Script writer shares insights

LAS CRUCES - Lightning strikes the laboratory of an aspiring scientist and a teacup-sized Chihuahua puppy morphs to the proportions of a St. Bernard, a Black Angus bull, Clydesdale horse, an elephant and finally to T-Rex size. The shivering, tail-wagging behemoth reaches land speeds of 200 mph, heading for Las Cruces on Interstate 25, in "Running With the Big Dogs," Richard Wheelock's movie script set in southern New Mexico.

An alien named Keen Kota meets a 20-something bakery delivery truck driver in a local park to share cosmic secrets in Wheelock's book, "Language of the Stars."

There seems to be an endless supply of eclectic ideas emerging from the brain of Wheelock, who writes under the pen name of R.H. Walker, an homage based on family names of his mother, brother and father.

The Massachusetts native majored in theater arts at Los Angeles City College and had some brushes with greatness early in his career. "I wanted to be an actor," he said.

Then, inspired by Paddy Chayefsky's now iconic film "Network," he found himself drawn to writing, turning out scripts that attracted some major show business names, including Richard Pryor, producer-director Garry Marshall and legendary comedian and actor Jonathan Winters. Winters was reportedly set to star in Wheelock's "Garbáge," a comedy about a garbage man. "I packed up and moved to Arlington, Texas, to work with a team on the movie," he said.

The movie deal and his marriage ended, and in 2000, needs of his family prompted him to move to New Mexico, where he has helped his parents care for his sibling, who was severely injured in a fall as a young child. Disabled by seizures and a stroke, his sibling has difficulty speaking and needs aid with basic life tasks such as dressing and shaving.

The experience has taught him patience, Wheelock said, and has clearly influenced his writing and his philosophy of life.

Keen, the wise alien in Wheelock's book, talks about an "endless" universe and efforts to reach out to teach Earthlings the language of the stars: "When crossing paths with others who are traversing the stars not one word need be spoken between us. Each side knows already what is on one another's mind, and it is not the threat of war, or whether this or that side is in possession of a cloaking device, but rather it is ... precisely the moment we are going through, the infinity we are going through, the eternal wonder we are going through, and to know this lasts forever. When this begins to seep into your planet's consciousness as a whole you will begin to experience this same phenomenon, this sort of telepathic quality among all of you, and then we finally have something to talk about."

Little things, like a shared joke with his brother, can be a surprisingly profound inspiration, he finds.

In the face of a difficult life like his brother's, Wheelock said, "I have to believe it's endless, that we all eventually have chances to fix our warps in the time-space continuum."

He writes on a daily basis and has decided now is the time to pursue connections for "Running With the Big Dogs" (which, by the by, also has a crucial role for Paris Hilton and her Chihuahua), as well as other projects.