Blog Archives
How Does A Man Rebuild His Spirit
The Energy Inside Valsin’s Choices follows a man through multiple lives and explores the cumulative effect of his choices. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
In the preface I discussed having an accident and having a repetitive dream. This disturbing dream led me to write this novel. I end it with “The story that manifested the repetitive dreams after my puppy knocked my chin is now told. What does the author have to do with this story?” This is the prelude to the sequel.
Valsin is an intriguing character. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
How does a man rebuild his spirit after stripping away any positive traits? Can he repair? This is something that can be achieved. But only over a long time because what he did to so many people was also detrimental to himself. Valsin had to start from the very beginning to learn what life is in order to value life, love, and especially value others as well as himself.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Not to judge others is a valuable lesson for all of us. Maybe there is a reason someone is an uneducated farmer and he is happy as he is. Maybe there is a reason why someone works to help children or be a fisherman. That life is special for that person. We do not all need to be up on the latest technologies working at the top companies. Who would grow our food?
Another important theme is that one can change if they want and work at it – whatever it is. Your inner voice, higher self, intuition, God, the universe – whatever you call it – will guide you if you listen.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I am working on the sequel to this book. The working title is The Energy Inside the Author. It explores Nabella and why the author wrote The Energy Inside Valsin’s Choices. I am also working on a book on caregiving called How to Care for Grouchy Old People. Both of these do not have a publish date set yet. The other project of which I am doing is the Richard Tregaskis Classics Collection, by the renowned war journalist. I reprinted his classics with introductions by his widow, Moana Tregaskis, along with rare archives. Invasion Diary, Stronger Than Fear, Last Plane to Shanghai, China Bomb, and Vietnam Diary were published in 2021 under the imprint JMFdeA Press. This year we will publish Building the Bases, X-15 Diary, The Warrior King, Seven Leagues to Paradise, and Woman and the Sea.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website | jmfdeapress.com | Instagram
The Energy Inside Valsin’s Choices is a hybrid historical and metaphysical fiction respecting choices and consequences, which pulse into the beyond. Nabella is a newcomer to New Orleans in 1862 just before the Union occupied the city during the Civil War. She becomes curious about her mysterious neighbor Valsin. The energy inside his choices has cumulative effects in his future lives as well as profound impact on Nabella and others. We travel with him around the globe through centuries and witness how he transforms from darkness to light. It invites the reader to learn along with Valsin intense evolutionary lessons.
The Energy Inside Valsin’s Choices
The Energy Inside Valsin’s Choices is an inspirational historical fiction novel that takes readers on a journey through the many lives of Valsin in an attempt to restore his “light” and atone for the transgressions of his past. The story begins in New Orleans in 1862 and focuses on the lives of Nabella, Eula, Valsin, and a detective named Rene. The story takes place in New Orleans during the Civil War and the Union occupation. Nabella is new to the city and dreams of a life where she has more freedom from the societal norms of the 19th century. Valsin’s choices during this time will impact him throughout his next ten lives.
I really enjoyed reading about Nabella’s journey and the beginning of the book. The character development was what I had expected of a fictional book. However, the main characters discussed above no longer play a role once the significant transgression happens. I wanted to know more about Eula and Rene after the events between Valsin and Nabella.
The book continues to document each of Valsin’s next ten lives. He is a new person in each life with little but growing knowledge of his first life (life zero). In life zero, his actions in New Orleans and specifically with Nabella impact the next lives as he works to atone for his crimes. The book relies on the concept of reincarnation and the karma that people take with them from previous lives into their next lives. I really enjoyed seeing the different aspects of each new life and the lessons he learned to cleanse his aura and become a better human in each of his next lives. The story explores choice and consequence in different and interesting ways and directly asks the reader questions, which slowly transitions this book from fiction to more of a self-help or spiritual book. This was a surprising transformation that makes this one of the more unique fiction novels I have read.
The Energy Inside Valsin’s Choices is an intriguing metaphysical story. I enjoyed how the story showed Valsin living through each additional life and learning how and why each life was chosen for him. I would recommend this captivating book to readers looking for a spiritually uplifting novel that uses thought-provoking themes to tell a meaningful story.
Pages: 378 | ISBN13: 9781956695007
Grow An Edible Jungle
Sassy Food shows readers how to grow a sustainable garden that can provide food anywhere and any time. What inspired you to write this book?
