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A Skylark Special - Q&A Episode
In this holiday special edition of the podcast, you get a little behind the scenes information about the Skylark Bell creator in the form of a pre-recorded Q+A.
Hear about the strange way the story first came about, and the process behind writing the book, and eventually creating the podcast.
Music: Nightbridge by Cannelle (www.cannellemusic.com)
Find The Skylark Bell online: www.theyskylarkbell.com
Instagram: @theskylarkbell
Twitter: @melissaoliveri
Patreon: www.patreon.com/melissaoliveri
TRANSCRIPT:
Things with Wings productions presents a special presentation of The Skylark Bell. I’m your host, Melissa Oliveri.
In this holiday special edition of the podcast, you get a little behind the scenes information about the Skylark Bell creator in the form of a pre-recorded Q+A.
Hear about the strange way the story first came about, and the process behind writing the book, and eventually creating the podcast.
If you haven’t already, go grab a blanket and a warm drink… here we go.
Q - How did you come up with the premise of The Skylark Bell?
A – The title for the book actually came to me in a dream. I sometimes dream letters, words, and or sentences. I keep a notepad and pencil in my nightstand drawer so I can jot things down in the middle of the night. In this instance, I dreamed the words “Meadow Lane and the Skylark Bell”. I didn’t know what it meant, but I filed it away for future use.
Q – When did you start writing the story of Meadow Lane and the Skylark Bell.
A – I believe it was sometime in 2010 or 2011. I distinctly remember sitting in my car on my lunch break with a yellow legal pad and a pen coming up with ideas for the story and character outlines. My first idea was that there would be no sound on Meadow Lane. I thought that was original. I also found the idea of stepping into a space where there is no sound very unnerving.
Q – What took so long to share the book?
A – My first draft of the book was completed in the summer of 2014. I was pleased with myself for finishing it, but I was quite unhappy with the ending. I put the book on a shelf and forgot about it for several years. Finally in 2019 when I started a Patreon account for my music I thought it might be fun for my patrons if I shared the story of Meadow Lane and the Skylark Bell one chapter at a time. I started posting one or two chapters per month, and the book began to make the rounds that way.
Q – What made you turn the book into a podcast?
A – In the summer of 2020, my friend Amy from the Collected Sounds and Volsteadland podcasts approached me with the idea of turning my book into a podcast. She was starting a podcast of her own and had done quite a bit of research on it, and she offered to help me get started. At first I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do it. I had never really listened to a podcast before. I told her I’d think about it. And I did. I thought about it a lot. I thought “Ooooo I could compose intro music for it” and “Oooo I could compose background music for it” and “Oh! I could include sound effects!” and the more I thought about the more excited I got, so I went for it!
Q – How did you decide on the format, frequency of episodes, length of episodes, etc?
A – In my preparation phase, which lasted about 6 months, I realized a lot of things. One, I had to change the ending of the book to something much better than what I had originally written. That was the first thing I did, only after that was done did I fully commit to doing a podcast. Second, I realized my episodes would have to be somewhat similar in length, so I adjusted my chapters to have similar word counts. Third – After I recorded a few chapters for practice I quickly realized that each chapter needed to end on a bit of a cliffhanger. The first few fell flat – so I re-wrote most of the chapter endings. Once all my chapters were ready, I began to think about how I was going to fill up an entire year with 26 chapters. This is where Fantôme Friday comes it. I decided that on the last Friday of each month I would pause reading of the Meadow Lane and the Skylark Bell, and instead tell a true ghost story. Well, they aren’t really all ghost stories, but they are definitely supernatural in nature!
Q – Are all the Fantôme Friday episodes true stories?
A – Absolutely! I did my best to write the Fantôme Friday stories in an honest way without embellishing or taking too much creative freedom. The majority of the episodes cover things I experienced first-hand, and the others came to me from people I trust implicitly.
Q – Where did you come up with the idea to include an original song with each Fantôme Friday episode?
