Tag Archives: Cheryl McKay
Potter Knows Best – A Dream Becomes a Book
To follow is a reposting of a blog I wrote for my writing website, Purple PenWorks. I wanted to share with my Finally One followers what I’ve been up to lately:
Hello friends,
I can hardly believe I get to write this post: Potter Knows Best: Who Am I? has officially been released into the world!
This little book began as a story tucked into my heart over 10 years ago—a picture of the Potter shaping clay into something beautiful and useful. I wanted to share with children (and the adults who love them) that same truth:
We are each wonderfully and purposefully made by God.
In the story, we meet Daisy, her cat Socks, and the curious Little Bowl who longs to understand her place in the Potter’s shop.
Through whimsical adventures, we discover that every piece of pottery has a purpose, just like every child does. (And when the Potter’s away, the pots will play–and speak!)
One of the things that makes this book extra special to me is that it’s personal.
The artwork is inspired by my own family—Daisy is based on me as a child, the Potter is modeled after my father, and Socks the cat is drawn straight from my real-life pet. Even my mom plays Grandma (the Potter’s wife) and my sister plays Daisy’s older sister, Heather. (I also try to work my sister’s name in to just about every script I write.)
Here’s a peek into a few of the photos used for inspiration:
These familiar faces made the illustrations come alive in a way that felt both intimate and joyful. In fact, over a decade ago, I had this storybook illustrated, but the characters never looked quite right to me. So I shelved the project…for such a time as this.
A time when messages about self-worth, purpose, and value for children are so important.
This is more than just a book release for me. It’s the beginning of a series I hope will encourage families, spark imagination, and open conversations about faith.
I have some free downloadable giveaways on my website: (scroll to the bottom of the site)
Books 3 and 4 are coming in October 2025, “The Breakable Crackables,” which is where I get the chance to add my husband to the Potter Knows Best family. And let’s just say Socks has a much bigger (and mischievous) role.
If you’d like to get your own copy, Potter Knows Best: Who Am I? is now available through the series link on Amazon: (The storybook is available on both Kindle and Paperback. The coloring and activity book in paperback only.)
Coming soon will also be the narrated audio book version with one of my favorite actresses. More news on that to come.
It’s perfect for storytime, bedtime, or gifting to the little ones in your life.
I’d love for you to join me on this journey! This is just the beginning—more books are planned, and even dreams of audio dramas and animation down the road.
Thank you for celebrating this milestone with me. I pray that this story brings joy, wonder, and a reminder that the Potter knows best.
With gratitude,
Cheryl
PSALM 139:14
P.S. Here’s a peek into an illustration from early on, when first establishing the settings and styles, that didn’t make the book. But it’s one that I love seeing the likeness of my 3rd grade self hanging out with my mom and dad.
THESE STONES: TV SERIES Coming September 2024
Stone Impact Media
I am very excited to have launched a new production company, where our team’s desire is to make a positive impact through inspired stories. It’s been a long-time dream of mine to write projects that I can see through from start to finish.
Our first project will be a new streaming series, These Stones:
When her mother is killed, a wayward daughter takes over a supernatural program to help others. Though she struggles to believe in God, she finds herself matching mysterious visitors from the past to those facing challenges today.
We are starting with the first season of 6 episodes, hoping the show can run for many seasons to come. Principle Photography will be Fall 2022. To read more about our project, my incredible teammates and those involved, visit the series website:
https://www.stoneimpactmedia.com/current-project/thesestones
Indivisible: Based on a True Story
Here’s a blog about one of my upcoming films, that I co-wrote, Indivisible.
As a writer, every movie that gets made is a dream come true. I believe stories have the power to change hearts and the world.
I had the extreme privilege of working on a feature film based on a true story about a U.S. Army Chaplain, Darren Turner. I got to work with David Evans, the co-writer and director of Indivisible. (He also did the movie The Grace Card.) I have a new love for movies about marriages.
From IMDB story synopsis: “Upon returning from serving in the U.S. Army, Chaplain Darren Turner faces a crisis that shatters his family and faith in God but through the help of former soldiers, they help him return to his faith and family.”
It’s always neat to see what you envision on the page come to life. Through the cast, set design, locations etc. Movie making takes a lot of people and…
View original post 225 more words
Extraordinary, the Movie
I wanted to share about my next film, Extraordinary, since it ties to themes of marriage and family.
We had a wonderful time in Lynchburg, VA visiting the set of my next movie. I co-wrote Extraordinary, which is the true story of Ultra-Marathon legend, David Horton. It was such fun to see the talented cast and crew bringing the story to life.
Scotty Curlee (producer, director, co-writer) has such great vision and innovative ideas for visuals. My husband and I learned a lot just watching him and his team work.
David Horton is being played but Canadian actor / comedian, Leland Klassen. (We enjoyed discussing the story of my dual citizenship between US and Canada.)
David Horton’s wife, Nancy, is being played by Shari Rigby (who we loved in the film, October Baby. I’m currently reading her riveting autobiography, Beautifully Flawed.) What a wonderful lady, inside and out.
