My guest today is Aoede, or Lisa Sniderman. Hello! Welcome to Writing in the Modern Age! It’s a pleasure to have you here. And it truly is. Readers, this is the first time we're getting a musical author on the blog! :)
So, can you tell us a little bit about your book? When did it come out? Where can we get it?
My latest is a full-length 1 hour 47
minute fantasy musical audiobook, “Do You Believe In Magic?” (DYBIM
Aug 2015). It is my third award-winning inventive alternative musical/rock
opera for tweens and all “kids at heart” who resonate with the fantasy genre
(think Harry Potter and Percy Jackson meet Into
The Woods!). In the story, the magical Kingdom of Wonderhaven is under a
malicious memory curse and rapidly losing it’s magic. Aoede, the Muse of Song,
believes she has no use or magic; yet she is plagued with a big secret and is
the only one who can save magic and the Kingdom. Listeners will embrace the
colorful characters, the compelling story, the infectious songs, danceable
duets, narration & full musical score. It is more than mere fantasy;
it is about believing in yourself!
DYBIM has received five Children’s
awards, an endorsement from KIDS FIRST! and has been adapted into a musical
stage play and had a staged reading May 2015 in San Francisco. DYBIM was
considered for Best Musical Theater Album in the 58th Grammy
Awards. You can get physical copies from CD
Baby and direct from my website.
Digital copies are available through iTunes and Amazon.
Wow, that's great!
So, tell us...
Is there anything that prompted Do You Believe In Magic? Something that inspired you?
I began creating fantasy musicals in 2012, inspired by
positive audience reactions to my childlike performance at my CD release party
for my album “Skeletons of the Muse” (April 2012) and my enchanting music video
“Fairy Tale Love” (at which I dressed up like a
fairy princess and wore a tiara), as well as my producer’s encouragement to
create a Children’s Album. I wanted to keep my quirky folk pop style and
childlike Aoede brand and decided to create a compelling fairy tale story for
tweens centering on my protagonist Aoede, the Muse of Song. I wrote a script
focused on songs from “Skeletons” and their theme of “Love” and created an entire
world for Aoede: the magical Kingdom of Wonderhaven, which culminated in my
first musical story “Is Love A Fairy Tale?” (Sep 2012). In the
story, Aoede searches for Love in Wonderhaven and meets curious characters
along the way, each of whom tell her something about Love. I enjoyed the
challenges, collaborations, industry accolades and artistic growth so much that
I wanted to continue Aoede’s adventures in Wonderhaven. For my next musical
audiobook, I centered on the theme of dreams and created a much darker
story: “What Are Dreams Made Of?” (WADMO Sep
2013), in which Aoede the Muse has a reoccurring nightmare and must explore
overland and underworld and confront goblins, dream gods and fairies to get to
the heart of her dream. For WADMO, I wrote the music and script together from
the ground up, each informing the other. Once I developed and refined the script
and songs, I worked with my producer and chief collaborator to bring over 30
amazing musicians and voiceover actors to the project, including casting kids
from all over the world who voiced the fairies and Goblin Kings. I brought
WADMO to life on the stage in May 2014.
I was again inspired to continue Aoede’s
adventures in Wonderhaven. I have always been fascinated by both Greek
mythology and by magic. In December of 2013, I started researching everything I could
about the history, definitions, and views of magic and ties to mythology
through the ages. (Characters Aoede, Hecate, Zoroaster, Mormo, Empusa, and
Lamia in the story start from a basis in Greek mythology). At the same time, I
wrote a song called 'Chameleon' about an outsider who always feels like he has to
change colors to fit in. These two pieces provided the creative spark for Aoede’s
next musical: “Do You Believe In Magic?” (Aug
2015).
That's wonderful! Isn't it beautiful how the muse works?
By the way, I love that 'Fairy Tale Love' song.
So, when did you know you wanted to write? Or has it always been a pastime of yours?
Writing, just like creating, has
always been an integral part of me. I have always written in some form as far
back as I can remember: from taking journalism classes in high school, writing
prose and poetry, journal writing, writing essays in elementary, junior high,
high school and college, to writing plans, policy and regulatory documents as
an Environmental Scientist as an adult for 10 years. I became a
singer-songwriter back in 2002, and started writing my original songs and
learned to play guitar in 2004. In 2006, I started singing and playing as Aoede
(the muse of song) and have been writing, recording and performing since under
that artist identity. I also have been battling a rare auto-immune
progressive muscle weakness disease: Dermatomyositis since 2008, and was
hospitalized in 2010 for 24 days due to a flare of the disease.
I had an
obsessive compulsion to get my music out into the world from the time I left
the hospital. During months (and years) of rehabilitation, therapies and
treatments, I have used music and art as a healing path. I was unable to do
live shows for several years due to energy, stamina, treatments and muscle
weakness, so I began focusing on writing, recording at home and licensing my music
for film and TV. I began writing musicals that I recorded on audiobooks in 2012
as a way to keep my songwriter’s dream alive and to connect my brand of bright
quirky folk pop with young adults.
