When 12-year old Matthew hears a radio broadcast of someone claiming to be the Emperor of Mars and is coming to Earth in a week, he begins to notice strange happenings in his little town of Empire. First a crop circle that appears overnight and out of nowhere, discovered by Nicodemus, a troubled war veteran who witnessed the neat circle cut into a field of wheat. Then there were the streaking beams of light and color that danced in the field and the night sky. That was enough for Matthew to think that the Emperor might just be coming to Empire town even though nobody else believed it. And his...

Writer-director Jim Makichuk's unique book on screenwriting is based on his UCLA extension class lectures and over 35 years of actual experience. The book has two sections; it begins with his most recent film in which he uses the complete screenplay with marked notes as well as text that adds more detail. Also included are chapters on how to create real characters, dealing with conflict, dialog and many other important aspects of writing all based on working in the trenches rather than mythical formulas and secrets. The second part of the book deals with breaking into screenwriting, hanging...