Almost Famous

 We recently got an invitation to attend a dinner honoring Cameron Crowe at Keith’s old alma mater, the University of San Diego High School.  We didn’t go, but we’re big fans of a former classmate of Keith’s who wrote amazing films like Say Anything, We Bought a Zoo and Almost Famous.

After retiring from the software industry last year, I knew I wanted to write since that was the area of my previous job that I enjoyed the most.  I spent most of last year learning to write middle-grade and young-adult fiction and completed two novels.  Those are now in the endless game of submitting to editors and agents – trying to find a publisher. But last month was a turning point. Although, I'll continue to write children's books, I turned my focus to screenwriting.

I decided that since I watch so a lot of TV and movies (too embarrassed to say how much...,) I should try that.  I entered my most recent feature screenplay, Last Woman, into a contest on February 1^st.  I will find out how I did, early next month.  I have written a dozen screenplays that I wrote between 1999-2006 after graduating from UCLA’s Advanced Screenwriting program.  My instructors were Jack Sowards (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and Star Trek: The Next Generation) and Jim Schmerer(MacGyver.) I felt “almost famous” when they took Keith, myself, and my favorite fellow student, Dana, out for dinner after graduation to a famous deli where everyone seemed to know these legendary (but now passed) writers.  I then attended screenwriting classes on Saturday mornings in Portland by Cynthia Whitcomb (I Know My First Name Is Steven, Mark Twain and Me) and bought all her books. 

In last month’s blog, I mentioned another script, Time for Lily that I also dusted off, rewrote, and submitted to contests. Out of my dozen scripts, I’ve updated eleven and submitted them to various contests.  I also requested “coverage” for most and that lets me know what needs to be fixed.  I’m learning screenwriting all over again – but at a deeper level, paying more attention to voice, characters, and structure.

But one area that I didn’t know much about was writing for TV.  It is much different than writing a feature movie.  When I entered one of the feature scripts that I truncated to TV size as my entry to the Native American Media Alliance TV writer’s Fellowship, the kind director said that I needed some help with TV structure.  That was an understatement as I learn this new craft. He was just being nice.  I didn't have a clue! But you're supposed to write what you know and since nobody is interested in medieval Bohemian sheep breeds  - I picked TV.

I love great TV like Ted Lasso and The Mandalorian. I watch a classic sitcom every night before bed (currently Friends) to end my day with a laugh.  I like smart TV like shows from Aaron Sorkin (West Wing, Newsroom, Sports Night, Studio 60) and extremely funny TV created and written by sitcom giants Chuck Lorre and Steven Molaro (Big Bang Theory, Bob Hearts Abishola, Young Sheldon.) For those of you from Escondido, Steven Molaro is not the younger brother of my high school heartthrob and good friend, Cliff Molaro.  This talented "Steven Molaro" is from New York.  I don't know what happened to little Stevie Molaro that I knew from Cliff and 4-H, I'll have to ask Cliff the next time I see him.

In my quest to learn how to write TV scripts,  I’ve read three books so far, read dozens of blogs and pilot scripts, and studied the coverage I got for my “truncated script” First Man.  After not getting the NAMA fellowship, I applied for the NBC Launch TV Writer’s program.  Part of that application process was the requirement to get an entrainment industry reference.  My references for the NAMA fellowship had been my dear high school teacher, Mr. Stan Alstrum who is kind enough to read my stuff and say nice things about my writing. My other reference was my former writing partner for computer books, Jack Ross. He has a budding future as an editor. I don't think I could get one tiny mistake by him! But the rules of this fellowship said specifically that the reference must be from “the industry. “

As I mentioned last month, I had actually sold a screenplay back in the early 2000s and wondered if that producer was still around.  Much to my surprise, she was and is now producing my screenplay – Runaway Cricket as a musical.  Wow – 20 years later! I downloaded the soundtrack from Amazon and it was fun to hear the songs accompanying my script.  She gave me a great reference for NBC and I’ll use it when I apply again at the Native American Media Alliance next month.  After all this – I can’t help but feel that I’m “almost” there and ready to be famous as I work each day on my first real TV script – Aim Me. More about that to come…

