I got to work with the likes of Barbra Streisand, Bob Hope, Kirk Douglas, Jackie Chan, The Bee Gees, Bob Dylan, Sylvester Stallone, Michael Jordan and David Copperfield. What a joy… and an eye-opener it was meeting so many of my boyhood heroes.
Lonnie Ostrow – 110 November 2016
The Back Flap
“It’s not that I don’t love you, and my tears are yet to dry. But you can’t go back and forth forever and we’ve already said goodbye.”
Through these words, a young poet unearths his musical soul while severing ties with the woman he loves after her stunning betrayal. Unknowingly, in writing this ballad of liberation, he will soon evolve as one of the fastest rising stars on the pop music landscape.
The year is 1991; the place, New York City. Here we meet Johnny Elias, a college student from Brooklyn with boundless adoration for two things in life: timeless popular music, and the heart of a sweet, complicated young woman who is clearly out of his league.
Megan Price not only is the object of Johnny’s affection, but also the only daughter of New York’s most powerful PR woman: the indomitable Katherine Price.
Projecting that her daughter’s boyfriend will never live up to the family standard, Katherine cleverly perpetrates a series of duplicitous schemes to rid Johnny from her high-class world. But in her callous disregard, she inadvertently sets him on a determined course to his improbable musical destiny – while sending her own daughter spiraling down a path of despair.
Poet of the Wrong Generation tells the symmetrical story of a lovable underdog and his meteoric rise to stardom, his humiliating downfall and his unprecedented attempt to reclaim his place as the unlikely musical spokesman for his generation. At the heart of Poet is a tale of star-crossed lovers and their struggle with unforeseen success and disillusionment, in an attempt to rediscover lasting harmony.
Uniquely integrating a variety of original song compositions, Poet projects the epic clash between true contentment and the fable of stardom’s rewards; a nostalgic journey through the major events of the1990s, with a cherished cast of characters and a stunningly unpredictable conclusion. Some have called it “the ultimate rock and roll love story.”
About the book
When did you start writing the book?
I wrote the original draft for Poet back in October of 2002. I based it on a screenplay that I had prepared for a class assignment back in 1992 during my senior year at Adelphi University.
How long did it take you to write it?
It took me four months to complete the story… and then another three years to perfect it for publication. Or so I thought. I later hired a wonderful editor who taught me a great deal about how to make the most of my dialog and scene creation. It’s been publication-ready since 2006, but due to a variety of reasons, it is only now being released.
Where did you get the idea from?
Back in the late 1980s and early 90s, I regularly wrote poetry and eventually song compositions. Some were penned for friends. Others were written for love interests. And some were my reaction to the world events going on around me. I accumulated more than one hundred songs, but they were all tucked away in a drawer for years while I carved out a career in marketing. One day, I had this daydream about what my life might have been like had I pursued a musical career. A few of the songs I had written long ago became the cornerstones for this story of a fictional rock star. The celebrity-disillusionment aspect was born from my interactions with many of the world’s biggest names in entertainment who I worked with over the past 20 years.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
The story flowed with relative ease. The one challenging aspect for me was one singular song composition that I composed during the writing of the novel. Eleven of the twelve songs were penned much earlier and woven into the story. But I had one called Tomorrow’s Door which I created for one of the supporting characters (Howard Greffen). It had been years since I’d been prolific in writing lyrics and melodies. I was nervous that perhaps I no longer had that skill. Thankfully, it worked out without too much trouble. I recall that it took about 3 days to get it right. Then I got back to my storytelling.
What came easily?
I knew the majority of the story ahead of sitting down and writing it. And I knew the ending before I knew the beginning. This enabled me to build momentum as I worked. I remember that I wrote the last chapter early on in the writing process. It only took me an afternoon to get that on the pages. The scene was so clear in my head that it practically wrote itself. Having this written so early helped to guide me in bridging the beginning with the conclusion.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
There are elements in some of my characters that I find in myself and some other individuals who I know, or once knew. Johnny Elias is my protagonist. He isn’t me, but he is the fictional songwriter credited with writing and performing my song compositions. He’s the rock star who I never attempted to become. Howard Greffen is Johnny’s musical mentor. I based him loosely on a student who I went to Adelphi University with back in the early 90s. This too was a much older student with terrific musical ability. There’s a character called Larry Jacobs who is one of New York’s treasured FM radio personalities. I created him as a composite of several popular radio hosts including the legendary Cousin Brucie, whom I have had the pleasure of working with on several events.
We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?
Among contemporary authors I’d point to Nick Hornby and Carl Hiaasen. Both of these storytellers blend a great deal of pop-culture and humor into their fiction. That has always been a drawing card for me. Hiaasen even has one book called Basket Case which is based around a fictional pop song of the same title. It provided a good deal of inspiration while I edited my novel.
