Ooh, sorry bookworm, I didn’t mean to walk right into you! I was reminiscing about my chat with Lali A. Love, who wrote The De-Coding of Jo and wasn’t looking where I was going. Have a seat and I’ll bring you a homemade slice of cake to go with your cuppa. You may get one of the modern romance books sniffing about, as they love a bit of cake but if you flick their spines, they’ll take the hint. Here comes one now, shoo!

Now, where were we? Ah yes – I was going to tell you about my chat. I’ll show you the book and tell you a bit about it first. It’s full title is The De-Coding of Jo: Hall of Ignorance and it’s part of the Ascending Angel Academy.

Here’s the blurb: When a demonic parasite turns her classmates into an army of sleepwalkers, sixteen-year-old Jo must confront her celestial identity and reveal the mystery of existence. Guided by the Galactic Council, a Galactic Compass and with the help of her best friends, Jo unleashes the cosmic powers of creation to prevent the Lord of Darkness from enslaving all of humanity into obscurity. Will she be able to decode the artificial system in time to save her friends and the sacred Light?

And now for my interview…

Hello Lali, would you like to introduce yourself for our bookworms? Thank you so much for providing me this opportunity. My pen name is Lali A. Love and I am an award winning author with my Amazon bestseller debut novel, “Heart of a Warrior Angel: From Darkness To Light.” I have had the honour of receiving international book reviews from my incarnated angel story, a gripping, powerful, inspirational novel, showcasing female strength, family, and unconditional love.

An interesting tidbit about me, my middle name is actually Love. I am a proud mom of two beautiful girls who are forging their own incredible paths on this journey. I love to paint, travel, and explore this magical world, capturing beauty through photography and learning the different cultures and history.

Aside from being a devoted daughter, sister, wife, and mother, I am a Light worker, an intuitive energy healer called to embody the light and transmit positive information to help uplift humanity. It is my honour to assist in the global awakening process by projecting messages of compassion, blessings, and setting radical intentions for unity consciousness that is anchored in vibrational frequency of kindness and love in action.

I am also an Empath and an Alchemist. I am a huge advocate for children, women, equality, unity, and self-healing journeys. I feel deeply passionate about this universal call to action, and it is my honour to be in service for the Light.

During the day, I work full time as a Business Transformation Architect, assisting in government policy and strategy development for vulnerable populations. I have always loved writing through briefings and presentations, especially focusing on cohesive story telling. It’s a passion and a creative outlet that I have had since I was a child. In fact, my mom recently reminded me that I used to write her poetry when I was 6 or 7 years old, which I have totally forgotten!

How was the concept for The De-Coding of Jo: Hall Of Ignorance born?

“The De-Coding of Jo: Hall of Ignorance” is the second book in the incarnated angel trilogy, and my first novel in the young adult category. It is a meld of fantasy, paranormal and science fiction, with a strong appeal to young adult readers (ages 15 years plus). It is the first book of the Ascending Angel Academy series, and incorporates plot driven and coming of age stories of diverse, gender inclusive teenagers struggling with self-identity and a sense of belonging. I was inspired to shine a light on societal issues such as anxiety, depression, bullying, body dysmorphia, and external dependencies that our youth are experiencing, through my fictional characters.

In my daytime job, I was fortunate to research and interview people through surveys/focus groups in understanding some of the barriers they face in service delivery. In our mandate to develop inclusive services for all citizens, I had the privilege and honour working with indigenous peoples and non-binary, transgender persons who have relayed their daily struggles and obstacles living in today’s society. I have met and worked with so many incredible, resilient people in the LGBTQ2+ community that have increased my knowledge and elevated my heart-centred awareness with their stories.

The main character Jo (Josephine) is Lilac’s youngest daughter (from my debut novel, Heart of a Warrior Angel) who grows up in the New Age of technology and and insurgence of artificial intelligence matrix. She struggles with her celestial identity at an early age, while navigating through teenage angst and high school issues. Her journey to enlightenment explores her own authentic truth about self love, belonging, her passion for music, mission and becomes the observer of her celestial metamorphosis. This novel allows readers to understand the emotional turmoil taking place in Jo’s world as well as her friends. It is a story that brilliantly showcases the primordial struggle between light and darkness.

Sixteen-year-old Jo attends Forest Hill Academy, a preppy co-ed private school with her best friends Nisha, Daphne, Reyes, Zaxden, and Flynn. Ever since the fatal night her mother was taken hostage by a homicidal maniac, Jo has been plagued by debilitating nightmares. As she tries to unravel her bleak reality, Jo and her friends discover a mysterious portal into a Black Hole, hidden behind a strange mirrored door in an eerie underground hallway of the school’s library. Reyes accidently releases the evil that has been imprisoned in this grid-matrix and unknowingly becomes infected with the menacing parasites.

These demons emerge from their shadows and spread throughout the school to gain control over their hosts. One by one, they raise an army of sleepwalkers to serve the Lord of Darkness in a sinister plot for universal domination. As Jo is activated by the Light to realize her truth and ascends from the hall of ignorance, she finds an antiquated Galactic Compass. Jo discovers its interstellar capabilities to time travel through the cosmos, and secures the powerful Akashic Records, stored in a library of multi-dimensional consciousness of every soul since creation. Primed by the Galactic Council and Ascending Angel Academy, Jo faces heartbreak and accepts a difficult mission to embrace her celestial form. She must unlock the power of creation and prevent the Lord of Darkness from enslaving all of humanity into obscurity. Will she be able to decode the artificial system in time to save her friends and the sacred Light?

You researched epistemology and metaphysics extensively to further your understanding of the Universal Laws of Energy; could you explain to us mere mortals what these terms mean please and how you went about it?