 Here is the link to my credits on Runaway Cricket

https://blackorb.com/credits.html and the songs https://blackorb.com/runawaycricket.html

Doing What You Love

 

My dad always said that if you can find something that you love to do, you’ll never need to retire.  That happened to me last year.  I sold my software company and started a new career in writing.  It wasn’t really “new” since I wrote technical manuals, computer help guides, and magazine articles over the years for work – but now….I could write whatever I liked.

I tried to have a writing “job” two decades ago and completed UCLA’s screenwriting and advanced screenwriting program.  I wrote a dozen screenplays and got my first gig of writing a screenplay for an animation studio and my first check of $1200.  Wow!  But then, tragedy struck our family and we needed to  help raise and support our four young granddaughters. Financial worries crept up, and I had to abandon that dream of being a writer and take on some pretty hefty responsibilities as I ran my software company as we got our granddaughters to soccer, swimming, dentists and doctors.

One of my first screenplays was based on a woman I met at an assisted living center, Lily.  At 86, she joked that she was “in God’s waiting room,” and often told me that she was ready to die.  I would see her weekly when I would help the elderly send and receive emails from their families.  It was a volunteer program that we developed called Web on Wheels.  I would set up my computer in the activity room and envied the residents with so much time on their hands to do crafts, play bingo, and even learn to dance!

Time for Lily was a First-Round Finalist in Script Magazine Open Door Contest back in 2000 – 23 years ago.  I’ve rewritten it 19 times – including the most recent one after getting coverage.  Now, I think it is finally close to being “screen-ready,” and I’m submitting it again to various contests. If you’d like to read it, here is the link.  https://sandijerome.com/free/TimeforLilyComedyRW.pdf

The real Lily that inspired me died in 2006 at 92, and now I’m closer to Lily’s age when we first met, than to the “young” character, Megan, on who I based my hectic life.  But today, I am truly doing what I love – writing.

I recently met someone who appears to also be doing what he loves.  The Festival of the Arts at Disney’s Epcot is my least favorite festival – with the Food and Garden being my first choice.  At the arts festival, the food is often “deconstructed,” – but this year, they had a hummingbird cake and soft-shell crab – that were amazing.  Along with not being big foodie lovers of elevated cuisine, we also don’t appreciate fine art that much.  But we’re huge fans of Grogu, and The Mandalorian and this print caught Keith’s eye.  We bought it for $89 – which after our annual passholder discount and tax, was $85.  Then, the Disney cast member told us that the artist was back in Germany at the Thomas Kinkade booth and would sign our print.

Well…that was quite a signing.  Not only did I get it signed, but I got to pick out what was on the back and I picked Yoda.  It was also a special treat for the artist Dirk Wunderlich to explain to me why Grogu cannot be Yoda as a baby.  Dirk is about seven years older than me and is a Thomas Kinkade legacy artist who has done images and logos for Disney.  We talked about my ties to Anaheim (my great-grandmother once owned orange groves where Disneyland now stands) and my hometown of Escondido and why I now live in Clermont – at 300 feet.  He has selected a home in Northern California at 400 feet! We’re both trying to avoid death by earthquakes or hurricanes/global warming floods.

I would imagine, at about 75 years old, that Dirk can live anywhere or do anything, but he spends long days at Epcot, drawing on the back of his prints – for free – and talking to people like me.  He appears to truly be truly doing what he loves and will probably never retire.

Visit my website at sandracookjerome.com to read my screenplays or books - or if you want to buy a book, there are pictures and links on my website. I hope you are doing what you love!

Here's a link to my YouTube about my visit with Dirk Wunderlich at Epcot - https://youtu.be/oeq9eSz-yos

 

Late to the Game

I didn't find out I was Cherokee until my grandmother died.  I hadn't seen her for a few years and I asked my dad, "Where?" He said that she went back to the reservation and died in one of their rest homes. 

