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Writer · Scholar · Digital Media Producer

C.M. Dinsmore Storyteller. Filmmaker at heart.

An American author venturing beyond borders. Exploring the fringes of narratology and digital media.

Literary & Historical Fiction Narratology & Scholarship Original & Adapted Screenplays Digital Media
The Novel Screenwriting
"CM's storytelling is rooted in the filmmaker within him."
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Literary & Historical Fiction

Novels that venture beyond borders — immersed in diverse cultures, shaped by the visuals of Kurosawa, the philosophy of Thoreau, and the indomitable resilience of the human spirit under the trials of war and the heart.

The Melody That Binds →
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Criticism & Narratology

Ph.D. and M.F.A. training — exploring how stories are structured and told, and what happens when literary and cinematic narrative merge or diverge.

About the Author →
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Screenwriting

Original works and literary adaptations — including Christabel, a screenplay based on Coleridge's unfinished poem, with music by award-winning composer Albert Syeles.

Christabel & More →
The Melody That Binds by C.M. Dinsmore — book cover
Featured Novel

The Melody That Binds

WWII Historical Fiction · Novel · 2023

Amidst the harrowing tumult of World War II, a Japanese soldier escapes into the unforgiving jungle of the Philippines. His desperate flight from the horrors of battle leads him to a hidden enclave, where he anticipates spending his remaining days in solitude.

Experience the emotional turmoil of a Japanese soldier as he grapples with the memories of war and his estranged family. Skillfully eluding his pursuers in the jungle, he nurses a fragile hope of one day returning to Japan. As he ages and the landscape changes around him, his resolve to stand against every manifestation of the enemy remains unyielding. Yet, he discovers an unexpected willingness to surrender to the irrefutable forces of truth.

Inspired by the visuals & drama of Kurosawa's films · Robinsonade framework · Thoreauvian views of nature & society
Available in: Ebook · Paperback · Hardcover · Audiobook
Buy the Novel More About the Novel
Audiobook
A page of the Christabel screenplay presented as a 35mm film frame: aged script pages on the left, and on the right Christabel before a moonlit castle, a white wolf at her side and a pale figure behind her.
Christabel — excerpt. PART I. The castle's bard, unseen, recites the opening verses of the original "Christabel" poem. MASTER BRACY (V.O.): 'Tis the middle of night by the castle clock, And the owls have awakened the crowing cock; Tu-whit! Tu-whoo! INT. CASTLE — NIGHT. The clock strikes midnight. EXT. FOREST — NIGHT. An owl, sitting on a branch, coos. EXT. CASTLE GROUNDS — NIGHT. The cock crows. MASTER BRACY (V.O.): And hark, again! The crowing cock, How drowsily it crew. Sir Leoline, the Baron rich;— INT. SIR LEOLINE'S CHAMBER — NIGHT. The shield of Sir Leoline hangs in a murky niche on the wall within shimmering light from fireplace.
Screenplay Adaptation

Christabel

Based on the unfinished poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, first published 1816

A whirlwind of a mystery revolving around the tragedies and mental anguish of one English noble family. Centered on Christabel, who experiences friendship and love in the midst of loss and loneliness, the story unfolds and twists until it culminates in one woman finding her source of strength.

Finalist — Cambridge Script Festival 2026
Accolade
Finalist · Cambridge Script Festival · 2026
Visit the Christabel Project Request Script

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