Hi everyone. Terry Well bra here. Just taking
a moment before today's episode to touch base
with everyone.
Very excited to share the news that I
was invited
to be a part of
pink magazine here on Hilton head Island,
which is a wonderful magazine.
You can pick up
throughout the island. And I know it's at
Harris Teeter, which is a grocery store here,
and I was at the corner perk
today, which was 1 of my favorite place
meeting 2 wonderful
new acquaintances, and we met up and
They had
copies of pink magazine there. But if you
wanna check out the article
about me, you can go. It's under featured
women.
And it's
at the website, it's
all pink dot com. So ISALLPINK
dot com,
and you can just go to that website,
click on featured women.
And
I was in last month, so June, if
you scroll down, you'll see Terry W. So
very exciting. But another cool thing about that
is the founder and Ceo of the magazine,
Elizabeth Mille,
we connected through her invitation to me to
submit this,
or answer these questions for this article.
And
We
are in a writing group together.
She invited me to be a part of
a writing group here. She lives in my
neighborhood turns out.
And so
we are now
sitting down every Friday morning together,
and
writing
along with another author and newfound friend, Tricia,
and it's been 1 to gather with them.
And because now I'm back to riding my
memoir,
unicorn shadows,
from Trauma to triumph, a healing guide. It's
been 10 years in the making. I talk
about it in today's episode.
So,
but it's time, and it's coming together, which
is absolutely wonderful.
So that's the latest and greatest going on
in my world.
I think lots of other stuff going on,
but that's all I'm gonna talk about right
now.
So
today's episode was such a beautiful
conversation, and,
yeah, you have to definitely check out the
book and the song. Oh, just listen to
the song again. You'll you'll know what I'm
talking about when you go, listen in to
the song.
That we are going to talk about in
this episode. So here you go. Enjoy. Welcome
everybody to the Healing place podcast. I'm, your
host terry Well brock, and always smiling doing
a happy dance. I talked to my guests
beforehand, and I've then I'm like, oh my
gosh, we should have been recording because such
good little nuggets come up. So Today, I
have with me Michelle Renee D bella, and
she is the author of the award winning
novel, the music we make. So welcome, Michelle.
Thank you. I'm honored to be here, Terry.
It is such an honor to be here
talking about the hearing power of creativity and
music.
Oh, yes. And and that is such a
such a gift. I tell you,
my
mom who died on my birthday this year
in March of 20 23.
She...
So we had very tumultuous childhood, and my
mom was a severe alcoholic.
But in her
moments of sobriety
when she would connect with with my sister
and I, she would pull out her guitar.
And so
our memories when my mom was in hospice
and my sister, and I were sitting with
her this earlier this year,
we would sing her songs, but we would
taught we talked to her about how much
of a gift that was to us as
children
to sing... So we started singing some of
those like, susanna and It's like, these songs
of, like, our our childhood
that she would play on her, you know,
little guitar for us. So Gosh. Yes. I
agree, and thank you for for put putting
this book out there to talk about it.
So thank you. Yeah. What's inspired you? I
mean,
how did you come about writing this book?
So this book was inspired by a song
that my husband
began to write when he lost his mother
suddenly.
He received from her from heaven floor notes
that were the impetus for this song go
to paradise.
And when we first met
he would sit down and play this incredibly
expressive chorus of this song. And he played
it constantly, but over years, it didn't evolve.
It didn't go anywhere. And as I was
looking to write my first novel,
I wanted to use the story to show
him how to overcome that created a block
that he was really struggling inside of and
really suffering as he struggled through it. So
the really amazing thing was that As I
finished the final draft of the music we
make, he also
finished his song of paradise.
And what was even more amazing was that
when the music we make was nominated for
a pulitzer prize for fiction, his song, where
a paradise was also nominated,
for a pulitzer in music category. So how
amazing is that? Oh, my gosh. I have
goosebumps all down the left. Oh my. And
you got you gotta listen to you can
download it on Apple Music on Spotify, you
just type in bird Paradise, Dominic Bell,
or you can go know, Mr books my
website, and you'll see links to it there,
but it is such an expressive piece of
music.
