Hal Eisenberg's Blog, page 2
November 2, 2012
Book Visit/Reading!
My thanks to the 5th grade class at King's Ridge for letting me come and speak to them about the writing process as well as read excerpts from my book. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of questions from the over 75 students packed into the room. We covered an array of topics including character development - how I came up with Jonah's personality and the school bully, Gozzy, as well as questions about writing dialogue between the characters and how Jonah addresses the readers one-to-one throughout the book. I was also able to play them the Overnight Sensation book trailer on their whiteboard. It was a terrific visit and I thank you for letting me share my book with you!
September 19, 2012
Uh-Oh...
That's "Uh-Oh" as in the song by the band,
Junior Doctor. This is one of the songs I was playing while finishing the book. The lyrics are so right for Jonah's point of view about the girl of his dreams, Theresa Thompkins. Here's some of the lyrics:
"I've never been good with words
Well, at least not the sweet kind
Somehow when she's around
It's like I just lose my mind
And I know, I know I should just leave it alone
But I won't, I won't, I keep getting in my way
And my friends say I'm crazy
A girl like that would never go for a guy like me
I know, I know that I should listen to them
But I won't, I won't, I won't
And uh oh, uh oh, I get that feeling
And I don't know, don't know how she keeps stealing
All the air from my lungs
And leaving all the words stuck on my tongue
It's like I'm not even here
Ran me over as she walked by
Dust off my clumsy words
And bad pickup lines
And I know, I know that I can't leave her alone
And I won't, I won't, I try to work up the nerve
Hope to God I don't stutter
My thrown together letters never end up as words
And I know, I know I should leave it alone
But I won't, I won't, I won't
And uh oh, uh oh, I get that feeling
And I don't know, don't know how she keeps stealing
All the air from my lungs
And leaving all the words stuck on my tongue..."
Jonah could have written those words as awkward as his exchanges are with Theresa when he first meets her. And by saying awkward, I'm being kind.
BUT DON'T TAKE MY WORD FOR IT. Here's a snippet from the book:
As I checked my daily email, searching for something from the radio station, I began to believe that perhaps Jess was right. Maybe Tim Ronston was just being nice to a listener and that was the end of that. I decided to take a break from worrying and clicked on my pathetic Facebook page. There were a dozen friend requests from people I didn’t know. Girls from our school, pretty girls, popular girls. Was this some kind of joke? Not that I was complaining. My guess was they were part of Jess’s babe patrol and were just trying to get to him through me. I decided to pull up Theresa Thompkins’ Facebook page. How depressing. She had over eight hundred and fifty friends, and I wasn’t one of them. I held my breath as I boldly decided to befriend her and ask to be number eight hundred fifty- one. How pathetic.
I didn’t give it much thought about the strange requests, or even my friending Theresa, until later on Friday. As I sprinted to my locker and made a wide turn down the C Hall, I ran into her, literally. Like two small planes in a mid-air collision, my foot went under hers and forced us both to the floor. Her books and papers went flying everywhere. Pain mixed with pleasure as I lay there in a pile of beautiful arms and legs.
“Geez! Why don’t you watch where you’re going?” she asked, as she attempted to push me off of her. Then miraculously, she recognized me.
Jonah?” she asked, rubbing her forehead.
“Seems like whenever we get together, people fall down.”
“Yes, especially me. Um, you can get off of me now.”
“Hey, any contact is better than no contact at all.”
Yes, I said that out loud.
“Say what?”
“You seem to be in a hurry,” I said, helping her up.
“Yeah, my mom’s picking me up today. “What’s your excuse?”
Think. Think.
“I’m going to this place.”
Oh, that was brilliant.
“Hey, I meant to tell you, I talked to this guy, um, Jess Taylor.” “Oh, you know Teffy?”
“Teffy? Who’s Teffy?”
“That’s what I call Jess because no matter how bad of a mess he gets into, he always slides out of it.
Blank stare.