Absolutely! Since embarking on my own healing journey over 6 years ago, I have researched and studied the concepts behind epistemology (a theory of nature and information) and metaphysics (philosophy of perceived reality and experiences) extensively to further my understanding of the Universal Laws of Energy such as Law of Attraction, Law of Vibration, etc.

This stems from the viewpoint that our consciousness is the ultimate basis of our being that creates our reality. How our minds are programmed results in the experiences of our bodies, our perceptions, and our lives. When we elevate our state of awareness, we re-invent and transform our consciousness to our highest level of divinity. This will influence how we think, how we emotionally react, how we perceive the world around us, and how we connect with our loved ones. It will help us achieve nurturing, loving, compassionate relationships, social interactions, behaviors, and emotional patterns that are more conducive to the process of enlightenment, as well as provide healing for our environment and our beloved plant Earth.

I was able to use my knowledge of this philosophy, linking concepts of reality, including the relationship between mind, matter, and spiritual consciousness into the visionary self-actualization storylines and character arcs. It provides a thought-provoking alternative to an entertaining, gripping, and compelling works of fiction.

As a ‘Jo’ myself, I was pleased to see the name used as it doesn’t appear very often!How do you come up with your characters’ names?

I love the name Jo; I am always reminded of the classic story and film, Little Women. The main character, Jo (short for Josephine) in “The De-Coding of Jo” was developed in my debut novel, “Heart of a Warrior Angel: From Darkness to Light”. She is an incarnated angel on Earth who is activated by the Council of Light in grade ten, to realize her divine truth and mission. This novel also follows the coming of age stories of Jo’s best friends, who are all connected through their love of music and band. It showcases their back stories of their difficult upbringing, while dealing with their emotional issues as teenagers, struggling to belong and acclimate into a conditioned, matriarchal system.

The diverse and gender inclusive cast in this novel are all fictional, developed from my imagination. Having raised two incredible teenage girls, I was privy to some of the issues that adolescents face in today’s social media obsessed environments. Some of my characters are inspired by people that I met through my work and enlightenment journey. As I develop the fictional character arcs, their physical appearances manifest in my visions first, much like watching a movie. Then I come up with their names. It’s part of my imagination and creative process, breathing life into them while lovingly birthing each protagonist.

I like to use a character-driven, omniscient third person POV to ensure the reader is aware and captivated by each of the protagonist’s story. I hope the unique, narrative storytelling invokes an emotional response in the reader and takes them on a rollercoaster-type of experience, while raising awareness on mental health issues and sensitive subject matters that are truly relevant in today’s society.

Most bookworms I know love seeing what’s on other people’s bookshelves. Whose bookshelf would you like to look through and why?

Oh my goodness, since I was a teenager, I have always admired Oprah Whinfrey. She has been a huge inspiration and influence for me with her advocacy for women and healing journeys through forgiveness. As a bookworm and a proud member of her book club, I would love to get lost in her library. Through Oprah, I discovered the magical poetic creations of the incredible Maya Angelou, who’s words are etched into my being on a daily basis. I think Oprah would love my visionary fantasy books; the messages would definitely resonate with her!

Who inspired your love of books?

As an introvert, I have intrinsically loved getting lost in the magical world of storytelling, even as a young child. Instead of play time, I would be curled up with my books of various genres. I loved reading The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumont, devouring each page with a sense of awe and delight as the words jumped off the page. I went through a huge Nancy Drew phase before my tenth birthday, trying to solve everyday mysteries around the house. I still have the original hardcover collection – it’s been handed down to my girls.

What is the first book you remember reading as a child?

Wow, the first book I read as a child, that’s going back a few years! My memory isn’t the best, but I think it was Dr. Seuss.

If you could only ever read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?

This is a difficult question to answer, as I don’t typically read a book more than once unless it’s a book of poetry by Maya Angelou.

Which book or author is your equivalent of a comfort blanket?

I haven’t read too many books that fall within the same niche genre as metaphysical thrillers. Perhaps the closest fictional novel would be “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho. It’s a beautiful story of the main character’s eternal testament of transformation and the importance of listening to our hearts.

Imagine you’ve stepped into an old wardrobe but instead of Narnia, you’ve reached September 2021. What does your world look now, what have you achieved?

I would hope that our world will be pandemic free, with peace, justice, and equality for all of humanity. In my Narnia, my loved ones will be healthy, living their lives authentically, filled with joy, inspiration, and fulfillment. I will be able to travel and relish the beauty and magic of Mother Earth with heart-centered gratitude. I will feel humbled and grateful that “The De-Coding of Jo: Hall of Ignorance” will be well received and becomes an Amazon Best Seller. My anthology of inspirational wisdom, poetry, and artwork “The Joy of I.T.” will become a best seller, and a top gift for the holidays this winter. May it uplift everyone’s spirits.

By September 2021, I will have written my third novel and released it for publication. I also have a secret project that I hope will come to fruition for my debut novel, “Heart of a Warrior Angel: From Darkness to Light”. It will be featured at the New York Book Exposition in April 2021 and there’s a possibility that it will be adapted from book to screen. So, stay tuned for more exciting projects to come!

Thank you for this amazing opportunity Jo. May everyone be blessed with infinite joy, abundance of love, inner peace, creativity, and fulfillment. Much love!

---

Isn’t she wonderful? I love how Lali’s deep intelligence, spirit and kindness shine through in her words. If you would like to buy copies of any of her books, you can click on the book image or the button below. (I don’t get any money from the link, I’m just being a helpful bookworm!)

And now I’d better go and sort out the ruckus amongst my bookshelves. I suspect that modern romance book you met earlier managed to sneak a bit of jam from your plate and is now running amok amongst the classics…