And,
in in addition, his son kind of has
that same
power with with expressing the myself music and
sometimes using a 17 year old boy and
he'll walk in the stairs and I could
just see And I'm like, just vibrating with
this teenage
an,
and he'll sit down at the piano
and things that he can express in words,
you'll hear coming out if he's angry. You'll
hear these, like, deep base thunder notes rolling
through the house. Yeah, sometimes it's light and
delicate and beautiful.
And I just so
grateful that he has this outlet
to express himself through. And it
it's really that I'm here I'm talking about
it with you today because I just
finished him some helped him submit some college
essays, and he wrote an entire essay on
the power of creativity. And music I'm gonna
read just a little bit of. And he
says,
Throughout my life, I've dealt with the demons
of anxiety and depression,
the divine soar to these bane beasts are
the creative outlets of music and writing.
Playing music has always been a way of
exploring my emotions. The music I create unleashes
my passions
and trans configure them from something that destroys
me, to something that gives me the power
and confidence to live my life with pride.
I'm like, you tears me up. I mean,
he did up.
That's... I mean, 1,
1, my oldest son, and that 1 that
lives in Denver
is so deep and poetic and he. So
reminded me of something he would write and
he's said oh my gosh. That's so incredible
and beautiful. And
Yeah. And so truthful. I mean, how many
teenagers
don't have
or don't feel like they have. It's not
that they don't have,
access to it. They feel like they have
that resource
to...
I know Our youngest, who's also a senior
and you and I have compared notes on
of these college apps in these discovery va
and all of them than the essays and
all that fun stuff. But
you know, she has our art is her.
Outlet Hers this photography. But
to be able to find that in music,
oh, music speaks to my soul, It
it's... I think it speaks to all of
our soul and some of us, we are
able to write music and some of us
we just get to listen to it and
enjoy it. But
I was really excited for the song word
of paradise because it's 1 of those songs
that you can sit with and process your
emotions through, especially emotions like Grief.
And and the entire novel the music we
make, which is really sort of even just
an expression of the song, the song is
symbolic of the characters
move through grief and addiction, and I was
really grateful to find a way to express
it so powerfully.
And when I read a lot of the
reviews that people have left for me on
Amazon and for good rates. They talk about
how
important
his journey was and helping them understand their
own journey. It was through through grief and
through addiction. So I was really... That was
really rewarding for me.
Yeah. Well, again, I'm so... I I told
you I never read books that I received
from authors
before doing the show because I just wanna
be authentic in my... I don't know my
reaction to answers and a new question. I
don't know what. I don't wanna know the
answers I had a time. So I'm so
incredibly excited to dive into this 1 because
I have been on such a grief journey.
Like, I told you my mom died at
March than what 1 of my sol, my
dear friends in all the world died in
May, and my nephew just died by suicide.
It, like, I've had this 20 23 has
been, like, 5 really big deaths in in
my life.
And so there's that grief component, but then
there's also the addiction component that woven in,
and and that's it's all very heavy subjects.
But
when you talk about it and put these
truths out there. Mh. Wow, it's amazing how
it helps people not feel so alone and
can really help them along their journey. So
thank thank you.
Absolutely, You know, and alone as you just
mentioned is is 1 of the things I
deal within
the story
that
human connection
is 1 of our greatest ways out.
Of addiction in grief and finding people in
our lives to
just to be with and to help us
to hear us to feel us. And be
with us on our journey is so important.
I know really we talk about that in
the story.
And also like that the collaborative power of,
you know, creating something with people.
Is is a really beautiful part of that
journey too.
Yeah. I wanna go back for just a
second. And we'll we'll come back around to
this, but
when you when you mentioned,
when we first started talking about receiving the
message in the... From,
your mother law's from your husband's mother. And
what wasn't you that that... You received the
message? No. No. It was it was him.
He he said he received these 4
musical notes, and they were just kind of
eating at him to turn into this song,
and then it was something that took him
decades
to work through. But when he was able
to finally do it,
it was so healing for him. The release
of this song into the world was just
an incredibly healing thing for him my I
watched the transformation. And, and then you see
the transformation in Santiago, the protagonist of music
we make as you read it.
Okay. Yeah. Well, I'm so glad you you
clarified that because 122
things.
We talk a lot about a lot on
the show about
being open to the signs and those messages
that we get from what whatever you wanna
call it. God have an angels source you,
yeah.