Since 2012, I have really have found my
voice in musical theater. I also create for young adults-primarily teens and
tweens, an audience on which few artists and playwrights are focusing. I am
drawn to young adult stories and adolescent struggles, as well as Greek
mythology, and my musical stories reflect them, inspiring, entertaining and
connecting with young adult audiences, who are underserved musically;
encouraging creativity and imaginative play. I’ve come to believe that
everything I do is art, whether I am making a music video or writing a script
for a children’s album. It isn’t so much the medium but the expression and
desire to connect with new audiences that drives me. Music and art are my
lifeline...I just can’t stop creating.
Well, I can certainly relate with that!
So, are there any words you'd like to impart to fellow writers? Any advice?
Follow your muse! Don’t worry about
being polished or perfect; just keep writing and creating. Make your own path.
Find what compels you and makes you come alive, and keep dwelling in that place
of joy, creativity, wonder… Challenge yourself! Don’t be afraid to try things
outside your comfort zone. Don’t go it alone; build and nurture relationships
and a supportive team. Keep learning and improving your craft. Dream big, and
don’t give up on your dreams despite rejection, fear, self-doubt, life's
unexpected hurdles, or other’s opinions.
Such great advice! Thank you for offering those words of wisdom.
And thank
you so much for stopping by to visit us here today at Writing in the
Modern Age. It was so wonderful having you here! :)
Written By: Lisa Sniderman
Narrated By: Kevin Ponthier
Publisher: Authors Republic
Date: September 2015
Duration: 1 hours 47 minutes
"Do You Believe In Magic?" is a
brilliant, inventive Fantasy Musical audiobook from award-winning Artist and
Playwright Aoede, for tweens & all kids at heart who resonate with the
fantasy genre (Percy Jackson meets Into The Woods). Go on a spellbinding
journey to the cursed kingdom of Wonderhaven where a muse (Aoede) has a secret
& enchanted books & witches break into song! The magical Kingdom of
Wonderhaven is under a malicious memory curse and rapidly losing it's magic. Aoede,
the Muse of Song, believes she has no use or magic; yet she is plagued with a
big secret and is the only one who can save magic and the Kingdom. Listeners
will embrace the colorful characters, the compelling story, the infectious
songs, danceable duets, narration & full musical score. doyoubelieveinmagic.info
Genres:
Here is an excerpt, where you can play a sample on the site.
Or check out some highlights from the book below:
Purchase Links:
Amazon Universal: http://bookgoodies.com/a/B013YMIIYA
Aoede's site: http://aoedemuse.com/muse/buy/
CDBaby: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/aoede4
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/do-you-believe-in-magic/id1030885180?ign-mpt=uo%3D4
Audiobooks: http://www.audiobooks.com/audiobook/do-you-believe-in-magic/245715
Fascinating!
Author Bio
Lisa Sniderman-Composer, Playwright,
Lyricist, Librettist, Singer-Songwriter, Recording Artist, Performing Artist
Lisa Sniderman, an award-winning San
Francisco-based Playwright and quirky folk pop Artist (Aoede), creates unique
full-length fantasy musicals, records them on audiobooks and adapts them to
musical theater. Aoede has won over 35 awards for songwriting, audiobooks and
stage plays since 2012. Highlights include: Independent Music Awards Vox Pop
Winner 2014; International Songwriting Competition 2013, 2012 Winner; John
Lennon Songwriting Contest 2013, 2012 Finalist.
“Do You Believe In Magic?” (DYBIM Aug 2015) is Aoede's third award-winning inventive
alternative musical/rock opera for tweens and all "kids at heart" who
resonate with the fantasy genre (think Harry Potter and Percy Jackson
meet Into The Woods!). DYBIM has received five Children’s awards, an
endorsement from KidsFirst, and has been adapted into a musical stage play and
had a staged reading May 2015 in San Francisco. DYBIM was considered for Best
Musical Theater Album in the 58th Grammy Awards.
"What Are Dreams Made Of?" (WADMO) (Sep 2013), Aoede’s second fantasy musical, an
inventive meld of magic, mythology and music, received six Children's Awards,
an endorsement from KidsFirst, six stage play awards, and was considered for
Best Children's Album in 56th Grammy Awards. WADMO was one of three finalists
in Ronald Ruble Play Festival and was staged by Carol Crane Youth Theatre in
Ohio, May 2, 2015. WADMO had its first successful staged reading May 2014 in
San Carlos, California.
"Is Love A Fairy Tale?" (Sep 2012), Aoede’s first fantasy musical, is recipient of
four Children's Awards and was considered for Best Children's Album in 55th
Grammy Awards. "Fairy Tale Love" music video is a Winner and Official
Selection in The Indie Gathering and The Indie Fest film festivals.
Lisa Sniderman-Composer, Playwright,
Lyricist, Librettist, Singer-Songwriter, Recording Artist, Performing Artist
Author Links:
Websites: www.doyoubelieveinmagic.info
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aoedemuse
Twitter: www.twitter.com/aoedemuse
Amazon Author page: amzn.to/1Q172zE
Youtube: www.youtube.com/aoedemuse
Reverbnation: www.reverbnation.com/aoede
Books/Music:
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