A – I am equal parts author and musician. Music is a huge part of my life. For my music endeavours, I go by the stage name Cannelle. When I realized what a huge undertaking the podcast was going to be – sidenote, I didn’t realize how much work would be involved when I started out – I grew concerned that my music would fall by the wayside, and that didn’t seem fair to the people who have been supporting my music on Patreon and on social media, particularly Instagram. My initial plan was to use existing songs and recordings to go with the Fantôme Friday episodes. I got this idea in my head because the first Fantôme Friday is about Jack’s Room, and I already had a song written about that. That is the only Fantôme Friday for which I had a song that fit. I found myself having to compose a new song each month. I’ll be honest, some months were easier than others! But the wonderful thing is doing that helped me keep my music and my writing closely intertwined, and in doing so I ended up creating a soundtrack for the podcast called Songs from The Skylark Bell!
Q – How do you think being a musician affects how you approach the podcast?
A – I am very in tune to how sounds make people feel. I felt it was important for the spoken intro and outro to have a different feel than the story itself. That’s why there is no background music for the intro and outro, but while I am reading the story there is subtle, low, rumbling music in the background. Interesting fact, that background music just a loop of the intro music but with all the high-pitched instruments muted.
Q – Tell us more about the intro music, was it written specifically for the podcast?
A – Well, yes and no. As I was sitting at the piano trying to come up with something new, I started playing the bridge to an original song of mine called Night. Suddenly the light came on, I’d been looking for something a little creepy, but still nice, with a theatrical edge to it – the bridge to this song fit the bill perfectly! I plugged my Roland keyboard into my laptop and began recording. I started out with piano then added a bunch of low choir sounds and strings. Then the fun began. If you listen carefully you’ll notice the only percussion in the song is the sound of a heartbeat. There is also a swooshing sound that was added by my sun using a “rain” sound effect on my keyboard. At the end of the song we hear bells and birds, which are intricately woven into the story of Meadow Lane.
Q – Speaking of the story – what can we expect in future seasons?
A – I always knew the story of The Skylark Bell was going to be a trilogy. Book 2 is titled Wingspan and is completely written. That is what season 2 will consist of. We’ll reconnect with Magpie and Lucas about two years after the end of Book 1. They have finished high school and are heading to Scotland to claim a house left to Magpie by her great-great-grandfather James Carnifex. Of course mysterious occurrences and visions and clues are all part of the story.
Q – Will we get an answer to the question on everyone’s lips after the season 1 cliffhanger – Who is Farfalla?!
A – Yes! I don’t want to give too much away, but about 1/3 of the way through book two that question will be answered.
Q – You mentioned The Skylark Bell is a trilogy, what will the third book be about?
A – The third book starts out as a bit of a prequel, and follows Farfalla’s timeline. Part of it takes place at Meadow Lane, and part of it takes place in Scotland. I don’t want to give too much away, but all three books are very tightly intertwined, and all major characters make appearances in all three books.
Q – Are there plans to publish the story in book form?
A – Yes! This is something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time. I am waiting to complete the third book, then will revise all three books to ensure there are no errors or omissions I the story, then I will send the books for publication. I am hoping to have at least one of the books available by the summer of 2022 in both printed and e-book format as well as an audiobook version.
Q – Are there plans for any other physical or digital merchandise related to The Skyarl Bell?
A – Yes. The soundtrack is currently available on Bandcamp. You can visit www. Theskylarkbell . com for more information on that. I also offer goodies to Patreon patrons such as ornaments and bookmarks. I am hoping to put together an online shop in the near future where anyone can purchase The Skylark Bell merch, and eventually the books!
Q – As we wrap up this conversation, tell us where fans can get more information about the podcast and the music.
A – The website is a great resource. You can go to www . Melissa oliveri . com to learn about everything I do. There are separate pages for my music as Cannelle, as well as The Skylark Bell podcast, and all social media links, music website links, and podcast platform links are there. You can also sign up for The Skylark Chronicles, my montly newsletter for the podcast. There is also a separate newsletter for my music for those who are interested.
Thank you so much for listening. I wish all of you a safe and happy holiday season.
Be sure to stay tuned in a couple of weeks when we’ll once again find Magpie and Lucas for a holiday special edition called A Strange New Year.
If you have any comments or questions following this episode, I invite you to reach out via the form on my website which can be found at www . theskylarkbell . com
You can also reach out via social media if you prefer, links to Instagram, facebook, and twitter can also be found on the website.
