LA's Writing Journey
I’ve been in love with reading for as long as I can remember. Except for the brief period in my late teens, when the most extensive reading I did was the label on a beer can, I have always been a voracious reader. My one true passion, however, has always been writing. I’m proud to say that I’ve accomplished a lot in my life thus far, but when I look back I realize the milestones and accomplishments I remember most, outside of raising a family, have involved writing in some fashion.
Allow me to share a few of examples, beginning with the first…
I wrote my first book at age 4, filling in words to a picture book my parents had purchased for me- in red pen. (Hey, I was 4. I didn’t know red pens were only for editing!) What made this feat impressive was that I was only in pre-school, and hadn’t learned to read yet. I had painstakingly sounded out every word using my recently-learned alphabet and, although the words were mostly misspelled, I had created a story to match the pictures.
When I was 8 years old, I wrote a cereal jingle for a radio station that won the regional grand prize. They recorded me singing the jingle and it was broadcast on several radio stations in the Midwest.
In 6th grade, I entered a writing contest that promised a small scholarship for college. I spent countless hours researching, writing, and perfecting my entry, only to have my teacher read it and rip it to pieces in front of me, accusing me of plagiarism. Her proof of my alleged crime had been that the writing was “too far above a 6th grade level” to be original.
I had written every word my self. Every. Single. Word. I can still remember pieces of what I had written. To this day, I despise that woman. What she did, soured my taste for writing and I didn’t pick up my pen for a long time after that.
In 1998, I opened my own advertising agency which I operated for 23 years. During that time, I wrote, directed, and produced over 70 television commercials and 7 infomercials (1 of those winning a national Telly award). I also wrote, directed, and produced the ten-episode, regional, television series, ‘The Great Exchange’, which was the first program of its kind to be independently produced in the Midwest. It won a Videographers award in 2003 and was a finalist for a national Telly against production companies such as Sony and Oprah’s Harpo Productions.
The Great Exchange was also one of three television shows the TLC Network was considering for purchase in 2003.
In 2005, my family and I relocated to Arizona where I attended film school. Soon after relocating, I penned Conditional Love, the screenplay. (Yep! Conditional Love started as a screenplay)
When it was completed, I entered it in the Filmmakers International Screenplay Competition, Expo Screenplay Competition, and Scriptapalooza Screenwriting Competition, which is one of the largest competitions in the world. Out of a total of over 5,000 entries worldwide, Conditional Love was awarded 10th place and finalist statuses in those competitions.
I also shared CL with one of my film professors, Terrence Donnelly. Terry had been an Assistant Director or Line Producer of 18 Oscar nominated films such as The Exorcist, The French Connection and The Women. He read the screenplay and loved it, insisting that we shop it around Hollywood. Terry became my mentor and a dear friend. Together, we were able to attract the attention of Richard Benjamin who had directed the films Mermaids (starring Cher), and The Money Pit (Tom Hanks & Shelly Winters). Richard also loved the screenplay and attached to Direct.
Unfortunately, the recession of 2008 happened and many investors pulled their money out of film investments and we lost our opportunity. A couple years later we attempted to try again, but we had lost our momentum and our moment. I was devastated.
I had mouths to feed and bills to pay, so Conditional Love was put on a shelf. My focus shifted back to marketing and helping others through my mind, body, wellness practice (another area that requires extensive writing and has been very fulfilling for me).
Several years later, with Terry’s nudging, I pulled the screenplay off the shelf and breathed new life into it as a novel. And now, here we are.
Conditional Love has been a labor of love for me from the very first page in its screenplay form. Being able to transform it to a novel has reignited my creative passion and reunited me with a part of myself that had been missing for several years.
Now, it’s full steam ahead with plans for additional books. I’m currently developing two separate book series that also started as screenplays, with a tentative goal of releasing the first before Christmas. I’m thrilled to finally be at a place in my life where I can pursue my writing passion and share it with others.
Thank you for joining me on this new leg of my journey. I can’t wait to share it with you!
