. I first dated a few of the guys at Farrell’s, but then started seriously dating seriously the area training supervisor, Jack.  The year before, I had broken up with my high school sweetheart, who had gotten his boss’s daughter pregnant.  He had a shotgun marriage during our senior year. I started dating for the first time in my life during my senior year, but I was getting tired of playing all the dating games.  Although I was a flower child of the seventies and enjoyed going to parties, drinking, smoking pot, and spending my days off at the beach, I was looking for a more serious relationship like I had for over three years with my steady boyfriend in high school.  I continuously got disappointed.  But this new guy I was dating had his own apartment, a nifty sports car, and he was seven years older.  Jack also wanted a serious relationship.  He was an intellectual that could discuss philosophical matters for hours and a talented artist.  But it was hard for me to relate to Jack.  When you’re only seventeen, those many years in age difference are difficult. Keith was less than a year older than me, but born an old soul.  He was organized, serious, and focused.  Even today, we tease him about his “Spidey Sense '' or ability to sense danger.  He tells our granddaughters to always trust their naturally inherited “Spidey Sense '' and get away from any situation that doesn’t seem right.

Keith and I had an ongoing adversary attraction.  I would toss something from the salad station at him while he walked by, or endlessly tease him about being too young to get married. My pestering and teasing started getting his attention and we began sneaking off after work to the park, or to the beach to talk.  We’d talked about how similar our childhoods were.  Both of our mothers were strong Catholics girls who came from immigrant families who occasionally spoke their native languages in the home.  His grandmother came from Italy and my mother’s family was German.  Both of our fathers came from a long line of British families that had come to America in the 1700s.  Keith is the fifth cousin of Winston Churchill twice removed. My father’s family came from Yorkshire, England and my great grandfather and great great grandfather were Baptist preachers.  Each of our fathers had converted to Catholicism to marry Catholic girls.  My father’s family had suffered terribly in World War II, losing their oldest son in Germany and a son-in-law as a Navy pilot in the Pacific.  How could my grandmother possibly approve of her only surviving son marrying a German girl like my mom when less than five years earlier her favorite son had died at the hands of the Germans on Christmas Day in the Battle of the Bulge? My dad said, “we told your grandma that your mom was Danish.”  This was partly true since my mom’s family came from northern Germany, and one great grandparent was born in Denmark, another in The Netherlands.  Keith’s father served during the war as a Navy Seabee, and then the Navy as a career, eventually retiring as a Chief. 

After a few months, Keith and I broke up with our existing partners, and we started dating seriously.  He did so many kind things! He would replace my torn beach towel, and rushed to open the car door for me.  He would help me be a 4-H Junior Leader, getting all my young 4-H team’s sheep ready for judging at the fair. Oddly enough, even though I grew up in a more rural west coast town, it wasn’t expected to go to college after high school.  Many of my fellow classmates merely took up a trade, got married, and settled down.  I wanted to go to college, but the night before I was supposed to leave for Cal Poly, I wrote a letter to the scholarship board and asked that my scholarship funds be transferred to the local community college, Mira Costa in Oceanside that had an agricultural program.  I liked Keith so much and I didn’t want to be far away from him.  I'm not sure when I fell in love with Keith, but I liked him so much that I wanted to be with him.  There is a song that I think sums this up;  "Lucky I'm in love with my best friend, Lucky to have been where I have been..."

I did end up getting my degree, but that is for another blog.

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