But also
that I'd love what you just said in
that it took him a while
to
do something with it. So we can be
open to these amazing messages. Right? Mh. And
then just
back and also the people that come into
our lives that help us
create them the way they were supposed to
be created. And then kind of a fun
part of along those lines is that, you
know, he had this beautiful piece of music
that for me was always just this bear
naked piano ballot. I heard it through the
house constantly as his this piano ballot. But
in his head, it had violin and it
had guitars and it had drums and it
had all these other
instruments
and he as he finished it and had
all the lyrics ready? He was like, how
am I gonna get this produced, You know,
how am Gonna get this into the world?
And he had a friend that he'd gone
to grade school with.
Who was
was adopted, but he had found out in
his thirties that he was the son of
of David Crosby.
And and so he he'd become music producer
and was successful in the music industry in
his own right before he even knew that
his father was this mega superstar in the
music world.
But he... And my husband dominic were good
friends as kids.
And so they connected to Facebook. They hadn't
talked in decades.
And he sent him just that that Bear
naked in, you know, piano track and he
said, oh, we can do something beautiful with
this. Oh And then together.
Excuse me. Together, they made this cri piece
of music, and he found the vocalist Randall
Thomas, who did the most incredible vocal performance,
and there's this ghost lyric at the end,
and we we knew how... Or my husband,
I should say knew how we wanted it
to sound. But he just kinda barely mentioned
it to Randall in the studio,
and he made it sound exactly
like what we were hoping. And we both
heard and we were relate like a your
talking of the goosebumps
oh him. It's exactly
how it was supposed to be. And I
think that's how things are when, you know,
when the energy for things lines up and
comes together. They are exactly how they're supposed
to be. Yes. Oh my gosh we gave
me Again. So... Well, and then and then
you. And I think I I think I...
You know, as I said that that naked
piano track is an... As a bonus track
on the audible book, version of the music
we make. And you as a narrator books,
you know how much fun it is to
na books. But I narrated this
and it was hands down the best part
of the project. I loved every second of
it. It was so much fun for me.
Yeah. I... I've just had my fifth 1
released this morning and so...
Congratulations. Yeah. Thanks. It's it is. It's so
I have fun watching it come to life
and being a part of it
coming to life. So again, it just kudos
to you for being the voice of your
of your creation. I Think know. I would...
I was so nervous to do it
because the main character is a 22 year
old man. And how am I gonna go
into the studio and do this male part
from most of the book There is also
some some chapters of kitty Holiday, and those
were a lot easier. But
but I got into the studio and my
husband was a director, and, we have this
this guy doing the
production and doing the recording and these name
is Josh Good. And he... Right away, they
were like, oh yeah. No. This is gonna
be great. This is gonna be fine. And
it gave me this incredible confidence, and we
had the best time
in the studio
recording the book. And when we were done,
josh it up, and he said, the book
itself is a masterpiece.
Oh, because it's not how incredible... Like, because
he was he was only 20, and the
this character is this 22 year old, you
young, man, and I thought, how... How wonderful
that this character that I worked so hard
to present the the story of was
appreciated in such a way by a man
his same age. So that was really cool.
Yeah. That is very cool. I mean, that's
like there's such a huge kudos and, like,
big celebration in and of itself. So Really
he was.
That's awesome. Well, we had chatted for just
a second beforehand, and 1 of the things
we talked about was I told you my
my 17 year old is,
just working on her private pilot license. And
so she's now
landing and flying planes on her own and
as a mom, you know, obviously, with especially
a mom with anxiety history, you know, nervous.
But when we got a tour of the
of the
little
airport hanger
and met with her
instructor initially. His plane has a parachute on
the top of it, which I think is
the coolest as things. So that makes makes
me breathe a little easier that she could
do handle if she needs to. But you
talked about how you utilized
for
in your book, your dad,
was a pilot. And so my my dad
was a pilot of just small aircraft, and
so growing up, he took us up this
plane often, and it was just 1 of
those fun parts of my childhood. And so
in the novel, I wanted my character to
have that kind of danger outlet because
for him,
he
he didn't have the the will to live
and in that place of not all having
the will to live was this, like, sort
of
not worrying about dying. And so he kind
of falls into going up in an airplane
and becomes this thing that he does that
he's not
afraid to die,
and he thinks that that is giving him
this edge,
that the ability to commit suicide. Is giving
him an edge and, of course, he finds
I think that's not really true at all.