“Like Teflon, Teffy, get it?”
Now she was looking at me like I was from the planet Krypton.
“See, he calls me Joman, which makes sense, since my name is Jonah. Jonah, Joman, not much of a stretch there, but see, I don’t mind being called Joman, or Jonah for that matter, cause, well, that’s my name so, technically I guess Joman isn’t really a nickname at all, is it?”
Get a grip, Jonah! Must use real sentences!
“But uh, yeah, Jess is my best friend. He sure is. So... eh, what were you saying?”
“He mentioned you guys were forming a band and it sounded pretty cool.”
What? Crap! Come on mouth, work!
“He did, did he?”
“Yes, and he said I could come over and watch you guys practice on Saturday,” she said, her piercing blue eyes making me feel a little dizzy.
“Wait, what? You mean come over—over?”
“Yeah, hang out with the band, applaud and scream a lot. I could be your first groupie,” she said, smiling.
Pinch me, someone.
“Wow, that sounds really great, but our practices are kind of boring,” I said.
“I don’t know. I think it would be fun watching you guys learn the songs, practice the vocals, and stuff like that.”
How about watching us learn how to play?
“Say, I noticed you friended me on Facebook.”
“Oh, um, yeah, I did. That’s okay, right? Cause if you don’t want ...”
“Cool. Okay, well, see you on Saturday, Joman,” she said, twirling around and strutting away, her long blond hair swishing back and forth.
As I watched her mesmerizing form drift out of view, I stood there, stunned at what had just occurred, while trying to get my heart to stop pounding. First of all, I’d actually had a real conversation with Theresa Thompkins, not a coherent one, and I did have to knock her down in order to do it. Still, I was feeling pretty damn good. That was, until I realized I had just told her it was okay to come over and watch our fake band. My guess was she only wanted to come over to be around Jess. But still, it was a great Theresa moment.
Rushing home, I threw my backpack against the wall, flopped down on my bed and rewound the conversation in my head. It was then I decided that if I had any chance with her, I was going to have to confront Jess and find out if he had any feelings for her as well.
SEE WHAT I MEAN?
Junior Doctor. This is one of the songs I was playing while finishing the book. The lyrics are so right for Jonah's point of view about the girl of his dreams, Theresa Thompkins. Here's some of the lyrics:
"I've never been good with words
Well, at least not the sweet kind
Somehow when she's around
It's like I just lose my mind
And I know, I know I should just leave it alone
But I won't, I won't, I keep getting in my way
And my friends say I'm crazy
A girl like that would never go for a guy like me
I know, I know that I should listen to them
But I won't, I won't, I won't
And uh oh, uh oh, I get that feeling
And I don't know, don't know how she keeps stealing
All the air from my lungs
And leaving all the words stuck on my tongue
It's like I'm not even here
Ran me over as she walked by
Dust off my clumsy words
And bad pickup lines
And I know, I know that I can't leave her alone
And I won't, I won't, I try to work up the nerve
Hope to God I don't stutter
My thrown together letters never end up as words
And I know, I know I should leave it alone
But I won't, I won't, I won't
And uh oh, uh oh, I get that feeling
And I don't know, don't know how she keeps stealing
All the air from my lungs
And leaving all the words stuck on my tongue..."
Jonah could have written those words as awkward as his exchanges are with Theresa when he first meets her. And by saying awkward, I'm being kind.
BUT DON'T TAKE MY WORD FOR IT. Here's a snippet from the book:
As I checked my daily email, searching for something from the radio station, I began to believe that perhaps Jess was right. Maybe Tim Ronston was just being nice to a listener and that was the end of that. I decided to take a break from worrying and clicked on my pathetic Facebook page. There were a dozen friend requests from people I didn’t know. Girls from our school, pretty girls, popular girls. Was this some kind of joke? Not that I was complaining. My guess was they were part of Jess’s babe patrol and were just trying to get to him through me. I decided to pull up Theresa Thompkins’ Facebook page. How depressing. She had over eight hundred and fifty friends, and I wasn’t one of them. I held my breath as I boldly decided to befriend her and ask to be number eight hundred fifty- one. How pathetic.