I wanted to share the joy I found by growing food – especially in ways I never thought of before, like with sprouts and microgreens. Concentrated yummy nutrition can be grown easily in just a few days! If it’s that easy – we can all be happier!!!
What is a common misconception you feel people have about gardening?
People think that to garden you need land and a lot of space. That’s not true. You can grow an edible jungle on a window sill or a counter. No natural light? Use a grow light. There are almost endless possibilities!
What is one tip that has changed the way you grow food?
Flexibility is key. I use a small hydroponic container to start seeds. Once I get seedlings I transplant them to a container or my small aquaponic tank.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your book?
Get in touch with nature and find JOY with growing food in some way, even a small one. You’ll be better able to handle this chaotic world – I’m sure of it.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
Many people think growing food takes a lot of time and space. And that is not true. Like the subtitle says, it really is possible to grow your own any size ‘farm’ anywhere, anytime of year with any budget. Sassy Food empowers you to take charge of adding peace into your life by bringing nature to your fingertips. All basics are covered from growing food from various growing methods, to cultivation and everything in between. It includes a flexible cooking technique showing how to create your own delicious recipes using a symphony of ingredients, without measurements. Artistic photos of gorgeous Eve models in Hawai’i will spark your creativity as to how you can grow food in your space, wherever you are in the world. Sassy Food shows women no matter what shape, color or age can shine their beauty from the inside out! This book honors food as we ought to honor all the women who plant, harvest, and cook it. Ja-ne hopes Sassy Food will inspire you to be lighter with yourself and bring sassyfreshhh into your focus.
This book is designed to bring light-hearted silliness into your life. It’s hard to maintain that levity with the constant seriousness of life. When Ja-ne does anything with her plants all of that goes away and she is present in the moment of seeing new changes, harvesting something to add to their meals, planting seeds that will grow into new vegan meals—this simplicity is bliss. It restores Ja-ne so she has more energy to go back to caregiving 24/7. Yes, she has not had any time off, much less one day off, since 2019. This is one way that helps her to keep on going. Inside a world pandemic, with wearing masks and social distancing, this artistic beauty was achieved. It shows we are all responsible for our individual choices and can make positive change despite any circumstance.
As soon as she finished writing Sassy Food, she caught up with her sister and brother-in-law. Grover described his experiences as a travel nurse going to COVID hotspots. He wanted to write a book about it and didn’t know how. Ja-ne teamed up with Sandra and Grover. In a few short months, Chasing the Surge was created.
20% of proceeds helps others grow food by providing growing kits and seeds along with growing workshops.
Sassy Food
Enlighten yourself to the world of growing produce with Ja-ne de Abreu’s Sassy Food! With the 2020 pandemic threatening Abreu’s and her mother’s access to food, she opted to take matters into her own hands by growing her own produce. On her journey to being self-sustaining, she found friends with the same interest – that’s how the Sassy Food Farms collective was born. Abreu wants to share her knowledge with us in an effort to encourage people around the world to connect with The Earth and grow their own food. I must say, she did a fantastic job at convincing me!
I thoroughly enjoyed Abreu’s simplistic but upbeat writing style. It made taking in the mass amounts of information easier. The highly detailed section on microgreens and sprouts fascinated me. I never realized there were so many variations! She gave us the essential knowledge to begin our gardening journey with a hint of hippie-esque wisdom.
She further showed the importance of connecting with the earth during this tough time in the various photos strewn throughout the book. I appreciate the artistic approach to the subject matter. The cute graphic designs were also a fantastic touch. I feel that the visual representation drove home the message she was trying to convey excellently.
The final chapter, Food is Music, featured easy-to-make recipes that I can’t wait to try – especially the smashed potatoes and ice cream! It was the perfect conclusion to an already well-formatted and organized gardening book.
I also appreciated Abreu’s sentiment on learning about how different cultures consume the foods that you intend to grow. I guess you could call this another one of her many hippie-esque pearls of wisdom in the book.
I adored the clever chapter titles. A few of my favorites, besides Food is Music, include Playful Propagation, Cheerful Cultivation, and Thrilling Trees & Fantabouls Fruits. These titles show Abreu’s passion for the book’s subject matter.
Sassy Food is the epitome of a non-fiction instructional read that makes the seemingly mundane interesting. Despite being a beginner to intermediate level guide, Abreu still offers a plethora of information you may have not heard before. It’s a great book to have on the shelf to grab for quick referencing.
Pages: 170 | ASIN: 1736295411
LITERARY TITAN 