The reservation - seriously?  I was finding out as an adult that I was Cherokee.  There were so many questions that I wanted to ask her and now she was gone.  "What was it like and how did you feel about being Native American?" But the biggest question, I asked my dad.  "Why didn’t you tell anyone we were Cherokee – including me?"

My dad explained that in the 1950s and 60s, being a Native American was not a good thing.  It would have hurt his ability to get work since the stereotype was a drunken and lazy "Indian."  He didn't tell anyone and neither did my grandmother.  Before my oldest aunt died, she mailed me things that had belonged to my grandmother.  On the back of her marriage certificate, my grandma wrote the names of each of her children and for some of them; the day they died.  She had 7 children; her oldest son died in World War II, her youngest daughter death is an unsolved murder or accident in Oklahoma, and one baby died a few months after birth.  She had a hard life. 

My grandmother was married at 16 and had her first baby, my Aunt Thelma, a few months later.  Her own parents lived in poverty in an area north of Bluejacket, Oklahoma that was incorporated into the Cherokee Nation in 1894.  Today it has about 300 residents.  There were nine people living in the same house, so I’m guessing that my dashing and older grandfather gave her an escape to a better life.  He was truck driver and made a living being a bootlegger - probably selling to the Cherokees.

My grandparents had their first three kids and ended up moving to Colorado where my father was born before moving again to California where I grew up.  I was the 2^nd youngest of 15 grandchildren, so I wasn’t close to these grandparents, especially when they moved back to Oklahoma when I was about ten. We never traveled there, my mother didn't like my grandmother and I think it was mutual.  My mother was German, and my grandmother's first born son died fighting the Germans.

After my grandmother’s death, I decided to join the Cherokee Nation and found her name on the Dawes Roll and filled out the paperwork.  My dad was getting old, so he asked that I enroll him too.  He was proud to get that tribal card and I was intrigued. Who was our actual Native American ancestor?

I am a genealogy buff and found so many of my ancestors on Grandma's side born in Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee and then they died in Oklahoma.  I thought it might be how my mom's German side settled in Missouri and then migrated to California from 1901 - 1940, but this was different. 

Then I read the Trail of Tears. Why wasn't this forced march and the genocide of the Indigenous people taught in school?  We have finally inserted into history books some of the horrific things the European settlers did enslaving African Americans, but not too much is devoted to the genocide of Native Americans. An estimated 5 million to 15 million were living in North America when Columbus arrived in 1492.  That number was reduced to only a few hundred thousand by the close of the Indian Wars in the late 19th century.

Trying to teach kids today about the realities of this genocide is difficult.  “Cowboys and Indians” have been glamorized for years in our culture and I was guilty of it when I sat and watched the extremely inaccurate Pocahontas by Disney with my granddaughters. I’m thankful that I never dressed any of them up in Native American costumes for Halloween. How insulting that is to our ancestors. 

Borrowing from Disney, “A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down…,” I think the best way to tell this story and correct history is through our writing.  If we can tell the truth within another story that kids will be excited to read, then we’ll shine a light on problem.  We study history to help prevent things like this from happening again. My actual Native American ancestor, Clarissa Wright was in the Cherokee Nation East in 1826 then died in Oklahoma in 1936. She died young, leaving behind two small boys for a step-mother to raise. I could never find out what happened, but I decided to make up a story for her and make her a superhero.

In my first middle grade book, Sleep Warrior, I give the microphone to Clarissa and Aya’s crusty grandmother to teach our history.  In the book I’m currently writing, the protagonist has the microphone and with the passion of a teen, he tells the truth.  I’m thinking of calling it either Truth Warrior or Moon Sleep.

I might be late to the game, but I’m in it now.  I'm trying to teach my own granddaughters about being Cherokee and getting them involved in the tribe.  I am learning about our  Cherokee history and culture so that I can tell my stories authentically. 

