Douglas Westerbeke

Douglas Westerbeke began writing screenplays, several of which have been finalists in over a dozen competitions, four of those optioned in Hollywood. He currently works at one of the largest libraries in the country and has spent the last eight years on the local panel of the International Dublin Literary Award, reading current literary novels and nominating the best for selection. This experience inspired him to write his own novels, four so far, the latest of which he has submitted here.
Long Bio:
Douglas Westerbeke studied film-making at the University of Southern California, with an emphasis in screenwriting, and continued his studies at York University in Toronto. He's worked on film sets in a variety of jobs for many years, all the while writing and submitting screenplays in a wide variety of genres to competitions. Some of the screenplays that have placed in various contests include:
Not for the Meek (semi-finalist Maui, runner-up for ABC/Disney Fellowship Program). Bad Trip North (finalist Slamdance Screenwriting Contest, semi-finalist American Accolades, quarter-finalist Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting, quarter-finalist Empire, top ten BlueCat). Orchestration (semi-finalist American Accolades). A Pilgrimage with Vampyres (finalist America’s Best Screenwriting Contest, semi-finalist Empire, quarter-finalist Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting, quarter-finalist American Accolades). Moon Dragon (quarter-finalist Empire). The Spirits of the Dead are Watching (semi-finalist Writer’s Network, semi-finalist Film in Arizona, two-time quarter-finalist Austin). Dream no. 29 (quarter-finalist Austin). The History of the World (quarter-finalist Empire).
Out of these competitions came options. C&A Productions optioned his screenplay Sacred and Profane. Neal Stevens optioned Not for the Meek. Aaron Tudesco optioned Bad Trip North, which later led to a commission to write a version of The Blue Lagoon. He's also written a version of Dracula on spec for a producer in London. Sadly, none of these projects were ever produced.
Currently, he is a librarian at the Cleveland Public Library, the third biggest in the country, where he's been on the local panel of the International Dublin Literary Award, reading as much current literary fiction as he can, then nominating the best of them for selection. While his background has been largely screenwriting, his experience on the Dublin committee has inspired him to write novels as well. He has written five “practice” novels as well as his latest, A Short Walk Through a Wide World.
Since A Short Walk Through a Wide World is a novel that takes place around the world, it’s probably helpful to mention that Douglas Westerbeke is an avid sailor and traveler, having been to various parts of the world, including much of the U.S., Europe, Russia, China, and Japan.