Sandi Jerome (Sandra Cook Jerome), is a bestselling novelist, playwright, and produced screenwriter. She is a graduate of UCLA's Advanced Screenwriting program and her books have reached #1 in Amazon‘s category bestseller charts and her screenplay, Runaway Cricket, is being produced as an animated musical by BlackOrb.com. She has been a finalist in most of the major contests, Nicholls, Page International and Austin Film Festival. See Awards page.

Sandi grew up on an avocado farm in Escondido (Sandy Cook) and was the "go to" kid to climb up high and pick the top fruit. She would then jump down into the thick pile of leaves and thought she could fly! She created the young adult fantasy series, Kira and Henry, where the teen princess must hide the secret that she can fly or be banished from the kingdom. The first book, Quest into the Forbidden Lands, was a 2nd Rounder in 2023 Austin Film Festival and a 2024 Kindle Book Review finalist.

Sandi is an enrolled and blood member of the Cherokee Nation and a two-time winner of the Native American Media Alliance fellowship. In her first NAMA TV writing fellowship, she wrote Technically Soccer, a half-hour comedy about a Women's Professional Soccer team getting an AI-Robot coach. Sandi is an avid women's soccer fan; she coached and played soccer for over twenty years. Blood Moon Wolf (TV Pilot and Feature) was completed as part of her 2nd Native American fellowship, about a wolf who turns into a girl to become a spirit guide. Her middle-grade book, Sleep Warrior, about her Cherokee ancestor, was #3 on Coverfly's Red List of Animated Manuscripts. To get her message into schools, she is seeking a more traditional publisher for her Native American books.

As a Floridian and a long-time Disney fan, annual passholder, and certified Disney expert, Sandi wrote Pixie Dust Death set at Disney World, then created a non-Disney version, Wilma Wallaby Genius Girl Detective, set at a theme park she invented, and the series bible to be developed into a kids' series by a UK Production company. She is also the author of the Amazing Animals of Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Sandi wrote a book adaptation of Hijacked for producer Melissa Shevela of Helicopter Productions (Hero Dogs) and Autumn Bailey (On a Wing and a Prayer). Her next book adaptation to film was Jake and Clara based on the book, Jake & Clara: Scandal, Politics, Hollywood and Murder by Wall Street Journal bestselling author, ghostwriter, broadcaster, David R. Stokes. Blair Underwood optioned David's previous book.  She and David wrote a book very personal to Sandi, Churchill’s Mum: The Story of Jennie Jerome, after years of research connecting Sandi’s husband, Keith, to the American heiress who was Winston Churchill’s mother and Keith’s fifth cousin. It presents the premise that Winston's half-American status helped defeat Hitler. She had done almost a dozen "writer for hire" gigs that involved book adaptations or co-writing books with producers who had a great idea.

Sandi is a scientist and loves designing edible gardens and doing botany experiments. Her early fascination with science and the nearby San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station inspired her to write an action script, Use of Deadly Force. Her husband was a technical writer in the nuclear industry and ensured the authenticity of her work.  She belonged to a Science and Technology group and helped develop a volunteer Web on Wheels program that brought email to residents of assisted living centers. This inspired her body-switching comedy, Time for Lily, which was a First-Round Finalist in Script Magazine Open Door Contest. She is working on a technical book on salt-tolerant plants with her biologist granddaughter.

She wrote a Sci-Fi thriller script, Last Woman, that explores the multiverse and technology gone awry. It was a semifinalist in Final Draft's Big Break contest. Sandi was the first editor of Digital Dealer Magazine and wrote computer software reviews for major publications and numerous published computer guides. She sold her technology company in 2022, and now writes full-time, at least 10 pages a day.

For Sandi, "Writing is life!"

Leave comments on her publisher's Contact page,www.SmilingEagle.com. 

Coverfly is gone, but below are Sandi’s rankings. For example, her Young Sheldon spec script won 2nd place in the 2024 Scriptapalooza contest - putting her in the top 5% of TV comedy writers.