But, the climax of the novel takes place
in the air
I... It was so important to me for
it to be this really incredible scene and
in the, you know, all of the details
had to be just right. And so I
thought, well how am Gonna do this? I'm
not a pilot
but my dad is, and so I went
to my dad, and we had the most
incredible
collaborative
session where... I mean, it was, like 20
or 30 minutes we sat down, I told
them the goals we needed to accomplish, And
what was gonna happen, and we just wrote
it out sentence by sentence, and I think
it's really the best scene in the book.
Oh my gosh. I love it. And I...
Like, again, divine... I don't know what it's
happening with with life today, but
the
collaboration part of it, right before today,
meeting with you, I had just
phone chat, you know, coffee chat via Zoom
with somebody
working in a publishing company in Paris
And so we were having this wonderful little
chi chat, and it was all about
collaboration, and it was 1 of the audiobooks
I had done. The first 1 I had
done.
They they were the production company for it.
And anyway, so we're talking about bringing guests
onto the show and then they want me
to do a book, which is really cool.
And so, again, like, collaboration, I I love
that you're bringing it up, the timing of
it it's so perfect
and your... With your with your husband's work
with the
song, and you guys all working together? I
mean your husband producing the audiobook.
Gosh. So anyone who's listening? Yes.
Collaboration be open to the beauty of allowing
these things to come into your life. It's
just.
Yeah because it's there's so much bigger and
better when we work with other creative artists
to to bring him into the world. Like
I said, when he was working with James
Raymond to produce the song,
It was probably the most fun he'd had
in years. When I was working with him
and the studio to to do the audio
because most of the Had in years. And
and it was really great too because writing
can be such a lonely process, and you
just kinda have to to sit through that
solitary time. It's, like, I had editors and
things that I worked with, but so much
of it is lonely. And so then to
get to the more collaborative place of the
audiobook and a song. Just... It was the
icing on the cake,
Yes. Yes. Now
your book... It is it a standalone project
or do you do you go Do you
do speaking engagements about it? Do you do
work with individuals? I have done some speaking
engagements. My favorite where I was invited to
Cal state University
by professor, to speak to his literature students
about my journey
through the creative process,
and overcoming resistance
and sort of moving through the hero's journey
into the artist journey
and
just
how
that process works and how important it is
for us to find
our outlet
and to... And I was talking about, like,
for me, there's a certain time of each
day
that I have the most creative power. And
it's important for me to seize
that day and do my team work at
that time,
and my message
to them and to everyone listening, if you
have a creative outlet and know they're the
time of day that your most powerful at
expressing it, seize that time,
make it work for you because it makes
the rest of your day
the rest of your life that much more
powerful.
Yeah. Wow, I've been writing my memoir for
10 years.
That's how long it takes. I know. And
I'm, like, I'm, like, I know everybody, I
promise it's gonna be done. 1 of these
days. But... Yeah. It's it did so... It's
so true because if I don't...
I don't wanna say make myself. If I
don't honor
myself.
But like
yeah. Giving giving myself that opportunity. I'm really
glad you used
because 1 for myself,
I needed that reminder,
to honor it, but
you just mentioned the hero's journey and the
artist journey. And I've I've heard the hero's
journey before,
but, like, not transitioning to the artist journey.
Can you can you elaborate on that just
a little bit? I I should say that
I've I've taken these ideas from Steven Pre,
who
who elaborate on them much more eloquently than
I do, but he... It... In his book,
the wore of art, which I think is
just such a fantastic title. He really gets
into this, and he really talks mostly about
overcoming resistance.
And the way that I describe resistance is
everything
that is preventing you from fulfilling your destiny.
And for me, I went through a period
of, you know, time just even almost this
exact time last year
where
my resistance was stopping me from doing all
of the things that I needed to do.
And so I had to really grab that
bull by the horns and say, okay, I'm
not gonna let you
keep me from fulfilling my destiny. I'm going
to, you know,
seize this time. I'm gonna give myself permission
to be an artist.
