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Do All Things with Love..if you can!

Aside from writing about my novel, I’ve decided to talk about other subjects too in my blog - whether observational, in the news, or otherwise! All my topics will be about improving yourself in some way though! Or thinking outside of the box. Recently, I stayed in a hotel room in the Canaries and this was the message emboldened on the wall opposite the bed - Do All Things with Love - a simple message, yet not an easy one to carry out moment by moment! I think only Jesus did that right, didn’t he? And even he still got angry in the Temple when he cleared it of the money changers and the animal sellers! So no, not even Jesus. So why was it staring me in the face, every time I woke up in the morning? Honestly, I don’t know. I think the Universe must have been playing with me, as in a bizarre way, it was a much-needed message. When I gave it some feeling rather than thought, what it said to me was, think before acting in everything you do and it makes you think about the nature of lov
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Why did the café need to vanish in my novel?

Why did the café need to vanish in my novel? Well, how do I put this simply? I guess because everything in life vanishes, changes and transforms into something else, including ourselves! Nothing stays the same, ever! The novel revolves around Nina’s search for something beyond the five physical senses, after her beloved grandmother’s death. Is there something more, is there a life after life? Her journey takes her to the heart of a café that she never knew existed before. The enigmatic café draws her in and she lets the happenings and regular characters transform her into a new person. The café is constantly in motion, it’s a live vehicle for Nina to reach her destination. And what is her destination? The discovery of her true Self, her journey into herself and into what the nature of life really is. It’s a shame that her husband, Pieter, doesn’t share her enthusiasm. After hearing his wife’s stories about what happened in the café - and half believing her, his own fears of anyth

The metaphor of the butterfly in The Vanishing Café

Butterflies are usually a fairly obvious metaphor - it’s the caterpillar that transforms into the colourful butterfly. It’s all about transformation and coming out of your shell towards a new beginning and a new you. Something fairly ugly becomes a colourful, delicate fluttering insect that brings joy to us on days when we don’t expect it. In The Vanishing Café, the butterfly is a metaphor for the fragility of life and the narrator, Nina’s new journey towards spirituality and seeking inner knowledge. The butterfly appears at vital moments in the novel - a subtle kiss between two characters in the café, to show how Sarah’s marriage fell apart and her vulnerable inner state and the dance that James does, with his swirling dervishes attire on. Nina knows that the café is a special place when she first enters it because she sees the butterfly outside and feels the presence of her dead grandmother is close by. The butterfly is a prompt and a guide to another doorway and Nina knows that

The mighty Eric, his big heart and soul in the Café

I loved writing about the character of Eric in my novel, The Vanishing Café. For that role I interviewed a Buddhist friend of mine, also from Kenya, like Eric. He is an amazing guy with a strong presence, shiny black skin, good looks with striking eyes and medium length dreads. The best thing about my friend is his warmth, compassion and smile. His smile draws people in and his quiet laugh keeps them there. He is a charismatic character in the novel, understanding the narrator’s complex search and sympathising with the uncertainty of the journey to truly find oneself. It’s a journey that Eric has also been on, joining various cults and religions in his search, finding little fulfilment. Eric knows that Nina is grieving and as such he identifies with her struggle to find some meaning in her beloved grandmother’s death. Yet he is also able to balance out the dramas unfolding in the café. His calming presence is important for Davla - the café owner, who is going through relationship iss

How to transform your personal pain into power like Nina in The Vanishing Café

I love the title of this blog, it just made me smile as it came to me this morning on the tube, heading to work. Yes, how do your transform your personal pain into power? This is the subject of several books, so for the purposes of this blog, I’m going to keep it short and sweet. And I’m talking about emotional pain - the kind of emotions that can cripple you, such as anger, fear, guilt or grief - which is what Nina, the narrator in my novel, The Vanishing Café, felt after the death of her grandmother. So here are the steps towards resolving it: Acknowledge that there is an issue. What is the emotion that is prevalent in your life? Of course, you can only do something once you realise it is there and it is having an effect in some way in your daily life. Seek help in addressing it, whether this is with a professional therapist or anger management course or by seeking support and advice through a family member or friend first. Unfortunately, you can go through a few therapists or cou

Categories don’t seem to exist for The Vanishing Cafe

It’s been a tricky process trying to place my novel, The Vanishing Cafe, into any kind of category. It’s not a thriller, hardly a satire, not erotic and definitely not a murder mystery. I didn’t intend it to appeal only to women or older people when I wrote the novel - although I appreciate that it probably does appeal to them more than anyone else, because of its strong themes of emotion, spirituality, a female narrator and death and loss. Then again, I feel like I’m limiting my book by saying that. I wrote it because it felt right - it is based on a real cafe that I used to visit years ago in Soho, although none of the characters are the same and it’s now a dinky little shop, selling mobile accessories- the last time I looked. It’s changeover seems to be rapid, so it may actually be something else by now. The Vanishing Cafe is certainly not in any way similar to Dan Brown or Jean Le Carre or Jodi Picoult, however, it is a book about feeling. It is a coming of age tale for the narr

Tapping into your Higher Self - how the café gives us an insight into our Higher Self

The café in my novel, The Vanishing Café, appears to be a small place, tucked away in central London. The narrator, Nina, doesn’t find it special in any way, until she realises that it isn’t an ordinary place. In fact, it is a magical place, where she can read the thoughts of other people (much to her and their confusion) and at one point, the café transforms itself into a temple. Nothing is quite what it appears to be! Often Nina senses her grandmother who has passed over in the café. To complicate things further, only Nina and another regular in the Café, realise that the place is special, holy somehow but not in a religious way. It’s a spiritual journey for Nina, an awakening to her higher truth - after her previous unhappy and ‘shallow life’ - that awakening is similar to our realisation that we have a Higher Self, a deeper connection to ourselves and the Universe. Is there something beyond our five physical senses? Are there other realities, is there anything more after we pass