THE MEMOIRS OF SUMMER RAY

I want to discuss a little more about yesterday’s blog, concerning US Senator John Fetterman (https://thememoirsofsummerray.com/2023/05/25/do-or-do-not/). Let’s face it. He stood out! In one of the photos on the House floor at the podium, three senators are in suits. John is wearing shorts and a hoodie. Our attention goes right to him. Why? The others blended in because they looked exactly the same – same color suits, shirts and ties. I am thinking this is their standard “uniform.” But I pondered this and wondered, how does our project stand out? What makes us so unique? Or what can we do to make sure that we don’t blend in with other projects?

“The story you want to tell may be too strange or bold to fit into

any typical box, but it’s often strangeness and boldness that audiences—and Academy voters—are craving.”

Jack Smart

I added this quote to our Film Proposal, as a forewarning that Summer Ray isn’t like any other story they may have read before. I used to be concerned about our weirdness, until I started getting amazing reviews. Even then I was like, “Are you sure?” I didn’t trust what my readers were telling me. It is true what is said. We can be our own worst critic. But the reviews helped me to keep writing. I just let my imagination go and I tried not to hinder it. I allowed the characters to just live their lives and somehow it worked. In writing the 8th book, The Passages of Time,

it’s exciting when things I wrote about in previous books, now connect in this one. I look forward to some of the characters having their own spin offs. It’s like, I can physically see in my mind their back stories and how they are going to be expanded upon and how they will all intertwine with Summer Ray. It fascinating to me, how the human imagination can be used to create. This is how inventions are made. A child in grade school, the one daydreaming, grows up to be a great scientist. Or the one who is always looking up at the stars – dreaming about becoming an astronaut. Me as a writer? It started when I was very young. I always wrote on my mattress when I couldn’t find paper. My parents gave up trying to stop me. I should have known then, writing was in my future. Literature in school was my favorite class. I always thought that I would be a journalist writing about politics. Which, I guess I sort of do on my other website (https://julianalove.com/julianas-blogs/). But I thought it would be my profession. I never thought I would be a novelist, producer or screenplay writer. But I am still a writer none the less. I think it is a very heavy responsibility to, when writing can influence other people. I think with Summer Ray, it allows me to disconnect from the harsh realities of the world, (which I write about in the above link), and I can just turn off what may be plaguing me and I can transfer myself to Summer’s fictional time and place. But this is precisely what a good story is supposed to do. Even the great late Stan Lee once said:

ON THE IMPORTANCE OF STORY TELLING

“I used to be embarrassed because I was just a comic-book writer while other people were building bridges or going on to medical careers. And then I began to realize: entertainment is one of the most important things in people’s lives. Without it they might go off the deep end. I feel that if you’re able to entertain people, you’re doing a good thing.”

People need a place they can go to – to connect with a story that entertains them and that they can relate to. Many readers have told me that when they read the story of Summer Ray, that they actually can feel as if they are a part of it or that her story is similar to their own. So what we are doing is not only building a fan base, but a community of people who are also struggling and just need some light to guide their way. This is the main purpose of the story and why the leading lady is named, “Summer Ray.”

We are definitely an out of the box project. But I trust it. I am so looking forward to bringing this first film to theaters, all across the globe. In the meantime, I am finishing up the 8th volume of the Summer Ray book series and pinpointing exactly what makes us stand out, and what else we need to do. Fetterman was noticed because he wasn’t dressed like the others. It may have been bad publicity – but it is still publicity!

Thank you for being a part of our Summer Ray world.

References: https://www.rd.com/list/stan-lee-quotes/; https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/how-to-win-oscar-with-your-indie-film-70897/