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And speaking of writing scripts, I had a fantastic time this past month adapting one of my favorite author’s novels into a screenplay. It was Christy Barritt’s novel, Home to Chestnut Grove, now titled Christmas in Chestnut Grove.
Even Socks helped–or interrupted–a lot! Depending on how you look at it.
The novel story is so charming! I also had a blast imagining quite a few of my favorite actors, many of whom I’m worked with, in the roles. Sometimes that helps my writing come to life. Their unique voices chattering away.
For those of you who are writers: Do you also do that when you draft a screenplay?
Drop me a note or a blog comment when you get a chance.
It’s been a while since I last gave an update about These Stones, and a lot has happened since its first release on UP Faith & Family last September! We will forever be grateful to UP Faith & Family for a fantastic debut into the world. It’s still available on their streamer for just a $5.99 subscription per month. They have great programming, including my personal fave, Hudson & Rex and tons of Christmas movies, and the new Sugar Creek Mysteries which happens to star 3 of our very own from These Stones. Join here.
This past Easter, These Stones also made its cable debut on UPtv, reaching an even broader audience during one of the most meaningful weeks of the year. It was our first time airing on cable television — and what a joy it was to hear from new viewers discovering the series for the very first time. Since our series is grounded in a verse at Easter time, this was a great choice by our network. We got 2 full marathon airings including Palm Sunday and the day before Easter.
Since then, the series has expanded into even more viewing platforms. If you haven’t yet seen These Stones, or you know someone who would love it, here are all the current ways to watch Season 1 (6 episodes total):
Where to Watch “These Stones”
Vision Video has been a tremendous partner to us both in streaming on Redeem TV and selling DVDs:
Amazon Thanks to Deep C Digital, we are now available for purchase/download on Amazon. (Please note: this is not included with Amazon Prime Video). It’s approx. $13 to buy the whole season. Make sure you choose the season and not an episode as it’s the same price for all 6 as it is to buy one at a time.)
New Faith Network For those outside of the US, New Faith Network is streaming our series internationally in many markets. If you are not in the U.S., check to see if they have your area. They’ve subtitled the show into a variety of foreign languages as well. Click here to see the series page, where you can also access what markets they are available in and subscribe to watch. This link goes to the EN version of the page. The pull down menu on the right shows all the regions.
Festival Recognition
These Stones has had a blessed run on the film festival circuit, where it’s now won 32 awards and earned 16 additional nominations across categories including Best Series, Best Pilot, Best Ensemble Cast, Best Director, Best Writer, Best Score, and many of our actors have been honored with Best Actor wins and noms (including Madeline Carroll, Rusty Joiner, Charlene Amoia, Karen Abercrombie, Cameron Arnett, Elizabeth Becka, and Katherine Shepler). We’re humbled and grateful for the encouragement this story continues to receive. Here’s a sample of awards we’ve won or received nominations in:
If you’re just now discovering the series, here’s a quick blurb:
Inspired by the intriguing verses in Matthew 27:50–53, These Stones allegorically imagines a modern world where the saints who rose from their graves at Christ’s resurrection never left. Set in a small town where miracles and mystery meet every day struggles, the series follows these ancient saints as they quietly help modern people navigate questions of purpose, pain, and faith.
The first season contains 6 heartfelt, family-friendly episodes designed to inspire, uplift, and spark meaningful conversations. It follows the Stuart family that has experienced a deep loss. Daughter McKenna (played by Madeline Carroll of I Can Only Imagine) has to find a way to help people while grappling with her own grief.
Thank you for being part of this journey. Whether you’ve been with us since the beginning, or you’re just now finding out about the series, I hope you’ll take a moment to watch — and share it with someone who might need a reminder that no one is ever alone in their pain.
More updates to come soon — and as always, thank you for your continued support! We hope to make future seasons and have mapped out a fantastic storyline for Season 2. But we haven’t started on it yet. My prayer is we get to continue for many years to come.
And don’t forget we also have the devotional that goes right alongside Season One. (If you click on links to amazon, I may earn a small commission at no cost to you.) :Available in Kindle or Paperback & Hardcover. If you purchase the Kindle version, you can get the audible version for a small additional fee.
You can also join Kindle Unlimited to access this book and others of mine.
P.S. Want merch? Check out our CAFE PRESS store to get hats, shirts, and other things with our show logo. (I have a zip up sweatshirt, T-shirt, and a hat.) THESE STONES on CAFE PRESS.
WITH RECURRING / GUEST STARS INCLUDING: ELIZABETH BECKA, DEXTER MASLAND, KATHERINE SHEPLER, ERIN BETHEA, DAVID DESANCTIS, DENISE GOSSETT, and MICAH LYNN HANSON.
