Cortez Law III's Blog
September 29, 2025
AUDIOBOOK LAUNCHES...
I’ve been wanting and waiting to enter the audiobook market for some time.
From this indie author’s perspective, it’s expensive. So, when Amazon offered to include my books in their Beta Virtual Voices program, I took the leap. The program uses computer-generated narration with a variety of voices to choose from for the author’s stories.
Now, I don’t celebrate Halloween, but I like the thrills and chills science fiction, fantasy, and horror stories bring, unlike other genres.
While approval times can vary from an hour to a few days to a month, I want to release them during October. Well, the approval took just a few hours! The books in question are the science fiction/thriller S.Y.P.H.E.N. and the supernatural horror/thriller, Evil Realms.
S.Y.P.H.E.N. is described as 'Zero Dark Thirty meets Alien: Earth' and Evil Realms as 'The Conjuring' meets 'Hereditary.'
Both books are currently available on Amazon a few days before October! I’m offering the smallest introductory price Amazon will allow for both for a set period of time. Thank you and enjoy!
From this indie author’s perspective, it’s expensive. So, when Amazon offered to include my books in their Beta Virtual Voices program, I took the leap. The program uses computer-generated narration with a variety of voices to choose from for the author’s stories.
Now, I don’t celebrate Halloween, but I like the thrills and chills science fiction, fantasy, and horror stories bring, unlike other genres.
While approval times can vary from an hour to a few days to a month, I want to release them during October. Well, the approval took just a few hours! The books in question are the science fiction/thriller S.Y.P.H.E.N. and the supernatural horror/thriller, Evil Realms.
S.Y.P.H.E.N. is described as 'Zero Dark Thirty meets Alien: Earth' and Evil Realms as 'The Conjuring' meets 'Hereditary.'
Both books are currently available on Amazon a few days before October! I’m offering the smallest introductory price Amazon will allow for both for a set period of time. Thank you and enjoy!
July 25, 2025
EMERGING SCREENWRITERS THRILLER COMPETITION 2025
Well, Black Phoenix's screenwriting contest journey ended as a Semifinalist. The judges picked their top ten or 1% Finalists. Close but not close enough. My dual publishing/film writing journey continues.
July 10, 2025
**UPDATED BREAKING NEWS**
Hey GR Family:
Visit www.cortezlawiii.com for the link info.
As I shared in the October/November newsletters and the recent 'Breaking News' post, I entered the screenplay adaptation of my novel “Black Phoenix” in the Emerging Screenwriters Thriller Screenplay Competition.
I survived the opening elimination round of nearly 1,000 screenplay entries and achieved a Quarterfinalist position, placing in the top 25% or 250 scripts. See the listing with the writers’ screenplay story details here.
The next round was the Semifinals where the judges eliminated another 150 scripts to whittle the list down to the top 10% or 100 screenplays.
Well, “Black Phoenix” advanced and is a part of that top 10%! See the list of Quarterfinalists and Semifinalists here. Whew! The next step is for the judges to cut another 90 scripts and shrink that list down to the Finalist or the Top Ten or 1% Club (I used that phrase purposely. Anyone seen that TV show? It’s a brain teaser!) Yea or nay, I’ll keep you posted.
Visit www.cortezlawiii.com for the link info.
As I shared in the October/November newsletters and the recent 'Breaking News' post, I entered the screenplay adaptation of my novel “Black Phoenix” in the Emerging Screenwriters Thriller Screenplay Competition.
I survived the opening elimination round of nearly 1,000 screenplay entries and achieved a Quarterfinalist position, placing in the top 25% or 250 scripts. See the listing with the writers’ screenplay story details here.
The next round was the Semifinals where the judges eliminated another 150 scripts to whittle the list down to the top 10% or 100 screenplays.