As always, leaving a rating or a review is greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/theskylarkbell/exclusive-content
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
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By Melissa West
5
1919 ratings
In this holiday special edition of the podcast, you get a little behind the scenes information about the Skylark Bell creator in the form of a pre-recorded Q+A.
Hear about the strange way the story first came about, and the process behind writing the book, and eventually creating the podcast.
Music: Nightbridge by Cannelle (www.cannellemusic.com)
Find The Skylark Bell online: www.theyskylarkbell.com
Instagram: @theskylarkbell
Twitter: @melissaoliveri
Patreon: www.patreon.com/melissaoliveri
TRANSCRIPT:
Things with Wings productions presents a special presentation of The Skylark Bell. I’m your host, Melissa Oliveri.
In this holiday special edition of the podcast, you get a little behind the scenes information about the Skylark Bell creator in the form of a pre-recorded Q+A.
Hear about the strange way the story first came about, and the process behind writing the book, and eventually creating the podcast.
If you haven’t already, go grab a blanket and a warm drink… here we go.
Q - How did you come up with the premise of The Skylark Bell?
A – The title for the book actually came to me in a dream. I sometimes dream letters, words, and or sentences. I keep a notepad and pencil in my nightstand drawer so I can jot things down in the middle of the night. In this instance, I dreamed the words “Meadow Lane and the Skylark Bell”. I didn’t know what it meant, but I filed it away for future use.
Q – When did you start writing the story of Meadow Lane and the Skylark Bell.
A – I believe it was sometime in 2010 or 2011. I distinctly remember sitting in my car on my lunch break with a yellow legal pad and a pen coming up with ideas for the story and character outlines. My first idea was that there would be no sound on Meadow Lane. I thought that was original. I also found the idea of stepping into a space where there is no sound very unnerving.
Q – What took so long to share the book?
A – My first draft of the book was completed in the summer of 2014. I was pleased with myself for finishing it, but I was quite unhappy with the ending. I put the book on a shelf and forgot about it for several years. Finally in 2019 when I started a Patreon account for my music I thought it might be fun for my patrons if I shared the story of Meadow Lane and the Skylark Bell one chapter at a time. I started posting one or two chapters per month, and the book began to make the rounds that way.
Q – What made you turn the book into a podcast?
A – In the summer of 2020, my friend Amy from the Collected Sounds and Volsteadland podcasts approached me with the idea of turning my book into a podcast. She was starting a podcast of her own and had done quite a bit of research on it, and she offered to help me get started. At first I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do it. I had never really listened to a podcast before. I told her I’d think about it. And I did. I thought about it a lot. I thought “Ooooo I could compose intro music for it” and “Oooo I could compose background music for it” and “Oh! I could include sound effects!” and the more I thought about the more excited I got, so I went for it!
Q – How did you decide on the format, frequency of episodes, length of episodes, etc?
A – In my preparation phase, which lasted about 6 months, I realized a lot of things. One, I had to change the ending of the book to something much better than what I had originally written. That was the first thing I did, only after that was done did I fully commit to doing a podcast. Second, I realized my episodes would have to be somewhat similar in length, so I adjusted my chapters to have similar word counts. Third – After I recorded a few chapters for practice I quickly realized that each chapter needed to end on a bit of a cliffhanger. The first few fell flat – so I re-wrote most of the chapter endings. Once all my chapters were ready, I began to think about how I was going to fill up an entire year with 26 chapters. This is where Fantôme Friday comes it. I decided that on the last Friday of each month I would pause reading of the Meadow Lane and the Skylark Bell, and instead tell a true ghost story. Well, they aren’t really all ghost stories, but they are definitely supernatural in nature!
Q – Are all the Fantôme Friday episodes true stories?
A – Absolutely! I did my best to write the Fantôme Friday stories in an honest way without embellishing or taking too much creative freedom. The majority of the episodes cover things I experienced first-hand, and the others came to me from people I trust implicitly.
Q – Where did you come up with the idea to include an original song with each Fantôme Friday episode?