I hope you’ll read my latest version of Sleep Warrior, which a kind editor and member of our tribe suggested that I rewrite into first person POV.  Here is the link - https://sandijerome.com/free/SleepWarrior%20Sandra_JeromeRWPDF.pdf

 

 

 

Make it Work, Make it Better, and then Make it the Best

One of my most exciting consulting engagements was a programming job for IBM. I went to the Thomas J. Watson Research Center in Albany, NY, and wore my favorite power suit for the calling up to the "mothership" of computer technology. I was early, and I watched employees arrive in attire that looked more like sleepwear than business attire.  When my contact person met me, he explained that programmers work there, and they were encouraged to be comfortable and focused on the task. He told me that our goal for the two days was to “make it work, make it better, and then make it the best.” 

With my first novel, Sleep Warrior, I am on the 9^th rewrite. I wrote the first draft a year ago to get it ready for the annual conference of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. I got two critiques, and both thought that the story worked but told me many ways to make it better. Next, I started a process of peer review, asking various middle-school teachers, parents, and students to read it. It started getting better over the past year during each rewrite.

Last month, I entered the Screencraft Competition for Cinematic Books and paid extra for feedback. I won’t know until next month if I’m close to the “best” goal and a finalist, but the feedback was positive and moved me up to 3^rd place in the Red List on Coverfly. 

I also entered my 2^nd novel, Murder at the Magic Kingdom, and it didn’t fare so well with the same reader. It didn’t “work,” and I’ve spent the past month making it better. I had to change my "kick-ass" girl detective from entering middle school to high school and the age category to young adult due to the violence from bullying, and of course, the whole “murder” thing might not be appropriate. It is odd because, during one of the breakout sessions at the SCBWI conference, one of the presenters said she’d like to see a murder mystery in middle-grade fiction, but I’m not sure everyone is ready for that, and the goal is to reach the widest audience and avoid getting blocked by the gatekeepers. But doing this rewrite up to YA let me add a romance for my main character, which was delightful to write. Ahh...first love. I hope that Murder at the Magic Kingdom is better, and I’m looking for some peer review if you’re interested in helping me make it the best.

https://sandijerome.com/free/MurderattheMagicKingdomPDF.pdf

Here is the coverage (feedback) I received for Sleep Warrior   

“This novel features a strong premise, compelling characters, and a satisfying narrative arc. The concept here works extremely well. You’re blending elements of an Adventure and Mystery here. Both genres hold an evergreen appeal for young audiences, and the market potential for an adaptation comes across clearly. The supernatural plot elements add a deeper texture to the premise. Centering this story in the experience of a half-Cherokee middle schooler allows you to explore a relevance and representation that’ll bolster the story’s appeal.

 In addition, Aya’s interest in technology provides an added STEM focus that the publishing and film industries greatly favor at this time. You might contemplate whether a feature film or series adaptation would better serve your vision for the story, as either option could certainly work. Because Aya’s middle school age, you might also consider live-action over animation, as that format may appeal more strongly to the intended “tween” demographic for a story such as this.

 The characters are compelling, relatable and charming. They’re complex and interesting: Aya’s conflicting feelings about her Cherokee roots, for example, Andrea depicted as a fiery, multitasking super mom, Adam as the vegan “peacemaker” of the family, or “salty, crusty, and fearless” (page 39) Grandma Enola. These are appealing characters, but you cleverly keep them grounded in relationship. An audience or reader feels their connection deeply, which raises the stakes of the story. Aya cleaning her feet on her pajamas and kicking them into a pile (page 3), for example, her desire to fit in, or her disgust at witnessing affection between her parents (page 5) are character details that will make her deeply relatable to her audience.

 The dialogue works well, featuring a naturalistic tone that serves to bring the character voices to life on the page. The relationships and family rituals are communicated particularly effectively: in lines like, “By Grabthar’s Hammer, you shall be avenged!” (page 8), Adam’s affectionate “Dynamite” nickname for Aya and “Firecracker” for Andrea, and Alec and Adam’s “Grrrrr” ritual on seeing the Bear Zoo (page 32). Dialogue like this emphasizes the relationships and traditions of Aya’s family, giving a visceral sense of their history and deep connection. This provides a strong background for the narrative and will serve to deepen an audience’s investment in the characters.