Well, “Black Phoenix” advanced and is a part of that top 10%! See the list of Quarterfinalists and Semifinalists here. Whew! The next step is for the judges to cut another 90 scripts and shrink that list down to the Finalist or the Top Ten or 1% Club (I used that phrase purposely. Anyone seen that TV show? It’s a brain teaser!) Yea or nay, I’ll keep you posted.
June 23, 2025
BREAKING NEWS...
Emerging Screenwriters Thriller Screenplay Competition Quarterfinalist 2025
Program Description
Think You’ve Written the Next Great Thriller? Prove It.
Do you have a gripping, edge-of-your-seat thriller that twists, turns, and never lets go? The Emerging Screenwriters team is looking for the next unforgettable script in the Thriller genre—and yours could be it.
Whether it’s a psychological rollercoaster like Gone Girl, a harrowing mystery like Prisoners, or a bold, genre-bending hit like Nightcrawler or A Quiet Place, we’re on the hunt for original thrillers with serious staying power.
From high-stakes crime dramas to slow-burn suspense with mind-blowing reveals, if your script has the tension, the tone, and the twist—we want to read it.
The Top 10 scripts will be considered for the ISA Development Slate and submitted to leading industry players like Amazon MGM Studios, LuckyChap, Miramax, Disney+, Paramount+, and more.
If your script leaves us breathless, it could be your big break.
Submit your Thriller today—if you can handle the suspense.
***
A few months ago, I mentioned I would enter some screenplay competitions to assess my current skills. Unfortunately, I believe the possibility of Threat Nexus catching the attention of that top Hollywood management company is no longer viable. As I shared in the October/November newsletters, I adapted my screenplay titled “Black Phoenix” and planned to enter it into competitions in 2025.
After over 100 days of waiting, officials announced the results of the Emerging Screenwriters Thriller Screenplay Competition, sponsored by Network ISA. The Chief Operating Officer informed me that among nearly 1,000 scripts submitted, I successfully advanced past this opening elimination round and achieved a Quarterfinalist position, placing in the top 25% of the remaining 250 scripts. I’m thrilled that my skills—and, of course, God’s guidance—have brought “Black Phoenix” this far.
Now, we’ll see if “Black Phoenix” can continue to advance in the next round, which will eliminate another 150 scripts and leave only 100 semifinalists. I based the Quarterfinal and Semifinal numbers on the 2024 contest format.
What’s so gratifying is this contest evaluated the entire work, while my placements in past competitions were based on the first 15 pages.
This industry is ultra-competitive, but 1,000 entrants? I can only imagine the numbers for even more prestigious competitions. I’ll keep you posted on how things progress!
Program Description
Think You’ve Written the Next Great Thriller? Prove It.
Do you have a gripping, edge-of-your-seat thriller that twists, turns, and never lets go? The Emerging Screenwriters team is looking for the next unforgettable script in the Thriller genre—and yours could be it.
Whether it’s a psychological rollercoaster like Gone Girl, a harrowing mystery like Prisoners, or a bold, genre-bending hit like Nightcrawler or A Quiet Place, we’re on the hunt for original thrillers with serious staying power.
From high-stakes crime dramas to slow-burn suspense with mind-blowing reveals, if your script has the tension, the tone, and the twist—we want to read it.
The Top 10 scripts will be considered for the ISA Development Slate and submitted to leading industry players like Amazon MGM Studios, LuckyChap, Miramax, Disney+, Paramount+, and more.
If your script leaves us breathless, it could be your big break.
Submit your Thriller today—if you can handle the suspense.
***
A few months ago, I mentioned I would enter some screenplay competitions to assess my current skills. Unfortunately, I believe the possibility of Threat Nexus catching the attention of that top Hollywood management company is no longer viable. As I shared in the October/November newsletters, I adapted my screenplay titled “Black Phoenix” and planned to enter it into competitions in 2025.
