The book in print and e-book are available worldwide! Get your copy in print or download the ebook in your favorite book store!
The English Book blurb: Lilys nine Ambassadors are Lucky, Lovely, Lucie, Lemon, Leonardo, Laila, Ludwig, Louise, and Lennon. The adorable storytellers were born during and after the lockdown in 2020 and 2021.
Everything began with Lucky. Meanwhile, eight more enchanting characters are sharing their amusing and inspiring life stories with important messages. Integration, Acceptance, Tolerance as well as anti-discrimination, anti-racism, anti-bullying, friendship, humanity, empathy, and education are the most powerful topics in this entertaining book for children from eight to adult readers.
German Book blurb: Lilys neun Botschafter sind Lucky, Lovely, Lucie, Lemon, Leonardo, Laila, Ludwig, Louise und Lennon. Die süßen Hundekinder wurden während und nach dem Lockdown im Jahr 2020 und 2021 geboren.
Alles begann mit Lucky und inzwischen teilen weitere acht bezaubernde Charaktere ihre humorvollen und inspirierenden Lebensgeschichten, die wichtige Botschaften beinhalten. Integration, Akzeptanz und Toleranz sowie Anti-Diskriminierung, Anti-Rassismus, Anti-Mobbing, Freundschaft, Menschlichkeit, Empathie und Bildung sind die wichtigsten Themen in diesem unterhaltsamen Buch für Kinder ab acht Jahren und Erwachsene.
I think when you have the
gift to write, record, and produce music it should be filled with lots of wise
and meaningful lyrics. My song “BLOOD IS ALWAYS RED!” is an anti-war and anti-discrimination
song. On the release day, I shared another antiwar song “What Are Wars There For?” by Udo Lindenberghereon
my blog.
I guess I have always been inspired
by meaningful lyrics. Not many German-language
songs made it to the US charts. "99 Luftballoons",
a song by the German band NENA from their 1983 self-titled
album though is a world-famous song. An English-language version titled "99 Red Balloons", with lyrics by Kevin McAlea,
was also released on the album 99 Luftballons in 1984 after widespread success of
the original in Europe and Japan.
The English
version is not a direct translation of the German original and
contains lyrics with a somewhat different meaning. In the US, the
English-language version did not chart, while the German-language recording
became Nena's only US hit.
Uwe Fahrenkrog-Petersen is a German keyboard player, producer, and composer and was
the keyboardist of the band NENA and co-wrote their world-famous hit "99 Luftballons". Here is the translated
lyric of the original German version that I have found on Wikipedia:
99 balloons
are mistaken for UFOs, causing a general to send pilots to
investigate. Finding nothing but balloons, the pilots put on a large show of
firepower. The display of force worries the nations along the borders and the war
ministers on each side encourage conflict to grab power for themselves. In
the end, a cataclysmic war results from the otherwise harmless flight of
balloons and causes devastation on all sides without a victor, as indicated in
the denouement of the song: "99 Jahre Krieg ließen keinen Platz für Sieger," which means "99 years of war have left no place
for winners."
The anti-war song finishes with the singer walking through the devastated ruins of the world and finding a single balloon. The description of what happens in the final line of the piece is the same in German and English: "Denk' an dich und lass' ihn fliegen," or "I think of you and let it go.”
Imagine our surprise when my mum and I met Uwe Fahrenkrog-Petersen at the Berlin Airport back in 2006! I knew Uwe because of THIS song but also as a TV judge at the German talent show (Popstars) and other music projects and collaborations. He was as friendly, kind, and charming as we had expected. I wish more talented songwriters would use their talent and write and produce meaningful songs and inspire the younger generation!
It feels like yesterday, but these two pictures
were taken in 2006 at Berlin Airport!
Read the making-of story of "99 Red Balloons" in English / German
Music has always been a universal language even decades before
the world wide web was invented. From Mozart, Beethoven, and Johannes Strauss to legends like
Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, the Beatles, Whitney Houston,
Prince, and Michael Jackson to today’s living legends Elton John, Madonna, Tom
Jones & co!
And yet, it is fascinating for me to see my songs “80
Million People!” and “Blood is always red!” being danced to in China and Africa! Two countries on different continents that I haven't been to and probably won't ever visit.
Two song
lyrics written in Switzerland, recorded and produced in the United Kingdom by
my talented featured artist Thir13een, and danced to by the Chinese dancer Lily.
We really live in an amazing time. Despite living miles
apart and on different continents, we manage to create something special for
music lovers from around the world. I hope my meaningful lyrics combined with
Thir13eens outstanding voice and Lily’s dance will inspire the young
generations. I hope you understand what a privilege it is to live in this
awesome time. Nothing can hold you back from fulfilling your dreams and desires.
