True Tales From Old Houses: Two Years Later

In September 2018, I released the first episode of True Tales From Old Houses, the podcast. It has been two years already. When I was first dreaming up a podcast about all things old-house-related, it sounded like such an easy task: talk (never a problem for me), record, edit, release.

Following my life’s motto of leap and the net will appear, I bought $300 worth of recording equipment, signed up with a podcast hosting service, and embarked on my quest to be the best darn podcaster the world had ever seen. Idealistic, who me?

True Tales From Old Houses – Humble Beginnings

Stop me if you’ve heard this story before. No, don’t try to stop me; I am going to tell it anyway. Podcasting is hard. Specifically, as a solo host, I found talking into a void difficult and editing near-impossible. It took the better part of a year to produce the very first episode because I had no idea what I was doing. After I released that episode into the world, all I could think was, do I really have to do that again?

Episode #1, Ash Dump Archaeology, was wildly popular, but it took some serious soul-searching to determine whether or not to continue. True Tales From Old Houses was a great idea, but I did not know if I was the right person to tackle the subject.

Once I decided that I would make the most of my investments, time, and money, I had to make some hard decisions. Out of 15 initial guest interviews, I could only salvage three of them. That was a real low point. I disappointed a lot of people, and I still feel bad about that. Of the three remaining interviews, one became Ash Dump Archaeology, and one became Debbie’s Little Piece of History is Haunted, a fan favorite. As I continued to struggle with the podcasting workflow and organization, the third interviewee gave up on me altogether. I had burned another bridge.

A New Direction

Determined to follow through and produce at least one season, I reached out to some new potential guests. Their willingness and enthusiasm about being interviewed on True Tales From Old Houses propelled me through that difficult period. The show was finally off the ground.

Something that I don’t think I have shared before is that those first episodes were recorded from my closet. It was the only location with enough sound-absorption for the monologues. Speaking of monologues, three episodes in, and I knew that True Tales From Old Houses should not be a solo-host show anymore. I thought I could talk to anyone, but talking into a void, disguised as my winter coats and dresses, was a whole different matter.

I reached out to my then-acquaintance, now-friend, blog buddy, Devyn, and by episode #5, he was on board as co-host.

True Tales From Old Houses Today

After Devyn joined the show, it began to evolve into what it is today. Through Devyn’s cancer and COVID, we have worked hard to fine-tune the audio, book engaging guests, and find our unique voices. Now, nearly through season four, we’ve expanded each episode by adding a Q & A segment and discussing our separate projects. I’m still the primary talker–no surprise and Devyn brings balance to my highly-caffeinated persona.

It’s nice to have support when mishaps occur, such as one of us (me) not showing up to an interview because she wrote it down for the wrong day. That totally did not happen this morning while I was writing this blog article about how smoothly the podcast is running now. (Yes, it did.) Oh, the irony!

It’s also nice to have a friend to laugh with when Zoom freezes, and our faces are stuck, contorted into unphotogenic expressions. Devyn is patient when Millie barks during recording or when I forget that I have a bird clock (again), and we have to pause to let the birdsong mark the hour.

Check It Out

If you love old houses, and you haven’t listened to the podcast yet, here are a couple of my favorite episodes from Season Four:

Click the arrow to listen to them right in this blog post.

You may also download and subscribe to True Tales From Old Houses wherever you listen to podcasts or listen directly on the True Tales From Old Houses website, which Devyn designed and maintains.

Thank you for the support these past two years. What started as a bit of an impulsive dream has turned into something that I am genuinely proud of and enjoy producing. It is just one of the ways that Blake Hill House has changed my life, and so many of you have been here since the beginning.

PS: Full disclosure, these pictures were not taken in my recording set-up, which is basically a glorified pillow fort. If I recorded in the breakfast nook, my audio would sound like I am yelling into a bucket. My talented photographer friend, Lindsey, took these photos and made me look all glowy and beautiful.