*** EXCITING NEWS *** Just heard from my publisher TODAY that Paralian has finished printing and a few copies are on their way to me!!! In about 2 weeks I’ll hold the real-life copy of my very first book in my hands. What a fabulous adventure!
Here I am, drawing an island while working on the island. One of my many passions in turquoise paradise was guiding boats. On our way to wherever we were heading that day, I would draw each dive site briefing on a little chalk board while the fellow ocean enthusiasts I was guiding would watch my drawing progress with sparkling eyes and eager anticipation…
Happiness in a puff of chalk and a splash of water.
However, life on the island wasn’t all pirouetting dolphins, sunshine and margaritas. Even in the most magnificent of places, life can be tough when you are confined to a tiny pile of sand with a whole bunch of individuals, all of them (including you) experiencing bouts of island fever on a regular basis…
I wouldn’t want to miss any of it. It is so worth it (at least for me) to go out there, take risks, leave materialistic values and a safe existence behind. It’s invaluable to meet a whole bunch of people from all over the world and all kinds of backgrounds; to live and work with them, laugh with them, be annoyed by them, and experience cultures from the inside (not just as a visiting tourist in two-week-wonderland).
Throwing myself into all kinds of challenging life and work experiences abroad was one of the best things I ever did. I can’t even count how many times I was ready to rip my hair out or hijack a plane to get the hell out of there… but, I always persevered and never regretted it.
When I wrote my book, my four years as a diving instructor and hyperbaric chamber operator in the Maldives spanned four chapters. The life lessons I took away from these adventures were infinite. On the other hand, the very secure, comfortable job I held in Switzerland before heading out into the unknown barely added up to half a chapter in ‘Paralian’.
So I wonder about the wisdom of amassing materialistic wealth and security. I’d rather let go and explore the world together with my soul mate with wide-eyed curiosity and an open mind.
… this one a bit cheesy I know 😉 but true nonetheless 😀 Here some more words of wisdom by yours truly, “hot off the tweet” from my publisher:
Come visit my author profile on Goodreads! Maybe put Paralian on your virtual “want to read” shelf (only 2 1/2 more months and you’ll be able to put it on the physical one in your living room). Goodreads also has a designated space where you can ask questions (you can always ask me anything, here or there). And you can follow me there as well. I’d be honoured. As always thanks so much for your support. It means a lot!
Ha! Got to post what my publisher just tweeted. First time ever I get to share a meaningful picture quote by……… myself. And in case you’re wondering, I’m chuckling happily while I’m hitting “enter”.
How I loved this job! Coaching performers, keeping them safe during the show, being a stage hand and stage manager underwater in one of the most visionary projects of all time. The best times were when I could prepare performers for their aquatic environment. I loved seeing them work during our training sessions. Their focus, dedication and support for each other were second to none.
My four years of being part of the “The House of Dancing Water” show family in Macau were life lived to the fullest. All in. Nothing held back. Steep learning curves. It was heaven and hell, Jekyll and Hyde, utter happiness and despair. I looked into the abyss and at the same time was mesmerised by the beauty, passion, and creativity all around me. Blood and tears, utter commitment, corporate politics, friendship, integrity, growth, dreams coming true (sometimes shattered), an abundance of hugs and kisses, standing ovations, and the overall emotional intensity of an earthquake magnitude 8 on the Richter Scale.
![[image]](http://collateral.prmax.co.uk/collateral/95266.jpg "68856-1.jpg")
ADVANCE INFORMATION SHEET
Paralian: Notjusttransgender
By Liam Klenk
Author interview opportunities: Liam Klenk will be in the UK as part of his book launch press tour and available for face-to-face, telephone and in-studio interviews on the following days:April 8th-15th (unavailable on 11th April), May 30th-June 3rd, July 13th-15th
Paralian (definition: ancient Greek meaning ‘one who lives by the sea’) is a memoir narrated through the author’s relationship to water. We follow Liam Klenk’s tumultuous journey to find his authentic self and happiness against more than a lifetime’s worth of adversities. At five months old Liam was adopted from an orphanage and ushered into a unique journey, which introduced him to the characters that would become both the currents that moved him and the rocks that supported him.
Liam, who lives in Zurich with his wife, says: “At three years old I began catching odd…
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For as long as I can remember I’ve devoured books of almost all genres. I still easily read three a week, taking every chance I get to immerse myself in someone else’s thoughts and imagination.
Recently, through writing my own first book ‘Paralian’ I’ve redoubled my efforts and have even caught myself reading whilst walking home from the bus stop. If it’s a good read, something resounding deeply within, I seem to be incapable to set those precious pages aside – and be it just for a few minutes. Even more so, I love those days when I can do nothing else but wiggle into the large cushions of our comfy couch, book in hand, Nacho and Pushka, our fluffy fur balls, purring on either side of me.
One writer who has managed to charm me more than most is Matt Haig. I love his fine sense of humour, his compassion, and sensitive celebration of life. In all he has been through I recognise a kindred spirit. Living through tremendous pain and struggle heightens our sense of how magical and meaningful our brief, meaningless existence really is. Storytelling in all forms and shapes, listening to others’ and sharing our own, being an essential part of this magic…
“I loved external narratives for the hope they offered. Films. TV dramas. And most of all, books. They were, in and of themselves, reasons to stay alive. Every book written is the product of a human mind in a particular state. Add all the books together and you get the end sum of humanity. Every time I read a great book I felt I was reading a kind of map, a treasure map, and the treasure I was being directed to was in actual fact myself. But each map was incomplete, and I would only locate the treasure if I read all the books, and so the process of finding my best self was an endless quest…”
(From Matt Haig’s new book ‘Reasons To Stay Alive’)
How beautiful, and how profoundly true. Thinking ahead to the months and years to come, I dream my books will add to the magic. ‘Paralian’ is a beginning. I hope it carries the inner strength to, at some point in time, be a treasure map for someone out there as well…
Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce the full cover of ‘Paralian: not just transgender’.
We have finished completing the design and I’ve just passed it for press which means after many months of hard work and preparations, Paralian will go to the printer next week.
I must admit I’m quite fond of the whole cover design. The fresh turquoise title and spine invite you to dive into sparkling lagoon water and already hint at the odyssey you will take with me to exotic destinations around the globe. And it’s what happens along the way, that will make all the difference…
The front and back cover place my thoughts into your trusted hands. Thoughts that will hopefully leave you spellbound, intrigued, touched, entertained, and with a twinkle in your eye. Just three more months to launch. Get ready for a very special journey!
Yay! Paralian is now available for pre-order on waterstones.com and amazon.co.uk (the other ‘Amazons’ and WHSmith following soon). How amazing is that! Honestly, it feels quite surreal. I hope I’ll stay this excited and enthusiastic every time one of my books comes out (since I am planning to write many many more).
https://www.waterstones.com/book/paralian/liam-klenk/9781785891205
Liam Klenk 