Cheryl Mckay On “These Stones”
INSPIRATION FOR THESE STONES
Jeanette Town, a friend of Cheryl’s, introduced her to Tim Stevenson, her pastor, who wrote a play with Peggy Porter, another writer, in his church. He was in the process of turning the idea behind These Stones into a book manuscript. The drama was based on Matthew 27:52. “The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.” (ESV) Cheryl thought the story idea was great for television so she developed the project and became the creative force behind the These Stones series serving as the screenwriter, executive producer, and showrunner.
TV SERIES THESE STONES
These Stones is a faith-based family drama now streaming on UP Faith and Family (the leading streaming service for commercial free faith and family movies and series). Cheryl serves as the screenwriter, producer, showrunner, and executive producer for the series which is about a young woman who gets drawn into a supernatural system working with undercover Bible characters to help people today. “In These Stones, we grapple with issues like grief, loss, opioid addiction, alcoholism, self-esteem problems, promiscuity, and disappointment with God. I feel like there’s going to be something in this series for everybody and they’re going to relate to it on different levels. One person may watch an episode and take one thing away from it, where someone else may watch an episode and take away something completely different,” reveals Cheryl.
Episode three is particularly personal to Cheryl because the topic of acceptance is discussed. A subject that Cheryl and her husband dealt with after struggling with infertility for eight years. Surgery ended the possibility of her having a child. Cheryl says, “A no from God is sometimes a way to move forward.” She is now able to share her story to encourage others facing similar situations.
“I’m grateful to bring These Stones to the UP Faith & Family audience,” says Cheryl “Viewers will relate to our heroine McKenna’s journey as she walks through some of the most difficult times in her life—alongside our notable cast of characters. The heart of every episode is to help every viewer know that no matter what they face in life, they are never alone.” The service began streaming the series on September 5th and will add a new episode each week. Season one is six episodes.
The series stars Madeline Carroll (I Can Only Imagine), Karen Abercrombie (War Room, The Forge), Charlene Amoia (How I Met Your Mother), Rusty Joiner (Voiceless), and other guests such as Cameron Arnett (Overcomer, The Forge). **Lead actress, Madeline Carroll, was at the 700 Club promoting a 2018 project when a CBN staffer prophesied that when Madeline was the age of 26 someone would approach her with a project written specifically for her. Four years later, Cheryl presented the role for These Stones to Madeline.
These Stones has already garnered 12 wins and 19 nominations at film festivals, including multiples Best TV Series awards and Best Actress awards for Madeline Carroll and Karen Abercrombie and three Best Actor nominations for Rusty Joiner. Most recently, the series received 13 nominations at CONTENT Christian Media Conference 2024.
DEVOTIONAL FOR THESE STONES
To do a deeper study into the themes presented in the series, Cheryl points viewers to These Stones: Your Personal Devotional & Group Handbook for Season 1. The devotional is written by Cheryl and Susan Rohrer (director of These Stones and former CBN employee) and is now available on Amazon.
Agape Award winner - Best in Festival, Branson Film Awards, THESE STONES, about Cheryl.
Cheryl graduated from college with a theater degree. Her plan was to pursue acting, but God redirected her steps. A friend who worked at CBN, Susan Rohrer, encouraged her to attend Regent University. Cheryl followed her advice and pursued an M.A. in screenwriting. Since 1997, Cheryl’s inspirational screenplays for television, cable TV, new media, and feature films have attracted multiple awards, nominations, as well as top star talent like James Garner, Brian Dennehy, and Abigail Breslin. Some of her additional credits include writing the screenplay for The Ultimate Gift based on Jim Stovall's novel and co-writing the feature films, Indivisible and Extraordinary.
She has authored numerous fiction and nonfiction books, including co-authoring the Carol Award Winner for Best Women’s Fiction novel, Never the Bride, which she has adapted into a multiple movie screenplay franchise and slated for future development by Stone Impact Media. Cheryl has also written several episodes of Superbook.
For more Information on These Stones or more of Cheryl Mckays Works Click The Links! These Stones Faith and Family
CREDITS:
Screenwriter and Executive Producer for the award-winning series, These Stones, now streaming on UP Faith and Family; Coauthor, These Stones: Your Personal Devotional & Group Handbook for Season 1 (Stone Impact Media, 2024); Cofounder of Stone Impact Media; Author (non-fiction, children’s books, and co-written novelizations of her film scripts); Wrote five episodes of Superbook; M.A. in Screenwriting from Regent University; BA, Creative Arts, Theater, University of North Carolina at Charlotte; Married to Chris
