The playful Fahbee Flingbee is one of a number of unusual critters that inhabits Heaven’s Wait. He is a colorful, insecure fellow who is often overly dramatic. He is not only a tiny, talking creature who speaks English with a Spanish accent; he is a self-proclaimed expert at romance, having been trained by the “greatest romantic of all time, Senor Cipriano Flingbee.”
Fahbee and Vowellan San Ham Bat become inseparable pals. Fahbee endlessly tries to coach San in the ways of a romantic, but he is not a good example since he can’t find his own love match. But he is a delight to those around him and a trusted friend in times of need.
While writing the Tales from Vowella, I thought it would be fun to work some sort of insect-like creatures into the stories that could bring a little humor as well as more fantasy to the stage. Hubby Mike came up with the species name once I threw out the description that floated through my head. “They are tiny, colorful, bee-like creatures that have wobbly antennae, long beaks, and curlicue tails. The Vowellans play a game with them where they grab them by their tails, swing them like lassos above their heads, and then fling them toward nearby trees.”
“Well then, flingbees, of course.”
And keeping in mind my Spanish roots, I decided to give this character an added splash of culture, later to be explored.
This is my own original drawing of Fahbee:
And this is Fahbee in his full glory, with his own sing-along theme song. Illustration by Julia Semionova. Enjoy! B
We are excited to introduce the newest addition to our music library: Vowella Valley Anthem.
As different and quirky as they are, the Vowellans of Heaven’s Wait never hesitate to come together to sing their beloved anthem. They become a united community when an important occasion or event prompts them to do so. The song praises the beauty of their homeland and displays their appreciation for the paradise in which they live.
The Vowella Valley Anthem accompanies the joyous arrival of new members to the community and the sad departures of beloved family members. It celebrates the Vowellans’ achievements and puts a cap on memorable events. It reminds them of their roots and gives them hope for a brighter future.
The collaboration for the sounds and visuals for this song and its accompanying Sing the Song video truly amazed me. The melody for the Vowella Valley Anthem was a simple tune, with a chorus that I loved, that was sitting quietly in my computer files from previous years of tinkering. I told my music arranger, Aki, that I had to use it in some way. The lyrics actually came to me quite easily, and I wrote some of them into the final edits of Book 1: RJ and the Vowellans of the Tales from Vowella Series. After Aki and I consulted about the mood and sounds that would fit the piece, he took the simple tune and chorus and turned it into this beautifully orchestrated piece you now hear.
I gave my illustrator, Julia, an old computer-generated image of Lake Marie that I had built in my home landscape design software many years previously. She flew with it and created this gorgeous image that perfectly portrays the feel of the calm, peaceful setting within Vowella Valley. I love how the softness and colors of the image blend with the gentle sounds of the orchestration.
Once I created the lyrics slides against the image, my son, Shaun, brought it all together to create the accompanying Vowella Valley Anthem Sing the Song Video. Many thanks to each of them for their beautiful contributions.
Remember to find the lyrics to this song in context, as well as those of several other songs, within the pages of the Heaven’s Wait! Tales from Vowella Book Series, available at https://www.amazon.com/author/bmclaughlin
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We are excited to introduce the newest addition to our music library as well as to our collection of Sing-the-Songs: Vowella Valley Anthem.
As different and quirky as they are, the Vowellans of Heaven’s Wait never hesitate to come together to sing their beloved anthem. They become a united community when an important occasion or event prompts them to do so. The song praises the beauty of their homeland and displays their appreciation for the paradise in which they live.
The Vowella Valley Anthem accompanies the joyous arrival of new members to the community and the sad departures of beloved family members. It celebrates the Vowellans’ achievements and puts a cap on memorable events. It reminds them of their roots and gives them hope for a brighter future.
Special thanks to illustrator, Julia Semionova, for the beautiful backdrop.
