May 31, 2021

More book Illustrations!

 


As announced in my previous post, today I’m opening the door to more illustrations of my inspiring stories Leo & Mousi, Refugees Unwanted and Bunny & Turtle

If you like to see more of my work, please follow me on Instagram and Facebook














May 29, 2021

My book illustrations!

 


Today I'm sharing a few illustrations from my illustrated books Americas Royal Family and Angel of Hope & Lily, featuring Monsieur Jac Couture. I’m opening the door to my inspiring and colorful stories so to say. Both illustrated books were published in 2016 and are also available as ebooks.  Find all the links on my website www.LilyAmis.com

More book illustrations will follow in my next post. Stay tuned...

















May 26, 2021

Have you met Monsieur Jac Couture?


Monsieur Jac is a tiny and super smart snail and Lily’s best and secret friend. His adventure is available as illustrated book, e-book, and audiobook. In the first colourful book of the series, he starts a new life in Europe with Lily and her mum as refugees. They experience difficult and challenging times and are only able to make it through with the love and support of their guardian angel, the Angel of Hope.

In the follow-up story “Bon Voyage” Monsieur Jac Couture and Lily decide to take up an exciting journey on Lily’s Birthday and discover the beauty and brightness of the European cities. They travel to all kinds of cities and meet personalities such as the Pope in Vatican, the Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel and even spend an afternoon with her majesty, Queen Elizabeth in Buckingham Palace.

Monsieur Jac Couture has also his own merchandising collection in our society6.shop. The book, the audiobook, and a gift from the collection make the perfect gift package for kids.






 

May 23, 2021

Have you met Bubu?


Bubu is one of the main characters in my book “Teddy & Lily, True Friendship is unconditional loyalty”. The story about friendship, support, kindness, and jealousy is available in English, German, Italian and Spanish. Do you know that the English version is also available as Audiobook?

As I tell in my story Bubu is an adorable little Teddy that has joined us on many holidays around the globe. In 2018 we took him to Florence and today I share some of the pictures he took to promote his Italian book.























May 20, 2021

Have you met my Ambassadors?

 


One of the most important parts of writing is research and preparation. I have always been a city girl and unfortunately never had the opportunity to take care of a dog. Usually, when you live in city apartments you are not allowed to keep pets, which is understandable. Animals need their space and freedom. I actually think it is kind of selfish and thoughtless of humans to lock animals in flats unless it is a super tiny little creature.

I also don’t know anyone who has a dog. So my source of research for my adorable dog characters, my Lily4Refugees Ambassadors have been TV shows about dog trainings. It is fascinating to watch and learn about their behavior and their way of communication with us humans.

If I ever had the chance to take care of a dog, I would surely take a training class and learn the skills from professionals. Not doing so is like having foreign guests at your house with whom you can’t communicate in their mother language. It would be difficult and uncomfortable for both sides not to be able to understand each other’s needs.

One of the best-known international dog behaviorists is Cesar Millan (IG: cesarsway). And I really enjoy watching his shows. I already learned so much from his skills. Another guy is the German dog trainer André Vogt (IG: andre.vogt_derwelpentrainer) and German TV host and author Jochen Bendel (IG: jochenbendel). These three TV shows have been a massive help for developing my dog stories.




So I like to use this opportunity to thank these three amazingly gifted and lovely dog and human educators for sharing their skills and helping humans to become better friends to their dogs. 

Meanwhile, I have five fabulous and adorable Ambassadors who share their life stories and educate my young and young at heart readers about the importance of education, freedom, and integration. More Ambassadors are born and will be sharing their stories with you very soon.

Lucky was my very first Ambassador. Lovely, Lucie, Lemon, and Leonardo followed in his footsteps and are excited to share their life story with you as well. All ebooks are available in download stores. Lucky’s story is also available as illustrated book in print. You can also read his story in German, Italian, and Spanish. 

The other stories are for now only available in English and German! Enjoy the read. 












May 19, 2021

Don’t be a sponge!

 



Living in a time with influencers, YouTubers, mainstream, and social media makes it extremely easy to become a sponge! It makes it easy to be manipulated and lose your focus, your own beliefs, goals, desires, and principles. We all are brainwashed day in, day out!

So what is the solution? Not watching the world news? Avoiding social media? Ignoring the newspapers? Maybe! But it is kind of unrealistic and naïve, isn’t it? Whether we like it or not, we are surrounded by information. Way too much information. From the moment we wake up and take a look at our phones until we go back to sleep and turn off our mobile phones. We are over-using our brain and our peace of mind, without even realizing it. So it is no wonder that so many people are suffering from mental illness and have to fight depression. But we can’t stop living in now and here, can we? We can't isolate ourselves from life and people!

By the way, being a sponge doesn’t necessarily mean that you only get brainwashed with negativity. You can also be a sponge and be influenced by the so-called world savers, TV and Internet preachers, ministers, pastors, priests, missionaries, reverends, self-obsessed, self-centered, and self-proclaimed world healers. Mostly Televangelists,  psychologists, psychiatrists, and therapists. Clever people that pretend to know more than we do. People who use the vulnerability and desperate need of lonely people to brainwash them with their own believes and their own truth and reality.