I was so happy Karen Abercrombie was cast in this film as Nina. I’ve written a project for…
View original post 298 more words
Stop Waiting on Hollywood To Tell Your Story
If you are anything like me as a writer, you don’t like waiting to see your work come to life. It’s often a long wait between movies getting filmed. I have one movie I co-wrote that is in production right now, but it’s been years since that’s happened. I’m thankful that during those years between I get the opportunity to work in novelizations. And that’s the process where my scripts get turned into novels.
I’m so thankful I was able to get to know the talented novelist, Rene Gutteridge, after she novelized my script for The Ultimate Gift. We went on to work on Never the Bride, Greetings from the Flipside, Love’s a Stage and O Little Town of Bethany. I also novelized Song of Springhill on my own, a story I’ve been working on since the late 90s. I so appreciate having an outlet to share stories, instead of…
View original post 407 more words
Love’s a Stage: a novel about making marriage last
Today marks the release of one of two novels coming out this fall as part of my partnership with Rene Gutteridge and now Redbud press. Both are based on my screenplays. This first one is called Love’s a Stage. After I got married, I started to notice a lot of marriages around us crumbling. I wanted to explore themes of what it means to keep vows and how to make marriage last. My quirky, yet good-hearted lead character may go through great lengths (sometimes comically) to save a marriage while also learning along the way what it takes to make a marriage work and to find lasting true love.
Hope you enjoy the read and to one day bring you the feature film version:
Love’s a Stage (Hometown Romance) (KINDLE)
SYNOPSIS for Love’s a Stage:
Grad student and future marriage counselor Aly Brewster had a perfect childhood with perfect parents. Now she’s heading into her own perfect life: Finish her Master’s. Build a successful practice. Husband at twenty-six. But when her parents blindside her with the news they’re getting divorced, her perfect world shatters.
Actor Nick Armstrong has been in love with Aly since they met during freshman year. He’s happy to accept his assigned place in her Friend Zone because it lets him be close to her. But it’s been over five years—time to move on. Then the usually-unflappable Aly comes to him begging for help to save her parents’ marriage. Nick has the perfect plan: fake an engagement to each other to inspire her parents to fight to save their marriage. And who knows? It might trigger Aly’s feelings for him. But when Aly takes the ruse to the next level—planning a wedding in her parents’ backyard and hiring additional actors to play his family—enough is enough!
As the lines between acting and reality grow decidedly blurred, these two improvised fiancés must decide: are they going to finish the play…or exit stage right. Alone.
* * *
Later this fall, our other novella will be out. We participated in a book of novellas called The Boy Next Door, where all the authors wrote different love stories about falling for the boy next door. The one Rene Gutteridge and I wrote is called O Little Town of Bethany.
We’ll let ya know when it’s out.
Both projects have scripts available for production.
Here’s a sneak peek at the cover:
Celebrating Marriage, Making Memories
Every year, we celebrate our anniversary by taking a trip away instead of giving each other gifts. Given that we are both “quality timers” in the love language department–with gifts as a low priority–this has worked well for us. We’d rather save our resources toward focused time away with each other.
My husband edited together a video / slideshow of this year’s trip to share the beauty of California. Since we’ll be leaving the state of California soon and Highway 1 is our favorite place to visit on earth thus far, we decided to extend this particular anniversary trip to see more of it before we go.
My encouragement to those who are married is to take is take the time to celebrate milestones, like anniversaries. Take the time to build precious memories together. Never forget to have fun together or remember if you have kids that you are spouses first, parents second. One of the topics we speak about to married couples is making sure you have good memories to look back on so that if you ever hit a rough patch in your marriage, you have good memories to draw on to remind you of how it can get better. It’s kind of like with God, when we go through a dry patch where we wonder where He is, and it “seems” like He’s absent. When we have memories with God to draw back on when He was faithful to us, they can carry our faith through until we sense His presence again–if we let it.
Have you ever seen the picture within a picture idea on Pinterest, where they suggest you take a photo of yourself on each anniversary holding last year’s anniversary photo? By 50 years you’ll have yourself in the image 50x. All four of our photos so far have been from Highway 1. It’ll be an adventure to see what those pictures will be in the future as we leave here. It’s never too late to start one of these. Now, go make some great memories with your spouse.
Song of Springhill, a love story & labor of love
Check out the blog I posted on my writing website about my new novel, Song of Springhill: a love story. It’s a story that comes from my family, and includes the mining disaster my grandfather survived and a God who showed up and allowed for some of the most miraculous rescues.
![Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000035_00026]](https://finallyone.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/song-of-springhill-cover-front.jpg)
* * *
I feel like I’ve been living in the 1950s for the past little while, so enjoying looking up details about cars, Christmas decorations, clothes, popular music and dances, and other styles of the time period. That’s one of the many joys of being a writer…being able to dive into another world, setting, time period. (I’ve been listening to this great 1950s music mix!) I was even tempted to buy a poodle skirt and a hula hoop. What an era that must have been to grow up in.
It feels like I’ve been working on this project for a long time because…well, I have. My dad had told me for years (in the 90s) that I should try to find a story to tell centering on the Springhill coal mining disasters, including the big one my grandfather survived. It took me a while to listen to him. (Sorry…
View original post 1,373 more words
Finally One 