I didn’t give it much thought about the strange requests, or even my friending Theresa, until later on Friday. As I sprinted to my locker and made a wide turn down the C Hall, I ran into her, literally. Like two small planes in a mid-air collision, my foot went under hers and forced us both to the floor. Her books and papers went flying everywhere. Pain mixed with pleasure as I lay there in a pile of beautiful arms and legs.
“Geez! Why don’t you watch where you’re going?” she asked, as she attempted to push me off of her. Then miraculously, she recognized me.
Jonah?” she asked, rubbing her forehead.
“Seems like whenever we get together, people fall down.”
“Yes, especially me. Um, you can get off of me now.”
“Hey, any contact is better than no contact at all.”
Yes, I said that out loud.
“Say what?”
“You seem to be in a hurry,” I said, helping her up.
“Yeah, my mom’s picking me up today. “What’s your excuse?”
Think. Think.
“I’m going to this place.”
Oh, that was brilliant.
“Hey, I meant to tell you, I talked to this guy, um, Jess Taylor.” “Oh, you know Teffy?”
“Teffy? Who’s Teffy?”
“That’s what I call Jess because no matter how bad of a mess he gets into, he always slides out of it.
Blank stare.
“Like Teflon, Teffy, get it?”
Now she was looking at me like I was from the planet Krypton.
“See, he calls me Joman, which makes sense, since my name is Jonah. Jonah, Joman, not much of a stretch there, but see, I don’t mind being called Joman, or Jonah for that matter, cause, well, that’s my name so, technically I guess Joman isn’t really a nickname at all, is it?”
Get a grip, Jonah! Must use real sentences!
“But uh, yeah, Jess is my best friend. He sure is. So... eh, what were you saying?”
“He mentioned you guys were forming a band and it sounded pretty cool.”
What? Crap! Come on mouth, work!
“He did, did he?”
“Yes, and he said I could come over and watch you guys practice on Saturday,” she said, her piercing blue eyes making me feel a little dizzy.
“Wait, what? You mean come over—over?”
“Yeah, hang out with the band, applaud and scream a lot. I could be your first groupie,” she said, smiling.
Pinch me, someone.
“Wow, that sounds really great, but our practices are kind of boring,” I said.
“I don’t know. I think it would be fun watching you guys learn the songs, practice the vocals, and stuff like that.”
How about watching us learn how to play?
“Say, I noticed you friended me on Facebook.”
“Oh, um, yeah, I did. That’s okay, right? Cause if you don’t want ...”
“Cool. Okay, well, see you on Saturday, Joman,” she said, twirling around and strutting away, her long blond hair swishing back and forth.
As I watched her mesmerizing form drift out of view, I stood there, stunned at what had just occurred, while trying to get my heart to stop pounding. First of all, I’d actually had a real conversation with Theresa Thompkins, not a coherent one, and I did have to knock her down in order to do it. Still, I was feeling pretty damn good. That was, until I realized I had just told her it was okay to come over and watch our fake band. My guess was she only wanted to come over to be around Jess. But still, it was a great Theresa moment.
Rushing home, I threw my backpack against the wall, flopped down on my bed and rewound the conversation in my head. It was then I decided that if I had any chance with her, I was going to have to confront Jess and find out if he had any feelings for her as well.
SEE WHAT I MEAN?
September 13, 2012
COULD IT REALLY HAPPEN?
Some people, after having read Overnight Sensation, have wondered - could the plot actually happen? Could a song accidentally get on a radio station's playlist and then get played all over the country? If you know about radio in today's world, you know that answer is yes! See, in the old days, radio stations were programmed by many different sources, including the DJs. Especially on some FM stations, disc jockeys had the ability to choose the songs they wanted to play. Some would even bring in their own records and share them with thier audience. As times changed, and radio stations were bought and sold and thousands became part of one or two particular giant media compaies, the idea of picking what got played on which stations became much more sophisticated as consultants and computers and big money got in the mix.
