Before the Credits Joyce S. Isaacson – A Rock Musician's Journey Through Heaven and the Search for a Lost Friend

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Joyce S. Isaacson – A Rock Musician's Journey Through Heaven and the Search for a Lost Friend

Love, loss, rock and roll, and a journey through the afterlife.

Joyce S. Isaacson is a writer with a lifelong love of fantasy, the paranormal, and rock and roll. She spent ten years working in the Editorial Department of the Chicago Tribune.

Inspired by the music and history of Badfinger, she wrote Wish You Were Here: A Rock Fantasy and its sequel. She has since adapted the story into a television series and completed all six scripts for its first season.

In this edition of Before the Credits, Joyce discusses the inspiration behind her supernatural rock fantasy, the challenges of adapting her novels for television, and the creative partner she hopes to find to bring the series to the screen.

Wish You Were Here poster for pilot update jpeg.webp

1. Wish You Were Here began as a novel. Was there a particular moment when you realized you didn't just want people to read this story you wanted them to see and hear it on screen?

I think the story always felt very visual to me. Music is such an important part of Wish You Were Here, and as I wrote Tomas’s journey through the different levels of Heaven, I could picture the characters, the places, and hear the music in my head. Eventually, I realized I wanted audiences to experience that world rather than only imagine it on the page. That’s what inspired me to adapt the novel into a television series.

2. Your protagonist is a murdered rock musician who wakes up in Heaven. Where did this unusual combination of rock music, death, and the afterlife come from and which part of the idea came first?

The music came first. In 2013, I discovered Badfinger and became fascinated by the band’s music and tragic history, which inspired me to begin writing. From there, the story evolved into Tomas Alvers, a rock musician who dies and awakens in Heaven searching for his best friend and bandmate, Paul. The afterlife gave me a way to explore friendship, loss, guilt, and redemption through the world of rock and roll.

3. Many stories use the afterlife as a destination. In your story, it's essentially where the journey begins. What possibilities did that give you as a writer that a more conventional fantasy setting wouldn't have?

It allowed me to make Heaven a world of its own rather than simply an ending. I could create different levels, rules, abilities, and places for Tomas to explore while still carrying his relationships and unfinished business with him. It also meant that death didn’t solve Tomas’s problems it gave him a new journey. The deeper he travels through Heaven searching for Paul, the more he discovers that the afterlife isn’t what he expected.

4. As a novelist, you have almost complete control over your world, while television is built through collaboration. What part of Wish You Were Here would you fight hardest to preserve, and what would you be excited to see a producer or creative partner bring something new to?

The part I would fight hardest to preserve is the emotional heart of the story Tomas’s friendship with Paul and his determination to find him. I’d also want to protect the idea of Heaven as a world with its own levels, rules, and mysteries. At the same time, I’d be excited to see what a producer or creative partner could bring visually, especially to the different levels of Heaven and the music. I’m open to collaboration as long as we don’t lose what makes the story Wish You Were Here.

5. You've already written all six episodes of the first season. Did any character, storyline, or idea take you somewhere completely different from what you originally planned?

Yes. Victoria became much more important to the story than I originally planned. She began as someone Tomas encounters during his journey, but she gradually became his companion in the search for Paul and an important part of his life in Heaven. I love when a character develops naturally and takes the story somewhere I wasn’t expecting.

6. If you could show a producer only one scene from the entire first season one that demonstrates why this series is different what kind of scene would you choose, and why?

I would choose the scene where Tomas realizes his son Sam is in danger and insists on returning to Earth, even though Gabriel would be breaking Heaven’s rules by taking him there. It combines the supernatural world with something very human a father desperate to reach his son. It also shows that Heaven in this series has rules, consequences, and emotional stakes rather than simply being a peaceful destination. That scene captures what makes Wish You Were Here different: the afterlife is where the relationships and struggles continue.

7. You're currently looking for a producer. Beyond financing and industry connections, what creative quality are you looking for in the person you would trust to help bring this story to television?

I’m looking for someone who understands the emotional heart of the story and respects what makes it unique. I want a creative partner who brings new ideas while still listening to and understanding my vision. Because music is such an important part of Wish You Were Here, I’d also love someone who appreciates how music and storytelling can work together. Most of all, I want someone who truly believes in the story and wants to bring this world to life.

8. Imagine someone reads this interview and then opens your pilot. What is the one feeling or question you hope stays with them when they reach the end of the first episode?