After over 100 days of waiting, officials announced the results of the Emerging Screenwriters Thriller Screenplay Competition, sponsored by Network ISA. The Chief Operating Officer informed me that among nearly 1,000 scripts submitted, I successfully advanced past this opening elimination round and achieved a Quarterfinalist position, placing in the top 25% of the remaining 250 scripts. I’m thrilled that my skills—and, of course, God’s guidance—have brought “Black Phoenix” this far.
Now, we’ll see if “Black Phoenix” can continue to advance in the next round, which will eliminate another 150 scripts and leave only 100 semifinalists. I based the Quarterfinal and Semifinal numbers on the 2024 contest format.
What’s so gratifying is this contest evaluated the entire work, while my placements in past competitions were based on the first 15 pages.
This industry is ultra-competitive, but 1,000 entrants? I can only imagine the numbers for even more prestigious competitions. I’ll keep you posted on how things progress!
August 17, 2024
ALIEN ROMULUS: A nail-biter
Well, well, well, look who’s back wreaking havoc in outer space. The xenomorphs in all their life cycle stages! Enter the world of ALIEN ROMULUS. A Weyland-Yutani exploration ship discovers, if you can believe it, wreckage from the Nostromo, the ill-fated cargo ship that Lt. Ellen Ripley detonated after her initial encounter with the titular character. Also, the crew garners and lasers a giant space rock in half that exposes the corpse of an alien warrior. Uh-oh.
Then we follow Rain Carradine, who believes she can finally leave the mining colony where she works for a new life on Yvaga III, where she can see the sun regularly. Human resources tell her there’s a shortage of workers for the colony, so she has to stay for a few years more. Not just her, but brother Andy, an artificial person, his term. If she ever gets to Yvaga III, they won’t allow Andy to go because of his synthetic nature. Plus, the planet is light-years away. Not the only one wanting to leave over the working conditions and loss of family because of the environment, she teams up with her ex-beau Tyler, his pregnant sister Kay, Tyler and Kay’s cousin Bjorn, and Navarro, a pilot and Bjorn’s girlfriend. They all want a better life on Yvaga, too. The problem is their ship doesn’t have enough cryo-fuel to complete the journey to the planet. They scouted out an abandoned outpost or space station with those resources before contact with Rain. If Andy can go too, she’s down. Besides, Tyler swears it’s only a thirty-minute scavenger hunt, and they’re gone. We viewers know better, don’t we?
With this setup, the group encounters more than they bargained for when the derelict outpost or space station isn’t so derelict. The rollercoaster ride amplifies here with surprises galore, one of which blew my socks and toe-knuckle hair off. I don’t watch trailers of the movies I want to see as the studios show too much of the story. I don’t know if the ALIEN ROMULUS trailer tipped its hand on one of those surprises, but it provided an interesting plot thread.
The characters weren’t bone marrow deep, but they hooked me in their predicament. Rain makes for a tough heroine like Ripley and Daniels from ALIEN: Covenant. Andy was another favorite and critical to the technological part of the proceedings. Writer-Director Fede Álvarez of Don’t Breathe (a creepy good one) knows his way around the movie’s suspense, thriller, action, horror, and science fiction. He infuses the familiar xenomorph legend with the suspense, thrills, action, and horror we expect, but then raises the bar with scenarios we haven’t seen yet. Nifty, nifty, nifty. The VFX and FX were exceptional. I liked the references to the other movies in this forty-five-year span of the “In Space No One Can Hear Your Scream” franchise. My mind flashed back to ALIEN, ALIENS, ALIEN: RESURRECTION, and ALIEN: COVENANT, but not detrimentally to me. ALIEN ROMULUS stands on its own as one of the better sequels in the series.
Leaving the crossover movies Alien vs. Predator and Alien vs. Predator: Requiem, I’d rate ALIEN ROMULUS third best in the series behind ALIEN and ALIENS. This sci-fi/thriller gets three and a half stars out of four.