A – I am equal parts author and musician. Music is a huge part of my life. For my music endeavours, I go by the stage name Cannelle. When I realized what a huge undertaking the podcast was going to be – sidenote, I didn’t realize how much work would be involved when I started out – I grew concerned that my music would fall by the wayside, and that didn’t seem fair to the people who have been supporting my music on Patreon and on social media, particularly Instagram. My initial plan was to use existing songs and recordings to go with the Fantôme Friday episodes. I got this idea in my head because the first Fantôme Friday is about Jack’s Room, and I already had a song written about that. That is the only Fantôme Friday for which I had a song that fit. I found myself having to compose a new song each month. I’ll be honest, some months were easier than others! But the wonderful thing is doing that helped me keep my music and my writing closely intertwined, and in doing so I ended up creating a soundtrack for the podcast called Songs from The Skylark Bell!
Q – How do you think being a musician affects how you approach the podcast?
A – I am very in tune to how sounds make people feel. I felt it was important for the spoken intro and outro to have a different feel than the story itself. That’s why there is no background music for the intro and outro, but while I am reading the story there is subtle, low, rumbling music in the background. Interesting fact, that background music just a loop of the intro music but with all the high-pitched instruments muted.
Q – Tell us more about the intro music, was it written specifically for the podcast?
A – Well, yes and no. As I was sitting at the piano trying to come up with something new, I started playing the bridge to an original song of mine called Night. Suddenly the light came on, I’d been looking for something a little creepy, but still nice, with a theatrical edge to it – the bridge to this song fit the bill perfectly! I plugged my Roland keyboard into my laptop and began recording. I started out with piano then added a bunch of low choir sounds and strings. Then the fun began. If you listen carefully you’ll notice the only percussion in the song is the sound of a heartbeat. There is also a swooshing sound that was added by my sun using a “rain” sound effect on my keyboard. At the end of the song we hear bells and birds, which are intricately woven into the story of Meadow Lane.
Q – Speaking of the story – what can we expect in future seasons?
A – I always knew the story of The Skylark Bell was going to be a trilogy. Book 2 is titled Wingspan and is completely written. That is what season 2 will consist of. We’ll reconnect with Magpie and Lucas about two years after the end of Book 1. They have finished high school and are heading to Scotland to claim a house left to Magpie by her great-great-grandfather James Carnifex. Of course mysterious occurrences and visions and clues are all part of the story.
Q – Will we get an answer to the question on everyone’s lips after the season 1 cliffhanger – Who is Farfalla?!
A – Yes! I don’t want to give too much away, but about 1/3 of the way through book two that question will be answered.
Q – You mentioned The Skylark Bell is a trilogy, what will the third book be about?
A – The third book starts out as a bit of a prequel, and follows Farfalla’s timeline. Part of it takes place at Meadow Lane, and part of it takes place in Scotland. I don’t want to give too much away, but all three books are very tightly intertwined, and all major characters make appearances in all three books.
Q – Are there plans to publish the story in book form?
A – Yes! This is something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time. I am waiting to complete the third book, then will revise all three books to ensure there are no errors or omissions I the story, then I will send the books for publication. I am hoping to have at least one of the books available by the summer of 2022 in both printed and e-book format as well as an audiobook version.
Q – Are there plans for any other physical or digital merchandise related to The Skyarl Bell?
A – Yes. The soundtrack is currently available on Bandcamp. You can visit www. Theskylarkbell . com for more information on that. I also offer goodies to Patreon patrons such as ornaments and bookmarks. I am hoping to put together an online shop in the near future where anyone can purchase The Skylark Bell merch, and eventually the books!
Q – As we wrap up this conversation, tell us where fans can get more information about the podcast and the music.
A – The website is a great resource. You can go to www . Melissa oliveri . com to learn about everything I do. There are separate pages for my music as Cannelle, as well as The Skylark Bell podcast, and all social media links, music website links, and podcast platform links are there. You can also sign up for The Skylark Chronicles, my montly newsletter for the podcast. There is also a separate newsletter for my music for those who are interested.
Thank you so much for listening. I wish all of you a safe and happy holiday season.
Be sure to stay tuned in a couple of weeks when we’ll once again find Magpie and Lucas for a holiday special edition called A Strange New Year.
If you have any comments or questions following this episode, I invite you to reach out via the form on my website which can be found at www . theskylarkbell . com
You can also reach out via social media if you prefer, links to Instagram, facebook, and twitter can also be found on the website.
As always, leaving a rating or a review is greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/theskylarkbell/exclusive-content
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy