Sketch of PSA Location

The past seven days were packed with fun filled excitement. I finished my novel, signed on to direct a PSA for theaters and Chicago sport arenas, and met with a great life flight consultant to increase the thrills within my Quest screenplay.

Steele Blue: By The Book is the novel I finished. It’s about Cassie Steele, a maverick detective that has to bring down the drug kingpin before he pumps cherry meth into the Chicago schools. Steele’s biggest obstacle is her PTSD memory loss that makes undercover work difficult, while raising her teenage son.

The story is filled with great Chicago locations and lots of action. It’s also salted with the fine arts and laced with pieces of enlightenment as Steele works through her heartfelt recovery.

The PSA is in production this week. It’s a multi-cultural story that will include a rap that instructs the public on how to deal with cardiac arrest. To prepare for the shoot, I went through a certification program that included AED training. The creative agency writer was also present and felt the need to do a rewrite after the training, as most people assume that cardiac arrest and heart attacks are the same, but they are not.

The shoot will demonstrate the three key steps to increase the victim’s survival including: knowing the signs; calling 911; and, “hoping on the chest.” The information is important, as a cardiac arrest victim loses 10% of their chance of survival for every minute elapsed before someone starts chest compressions.

The movie Quest opens with a street race that ends in tragedy, followed by a life flight team’s heroic measures to save the drivers. I was fortunate to meet with a life flight nurse who gave me the real scoop on my screenplay. I learned that several of the story elements that I pulled from the book are no longer plausible based on today’s medic support protocol.

The great news is that the changes are even more dramatic than what was first written. By using more realism, I expect the audience to be on the edge of their seats in the opening twelve minutes. I love entertainment.

I will let everyone know how you can get a copy of my novel at a future date. I will also keep you posted on Quest. And, I’ll let you know what stadiums and theaters to visit if you’d like to watch the PSA.