Monthly Archives: October 2015

Those Precious Moments

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2008 liam and napoleon

Leisurely hovering side-by-side a big Napoleon Wrasse in Micronesia, its slowly rotating eye following my every move while silently enquiring “Who are you biped? Should I be worried about you?”…
Feeling the wingtip of a Manta Ray, brushing against me light as a feather, while the giant creature continues sailing over my head as gracefully and unconcerned as the starship Enterprise heading towards galaxies far far away…
Having eye contact for just a moment with a curious fruit bat, its long eyelids blinking at me whilst the furry creature munches on a juicy piece of mango…
Snuggling with my cat, seeing his trust in me, his eyes contentedly closing half-way as he presses his little vibrating body as close to my wobbly belly as possible…
Inviting a backpacker into our home, sharing a beer and learning a bit about each other’s life…
An evening in a quiet bar, where conversations have a chance to flourish and we discover characters and stories we’ll never forget for the remainder of our lives…
The blooming smile of a stranger on the bus after work when she sees me carrying a tiny pot of purple flowers home to my wife…

Every time our existence intersects with another, no matter how insignificant or brief a moment it might be, we are given a chance to be inspired, learn, and grow.
It’s life at its very best.

#‎Paralian #‎LiamKlenk #‎notjusttrans #‎memoirs #‎makethebestoflife #‎book #‎lifejourney #‎lgbt #‎sunnyweekend #‎catnap

Final Draft of Paralian’s Cover

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ParalianCover

Here is the final draft of the book cover we hope will catch your eye in bookstores on- and offline starting May 28, 2016. My awesome wife Hanna came up with the cover design as well as the book’s final title. The portrait has been taken by my good friend and photographer Susanne Stauss. You can already find ‘Paralian’ listed on Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/…/26829758-paralian—not-just-tr…
And also on the website of my publisher:
http://www.troubador.co.uk/book_info.asp?bookid=3743
‪#‎Paralian‬ ‪#‎LiamKlenk‬ ‪#‎lifejourney‬ ‪#‎odyssey‬ ‪#‎notjusttrans‬ ‪#‎lgbt‬ ‪#‎comingout‬‪ #‎lifeisbeautiful‬ ‪#‎book‬ ‪#‎memoirs‬

Two years of hard work and tenacity condensed in one page…

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Paralian_AI_LiterallyPR

Lots to learn for me while publishing ‪#‎Paralian‬. Here is the AI – the Advanced Information Sheet, written by my amazing PR company ‪#‎LiterallyPR‬. Thanks so much Sam and Helen!
It’s a first glimpse for potentially interested media smile emoticon
I’ll share it with you too, because, quite frankly Sam did such a fabulous job summing up my story, I could never have done it any better. We’re on our way ladies and gentlemen… for starters: two years of hard work and tenacity condensed in one page!

#Paralian #LiamKlenk #notjusttrans #LiterallyPR #odyssey #memoirs #lifeisbeautiful #nevergiveup #happy

One who lives by the Sea

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1974 summer water buckets

‘Paralian’ comes from the ancient greek and means ‘one who lives by the sea’.

I could never imagine being without bodies of water, be it to be immersed in them or to just let my eyes wander over rippling, myriad shades of blue…
Where there were none, I created them (as you can see in this early picture from 1974). At three years old, I spent all summer filling buckets and mini-bathtubs, hopping from one into the other, feeling like a sailor and explorer, even if sometimes only my toes fit into one of these tiny plastic oceans. These were the humble beginnings of an often amazing odyssey… which led to lakes, rivers, oceans, and even giant artificial pools on the other side of the world…

It’s time for PR…

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My PR company, LiterallyPR is fantastic. I am so happy to have found this team of competent specialists who truly care beyond just making money.
Check out my book’s page on their website:

http://www.literallypr.com/public_relations/file/liam_klenk-Paralian.php

Be Brave

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2009 cenote eden liam 1

After I had an epiphany and understood fully “I am transgender”, there was only one way: forward. Continuing in the wrong body was never an option.
I was scared but determined.
Then, I began telling people about my situation:
“I’m actually a man stuck in a female body. I’ve started hormone therapy, so you’ll see my body change over the next few months. And, from now on, can you please call me Liam instead of Stefanie?”
Each time I addressed one of my family, friends, and work mates, the reactions were very similar.
“Ah, I’ve always wondered if you weren’t in fact a boy,” my dad said.
“I’m not surprised. It’s kind of obvious,” my boss said.
“Liam? How on earth do I pronounce that? Couldn’t you have found something easier?” the work mate I believed to be the most conservative asked with a twinkle in his eye.
“I’ve always known,” my professor at the Art Academy said, accompanying his statement with a strong, friendly pat on the shoulder that almost knocked me over.
The list of positive encounters continues indefinitely.

Fact is, those who love us and care about us, often know long before we ourselves know or are ready to “come out”. They know in their hearts.
During our lifetime there are many opportunities to come out and stand up for who we are and what we believe in – be it to let the world know about our LGBT identity, a political belief, or a philosophical standpoint.
Others might already know us well enough so maybe it needn’t be said at all, but we need to hear the words out loud, need to feel and savour those letters rolling around our tongue like a well-preserved bottle of red wine.
We need to proclaim for ourselves and the world, “This I me. This is who I choose to be. This is who I am born to be. I accept and love myself just as I am.”

‪#‎Paralian‬ ‪#‎notjusttransgender‬ ‪#‎lifejourney‬ ‪#‎book‬ ‪#‎publishingsoon‬‪ #‎LiamKlenk‬ ‪#‎NationalComingOutDay‬ ‪#‎LGBT‬ ‪#‎ComingOut‬  ‪#‎bebrave‬ ‪#‎CountMeOut‬

Changed Forever

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2005 snorkel guide

Ten years ago to date I left my home in Zurich and moved to turquoise heaven: Kuredu, a tiny island in the mesmerisingly beautiful Lhaviyani Atoll and its surrounding Indian Ocean.

Here I am, the little guy on the right, with the other two members of our Kuredu snorkel guide team in 2005. And what a team we were. An adventurous, easy going Australian, a high-strung, energetic Brit and a romantic, idealistic German in search of his true home. Kuredu was just the first of many intense experiences involving the sharing of limited living and working space with people from all over the world.

The good times I had, the bad times, the lessons I learned, the walls I banged my head against, the broad variety of people I met and learned to not just live with but also appreciate… none of that would have happened had I just stayed where I was already comfortable.

My world is bigger now and, thankfully, I am changed forever.