Enjoy the music and Sing-the-Song: Vowella Valley Anthem as you follow the words in the video. Also find one of its song moments in Heaven’s Wait’s first book, RJ and the Vowellans, to put the song into perfect context. B
To learn more about the creation of Vowella Valley Anthem, click here. Find lyrics to several other songs within the pages of the Heaven’s Wait! Tales from Vowella Book Series, available at https://www.amazon.com/author/bmclaughlin
To receive alerts for more Blog posts like this, make sure to subscribe to our email list by completing the form below, in the footer.
Vowella In-Town Song is the theme song for Innocents and Curiosities, Book 2 of the Heaven’s Wait! Tales from Vowella fantasy series. We wrapped a more upbeat version of RJ’s Theme around key verses from each of the 5 Vowellan clan themes to make a perky tune that invites you to feel the innocent, fun, and busy nature of the faraway, hidden community of Vowella and its quirky inhabitants. Take a listen:
As the HW team began working on the book trailer videos for the Heaven’s Wait! Tales from Vowella book series, I realized there was not yet a song attached to the Innocents and Curiosities trailer. How had I missed that? Aki and I had been building a cozy library of songs for the series, but there wasn’t a specific song that defined Innocents and Curiosities. My thought was to incorporate the 5 clan themes into a medley that would capture the feeling of everyday life in Vowella. And why not add A Journey Above (RJ’s Theme) to the song in some fashion? Creating a perky version of RJ’s Theme seemed like the natural thing to do.
Making transitions from one clip to another was a bit of a challenge because the musical styles of the clan themes and keys were so varied. Aki did a beautiful job with the transitions, making Vowella In-Town Song flow quite smoothly. I think the song provides a delightful backdrop for the book’s trailer. I am most pleased with the results.
Enjoy the song again as you watch the Innocents and Curiosities book trailer. And don’t forget to read all about the Vowellans in the Heaven’s Wait! Tales from Vowella book series, available at amazon.com/author/bmclaughlin. B
Here is the new short video from the world of HW, Fun Facts: Heaven’s Wait’s Earthly Plants.
Heaven’s Wait’s beloved RJ PLOM had been a laboratory business officer in the UC Berkeley Botany Department before he embarked on his journey above. Knowing he would soon be leaving the mortal world as we know it, he packed up some treasured possessions to take with him upon his departure. Among his eclectic treasures were pictures of his family, a collection of VHS tapes, a good supply of Golden Grain spaghetti, and a fine collection of heirloom seeds that he had salvaged from the botany department once they were no longer needed. Growing plants from seeds was in his blood, and he couldn’t imagine leaving this world without them.
Once RJ settled into HW’s quiet Vowella Valley, he planted and nurtured his seedlings until Vowella flourished with beautiful and nutritious vegetation. The plants blended perfectly into the unusual environment and its own fascinating assortment of native plants, which was completely foreign to RJ.
But RJ was most intrigued by the fact that a few earthly plants had made their way to this faraway world before his arrival. How they got there, he didn’t know. RJ just went with the fact and moved forward in his new world.
Just for fun, here are Heaven’s Wait’s earthly plants in a short video. To discover more about the plants of HW, make sure to read the Tales from Vowella Book Series. See how many of the earthly plants play their parts, almost as characters, in the stories. Find the books in the footer links or at https://www.amazon.com/author/bmclaughlin
No Longer is a bit of a sad song, composed by the lovely Roz Fog Bob of Vowella Valley. In Book 2, Innocents and Curiosities, her son, Mok, hears her singing it during a quiet, late-night moment. It pains Mok to know she sings about his dad and all that he is missing with his family because he is blind to his mistakes.
Inspiration for the song came from my observations of many a dad as my sons were growing up. Some of them took little interest in their kids’ lives. Several were more concerned about their own status than that of their kids. I found that quite sad.
I wrote the melody and lyrics for this song many years ago. I’m excited that it will now have a life of its own. Since the Fog Bobs are such proper, studious folks, I thought the song should have a classical feel, yet have a splash of hard rock to signify their rare tendency to let loose. It sounded fine in my head… until I heard Aki’s take on the song. He created my version, but he made his own version, just for fun. My version was out in an instant, with no regrets. The simple piano with the soft guitar accompaniment that he created captures a much more believable and beautiful mood for the song. Kudos as always, Aki! B