In Hitstreak's case, the song could have easily been added by the Program Director, Tim, from the local side. Then, without giving any of the plot away(!) it could have also been added to the playlist of radio stations all across the country by plugging it into the computer data base which programs the stations nationwide. Did you know that many shows you hear on your favorite radio stations are actually playing on other stations all across the country simultaniously? It's called syndication and due to it's lower cost verses having to program each and every station separately, it's become a standard in the industry. Know what else? Some of the DJs you hear on your favorite radio stations aren't even in your city. They're pre-recorded and then sent electronically all over the country along with the station's playlist. They even cut lines about your city and local events and send them along with the music to make it seem like they are there! And that's how HItstreak could have very well gotten into Meglomania's radio station's playlist and become an...Overnight Sensation. Could it have been prevented? Are there safeguards in the system to catch things like this? Sure. But remember, if someone of power wanted it to happen, they could make it happen. Read the book to find out more!
In Hitstreak's case, the song could have easily been added by the Program Director, Tim, from the local side. Then, without giving any of the plot away(!) it could have also been added to the playlist of radio stations all across the country by plugging it into the computer data base which programs the stations nationwide. Did you know that many shows you hear on your favorite radio stations are actually playing on other stations all across the country simultaniously? It's called syndication and due to it's lower cost verses having to program each and every station separately, it's become a standard in the industry. Know what else? Some of the DJs you hear on your favorite radio stations aren't even in your city. They're pre-recorded and then sent electronically all over the country along with the station's playlist. They even cut lines about your city and local events and send them along with the music to make it seem like they are there! And that's how HItstreak could have very well gotten into Meglomania's radio station's playlist and become an...Overnight Sensation. Could it have been prevented? Are there safeguards in the system to catch things like this? Sure. But remember, if someone of power wanted it to happen, they could make it happen. Read the book to find out more!
September 3, 2012
Who will play the parts in Overnight Sensation?
Hi All! Please check out the blog on my website: http://www.hal-eisenberg.com and see who I've chosen to play the characters in the Overnight Sensation movie.
What's that? I don't have an option for the movie yet? Who cares? Truth is, I've actually had some interest in the project so..... take a look and see if you agree after reading the book. And then go ahead and post your choices of who you think should play the parts. I haven't chosen the girls or the other parts yet, so help me out with those - AND thanks for reading!
What's that? I don't have an option for the movie yet? Who cares? Truth is, I've actually had some interest in the project so..... take a look and see if you agree after reading the book. And then go ahead and post your choices of who you think should play the parts. I haven't chosen the girls or the other parts yet, so help me out with those - AND thanks for reading!
August 7, 2012
It's Here!
Finally, my book, Overnight Sensation is available in paperback! It's on Amazon as well as Barnes and Noble
Pubit, and Smashwords. To all of you who've already purchased it - a huge thank! Please let me know what you think!
Pubit, and Smashwords. To all of you who've already purchased it - a huge thank! Please let me know what you think!
July 16, 2012
ALMOST...
Finally. Almost. The paperback version of Overnight Sensation as well as my website is almost ready. I feel at the rate it took me to get to this point, I should be able to write and publish my next book no later than 2018.
I'll be posting the dates and you can also go to my site, www.hal-eisenberg.com (but not yet!) as to the actual launch date, as well as learn about some semi-serious SWAG I'm going to give away.
Also, if you're a musician or in a band, check out the contest on my site as well!
I'll be posting the dates and you can also go to my site, www.hal-eisenberg.com (but not yet!) as to the actual launch date, as well as learn about some semi-serious SWAG I'm going to give away.
Also, if you're a musician or in a band, check out the contest on my site as well!
