Books in the Making: Deep in the Cheer Diaries Creation Process

If you’ve read the previous blog post, you’ll probably remember how close my youth team got to me while I was reading. When I say close, I mean practically sitting on top of me. That’s the magic of reading raw chapters to kids who are genuinely invested. It’s adorable… and mildly claustrophobic.

Today, we’re switching it up a little and diving into the next two books in the Cheer Diaries series. If you caught the last entry where I talked about Book One (Elodie’s story and her first team tryouts), you’ll know I’m deep in writing mode right now. And if you’re watching on YouTube, yes, the background has changed. My neighbour decided to vacuum their car at full volume, so I escaped up to my son’s Pokémon-lit bedroom. The things we do for sound quality.

Where We’re At in the Series

Right now, three books are fully written. None are published at the moment I’m writing this. They’re all raw manuscripts with zero illustrations, no formatting, and not even a proper edit. But I read Chapter One of Book Two to my youth level one team this week to get some real reactions. Unfiltered. From actual kids. The perfect test group.

They went silent. Completely silent. If you coach kids, you know how rare and precious that is. Their eyes were wide, they leaned in, and the second I stopped reading, they begged for more. And yes, I had to be the boring adult and say no because we still actually had a class to run.

But that moment told me everything I needed to know. The story landed.

Book Two: Cheer Camp (Jaden’s Story)

Book Two is written by Jaden, the backspot of the group. This one follows the team as they head to cheer camp, and Jaden shares his version of everything that goes down. He’s got an older sister, Tahlia, who cheers on Supernova (senior level three) and drives him absolutely wild in the classic annoying-older-sister way. Think pranks, eye rolls, and her constant “I did it first” attitude.

The kids loved this one, even though it’s from a boy’s point of view. They laughed at the parts I hoped were funny, pulled the right faces, and seemed genuinely invested.

I also asked them what they’d want to see in the diary designs. Their answers were perfect:
– Character sketches
– Different handwriting styles
– Doodles unique to each character
– Tape marks, ripped notes, sticky-note moments
– That “real diary” feel

Which, funnily enough, was exactly what I had planned. So it looks like I’m still somewhat in tune with today’s nine to twelve-year-olds.

Book Three: Tumble Trouble (Kenzie’s Story)

Kenzie is a force. Confident, fierce, protective, and the kind of kid who believes she can nail any skill purely because she’s determined enough. But in this book, she hits a reality check with a front walkover.

She thinks she’s going to be in that tumble section. She’s convinced. But she can’t land the skill yet, and this book follows her learning what it really looks like to build a tumble skill from the ground up.

Her diary style will be bold and sharp. Not soft and cute like Elodie’s. Not messy and crossed-out like Jaden’s. Kenzie feels more like chunky shapes, lines, highlights, big statements.

What’s Next in the Series

After these three comes Ava’s story. She’s the flyer, she’s bossy in the most fabulous way, and she’ll be telling the story of what Hit Zero is and Showcase.

I have the next books loosely mapped out with bullet points, themes, and character goals. My dream would be to publish three per quarter. If I somehow manage that, you’ll have the full 14-book series by Christmas next year. Ambitious? Absolutely. Possible? I’m giving it a go.

I’d Love Your Input

If you or your child read these as they come out, I genuinely want to hear what you think. What moments matter most? What do you want to see in future books? What parts of cheerleading life deserve a spotlight?

Sometimes readers give me ideas that fit perfectly into the storyline, and I love weaving them in.

Thanks for sticking with me while I brain-dump the Cheer Diaries universe. I’m having a ridiculous amount of fun bringing these stories to life, and I hope you or your kids love them as much as my youth team seems to.

See you in the next chapter.

Allison xx

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Allison xx