About the Author
Andre J. Nel was born February 1958 in the Republic of South Africa.
After High-School graduation he was affiliated with the South African Department of Correctional Services for 21 years, specialized in Community Re-Integration & Religious Care.
He acquired a Bachelor of Art Degree: Criminology & Penology, a Pre-graduate in Bachelor of Theology Degree: Systematical Theology, Religious Science, Biblical Studies & Sociology, South Africa, as well as 4th year accredited Bachelor Degree: Operations Management, by the Foundation for International Services, United States of America.
He currently resides in the Western Province, RSA.
Falling Higher
Reason to believe
Falling Higher by André J. Nel is a thought-provoking inspirational memoir of consciousness, belief and personal responsibility in shaping a meaningful life.
More About the book
Falling Higher by André J. Nel is a thought-provoking inspirational memoir of consciousness, belief and personal responsibility in shaping a meaningful life.
Through the Falling Higher Formula™ Nel invites readers to examine how perception, conditioning and choice quietly govern their reality. Drawing from philosophy, spirituality, psychology and lived experience, the book challenges inherited belief systems and encourages open-minded inquiry rather than blind acceptance.
Interwoven with the author’s personal journey – from a childhood devotion in God to his experiences in law enforcement during South Africa’s political unrest – Falling Higher reflects on faith, doubt, morality and the search for truth. Nel argues that genuine faith and understanding are not weakened by questioning, but strengthened through it.
The book explores humanity’s unique position in nature, our relationship with time and the paradox of human intelligence – capable of both creation and destruction. By looking outward to the vastness of the universe and inward to the self, readers are encouraged to reclaim their spiritual autonomy and rediscover purpose beyond fear, conditioning and expectation.
Falling Higher is not a book for those seeking quick answers or effortless change. It is an invitation to think deeply, question honestly and consciously participate in the creation of a balanced, rewarding and authentic life.
Purchase your copy today!
Publications are available in printed and e-book format.
Bulk copies can be ordered from Print on Demand.
Connect with the author
Contact Andre J. Nel:
+27 (0)82 9686 264 | E-mail: kwagganel@gmail.com
Story Behind the Book
What inspired you to write this book?
Burn-out – Burn-out is generally long-term exhaustion and diminishing interest in life. Coined by the American psycho-analyst, Dr Herbert J. Freudenberger in 1970, burn-out is a subtle process of gradually being caught in a state of fatigue, mentally meltdown, complete emptiness, drained of all energy, disengaged, chronic feelings of being overwhelmed and a reduced sense of accomplishment.
As a young Christian, winning was not my first goal in life – competitiveness is just not my style. It should have been clear to me then, that there was a signal I was disengaging myself from. There was this distant voice that was constantly calling me for the experiences I wanted to have in this life. My subconscious was yelling at me to go in a different direction, but I was not hearing this inner voice. In my heart of hearts, I wanted to be somebody else. But I was not listening. And this was reflected in my everyday life as objections and excuses to better myself. At the deepest level where the boundaries between matter and energy – the bio-quantum state – are no longer clear, it contaminated my mind, spirit and body… and the rest of the world around me! It felt as if I was forever trying to find method in madness. It was only when such demands become unmanageable and overwhelming that I lost sight of the light at the end of the tunnel, and got consumed by a crushing sense of lost control. I was pretty messed-up, and found myself moving the boundaries more and more to the outer limits. I was trying to leave, but could not find the door. I was breaking doors down that I shouldn’t go through in the first place. I failed miserably trying to figure out how to manage life by myself, taking for granted to properly appreciate how the omniscient creative powers on call in the universe desires for me to do it. So I actually ended up doing nothing at all. I needed something real, real bad. After all, what was going to happen was that I still wanted to end it all. All those talking heads and medication would just numb my mind, and I wouldn’t feel anything when I finally did it anyway. So I needed to get it out of my head and started to pen it down.
What problem, idea, or emotion were you trying to explore?
I’ve come to realize that to make a living and acquiring money and possessions to be happy, is actually ‘small change’ to the challenges, the purpose to live your dream – your reason for being. Everybody needs money to survive, okay – money makes the world go round, right? But so does five shots of tequila… what’s the point? My point is: To work only for the sake of making money, is like playing football with your eyes on the scoreboard instead of the ball – you will eventually lose the game!