There are no borders to create something special. Be creative, be active, be
productive and enjoy all the possibilities and opportunities that we have in
this difficult time!
If you love my songs "80 Million People!" and "Blood is always red!", please show your solidarity. Dance or lipsynch to my songs and post them on your social media pages like Instagram or TikTok. Don't forget to tag me in your posts, like the dance group from Africa in the TikTok Video below! :-)
Super excited to inform you that my songs "80 Million People!" and "Blood is always red!" are playing on air in May 2022. If you live in the USA, Canada, and the UK, you can tune in and listen to the songs on LIVE365!
ALLUNSIGNED FM is an internet radio station focusing on playing an eclectic mix of all genres by Unsigned, Independent, and Major Independent Music Artists. They pride themselves on giving all artists the chance to be heard on a worldwide platform.
It's been a while since I had a fellow writer on my blog for a Q&A. I'm excited to introduce to you American Author Lizzy Stevens. She writes paranormal/ romance and
woman's fiction. Lizzy is a wife and mother of 2 boys and has been writing most of
her life but got her first official contract in 2008. 2013 was an exciting year
for Lizzy. She became a Best Selling author on Amazon.
Lizzy welcome to my blog. Tell me what do you enjoy most when writing
your stories?
I enjoy
watching this story that was up in my head start coming to life. I sit down at
my computer and start typing. It might change along the way as it develops or I
might add different characters than I was planning. It’s fun watching a small
idea you have turn into a finished story.
When did you write your very first
story and what was it about?
I was
the kid growing up who was always reading and always writing little stories
down. So, my very first story would have been when I was a child. My first
published story was 2007. It was a romance.
You are an Amazon bestseller author.
How did that happen?
A lot
of hard work and long hours. There are millions of books on Amazon on any given
day. You have to get your book out there in front of readers. You have to learn
to juggle many things because while you are promoting the book that came out
you have to be writing your next one. I became an Award-Winning author in
2021. That was very exciting.
You have published a few stories with
Steve Miller. How different is the writing process from collaborating with another author?
Actually,
Steve is my husband. We write great together. I do the typing it out part. That
would not work out very well for one person to type a little bit and then say
ok your turn to type a little LOL So we plot out the story and I start typing
then we discuss along the way and make changes along the way. It’s fun for us
to create stories together. He is used to my craziness LOL Just the other night
it was about 2 in the morning and I got up out of bed really quick and grabbed
a pen and paper. He said what are you doing? I said I just got an idea and I
don’t want to forget it LOL He’s used to nights like that so he laughed and
asked what it was about lol
What genres do you enjoy reading the
most?
I like
women’s fiction, paranotal, fantasy, mystery, romance and the list goes on and
on. If the plot sound interesting to me I’ll read it. I don’t keep myself
trapped to certain genres.
Where
do you find your inspiration for your stories? I’m like probably most authors
out there. Stories are always swirling around in my head. Then I decide which
ones are just small thoughts and which ones I want to develop into my next
book.
You have also published three audio
books? Tell me more about them?
I
actually have a lot of my books in audio. I like to give the reader options. So
I have ebook, print book and audio books available.
From all your books, which one is
your favorite and why?
That is
a really hard question. I have different favorites for different reasons.
The very first book I published with Steve is one of my favorites. Then I wrote
one with my 2 boys. That one will always have a place in my heart. My boys are
everything to me. Then the one that made me an Award-Winning author I will
always love. When you have been writing for as many years as I have it’s too
hard to pick one favorite. Each story that you write has memories of their own.
Each story holds a place in your heart for its own reasons.
Lizzy are you working on a new story right
now?
Yes.
I’m always working on new stories. I recently wrote a few short stories for a contest. I’ve also wrote stories for Amazon’s new Kindle Vella platform. I
really enjoyed doing that. I have a couple more Vella stories in the works and
few others. I should have several new books and stories out over the next
couple of months.
Great. Thank you so much for being my guest. I wish you and your husband the best of luck with your future book releases!
If you like to know more about the two talented writers, visit Lizzy's website or follow her on Twitter! All her books are available on Amazon!
I'm excited to inform you that five of my illustrated books are now available in ONE BOOK! "Persian Paradise" is a fun and educational read for all ages, especially for readers who prefer reading inspiring and empowering stories without illustrations. It is available as an ebook and in print on Amazon.
“Love & Loyalty” is an educational anti-discrimination and anti-bullying story about acceptance and inclusion for young and young at heart readers.