Do you have a target reader?
Any fan of pop music over the past 50 years is going to appreciate all of the many musical references throughout the story. And anyone nostalgic about the decade of the 1990s is going to enjoy re-living some of the major news headlines from that era. But at heart, Poet is a contemporary, star-crossed love story that will keep readers guessing to the last page. It’s a PG rated novel, so young adult readers will find this story accessible, as will adults.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
I started this book with the majority of the story already in my head. I created an initial outline with the major dramatic events. Next, I composed a list of the major characters and their back stories. From there, I dove in headfirst and worked until I had the first draft. Editing began in earnest once I had feedback from my initial readers.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
My story outline was twenty pages. It covered the primary storyline and a few events during that time period that I wished to feature during the time period of the fictional story. It wasn’t sentences, or headings. This was actual story synopsis that enabled me to stay focused.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
When I first started writing my novel (in 2002), my tendency was to write uninterrupted until I had the chapters on the pages. These days, I’m far more analytical. I conduct careful editing after every few pages. It slows me down in terms of momentum, but it makes the end process much easier since we’re talking about a more polished story.
Did you hire a professional editor?
Finding Jeannette de Beauvoir to edit my novel was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Not only did she help identify and correct my weaknesses with this project, but she also taught me the editing process so well that it enabled me to edit the work of others. Best of all, her teaching has helped to make me a far more successful writer and storyteller. Every first-time novelist should have a Jeannette to improve their writing.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
My musical tastes are eclectic and range from classic rock to folk to 1970s/80s pop. But when I’m working, I strongly prefer not to have on music with lyrics. Film scores are my primary choice. I have a few favorites including the soundtrack to the film Awakenings and The Last Of The Mohegans.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
I submitted query letters to more than a hundred agents. I researched the process extensively, then sent out 10 – 15 targeted letters every week for several months. It took a lot of patience and endurance of rejection before I drew interest from a trio a literary agents. I selected one based upon enthusiasm for my project and her track record of placements for contemporary fiction.
What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
My literary agent who I signed with in 2007 became insistent on me changing my novel from a PG rated story into something more hardcore and explicit. She insisted that it needed to be that way in order to sell my book as “adult fiction.” I tried to meet her halfway, but she was not willing to compromise her position. And I was not prepared to compromise my personal values. We reached an impasse and parted ways. I probably could have landed another agent if I had wanted to. Instead, I tucked away the project until recently when I was approached by Harmony River Press. They were perfectly comfortable with the content of my story.
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?
My cover art was created by the legendary illustrator, Robert Sauber. Rob is a personal friend and someone I’ve worked with for nearly twenty years. He is one of the foremost cover illustrators for children’s books. I took a stab at the initial pencil sketch for the cover design. Rob then painted the design and modified it in his computer until it was perfected.
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
As a professional book marketer, I am using every technique I can think of to help promote my debut novel. From social media and advertising to soliciting reviews and having a pair of music videos produced using original songs from the story… I think I have covered all the bases. I’m now in the middle of sending out review copies to more than 200 bloggers.
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
Being an Indie author means being a writer and a marketing director simultaneously. The best advice is to explore every option available to you in promotion of your book and partake in is as many as possible. Leave yourself enough time to develop your website, your social media channels and your promotional materials and your video book trailer. Leave yourself at least 10 months to plan and organize everything. Then put on your armor (since there where be many rejections) and go to battle.
About You
Where did you grow up?
I was born in Queens, NY, raised in Rochester, NY, Columbus, OH, and then Long Island since 1976.
Where do you live now?
My wife and I first lived in a two-room apartment in Bayside, Queens when we were first married. After our first child was born we moved back to Long Island seeking more space and some tranquility from our work-week.
What would you like readers to know about you?
For seven years (1995 – 2001) I worked as the marketing director for an agency that created postage stamps for governments around the world. I stumbled upon the idea of putting living celebrities on legal tender for a handful of countries. It became a global phenomenon. I got to work with the likes of Barbra Streisand, Bob Hope, Kirk Douglas, Jackie Chan, The Bee Gees, Bob Dylan, Sylvester Stallone, Michael Jordan and David Copperfield. What a joy… and an eye-opener it was meeting so many of my boyhood heroes.
What are you working on now?
I started a second novel back in 2004. It’s another look at the hollow nature of celebrity from an entirely different perspective. It features a convoluted plot concocted by a fame-seeking writer who manages to achieve great notoriety without being able to enjoy any of the perks of fame. I’ve recently revisited this project and hope to complete it by next summer if time permits.
End of Interview:
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Get your copy of Poet of the Wrong Generation from Amazon US or Amazon UK.
