Apple Blossom

by Jaye Marie

Someone asked me the other day, why such a pretty cover for such a sorry story?
The image of apple blossom was on the ceiling of the cancer treatment room, and I lay underneath it for fifteen days, praying I would be happy and healthy again. The sight of the blossom gave me strength and even now, this image inspires me to be the best I can...
This novella is the light-hearted and hopefully inspiring story of my battle with breast cancer... written to help women just like me, all over the world...

15 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

My name is Jaye Marie, the 'oily rag' and one half of the establishment that is https://jenanita01.com.

I came to writing rather late but have always loved books. I think I trained to be a writer due to so many years of transcribing and editing my sister, Anita Dawes's books.

When I was growing up, I wanted to be so many things, a doctor, a pianist, or an artist. In all my 75 years, I have had so many jobs and hobbies that my family call me Worzel Gummidge, convinced I have a selection of different heads in a cupboard somewhere!
I love to make things, whether it is something to wear, eat or simply enjoy looking at. These days however, time is becoming my enemy, but I can still stretch it a bit when I need to!

I enjoy reading many different genres, so was very surprised to discover a passion for writing detective thrillers. Four of them to date, with more to follow I'm sure.
I also enjoy running our website/blog, Books & Bonsai, and love meeting all the wonderful people who drop in to say hello!

Reviews

[Fiza Pathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘Apple Blossom: my Hope...my Inspiration...’ is a powerful yet healing testament to the power of endurance in the face of a calamity. The narrative of the author Jaye Marie’s encounter with Breast Cancer can truly elevate one’s spirits and can create the perfect blend of subtle humour and awareness with regard to this otherwise earth-shattering disease. If you are looking for a truthful, unpretentious, and yet beautifully told short memoir on this ailment and battles one has to face in relation to it, then this title is worthy of your perusal.

I can totally identify and resonate with the emotions behind the lucid words of Marie in this little novella because I too have lost a dear aunt to this same disease a year ago. I had never known that breast cancer could affect someone so close to home. This aunt was not my blood relative by a long shot, but she was closer to me than anyone I’ve ever known. Beautifully told memoirs like Marie’s remind us that breast cancer is real, and it should not take a loved one’s death or suffering to remind us about being alert to the various signs our bodies are giving us to alert us to an urgent issue at hand.

I was touched and moved by the candid statements made by Marie in this little novella-cum-memoir about her battle with breast cancer. It made me personally relive the life, times and battles my aunt fought with this dreaded disease. In other words, it touched me to the core with its simplicity, authenticity, and narrative quality. I finished the novella in a matter of minutes and now am keen to read more of Jaye Marie’s prose in the near future, especially her much acclaimed detective stories.

Her narrative was witty, tender, frank and compassionate. I felt I was actually with her during her radiation therapies in a particular hospital where, as a ceiling camouflage for the lights, there was something interesting on display. What was this? Find out by reading Jaye Marie’s heart-felt novella-cum-memoir titled ‘Apple Blossom: my Hope...my Inspiration...’.

I could actually feel the heat of the radiation machine and the listlessness in my body as nurses would move, push and pull Marie towards an appropriate position. One can really feel one with the author as one reads this neatly constructed memoir which narrates the age-old honest truth about breast cancer. If you wish to create an awareness of this disease in your community, church, high school, office place, etc., then I would highly recommend this memoir. Do grab a copy of this book today!

For all those who feel that such a narrative is too serious or depressing, then they have no idea how this particular cancer has killed so many women, in the past decade itself globally, and the numbers are only increasing. Create an awareness and educate yourselves on reality, lest your reality check should come in the form of a horrible calamity either in your own life or in the lives of your friends or loved ones. I applaud Jaye Marie for writing this memoir and wish her all the best in her future writing endeavours. I hope to read more of her literature in the coming days and weeks.

Jaye Marie gets 5 stars from me.

[Sally Cronin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Receiving the diagnosis of cancer is everyone’s fear. Jaye Marie shares her journey through this frightening experience from the first examination and her treatments at Queen Alexander hospital in Portsmouth with honesty and courage. A journal such as this is so important, not just as a way to document the experiences of those living through this devastating illness, but for those who might be at the start of that journey. Half the battle is the fear associated with the diagnosis, and at times the lack of information available as the medical professionals are understandably reluctant to commit themselves to a definitive prognosis. Whilst it is frightening, being informed is a key factor in getting through the treatment and remaining positive about the future. Jaye Marie does an excellent job and whilst the book is a short read it is filled with heartfelt inspiration.