“Honesty & Integrity” is the follow-up story to “Love & Loyalty”. The little duck with memory loss, Charlie, finally remembers what happened to him and how he ended up in the city park of Vienna in Austria.
“Acceptance & Tolerance” is an educational anti-bullying story about self-love, self-acceptance, and tolerance for young and young at heart readers.
“Compassion & Kindness” is the follow-up story to “Acceptance & Tolerance”. This story is inspired by the global refugee crises and the negative and heartless way in which our society deals with helpless foreigners and their misery.
"Peace & Harmony" is the final book in this inspiring book series. The illustrated book will be released in the summer of 2022!
The great news is, you don't have to wait longer. You can now read the full series in "Persian Paradise"!
I write song lyrics for over a decade now, and
it has always been one of my goals to release meaningful songs. Back in the summer of 2021, I started my online petition #HumanityB4Nationality for better rights
regarding education and integration for refugees worldwide. And even though this topic is more urgent than ever before, I haven’t received the support that I was hoping for. What has shocked
me the most is the lack of interest and support by international charities and
non-profit organizations that work with or for refugees!!!
So I thought to myself, how else can I bring
awareness about the plight of refugees? In my opinion, music is the most
powerful tool! So I’ve participated in the UK Songwriting Contest 2021 with my song
lyric “80 Million People!” Desperately hoping to find a talented singer and
producer to bring my lyrics to life. And even though my song lyrics are powerful,
I only received 4 stars and didn’t even make it to the Semi-Finals. But in my
heart, I knew that these lyrics deserve to be heard worldwide.
Call it fate, call it luck or a miracle but wishes do come true when you least expect it. And the saying "When one door closes another opens" is very true. Especially with the opportunities that we
have today anything is possible. Thanks to the Internet we can collaborate with
talented and like-minded people like I have with my featured artist Thir13een.
Warren Young “Thir13een” is an exceptionally talented British music
producer and singer-songwriter who works in the entertainment industry for years. His passion is to
bring audio visions to life. Warren has spent
15 years in the music industry and is on a mission to educate music
creators globally on how to create professional audio they've always dreamed of
creating whilst releasing melodic soulful pop tracks that his fans can enjoy. He
has also landed major placements with Universal Music, MTV, 50 Cent, Apple
Music & BBC Radio 1xtra, and was awarded the #1 music coaching award on
YouTube Music in 2018.
Thir13een in his recording studio in London
I honestly couldn’t be more excited, emotionally overwhelmed, and happier about having his
professional support. Not only has Warren Young one of the greatest voices, but his understanding of music is beyond my imagination and expectation.
While
Thir13een and I live miles apart, have a little time difference, and haven’t met
in person (yet), we have created two great songs together.
“80 Million People!” and “Blood is always red!”
are two meaningful songs with important messages to the world for all ages and all
generations! Both titles are available on all streaming platforms.
Working with Thir13een is truly a joy and a blessing. I recommend his professional service to anyone who is looking for a dedicated, professional singer/songwriter who puts all his love, emotion, feelings, devotion, passion, energy, talent, and knowledge into your work! He has a god-given gift and anyone who works with him is blessed with God's miracle!
If you are a musician yourself and like to learn more about song production, you have to follow Thir13een's YouTube channel. It is educational and inspiring. If you like to collaborate with him, this is his Website, andIG page.
My message to Thir13een: There are no words to describe how incredibly honored, proud and grateful I am to have your beautiful voice singing my lyrics. Your exceptional talent for music and melody combined with my stories will hopefully create change and help the voiceless! For now and forever you will be in my heart and prayers because you, my friend, have fulfilled a long-time dream and goal of mine! God bless you and your loved ones. This is just the beginning of a long collaboration... :-)
FYI: Thir13een has also released lovely songs that you can listen to on Spotify!
I love this video music of Thir13een!
You either have it or you don't.
He is and obviously was always a cool dude! :-))))
I'm very excited about my next guest in my blog series THE MIRACLE OF MUSIC. He is a talented and spiritual young singer/songwriter and dental surgery studentfrom
Kenya. Nahash Mwathi is only 23 but has already achieved so much. He has definitely an old soul.
Dear Nahash, welcome to my blog series “The Miracle of Music”. Tell me at what age did you discover your love and passion for
music?
I always knew there
was a musical aspect to my life. I probably didn’t understand it all at once,
but music has always been special to me. I wanted to have an album since I was
11, and I could see myself on a stage singing my heart out with the simple words
of songs that relate to others. It was not till high school, however, that this
gift started manifesting as I joined an Acapella group and started writing
songs a lot more. Some of my most treasured songs were written during this
period. Music for me has just been a gift that has kept on growing and giving.
