Get to know the writer:

1. What is your screenplay about?

It is a tale of redemption and what it might take to push the worst villain in the Orion Colonies to seek it. The answer is a psychic tie to a native Orion alien who plays the memories and experiences of all of her victims through Charlie's head. Some of whom have also been Charlie's victims.

We first meet Charlie hiding in a monastery on a small planetoid. He wants redemption, but is afraid to try to face the world he once terrorized to seek it. The Abbott knows Charlie will not find redemption in the monastery, so he pushes him to help a small crew of misfits and his mute sponsor hunt down the cause of everyone's communications going down.

When they find the cause is a plot by a delusional megalomaniac to rule the Orion Colonies as a king, they have to band together to stop him. When the wannabe king kills the Abbott as a warning to others, Charlie's path to redemption must compete with his path for revenge.

As he gets to know the ships Captain and her crew his path finally becomes clear to him. And, with the help of the alien queen and her cult of followers, he turns from revenge, stops the king and finds redemption.

2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?

It is a sci-fi adventure with humor infused throughout.

3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?

Well, anything I say is obviously self-serving, so I'll quote feedback I've gotten from seven different competitions.

The ISA said it, "skillfully combines space adventure, personal redemption, and interstellar intrigue... offering a balanced mix of action and character development" and "features rich world-building and strategic plot dynamics."

Barnstorm said it, "was a blast to read! We loved spending time with the crew! It's a great premise and you know how to build character. It's an interesting and imaginative script."

Creative Screenwriting said, "The Orion Queen is an action-packed and epic sci-fi tale with a crew of compelling characters that drive the story."

Pre-Pro Script Development said, "We like this one - cool concept and compelling characters. Everyone has a unique voice, which keeps the dynamics engaging throughout."

Screencraft said, "Action-set pieces are exciting and should please the target audience. Its science fiction setting features some imaginative vistas. It builds logically to an exciting climax, inspired by its source material but neatly transmogrified into a space opera.

On The Brink said, "this is an exciting space adventure. The characters are likable, have solid goals, and their odyssey is fun and wild. So, it could make up for a very entertaining movie in the veins of Guardians of the Galaxy or Treasure Planet."

And I'll wrap it up with your festival's feedback, "We feel that your script is already one of the best specs out there."

Probably more than what you wanted, but you can pick and choose what to include.

4. How would you describe this script in two words?

Epic redemption

5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?

If we cut out the annuals (holiday movies), I would probably say Jaws. If it were a franchise, then it would definitely be Star Trek.

6. How long have you been working on this screenplay?

I started kicking the tires in 2020, but actually sitting down to work out the story and then write started in 2023. It made the Barnstorm short list that year. Then I took a hiatus from writing for a little over a year and revisited it in 2025. The revised script made the short list again and then was named a Barnstorm finalist. And, of course, a winner in the WildSound Sc-Fi / Fantasy Festival.

7. How many stories have you written?

Not including half hour direct-to-video work, I have eight feature length screenplays. Five of which were from before or during getting my masters degree in screenwriting and all need a massive overhaul to get them to the level of the three I am putting into the world right now.

So, how many do I have to show right now? Three.

8. What motivated you to write this screenplay?

Oddly enough it all started with a viewing of "The African Queen" with Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn. I really liked the dynamic of their two characters, Charlie and Rose, and the quest that brings them together.
Rose and her brother are missionaries in Africa. Charlie has a small boat that deliveries supplies to them. The Nazis attack the mission and kill Rose's brother. Rose then basically commandeers Charlie's vessel to fight the Nazis and destroy the main ship that is helping their campaign in Africa, "The Louisa."

My Charlie and Rose's story is far off from theirs. I flipped the roles and worked it out with more of a larger crew in the vein of stories I like – Star Trek, Firefly, Guardians of the Galaxy - but you can still see the inspiration in the names I kept and the troubles they face as they go.

9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?

I have a full-time job as a graphic artist at a small print shop and have been raising two boys with my wife while trying to rehab the mobile home we bought in the mountains, so finding time to give to my passion is always a struggle. Once I had my first draft in 2023 and it was well-received, I still had a lot of polishing to do. My weakness is always "too much" and "too long", so most of my rewriting is cutting back and streamlining.

But, as I said, I took over a year off. We found out my wife had cancer so I stepped away to concentrate more on family. Then I was smack dab in the middle of the Hurricane Helene attack on the mountains of North Carolina. Four trees wound up on our home and we had to live in hotels for months. My wife lost her battle with cancer during that time.

Then, once we got back in our home, I've been trying to put my home and life back together. It's an ongoing effort. Part of that effort was finally getting back to writing. I started that by getting my feet wet with submitting my two scripts and doing rewrites. Then I eventually jumped into a new script. I recently finished it and have been getting good feedback on it as well.

10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?

My family has always been my priority. I left a promising career with Disney Feature Animation when my wife got pregnant with our second son because I just could not afford a decent home for my family in California. So we moved back east and began building a life in the Carolinas.
All art has always been in my soul. Shortly after I married I got an associates degree in commercial art and became a graphic artist. Then I got a bachelors degree in computer animation and did that for several years. When we moved back east and I worked at a small animation studio in Charlotte I got a masters degree in Screenwriting. When the studio closed we bought property in the mountains of western North Carolina and I found work as a graphic artist again, illustrated a kids chapter book and started pursuing screenwriting. Through all of it, writing – the very spark of creation – has always been where my sights were.

11. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?

The idea of having my script read by professional actors was very exciting and made the festival stand out to me.

The initial feedback made me go back and review different aspects of the script to make sure certain elements were clear to the audience.