Then we follow Rain Carradine, who believes she can finally leave the mining colony where she works for a new life on Yvaga III, where she can see the sun regularly. Human resources tell her there’s a shortage of workers for the colony, so she has to stay for a few years more. Not just her, but brother Andy, an artificial person, his term. If she ever gets to Yvaga III, they won’t allow Andy to go because of his synthetic nature. Plus, the planet is light-years away. Not the only one wanting to leave over the working conditions and loss of family because of the environment, she teams up with her ex-beau Tyler, his pregnant sister Kay, Tyler and Kay’s cousin Bjorn, and Navarro, a pilot and Bjorn’s girlfriend. They all want a better life on Yvaga, too. The problem is their ship doesn’t have enough cryo-fuel to complete the journey to the planet. They scouted out an abandoned outpost or space station with those resources before contact with Rain. If Andy can go too, she’s down. Besides, Tyler swears it’s only a thirty-minute scavenger hunt, and they’re gone. We viewers know better, don’t we?
With this setup, the group encounters more than they bargained for when the derelict outpost or space station isn’t so derelict. The rollercoaster ride amplifies here with surprises galore, one of which blew my socks and toe-knuckle hair off. I don’t watch trailers of the movies I want to see as the studios show too much of the story. I don’t know if the ALIEN ROMULUS trailer tipped its hand on one of those surprises, but it provided an interesting plot thread.
The characters weren’t bone marrow deep, but they hooked me in their predicament. Rain makes for a tough heroine like Ripley and Daniels from ALIEN: Covenant. Andy was another favorite and critical to the technological part of the proceedings. Writer-Director Fede Álvarez of Don’t Breathe (a creepy good one) knows his way around the movie’s suspense, thriller, action, horror, and science fiction. He infuses the familiar xenomorph legend with the suspense, thrills, action, and horror we expect, but then raises the bar with scenarios we haven’t seen yet. Nifty, nifty, nifty. The VFX and FX were exceptional. I liked the references to the other movies in this forty-five-year span of the “In Space No One Can Hear Your Scream” franchise. My mind flashed back to ALIEN, ALIENS, ALIEN: RESURRECTION, and ALIEN: COVENANT, but not detrimentally to me. ALIEN ROMULUS stands on its own as one of the better sequels in the series.
Leaving the crossover movies Alien vs. Predator and Alien vs. Predator: Requiem, I’d rate ALIEN ROMULUS third best in the series behind ALIEN and ALIENS. This sci-fi/thriller gets three and a half stars out of four.
June 16, 2024
They're Back! Bad Boys Ride or Die Review
They're back! Bad Boys Ride or Die Miami PD Detectives Mike Lowery and Marcus Burnett, embodied by Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, respectively, explode on the silver screen in their fourth action/comedy adventure.
The story starts on a surprisingly spiritual note. It's Lowery's wedding day, and the guests enjoy themselves until a health crisis sends Burnett to the hospital. Lawrence and the script imbue the situation with layers of mystery, both heartfelt and comedic. Not outdone, Smith's Lowery character deals with his mental challenges, which prove more dramatic than comedic. Also, Lowery's son and convict Armando Aretas, acted by Jacob Scipio (See Bad Boys for Life), plays a big role in the proceedings. Watch for a breathtaking scene from Burnett's son-in-law, Reggie. Wow!
The primary plot line involves a trail of dirty money for illegal drugs that involves cartels pointing to Lowery and Burnett's boss, Captain Conrad Howard, played posthumously by Joe Pantoliano, and his financial account worth millions. Every action/thriller needs a nasty villain, and that role's fulfilled by Eric Dane in the person of James McGrath, a former Army Ranger turned DEA officer. He leads the minion brigade with evil plans and agendas. The script by Chris Bremner and former LAPD detective Will Beall tie-in the case to past films that provide a clever labyrinth for Howard and another blast from the past, Fletcher, played by former NBA legend John Salley, to continue their characters in this latest sequel. Lowery and Burnett won't allow their boss's name to rot with scandal and, with the help of some other Miami PD officers, run their investigation. Other developments include a potential major break in the case from Aretas, hostages, which initiates a U.S. Marshals fugitive hunt led by Howard's daughter, Judy, played by Rhea Seehorn, who wants Aretas by any means necessary, and political power plays.