What instruments do you play?
I play the piano and
guitar (slightly). I am just recently trying to be serious on improving both,
so I can have different interpretations of my music. I am a self-taught
instrument player so it’s my ears that have been quite useful in my learning
journey. Not to mention my music, that I write using the piano most times. I
inherited a keyboard from my older siblings, and I would experiment songs that
I heard everyday. I was quite bad at it, but the thought of getting better
pushed me to learn more and more. I am still learning.
When did you start to write your first song lyrics?
I wrote my first song
when I was around 7 or 8. It was an assignment the science teacher gave- that
we should write a song about teeth so we could remember. Only two of us wrote
the song, and the other person wrote a song that borrowed a known tune and
copied lyrics from the science text book. It was quite cliché. When it was my
turn, I stood up and sang my song, and it had a catchy tune that everyone got
quite quick. A few moments later, everyone in class was up jumping and singing
the chorus to the song. I couldn’t believe my song had such an impact on
people’s well-being and happiness. It would be just the start of this amazing
gift of writing music.
I wrote my next song
3 years later, a sad song, following a neighbor’s daughter’s death. It was
quite scary for me to understand death, so I was sad and I wrote a song about
our help coming from God alone. Many more songs followed after this, and the
gift has gotten better with more use.
Your Teeth story is excellent, considering the fact that you now study dental surgery. :-) Do you think you have your love for music in your DNA?
Are your parents or siblings into music as well?
I believe music is a
huge part of who I am. I think it was engraved in my making, and God knew it
would be something I would need to help Him change other peoples’ lives. From
people going through depression, others who’ve lost parents and relationships,
my heartaches and paths of life have been penned down in these musical
presentations to help others during their pain.
My siblings have the
musical gift for sure, and my mum used to sing actively as she grew up.
However, each of them has a different interpretation of music and its
importance in the path of their lives- understandable. I’m grateful that we’re
all different, and that we get to see things differently and live life how we
see and interpret it.
Nahash, do you believe that music has the power to heal? Do you
believe in the miracle of music?
Music definitely has
the power to heal. Most of my music has been written during the hardest of my
times. I usually say that it’s possible for one to know everything about me
just from listening to my music. It’s an extension of my journey in a bid to
find joy, peace and love. Who’s not looking for these things anyway? I still
wonder how I could think of some powerful lyrics that I’ve written- it’s beyond
me! I only see this now as miracles through which God spoke to me, to help me
past the hard times and help others in theirs by sharing my music. Haven’t we
all heard of music therapy helping millions of people with different challenges
mentally and physically to get better?
I personally know
many who’ve written messages to me, thanking me for relating to their most
difficult life seasons, and I know this is more than just the words, it’s the
music and the moods created by the different sounds. That’s why many always
have a pair of headphones on while going about their day, and speakers at
different spaces to calm them, get them excited, help them cry and let go of
their emotions. Music can heal. It’s helped many heal, including me.
I agree. Also, Music brings people from all generations, countries,
cultures, and religions together. Do you have an explanation why?
There’s something
about music. It connects diverse cultures and people in a way we can’t explain.
I think the ear, being one of the most important senses, has a special part to
play in connecting us. Music not only talks about common human suffering and
emotion, but there’s a story in every beat, tune, sound that makes us relate to
what is being performed or sung- whether good or bad. We can consciously or
subconsciously understand what the sound is telling us to do, how it makes us
feel.
Music tells the
stories we are afraid to tell in ways we don’t think about. And this affects
every human being differently. That’s powerful for me. It means there’s ways
certain music can affect us even when we don’t realize.
Nahash, what do you like to achieve with your inspiring lyrics? What is your goal? What’s your main message to the world?
My music is quite
simple, repetitive and sweet. It’s the kind of person I am. I don’t like
shouting, or noise for that matter. I really enjoy people singing along to the
songs, because it means that they will think about the songs longer than that 3
minute presentation. That’s what I’d like- for people to really think about the
music and see how it helps them in their growth towards joy, peace and love.
It’s for the hurting
to know they aren’t alone and that there’s a small brother (or older) who
empathizes with their circumstances and wants them to know this too shall pass.
My lyrics hope to
achieve a sense of bringing up issues not talked about often in Christianity-
like self-esteem issues, that I personally have had to struggle through. My
project “The Love Flowchart” was exactly this, a project looking at self-esteem from a young
Christian man’s perspective. It’s funny how people listen to these projects and
say “That’s me too!” That’s exactly what I believe my music is about- relating
and helping each other find help.
Wonderful. Tell me why should people listen to your
music?