STONE IMPACT MEDIA (in association with Argentum Entertainment) is excited to be partnering with
UP FAITH & FAMILY TO EXCLUSIVELY PREMIERE THE ALL-NEW AWARD-WINNING FAMILY DRAMA SERIES THESE STONES
UP Faith & Family, the leading streaming service for commercial-free faith and family movies and series, will be premiering the all-new award-winning family drama series These Stones. In These Stones, a grieving daughter (Madeline Carroll) finds herself drawn into the same supernatural program her late mother worked—matching undercover Bible characters with people facing challenges today. It’s all this stunned daughter can do to keep up normal appearances while seeking redemption for her past mistakes. Beginning Sept. 5, the service will add new episodes weekly. Season one is six episodes.
“I’m grateful to bring These Stones to the UP Faith & Family audience,” said These Stones Writer/Producer Cheryl McKay. “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. Each one faces unique challenges, met with an undercover Bible character who speaks into their lives through trials they overcame in the past. The heart of every episode is to help every viewer know that no matter what they face in life, they are never alone.”
“We are thrilled to have this award-winning family series premiering on UP Faith & Family,” said Hector Campos, senior vice president, content strategy and programming at UP Entertainment. “It’s a fresh and modern way to seamlessly infuse Scripture into storytelling that is equally entertaining and inspiring for our viewers.”
Freshman series These Stones has already garnered 12 wins and 19 nominations at film festivals, including multiple Best TV Series awards and Best Actress awards for Madeline Carroll and Karen Abercrombie and three Best Actor nominations for Rusty Joiner. Also awarded Best Director for Susan Rohrer and Best Original Score for Daniel Butman. These Stones was also a finalist for Best Series and Best Evangelistic Production at the ICVM Crown Awards and just garnered 13 nominations at CONTENT Christian Media Conference 2024, including two episodes for Best TV Show, two for Best Scripts, and multiple actor nominations.
Also awarded Best Director for Susan Rohrer and Best Original Score for Daniel Butman. These Stones was also a finalist for Best Series and Best Evangelistic Production at the ICVM Crown Awards and garnered 13 nominations at CONTENT Christian Media Conference 2024, including two episodes for Best TV Show, two for Best Scripts, and multiple actor nominations.
The series stars Madeline Carroll (I Can Only Imagine, Swing Vote), Karen Abercrombie (War Room, The Forge, God’s Compass), Charlene Amoia (How I Met Your Mother, A Royal Christmas Holiday), Rusty Joiner (Voiceless), and notable guest stars such as Cameron Arnett (Overcomer, The Forge), Erin Bethea (Fireproof, New Life, Never Give Up), and Micah Lynn Hanson (Disciples in the Moonlight, Like Arrows).
Viewers can also dive deeper into themes of These Stones with a devotional Study Guide to season one—a personal and group roadmap to discuss episodes from the show. THESE STONES: Your Personal Devotional & Group Handbook for Season 1 by Cheryl McKay and Susan Rohrer will be available on Amazon beginning Sept. 1.
Our hope from the These Stones family is for those who go through the series and the accompanying devotional will participate in the Activation ideas in the book and then share with us what you choose to do to make an impact on your community. To pre-order or buy a copy of the devotional, you can click on the book cover below to go to Amazon’s product page.
(If you buy on Amazon, I may make a small commission at no cost to you.)
To learn more about THESE STONES: THE SERIES, please visit our official website or any of our social media sites linked through that page: http://www.stoneimpactmedia.com or the TV show page:
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:
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 her before, and then she played the forever-memorable role of “Miss Clara” in War Room. Cameron Arnett was cast as her husband, Mike. That was a thrill for us since we met him at our first film industry event in Atlanta.
Two very delightful actresses to spend time with on set were Lindsley Register (as Allison Horton) and Taylor Lyons (as Becky).
While I don’t have pictures of them, we also enjoyed getting to know other cast members, like Alex Bartz, Jeremy Webb, Chris Ashworth, and Jamie Ridgeway. Kirk Cameron is also in the cast but wasn’t shooting while we were in town.
Chris and I got to be extras during a race scene. Scotty put us right by the lead cast, so we had many opportunities to get to know them during the long days of standing around and “acting” when the cameras rolled:
I can’t show too many set pictures because I don’t want to give away any story points. But here’s a few of Chris and I hanging around some locations:
And since it’s about a runner…why not get my running on?
It was a joy to meet our Line Producer, Justin Tolley. I’ve heard wonderful things about him for years about his work on sets. He and his wife, Kara, shared their son’s first birthday with us on set.
I have to say being on set reminded me why I love what I do. I love to connect with people, to use story to touch the hearts of others. Extraordinary is a story with a lot of heart to it, and it shares about the importance of prioritizing marriage and family. No goals or dreams should overshadow that. Not even my own desires for movie-making. This story will serve as a great reminder.
Cheryl McKay (Screenwriter/Book Author) 