 The voice of the novel and Aya’s voice are one-in-the same, and her personality comes through well in the narration. The action is clearly communicated, but if you’re interested in a cinematic adaptation, I would recommend enhancing the visual descriptions of the narrative to ensure the cinematic potential for the story comes through on the page. You might, for example, give a more detailed visual description of the setting, using natural imagery to evoke a stronger atmospheric tone and communicate more about the stylistic approach to an on-screen adaptation.

 The story and structure are effective here. You initially introduce an intriguing mystery with Aya’s waking up wet, then set that aside to introduce the world and central characters with Megan’s taunting of Alec and Aya’s revenge plot. The narrative flows seamlessly between the central plot and a deeper glimpse at Aya’s internal concerns and conflicts. The story’s arc is complete, and each plot beat flows organically, one to the next. The choice to shift perspective, on occasion, to Nightwind, is particularly cinematic. It builds tension and effectively communicates the dramatic potential.

 Overall, this narrative would translate well to the screen, and I believe there’s a place in the current marketplace for your story.”

Here is the link in case you want to read and comment. I'm looking for a publisher and/or agent.

https://sandijerome.com/free/SleepWarrior%20Sandra_JeromeRWPDF.pdf 

How about my IBM job? We spent the first day making it work. It was hard not to stop and do things better, but he was right because I slept fine that night because we had a working routine. The next day was actually fun - making it better. The program was for Saab, and years later that was our first dealership where we installed our DMS DealerStar. It all came full circle for me and that dealership is still using the software we wrote, even after Saab is gone. After we sold DealerStar, I retired, but I still use that goal in my writing of “make it work, make it better, and then make it the best.”  

Years later, I was called to another mothership, Microsoft, but that story is for another blog, I did dress much more comfortably.  

 

 

Two Quarts Low of Patience

 “Grant me the serenity to accept that which cannot be changed, courage to change what I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”  

 

This is one of my favorite pictures of my granddaughter, Chandra.  She is grown now and I admire her mindfulness. 

We are born with no patience. A baby gets tossed into this world from a warm, dark, soft, and constantly fed environment into a loud, cold, and noisy room. Doctors used to hold the baby upside down and slap its behind to stimulate it to cry and take its first breath on its own. It makes sense that we started our lives being impatient for everything we needed.  

I believe that everyone then builds up a certain amount of patience after their caring parents respond to their needs, and they trust in the universe for things to be fair. Unfortunately, it is a hard lesson to learn that things are not fair. My parents treated my brother and me differently. I remember asking why Stan could ride his bike to the store alone, and I couldn’t. My mom used the 1950s phrase, “because he is a boy.” 

Today, I feel like I’m about 2 quarts low in patience. I’m trying to figure out why and overcome it. I seek out the shortest line at the grocery store, even when I have plenty of time. Keith and I prefer Mobile Orders and Quick Service at the Disney Parks in order to get our food faster. We’re not starved; we’re merely impatient. If someone doesn’t respond to my email that day, I wonder why and start worrying. Did my email get blocked? Is the person okay? Did I say something wrong? Worry, worry, and 2 quarts of patience draining out of my system.

 My New Year’s resolution is to cure my impatience. Cure it? Well, that might be rather ambitious, but I’m going to try. Here are the things that I’m going to try;

Being in a line. At the grocery store, I’m going to use this time to give my brain a workout. I’m going to try to guess the total of items that I’m buying or look at the candy bars and see how many words I can make out of “Snickers.” When I’m in a long line for the PeopleMover at Disney Parks, I’m going to get out my iPhone and click on the Fitness App and do my Breathing, which I often forget to do for one minute.  