My goal is to let
others know that we all go through hard times most times, good ones sometimes,
but this isn’t always a reflection of our identity. You aren’t your struggles.
For those struggling with guilt, you still have a chance to make things right.
Those struggling with anxiety, there’s hope for you. And you who feels like a
nobody? You are the best thing that ever happened to us. We need your light!
Let’s help each other find it! My message is that there’s a void in each of our
hearts, and all we’re chasing won’t fill this heart. Only God will.
If you go through
hard times, you definitely need to listen to the music. It’s not the
complicated type, but it’s the kind that leaves you knowing that there’s hope
for whatever season you’re in. If you are human, you definitely should listen
to my music- cause my music is meant for the weary and those who need time to
reflect on what has been and what will be, if they hold on and just have faith.
We all feel this way, so let’s listen to the music! And just to add, I sing
pretty good, hahahaha.
You sing beautiful. I love your angelic voice. You sing mainly gospel music. For those who don't have much experience, what makes gospel
different than other music genres?
My genre is
predominantly Spiritual/Gospel/Christian, predominantly because my relationship with faith has helped me find my identity more and more. In my darkest times,
when all these lyrics would come; at 2am, when I cried while writing ‘Nuru Gizani’ (translated Light in the Dark), a song about guilt and shame, all I
could find was a still small voice asking me to trust in God. He’s the point at which everything rotates for me, and I believe, for you too.
I will sing about
love and mental health and all these other things, but only in relation to the source of all good things, which I believe is God. I understand that it may not
be a genre that some of the readers really turn to, but it reminds me that there’s a power that’s higher than me that can help me no matter what I go
through all I need is some faith. It’s freeing to know someone stronger has your back. That’s what makes this genre different. It’s much more than we can
ever think or imagine. Think of all your dreams. Imagine something even better!
That’s what I believe God has in store of all of us.
Beautifully said. I have to say your YouTube channel is
incredibly inspiring. I could watch your videos and listen to your wise and
heartwarming words for hours. You are only 23 but so wise, do you have an
explanation for why you are the way you are?
Yeah, I’m 23 and just
getting a hang of real life I guess, but I’ve learned a lot of painful lessons
from my experiences and that of others, as well as life lessons to get through,
so I’m sharing as much as I can through the platforms available.
I am currently
doing a Mental Health Podcastcalled Mind+Faith as well as music to keep us reminded or the miracles available for us in faith. I am grateful that I can learn
more and more to keep making the world a better place, or even better, help
make better people in a terrible world!
I am eager to help
people with their Christian Creative projects, and willing to mentor younger
(and older) people who want to grow musically in lyric writing and music
writing as well.
Nahash, I have no doubt, that you will achieve a lot more with your songwriting and singing than you imagine today. I look forward to hearing more of your inspiring and empowering work. Thank you for being my guest. If all people from your generation would think, believe and act the way you do, I don't have to be worried about the future!
You are truly one of a kind. Please never ever doubt yourself. Keep shining! All the best in everything you do. God bless you for being such a lovely and gifted young man.
If you like to follow Nahash's journey and support him, this is the link to his website, social media sites, and all music stores.
Happy Easter everyone! We have great news for our readers! The
follow-up story from “Love & Loyalty, the lonely ducky” is finally
available!
HONESTY & INTEGRITY - Blackout At The Lighthouse
“Honesty & Integrity” is the follow-up story to “Love & Loyalty”. The
little duck with memory loss, Charlie, finally remembers what happened to him
and how he ended up in the city park of Vienna in Austria.
This story shows us that you can’t force anyone to love you, not even your
family. You can’t force anyone to stand by your side, not even your family. Not
everyone is fortunate enough to be raised by a loving and caring family. This
is a painful lesson that Charlie has to learn and accept. Blood may make you
related, but it doesn’t guarantee you love and loyalty.
When you go through difficult times like my mum and I did,
you never think that one day you will be able to find inspiration from your
darkest and most painful and saddest times. And above that become the Voice4thevoicless
and speak out for others who experience the same or similar difficulties,
obstacles, challenges, heartbreaking, and extremely lonely and hopeless times as
we have.
My memoir DESTINATION FREEDOM, also known as THE STOLEN YEARS IN ZURICH was the beginning of all. Life difficulties made me become an
independent writer and lyricist. My two new songs 80 MILLION PEOPLE! as well as
BLOOD IS ALWAYS RED! are inspired by our sorrows and sadness in life.
We hope they will inspire our readers and listeners to never
give up. Sooner or later, the sun will rise and put the darkness behind you. Be
grateful for what you have and stay positive, optimistic, and hopeful no matter
what!