Smith and Lawrence fit together like a hand in a glove. I like how they allow themselves to age and grow in the relationships we've come to experience with them. They still exude the partnership humor from the past, but since Ride or Die, the stories reflect more mature men with growing families that deepen our care for what happens to them all.
The screenwriters and directors, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, who helmed Ride or Die's predecessor, For Life, keep the energetic action sequences popping within the convoluted plot. Credit to the cinematography and the editing, too.
Bad Boys Ride or Die will enthrall you with its action and comedy, but expect profane and sexually charged language, extreme violence, and brief nudity. Rated R. A-.
The story starts on a surprisingly spiritual note. It's Lowery's wedding day, and the guests enjoy themselves until a health crisis sends Burnett to the hospital. Lawrence and the script imbue the situation with layers of mystery, both heartfelt and comedic. Not outdone, Smith's Lowery character deals with his mental challenges, which prove more dramatic than comedic. Also, Lowery's son and convict Armando Aretas, acted by Jacob Scipio (See Bad Boys for Life), plays a big role in the proceedings. Watch for a breathtaking scene from Burnett's son-in-law, Reggie. Wow!
The primary plot line involves a trail of dirty money for illegal drugs that involves cartels pointing to Lowery and Burnett's boss, Captain Conrad Howard, played posthumously by Joe Pantoliano, and his financial account worth millions. Every action/thriller needs a nasty villain, and that role's fulfilled by Eric Dane in the person of James McGrath, a former Army Ranger turned DEA officer. He leads the minion brigade with evil plans and agendas. The script by Chris Bremner and former LAPD detective Will Beall tie-in the case to past films that provide a clever labyrinth for Howard and another blast from the past, Fletcher, played by former NBA legend John Salley, to continue their characters in this latest sequel. Lowery and Burnett won't allow their boss's name to rot with scandal and, with the help of some other Miami PD officers, run their investigation. Other developments include a potential major break in the case from Aretas, hostages, which initiates a U.S. Marshals fugitive hunt led by Howard's daughter, Judy, played by Rhea Seehorn, who wants Aretas by any means necessary, and political power plays.
Smith and Lawrence fit together like a hand in a glove. I like how they allow themselves to age and grow in the relationships we've come to experience with them. They still exude the partnership humor from the past, but since Ride or Die, the stories reflect more mature men with growing families that deepen our care for what happens to them all.
The screenwriters and directors, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, who helmed Ride or Die's predecessor, For Life, keep the energetic action sequences popping within the convoluted plot. Credit to the cinematography and the editing, too.
Bad Boys Ride or Die will enthrall you with its action and comedy, but expect profane and sexually charged language, extreme violence, and brief nudity. Rated R. A-.
May 29, 2024
BLACK PHOENIX is live!
BLACK PHOENIX is live on Amazon...For FREE!
Get it here:
https://www.amazon.com/BLACK-PHOENIX-...
**Reviews are much appreciated. Happy reading!**
Get it here:
https://www.amazon.com/BLACK-PHOENIX-...
**Reviews are much appreciated. Happy reading!**
May 1, 2024
It's Live!
The Black Phoenix Official Book Trailer is now live!
Watch it here at Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/videos/2105...
or YouTube:
https://youtu.be/juQx10h-URk
Watch it here at Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/videos/2105...
or YouTube:
https://youtu.be/juQx10h-URk
April 24, 2024
My Website is Finally Up!
Hey Goodreads:
Finally! My new website is up. Check it out at cortezlawiii.com.
Finally! My new website is up. Check it out at cortezlawiii.com.
April 17, 2024
BLACK PHOENIX Official Trailer...
Two weeks. Two weeks on May 1st the Official Trailer of the next Atlanta X-Men Homicide Squad series will drop, Stay tuned!
