Melissa Espenschied's Email Interview with Opa Hysea Wise
Author of "No Place to Hide"
(Questions About No Place To Hide)
As an American some of the names are quite strange. I understand that the names have meaning to the character's backstories but do they have meaning to you? How did you choose them?
I dislike, especially in fiction, the vanilla names that are used. Common names conjure up all kinds of stereotypes, both good and bad. So I set out to flip the script so to speak. The common thread in teh book would become the uncommon names. Each of the character names reflect the diversity of the characters. Smith became Smythe, beacuse I thought about her mother and "saw her mom" choose the first and middle name as a reflection of her mixed race heritage. Joao is a Portuguese name and means "God is gracious." Given his connection to all things spiritual his name seemed fitting. In fact my hope is that readers would at the very least google Joao's name. And Artie as the novel implies is short for Artemis. I wanted to give her an unusual first name, away from the stereotypical Italian names.
There
are some profound (to say the least) ideas in this book, particularly
when Smythe is talking to Joao. How did you come up with these ideas?
I
didn’t. :) The threads of self-discovery of which you speak, are
common in the transformation arena in which I work. The likes of Jack
Canfield, Tony Robbins, Neale Donald Walsch and Lisa Nicols all weave
these concepts into their teaching. I was a student of Jack’s for a
year. As I embraced the concepts and began to live from them, my life
changed. I teach many of those same ideas to my clients. It seemed
fitting to add them to the story line. And it would be Joao who would
introduce them to the main character.
What
made you decide to make Artie a love interest to Smythe? Are you
concerned at all that some readers might take this to be more of a
Nightingale Syndrome than an actual true relationship?
I
took the syndrome into account when I decided to develop their
relationship. Yet, I know of several relationships where there
were role imbalances and yet the relationships not only developed in
spite of the imbalance but thrived. I will admit I threw out a couple
of drafts where I did not develop Artie and Smythe’s relationship,
but the story seemed to hollow without that story line. It’ll make
sense (I hope) in the second book.
(For
your reference, the Florence Nightingale Syndrome is defined HERE
as: “A term of questionable usefulness defined as either a
situation in which (1) a romantic attraction or bond develops between
patient and caregiver and is the direct result of the care-giving
experience or (2) a person’s self image is that of a healer of
others pain”
Can
you explain the final line of the book?
“...what if there is no
problem?” It
feels as if I missed something of significance there.
Think
back to everything the main character has gone through. What we see
is that she grew as an outgrowth of everything she experienced. I
live from a place that says I am grateful for everything in my life
(yes even the bad) because there are lessons for my good. For
example, what if losing a job to a lay off is not the disaster that
we think it might be. The layoff might seem to be a horrible event.
Our thoughts and emotions might certainly go into overdrive. How
would I pay my bills, my housing, food? In the media, we hear about
citizens across the nation who are not receiving unemployment
benefits, some for as long as nine months. Yet as challenging as
those circumstances may be, if we ask ourselves “what if there is
no problem”. In that moment we have the potential to free ourselves
from the negative energy that surrounds us. From the question, we
have the ability to see opportunity. What if we can see this layoff
as a way to do what we truly want to do in life. Even if what we were
doing was something we enjoyed, what if the layoff was a jump start
to do the next great thing. Of this I am sure—opportunity lives in
the house of the statement “what if there is no problem.”
Smythe’s dreams came true. She grew as a human, released her
limiting beliefs about herself and developed courage along the way.
Do
you plan on writing a sequel? Those who read the book and are
interested in seeing how the crime side of the story plays out might
find this interesting.
Yes,
No Place to Hide is the first in a series of at least three books.
And yes, the crime side of the story continues to be problematic in
book two. In addition, Artie steps up front and center in the
second book.
Did
you already have the story plot in mind when you started writing No
Place To Hide?
Not
really. All I knew when I started to write was that I wanted to
encompass some self-discovery concepts into the book; concepts that
my main character would have to grapple with. As I wrote, the story
simply unfolded before me.
Just
how closely is the character of Smythe tied to you? Is her life and
journey a reflection of yours and if so are there any major
similarities or differences you would like to point out?
The
main character Smythe is loosely tied to my own life’s journey. And
yes there are similarities. She is a mixed race queer woman. Yep
that’s me. She felt a sense of otherness; so did I. She left
her job, I left mine. She had a mentor, check, I did too. She
is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, so am I. She thinks
deeply about issues, so do I.
The
differences are that Smythe is not as adept at using some of the
tools and techniques to keep her grounded as I am. In terms of
character identification, although Smythe has similar experiences
that I have had, in terms of temperament, I am more aligned to the
character Joao.
(Questions
About Writing)
What
is your preferred media to use when you are working on a new story
(for example do you use a computer, have a special pen or notebook)?
I
work from my ipad, therefore I can write from anywhere and have. Yet
I must admit, I typically write from one space in my home. It is cozy
and offers little distraction, visual or auditory.
Writers
are often believed to have a Muse or something that they draw
inspiration from, how do you feel about that?
Maybe
that’s so. My inspiration comes from concepts, or ah ha moments.
When those aha moments land, I can literally picture the scenes in my
head. That said, all things Spiritual are what drives my writing. I
am curious and a bit obsessed with my relationship God, Universe,
Spirit, whatever you want to call it. So I guess if I had a Muse it
would be Spirit.
What
made you decide that now was the time to start writing? That this was
the ideal time for your story to be told?