No response to letters and emails. I’m going to ask myself if I need a response to enjoy the day. If I sent a gift, Do I really NEED a thank you or acknowledgment? If they got the check and cashed it, then I know they are okay. If I sent an email, was a response required? If so, I’ll ask for that in the email and put a date. Otherwise, I’ll forget about it. I did my part, and I’ll forget about it.

My writing career. My last job had instant gratification. I sold a product, booked an engagement, or signed a contract – usually within hours of my proposal. This new writing career tries my patience. I will send a query and don’t hear a reply (if any) for months or years. I must remind myself that JK Rowling got rejected 12 times for the best synopsis that I’ve ever read. She is now a billionaire. I don’t need to be a billionaire, and I’m not as talented as she is. I’m analyzing my need to write and leave a part of me in this world. I’ve already done that; my bookshelf at Amazon is full of things I’ve written, and I am proud of my two unpublished middle-grade books, and anytime I want, I can self-publish. You can read these at sandijerome.com, click on Books, then notice the links. Time for me to remember the serenity prayer, “Grant me the serenity to accept that which cannot be changed, courage to change what I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”  Please grant me patience too!

Amazon Writer's page   Sandra Jerome 

https://www.amazon.com/Sandra-Jerome/e/B09S3RNRKL/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_2

Part of Being There is Getting There

 

Traveling can be frustrating.  Flights are late, lines are long, and people are annoying. I traveled for my work about 100,000 miles a year and it was hard.  I wanted to either be home or at my destination.  I ended up creating a little mantra; “part of being there is getting there.”  This meant I needed to enjoy the travel experience and be productive and comfortable on the trip. I have the time now that I'm retired.

When I go on vacation, I try to make my travel and airport time part of the fun. Last month, we went on one of our longest journeys.  Yes, we have traveled farther; Japan, Australia, and New Zealand-but this was our longest trip ever.  We went on an 8-day Viking River Cruise on the Rhine River that goes from Basel to Amsterdam and spent 14 days away from home. It started with a simple flight from Orlando to Basel, Switzerland which you can do in 12 hours, but we ended up spending 34 hours.  

The first extra 12 hours was because the parking garage was full at the Orlando Airport and we ended up spending the night at an airport hotel to guarantee a space for our van.  We don’t like using airport shuttles and don’t have any friends or family to drive us to the airport; thus, we got to start our vacation early.  I enjoyed myself; it was a lovely hotel and I took a couple of hot baths because hotels keep their room much colder than our house. 

Next was the problem with labor shortages at all airports.  I had been reading on a couple Viking Cruise groups that people were missing their flights due to tight connections and slow passport control and security.  I changed our flights to provide us with a six-hour layover in Washington Dulles and four hours in Munich.  Yes, you read that right – 6-hour layover! 

Most flights to Europe leave the Northeast in the early evening and most connections like the Orlando to Washington Dulles leave in the afternoon.  But leaving Orlando in the afternoon means troubles with thunderstorms from May to November and after 2 PM.  I found a nice flight that would get us to Dulles leaving at 9 AM.  But since the overnight flight to Europe leaves around 6 PM – that this a long time in Dulles.  But when you think about that – what’s the problem? Airports are fun places if you let them be. 

Since we hadn’t had a vacation in decades, I had saved up enough for the United Polaris lay-flat seats and that included access to the amazing Polaris lounge at Dulles.  This isn’t like a normal crowded United Club, instead, it had a restaurant, bar, buffet, coffee/tea/juice stations, and lots of open space for walking, reading, and napping.  If you want a serious nap, you can take a hot shower and then get a private napping room.  It was probably the only time I’d experienced this level of luxury on my retirement income, but it was fun. We enjoyed the Lufthansa lounge in Munich and sampled German food and treats.

I did a pre-cruise extension to enjoy the city of Basel and to make sure we’d arrive at our ship in time and planned 2 extra days in Amsterdam that turned into 3 days when a hurricane hit Orlando.  I didn’t need to worry, because I had prepared our house for the hurricane and my neighbor regularly texted me updates.  

