My name is Chester D. Thompson III, as a artist/photographer I had visited Kansas City's beautiful Jacob L. Loose Park many times. The park is a popular spot for photoshoots. One day my wife and I took time to read the many historic markers positioned throughout the park. The markers told of a great battle that had taken place in Kansas City. Loose Park was the place of the final showdown. That day, I went away wanting to know more about this great battle known as The Battle of Westport or the "Gettysburg of the West," that was fought here on October 23, 1864. Well I found out that over 30,000 men had fought here, including African American soldiers. I discovered there were other markers at other locations thoughout the city. As is generally the case, there were no markers erected in remembrance of the Black men who had fought in any of these battles. As a veteran of the U.S. military, I found this very disturbing. I read everything on this subject I could get my hands on.

My wife and I visited as many Civil War sites and battlefields around the country as we could. During our trip to these sites, Gettysburg in particular, the site of the ultimate battle in a failed war to protect and extend slavery, the near-total absence of African American visitors shocked us. Do black people think the Civil War is a story for white people? That's how an artist/photographer began writing a movie script.

At first I struggled with the idea of writing a movie that dealt with slavery. I finally came to the conclusion that we as writers, are not going to be able to ignore almost 400 years of African American existence in America, if we think we'll ever create anything new. Movies about the lives of slaves have already been fully documented in by Hollywood. We all know of the lives of Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman. But what about the lives of outspoken free Blacks.

How do we deal with the tensions of the deep-rooted racial prejudice of this period? Focus on the personal histories and reveal the overwhelming and far-reaching impact of the individuals. African Americans of this period understood they were at war, and reacted accordingly rebelling violently and committing themselves to the illegal act of learning to read and write.

These self-taught intellectuals, sought all the advantages that education had to offer. Along with the achievements of African American men on the battlefield.

We believe we've crafted a new brand of entertainment. It is a uniquely American, romantic gothic story. A gothic drama in a "beauty and the beast" sort of way. It's love at first sight, for a hardened warrior and a quietly driven heroine. Beyond the central love story is a dark and terrifying period in history. The country is radically divided on issues of slavery. Harsh laws are enforced by conventional monsters, tinkering with powers reserved for God.

An ancestral curse threatens future generations and the cruelty of war has weaken everyone. But our two main characters have a moral responsibility to rise above the animal-like behavior of war.

Hollywood movies portray the slave as one-dimensional. A people who are regular victims of physical abuse. This new blend, of dashing young heroes and beautiful heroines battle powerful and relentless forces, together. They are joined by their real-life counterparts in history and other colorful characters, such as a charming, but lethal western gunman in the service of the Union army.

The power of a gothic thriller of the 19th-century is the emotional experience of the "dark victorians", the African American elite, whose culture and style was influenced by the Victorian era. the persecuted heroines, popular heroes, miraculous survivals and hints of the supernatural, grounded in history.

This turbulent era had an outward appearance of dignity, that masked an era of serious social problems. The Confederacy is fighting for the worst cause that men can fight for, bloodthirsty ambition and lust for glory. A Ridiculous Notion honors the men and women tasked with their destruction.

When the South's villains try to take over all or part of the United States, our heroes had already escaped the lawlessness of one of the most hellish societies ever invented by man.

They might as well handed our reluctant outlaws a death sentence, because they would never return. Our heroine has already faced the various horrors of slavery.

Now, in the role of a spy, she's already started laying the groundwork for her army, to legally go after the wealthy villians. This is real history. A master of disguise they are given a 'chic look', consistent with the Victorian era. Mixing Victorian era-style clothing with military-inspired uniforms, with special consideration given to weaponry, gives a classical world gets a fresh feel.

Introducing a new twist on location. Cut off from the world, the warped plantation community is replaced with a glamorous outpost. Black Scouts and spies for the Union forces are headquartered in a lavish mansion, with all the style of the Victorian age. The story expands in the unmatched beauty of an old Southern plantation. They lead thriving social lives in the elegance of the plantation. The storyline breaks our dashing young heroes and sweet heroines into loving couples. Things shape up nicely when their romance is interwoven with the continuing pressures of missions to destroy the South. The focus is placed on their internal feelings and thoughts, while they wrestle with the uncertainty of the Civil War.

A Ridiculous Notion captures love and pain from the unique perspective of valuable spies, scouts and soldiers Romance helps characters escape the struggles of war and work through past evils to achieve some form of victory.