I
was in the midst of participating in a year long training program
with Jack Canfield--considered America's number one success coach. (I
was intrigued by his book the Success Principles and learned that he
offered a course where students would do a deep dive into the
principles. My thought was that I could blend some of his training
work into my own coaching practice.) Out of the blue one day about a
third of the way through his program, I had an inspired thought to
write a book that would straddle the fence between fiction and
nonfiction. A story that would incorporate a certain level of mystery
and intrigue with spirituality and self discovery. I must
admit, it has been a challenge for my publisher to find just the
right niche for the book. For people who have not been exposed to
transformation work, it would be an opportunity for them to lightly
tip their toes into the waters of transformation work. So in terms of
timing, the time is always now.
(Questions
About Opa Hysea Wise)
What
do you like to do in your free time when you are not writing?
Well,
since the pandemic, I’ve been a bit of a hermit except when I run
groceries over to my mom who lives about 20 minutes from my home.
Lately I’ve taken up cooking. I’ve grown to enjoy the art of it
all. I’m also a runner, and until four months ago, I would pound
out 3-7 miles 4-5 days a week. I recently injured my foot, so I’ve
replaced running with walking. I also read a lot. Self-discovery and
spiritual work mostly.
What
is your stance on physical books vs. e-books? How do you feel about
audio-books? I don’t take
stances—too much bother. I prefer to read a physical book, so I
create the time and space to do so.
What
font do you like the most? What font do you like the least?
Whatever
feels right for the story line. I jumped from one font to the next
until I found one that seemed appropriate while I wrote No Place to
Hide. I’m following the same pattern with the second book and I
haven’t landed on one that I prefer.
What
was your favorite book as a child? What is your favorite book today?
Why did/do you like those books?
I
read everything as a child and don’t recall having a favorite. If
Harry Potter was written while I was a child, I am sure it would have
been a favorite. My most favorite book as an adult is The Alchemist
by Paulo Coehlo. Paulo writes in a way that forces me to read far
less than I typically read in sitting. Mostly because his writing I
find so profound, I often pause for long periods of time to
contemplate his wisdom.
What
is your favorite quote (from anyone or anything)?
What
if there is no problem?
What
was your childhood like? You briefly mentioned a sense of “otherness”
that you experienced, can you elaborate on this a bit more?
My
family lived across the fabric of the United States. Growing up I was
typically the only one or one of just a small handful of brown
skinned kids in school, presenting as an African American. Because I
was the new kid on campus and brown skinned, in a sea of white kids,
I was typically not welcomed into most groups. I earned high marks in
school, played sports, but wasn’t welcomed, no matter how hard I
tried to fit in. Instead, I was held as suspect, challenged at every
turn, especially in junior high school and high school. It was not
uncommon that teachers and classmates alike often thought I cheated
on tests—“how could she
score so high?” Or derided because I was given special
opportunities as a result of excellent performance. At first I
thought that perhaps I had done something to offend. After all
other new kids came in and were readily welcomed into various
hierarchies, but I hadn’t been. I thought there was something wrong
with me, because I felt so much like an “other.” Over time it
dawned on me, those new kids were new white kids and it wasn’t
me—the essence of me that had been rebuffed. It was my brown
skin that was not accepted. So I spent a lot of time alone. Some have
asked me why my parents did not prepare me for such a world. My
answer is always the same.They did. Their only edict in our household
without commenting on the whys of it, was that my sibling and I had
to excel and be better than everyone else at everything. And I always
followed the rules—so I excelled. Needless to say, I spent my
time free alone, contemplating how I would overcome the garment of
otherness that had been draped across my shoulders. Over several
adult years, I've come to a place where I appreciate all the parts of
me that make me stand out in a crowd.
Is
there anything else you would like to share?____________________________________________________________
IMAGES:
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WEBSITES
& SOCIAL INFO:
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BOOK
PURCHASING DETAILS:
"No
Place to Hide" is
available wherever books are sold including:
·
Amazon
·
Indiebound
·
Bookshop
·
Walmart
·
Barnes
& Noble
ABOUT
THE BOOK “No Place to Hide”
:
Against
hope, Smythe Windwalker Daniels’ anonymity is compromised, and a
threat has been made against her life. The danger impacts not only
her life but the lives of those around her. She reluctantly accepts
the FBI’s protection, hoping to testify and bring a promise of
justice to a community. Smythe is a woman with vision in her eyes and
fire in her soul. From a young age, Smythe was discriminated against
as a mixed-race girl in a predominantly white neighborhood. She
leaves her career to escape the corporate rat race, only to get
entangled in a pesticide poisoning cover-up attempt by a mega
corporation. While on the run, she seeks to find meaning in events
that now threaten her life. Through a series of misadventures, she
discovers how all events are all woven together in this tapestry
called “life.” As she uses her past experience to find meaning in
her present, she begins to see beauty in the midst of chaos. But the
harder she tries to hide, the more difficult it is to survive.
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BIO:
Opa
Hysea Wise is an American author, born to mixed race parents. Like so
many people of color, she came to experience a sense of “otherness,”
which fueled her desire to discuss diversity as the woven fabric
within the American tapestry. She worked as a Training and
Development specialist and manager in Government and Corporate
organizations. Often tasked to develop and deliver diversity courses,
Opa brought a sense of understanding, compassion and a call to action
to her audience, with the firm knowledge that returning to the
connection we all have would be but one step to returning to love.
As both a Jack Canfield Success Coach and an author, Opa Hysea Wise
looks to set a fire within the hearts of both her students and her
readers. Her book No Place to Hide
released on Nov. 3, 2020.
FOR
MORE INFORMATION VISIT:
https://opahyseawise.com
______________________________________________________________________
CONTACT
INFO:
Arden
Izzo (Publicist) – 716-713-7645 (texting is best)
arden@farrowcommunications.com