And that very phrase was what was so
helpful with my husband because they he'd been
working on this song for all these years,
And now I'm waking up and I'm saying,
okay Today is the day write the song.
And is Said what you mean I'm a
businessman.
I don't have time to go into that
creative side of my brain. I don't that
opportunity and I said, you know, I think
it's okay to get cell permission be an
artist today
because you are.
And
and
that day,
he wrote the song in, like, 20 or
30 minutes. It just came out. And so
it was
It was likely he'd been waiting for someone
to give him permission to be the artist
that he is. And so everyone listening I'm
giving you that permission right now.
Wow. And you just gave me the permission.
Like, I've serious you see me beam. Like,
I I'm like, oh, my, I so was
meant to talk to you today. I mean,
Oh, I love it. I love it because
I'm not kidding. Like, last week, I was
like, I don't all these obstacles keep coming
up for, you know, might like, these goals
that I have. And it's just keep getting
tripped up and tripped up, and I was
like, who is it work here? You've got
need to step out the way. And so,
yeah. I've I've just really started to take
steps to be, like, I'm just gonna ignore
all of this that's trying to block my
path. And, step over it, work around it
whatever and keep moving... That is... That is
what it comes down to? And don't you
feel as you're writing your memoir that the
writing itself
is 1 of the greatest healing journeys you've
ever been on. Oh, so cath. Yes.
Yeah. For. That's why it's taken so long
because you're not done healing.
Yeah. Oh, I wanna give you a big
hug for that because it's true.
It's so true. I mean, I know when
my mom,
was was in hospice for those last few
weeks months,
and we were sitting with her. And and
she... When she was still able to communicate,
and she said, Terry,
it's it's time. Like, I remember her saying
it's time, and... It was her stamp finals
day of approval. She'd given me her approval
to put it our truths out there into
the universe. But
that was, like that final Aha moment. And
so and and I've been tripping since March
over
you know, it's time and, like, trying to
find reasons why it's not time. So...
Because some of the final pages that you're
gonna have to put it at that puzzle
might be something that you're afraid to face.
Yeah.
Yeah. Oh, so powerful when you do face
it, you're gonna move through it because there
is no way that the only way is
through it.
Right. And so that's why we need we
need to hold hands with our creative
medium
to get through these things. Like, for me
he was writing. Was like, for so long
as I was writing a music we make,
I I would feel how cath art was,
like, your talking about, and I would think
is this a gift to the world or
is it a gift to myself? And I
almost felt like I had to choose, which
was silly But for a while,
I remember, like, battling with my ego like,
which is a 4, which is a 4
and and and I kinda came out that
no my highest self
knows that this is a gift to the
world.
Yeah. Wow. And, you know, I talk about
it so often on the show, but to
hear someone else say it back,
it is 1 of those aha moments of
yeah. Gosh. Thank you.
But for everyone listening. I'm sure a lot
of people are going, oh my gosh. I
so needed to hear this today.
Yeah. It's like, wow. Wow. How are we
doing? Oh my gosh. We're already date at
our time. So I I could certainly sit
in here and talk to you for much
longer, but I wanted to give you the
opportunity to
maybe touch upon or share anything any final
thoughts that you would like to share?
Well, I think that all of the final
thoughts that I could share are expressed most
beautifully in the music we make
So I would say go to mr books
dot com
and get a copy of there. You can
get a signed copy from me.
Sealed with a kiss,
or you can hold them down to the
audible or the Kindle versions on Amazon right
there that link you can also. Isn't it
beautiful? You can also just view Amazon and,
you know type in the music we make
and find it there. But but,
you know, read the reviews about. I'm so
proud of them on, you know, on Amazon
and Good rates and
decide for yourself, but everything that I could
tell you in addition to what I've said
is in that book.
Awesome. Well, it's just been such a joy
to have you hear you. You know you've
certainly
impacted me with, so many beautiful insights. So
thank you for sharing. Not just your words
of wisdom today, but this beautiful gift to
the world. So thank you. It is my
pleasure, and I honored.
Alright. Well, everyone, thank you for joining us
today on the Healing place podcast to remember
until nick time, be gentle with yourself. Thanks.
Bye bye. Hey, everybody. Terry We bra here.
Just wanted to thank you again for being
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Alright. Thanks. Bye bye.