I keep in mind that “getting there” is part of the vacation and to make it fun.  You can either be upset with a delayed flight or be thankful that you have more time to look around the airport and explore the shops, and food, or merely people-watch. It is not important to “be there” anymore.  I have the time.

I had so many stressful years when I had to be somewhere on a certain date and time because there were clients waiting for me, but now, I don’t worry about it – or build in plenty of “buffer time.”  Preparing, planning, and enjoying is my travel mantra as I start working on our next trip.

If you would like to read more about this Viking River Cruise trip, I’m writing a free e-book

https://sandijerome.com/free/ActThreeTravelSandiJerome.pdf

I’ve also created YouTube videos for my travel playlist

https://www.youtube.com/sandijerome/playlists

Please subscribe to my free Quarterly newsletter at sandijerome.com to get notified about my latest free books and guides.

 

 

Time Spent with Cats is Never Wasted

 It was Freud who said, "Time spent with cats is never wasted." I grew up on an avocado ranch with a dozen or so cats. They were "working cats" because they hunted and killed the gophers that ate the avocado tree roots.  But to me, they were pets. I gave each one a name, and the matriarch of the group was called "Funny Face." 

I made Funny Face an animal character in my latest book, Murder at the Magic Kingdom, and gave her two kittens named Lilo and Loki, which are the names of two of my granddaughter's dogs (belonging to Suby and Tulaasi.) I also have two grand furbaby cats that belong to Chandra; Jade and Jasper. They are the toddler twins in my book. I've always loved spending time with animals, although today, it is mostly from afar at zoos since I married a non-pet lover guy. But I always include some animals in my writing. My first solo Middle-Grade book, Sleep Warrior, had two flying bears. My next one will have wolves.

Along with writing, I love reading, and lately, I've read a lot of YG and MG fiction.  One of my favorite MG authors is Rebecca Stead. I almost did not become an MG writer because of her. While reading a fantastic book: Writing Irresistible Kidlit: The Ultimate Guide to Crafting Fiction for Young Adult and Middle-Grade Readers, author Mary Kole recommends Rebecca's book, When You Reach Me.  After reading Rebecca's book, I thought, "I will never be that good." This book is a Newbery-Award-winning book that Mary uses to show writing in different types of POV (the character often addresses an unknown "You") and illustrates Unconscious Objectives.  I just finished another one of Rebecca Stead's books, The List of Things That Will Not Change. I enjoy stories of families coping with difficult situations. 

I read Red, White and Whole by Rajani LaRocca before the SCBWI conference and marveled at the new verse format.  This month, I was delighted to find another book in the same format that deals with a family tragedy;  Iveliz Explains It All by Andrea Beatriz Arango.  I'm also re-learning Spanish and delighted in the rich culture expressed in this book and enjoyed the "Spanglish." It reminds me of the richness of Salty, Bitter, Sweet written by CNN producer Mayra Cuevas.

I don't think I will ever write in verse; it was hard enough to transition from being a screenwriter to a novelist, and I was never a poet. But this format is fantastic for readers, the same way graphic novels have created a huge following.  Similar to a short story, these two formats enable me to read a whole book in a day and enjoy the artistic value of a graphic novel and the flowing craftsmanship of poetry in a verse novel.  I think the key is to read and encourage kids to read, even if it is a shorter graphic novel or verse novel.

My new mantra is "Time spent with a book is never wasted."  Even better if you're reading a book with a cat on your lap! Here's a picture of the real Jade and Jasper.

If you’re interested in critiquing my latest book, Murder in the Magic Kingdom here is the link where you can read the PDF version and I promise - I can take your criticism!

https://www.yogaiteach.com/MurderattheMagicKingdomPDF.pdf

As a new writer, I'm building up a newsletter list. Want to be the first to read new stuff or get free downloads?  Please subscribe to my free Quarterly Newsletter  at https://www.sandijerome.com/

Watch my latest YouTube videos at https://www.youtube.com/user/sandijerome

Thanks!