Is this story based on personal experience, imagination, or both?
Personal experience.
The Author Journey
When did you first realise you wanted to become an author?
I did not initially started to write for other people to understand what I was trying to express, but trying to understand myself. The process of writing separated me from my own psychology – from grinding my mind to dust. For we all are over-active in our heads, and as we evolve to a higher self, the road will seem very lonely. Abstract opinion living only in the head is deadly – what Plato called ‘hellish knowledge’ or ‘cave mentality’.
What was the biggest challenge you faced while writing this book?
The challenge was trying to communicate myself in a way that everybody could understand – that each one of us need not to suspend our reasoning power when clearly confronted with questionable or hopelessly ambiguous information. All of us have been given a ‘Ferrari’ for a brain, but we tend to use it by driving ‘bumper cars’ in a religious merry-go-round, spinning with the stubborn absurdities of a dead bug going down a toilet bowl.
What kept you going when things got difficult?
Passion – I just couldn’t kept quiet any longer and wanted to help people realise that we don’t need to play our minds like slot machines, allowing our intellectual investment to be gambled away by investing a lot of invaluable, mind-less thoughts and feelings in the hope for a breakthrough that can change our lives.
Unique & Fun Questions
If your book had a movie adaptation, who would play the lead character?
Alan Ritchson – ‘Reacher’ Tv series.
Which character in your book are you most like – and why?
Myself – Because I personally think that no-one needs to be muscled into what to believe. Our minds matter – we all have the ability to think for ourselves. But, I can only demonstrate to the level of my own ability to reason, and rather use my own mind and knowledge as far as I can perceive it. I am not trying to convince anyone that my green is right and their red is wrong.
If you could describe your book in 3 words, what would they be?
Personal, Innovative Development.
What’s one thing readers would be surprised to learn about you?
I’m an old school heavy metal vinyl Lp’s collector – my all time favourite: Judas Priest.
Reader Connection
Who should read this book?
Each and every person who is conscious and/or subconsciously struggling for meaning in life, and if anything is still make any sense at all in the form of burn-out, anxiety, trauma, depression, death, the afterlife, ‘God’ and religion.
What do you hope readers take away after finishing it?
Most of the time when everything goes wrong with us, it simply is because we are wrong within ourselves. When we think wrong, act wrong and get motivated by a wrong psychology, we cannot expect wonderful things to happen to us. We are our own worst enemies! Each and every one of us has been given all we need to create meaningful, positive and rewarding lives, and that this is our responsibility to fulfil this mission on earth.
Why should someone pick your book over others in the same genre?
The problem to the answer is in the powerful blueprint that I called ‘The Falling Higher Formula’ which I designed myself as a trademark and launch-pad for a meaningful, rewarding life. I personally believe that this formula embedded in our minds is what it takes to know ourselves and to make the most of our own potential.
Quick Fire Round
Coffee or tea?
Coffee (black & sweet – at least 5 Sugar)
Morning or night writer?
Night time (less distractions)
Favourite author?
Ernest Holmes – The Science of the Mind
Favourite book of all time?
The Subtle Art of not giving a F*ck – Mark Manson
One word to describe your writing style?
Intellectual
Personal Insight
What does being an author mean to you?
For me, being an author of my own book means to take back ownership of myself – to manifest the most intrinsic values in my life by trying to tap into the divine frequencies of the mind in relation to the universal mind, and take control on the return of my intellectual investment.
What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Welcome to the club – I started penning down thoughts and ideas during a very traumatic time in my life since my mid 30’s, happen on a title for my book 5 years later while listening to a song driving in my car, and only finally considering publishing a book 20 years later at the age of 56.
So, if you are an aspiring writer feeling passionate about what you want to write, begin by start writing your story word for word whatever it takes – whether it’s an idea, a song, or a quote from a bumper sticker on the back of a truck that resonates with you, just scribble it down. Even if you don’t know where you’re going with it, whether it make sense at the moment or not – or you do not think yourself too much of a writer and worry what other people might say about your spelling and grammar – just kept on going with what you can handle in the moment. Embrace the confusion, because every means will take you where eventually only you can crystalise your thoughts and start taking complete charge of your story – even although there are no guarantees of any future success… yet!!
What’s next for you – another book, series, or something different?
Definitely another book, godwilling.
Appreciate the effort you put into this.