I hope they finish the pilot wanting to know where Paul is and why Tomas can’t find him. I also want them to feel that Heaven isn’t quite what they expected and that there are mysteries beneath the surface. Most of all, I want them emotionally invested in Tomas and willing to follow him on his search. I want them to think, “I need to know what happens next.”

Connect with Joyce S. Isaacson

Joyce is currently seeking a producer to help bring Wish You Were Here to television.

You can connect with her directly through her FilmPlatforms profile:

https://filmplatforms.com/members/joycetiger11.128/

Before the Credits Joyce S. Isaacson – A Rock Musician's Journey Through Heaven and the Search for a Lost Friend

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Joyce S. Isaacson – A Rock Musician's Journey Through Heaven and the Search for a Lost Friend

1. Wish You Were Here began as a novel. Was there a particular moment when you realized you didn't just want people to read this story you wanted them to see and hear it on screen?

2. Your protagonist is a murdered rock musician who wakes up in Heaven. Where did this unusual combination of rock music, death, and the afterlife come from and which part of the idea came first?

3. Many stories use the afterlife as a destination. In your story, it's essentially where the journey begins. What possibilities did that give you as a writer that a more conventional fantasy setting wouldn't have?

4. As a novelist, you have almost complete control over your world, while television is built through collaboration. What part of Wish You Were Here would you fight hardest to preserve, and what would you be excited to see a producer or creative partner bring something new to?

5. You've already written all six episodes of the first season. Did any character, storyline, or idea take you somewhere completely different from what you originally planned?

6. If you could show a producer only one scene from the entire first season one that demonstrates why this series is different what kind of scene would you choose, and why?

7. You're currently looking for a producer. Beyond financing and industry connections, what creative quality are you looking for in the person you would trust to help bring this story to television?

8. Imagine someone reads this interview and then opens your pilot. What is the one feeling or question you hope stays with them when they reach the end of the first episode?

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Before the Credits Joyce S. Isaacson – A Rock Musician's Journey Through Heaven and the Search for a Lost Friend

admin

Administrator

Joyce S. Isaacson – A Rock Musician's Journey Through Heaven and the Search for a Lost Friend​

1. Wish You Were Here began as a novel. Was there a particular moment when you realized you didn't just want people to read this story you wanted them to see and hear it on screen?​

2. Your protagonist is a murdered rock musician who wakes up in Heaven. Where did this unusual combination of rock music, death, and the afterlife come from and which part of the idea came first?​

3. Many stories use the afterlife as a destination. In your story, it's essentially where the journey begins. What possibilities did that give you as a writer that a more conventional fantasy setting wouldn't have?​

4. As a novelist, you have almost complete control over your world, while television is built through collaboration. What part of Wish You Were Here would you fight hardest to preserve, and what would you be excited to see a producer or creative partner bring something new to?​

5. You've already written all six episodes of the first season. Did any character, storyline, or idea take you somewhere completely different from what you originally planned?​

6. If you could show a producer only one scene from the entire first season one that demonstrates why this series is different what kind of scene would you choose, and why?​

7. You're currently looking for a producer. Beyond financing and industry connections, what creative quality are you looking for in the person you would trust to help bring this story to television?​

8. Imagine someone reads this interview and then opens your pilot. What is the one feeling or question you hope stays with them when they reach the end of the first episode?​

Online statistics

Newest members

Stay Connected

We value your privacy

Joyce S. Isaacson – A Rock Musician's Journey Through Heaven and the Search for a Lost Friend

1. Wish You Were Here began as a novel. Was there a particular moment when you realized you didn't just want people to read this story you wanted them to see and hear it on screen?

2. Your protagonist is a murdered rock musician who wakes up in Heaven. Where did this unusual combination of rock music, death, and the afterlife come from and which part of the idea came first?

3. Many stories use the afterlife as a destination. In your story, it's essentially where the journey begins. What possibilities did that give you as a writer that a more conventional fantasy setting wouldn't have?

4. As a novelist, you have almost complete control over your world, while television is built through collaboration. What part of Wish You Were Here would you fight hardest to preserve, and what would you be excited to see a producer or creative partner bring something new to?

5. You've already written all six episodes of the first season. Did any character, storyline, or idea take you somewhere completely different from what you originally planned?

6. If you could show a producer only one scene from the entire first season one that demonstrates why this series is different what kind of scene would you choose, and why?

7. You're currently looking for a producer. Beyond financing and industry connections, what creative quality are you looking for in the person you would trust to help bring this story to television?

8. Imagine someone reads this interview and then opens your pilot. What is the one feeling or question you hope stays with them when they reach the end of the first episode?