Do you realize that most of these so-called world savers are not just being kind, compassionate and caring, but are selling a product? Do you realize how rich they are? They brainwash to sell, to make money, and to benefit from humans' naivety and stupidity!

It takes a lot of character NOT to be affected by the things that everybody else is saying or doing. So be careful. Be awake! Whenever you are about to be influenced in one or the other way, whenever you are about to be dazzled, blindsided, and brainwashed with someone else’s truth, reality and opinion, remind yourself that you are not a sponge! Use your brain, trust your instinct and follow your heart. Don’t let anyone change your way of living your own truth and reality! 

Why? Because you are not a sponge! Don't be a copy/paster and don't behave like this little bird! This adorable bird's brain is as tiny as a peanut! :-)





May 18, 2021

Design your own happiness!

Me in my early twenties being silly and goofy! :-)

Me and my love for music with two!

Me and my love for singing with four!

Being creative and productive makes everyone happy. Drawing, painting, and now writing are my way of designing happiness for myself today. But in my childhood and early twenties music has been my way of self-therapy in extremely difficult and challenging times. With my refugee status and no right to further education and job opportunities I was really suffering. Having no rights and no perspective can destroy your soul, especially when you are an ambitious, creative and motivated person as I am. I had so much energy and so many ideas, but couldn’t do anything with them.

So the other day I found these four videos of mine. I did my very first lip sing and videos with twelve. I sang along the happy songs from Kylie Minogue. When you watch me lip singing, do you see an unhappy girl? Do you see how I’m suffering from inside? Do you see a girl who’s living in fear of existence?

No, obviously you don’t. You just see a young girl enjoying the rhythm of music and singing along cheesy song lyrics from 1995 - 1997. :-)

Why am I sharing these old videos with you? Because I want to remind you how important it is to be sometimes silly and goofy. Life is already too serious and “thanks” to this horrible and non-ending pandemic more and more people are losing their joy of life and their appreciation for every single day. Depression is becoming normality, regardless of age! 

Remember back in my twenties there was no Social media and Youtube. So we didn’t record these videos to share them with anyone. My mum and I filmed them just for fun and it helped us to forget our worries and sorrows at least for a few minutes.

Also back in my twenties, there was no professional video software for private people for film editing. I actually edited these videos with two VCRs and what you are seeing now I filmed from TV and digitalized it with software. So this explains the poor quality. Nevertheless, you get the idea. ;-)

So what I’m trying to say is: Be happy! Be silly! Be you, no matter what people think of you and no matter what people say about you! It is OK to be different and it is OK to be happy! Follow your passion, whether it’s singing, dancing, drawing, painting, playing musical instruments, photography, sewing, crafting, writing, etc. Just do it without overthinking and questioning it! You can do anything as long as it makes you happy!

Now enjoy watching me lip-synch old songs “I Wanna B With U” and “Celebration” from the German hip hop band “Fun Factory” from 1995. "Scandy Randy" by the German pop band "Squeezer" from 1996. And finally the worldwide famous song “Barbie Girl” by the Danish-Norwegian pop band Aqua” from 1997!

When you read my memoir, you will be surprised because 1995 - 1997 were one of the hardest times in our life! 

I Wanna B With U -1995

Celebration -1995

Scandy Randy -1996

Barbie Girl -1997



Memoir available in English, German, Spanish and Italian!

May 16, 2021

Design your own paradise!


One of the most “annoying side effects” of this horrible and ongoing Covid19 pandemic is that we can’t travel freely anymore. But everyone needs a getaway, even if it is only for a few days. Seeing new places, meeting new people, and making new memories is what life is about. Well, it is what it is! Complaining about something that we can’t change for now is nothing but a waste of time and energy. So what is the solution?

Design your own paradise. Create your own happy place. Find a place for your short getaway, even if it is only in your garage, living room, bathroom, kitchen, garden or balcony. Only you and no one else can design your happy getaway destination.

We love traveling, and we have visited many beautiful places in recent years. Traveling is kind of a self-therapy for our mind, heart, and soul. And one of our favorite destinations has been Italy. We really miss it like crazy. So for this summer, we have designed our own Venice on our balcony. It is our paradise with no hassle about social distancing, face masks, quarantine, and forced vaccination!

We have created a peaceful and romantic place with two beautiful lanterns inspired by our travels to Venice and Paris, gorgeous and colorful flowers, a little herb garden with peppermints, thymes, and rosemaries. We call it our plantation. We love our little B&B cuisine corner and look forward to a hopefully wonderful hot and relaxed summer despite our loss of freedom and all the madness in the world.

So our advice to you is: Find your happy place. Design your own paradise and be happy and grateful for every single day no matter what! Enjoy summer despite the Corona hassle and don’t let anyone or anything bother you. Remember, it’s not worth it.