As much as she believed in fairy tales her life was nothing like it. Or perhaps it only resembled the beginning of one where the princess is defenceless against an evil stepmother. From the age of six months to the age of four, she was indeed left defenceless in the hands of her nanny who instead of caring for her was beating her senseless and humiliating her constantly.
Hope only retained fuzzy memories from that period but she clearly had two key reminiscences. The first one was when putting her to sleep, she used to hit her if she was moving. Decades later, Hope was still sleeping on her tummy with her hands tucked in underneath her. Second, she used to threaten her with a knife, saying “even if they make you swear by baby Jesus you will never talk”. She was too scared to say anything anyway. In that nightmare, she was hopelessly alone. No one noticed anything…That period of her life defined who she became as child, teenager and later as an adult, living in constant fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of not being good enough, fear of doing things wrong, fear of not pleasing people, fear of her own shadow really.
Today we talk about Hope, a book by Nadine Touma Daher published with our publishing house Europe Books.
Europe Books had the pleasure of interviewing the author, Nadine Touma Daher, to get to know her better, what inspired her to the writing of her book Hope, as well as she defines her writing style.
Below you can find our interview. Take a seat and enjoy your reading!!!
- What of your personal experience inspired the writing of your book?
I have had mystical, paranormal experiences since the age of twenty-five and I have always encountered total incomprehension from those around me, close family and medical professionals alike. Through this book, I wanted to share my alternative vision of the world. What is reality? Is it what we can see, touch and prove or does the truth encompass a parallel, invisible world with which we can communicate? I also wanted to share my point of view on what we call “mental illnesses”. As the heroine learns, if psychiatry existed in their time, famous figures such as Van Gogh, Michelangelo or Beethoven would have been treated for, respectively, schizophrenia, Asperger’s and obsessive-compulsive disorders or even bipolarity. So, who are those we call “the mentally ill”? Are they abnormal or extraordinary?
- What is the message you would like to convey?
Through the description of paranormal episodes based on real-life experiences, I am trying to open the readers to the possibility of other dimensions. Are the people who have visions and hear voices necessarily crazy or can there be a truth to it? Can we really be alone in the universe or are there countless beings, some benevolent, some malevolent, who are there, interacting with us? I am also addressing numerous spiritual themes that are meant to make the readers pause and reflect on subjects such as fear, love, free will, destiny, reincarnation, life mission etc.
- How would you define your writing style?
My writing style is simple and to the point. I personally don’t like convoluted sentences. I prefer complexity in the content than in the writing style.
- How was your first publishing experience?
I’ve had great human contacts so far.
- Are you working on a new writing project you can tell us about?
I am not writing a new book for the moment. This book, although a novel, is very autobiographic and I feel I put a lot of myself in it. I don’t know if I will be writing another book in the future. I am waiting to see how this first experience goes.
Europe Books thanks the author, Nadine Touma Daher, once again for taking the time and answering our questions. We are really pleased to have walked alongside her on the editorial path that led to the publication of her book Hope. We wish her the best of luck for her future works.
To you, my readers, that this book intrigues you and open your curiosity to the possibility of other dimensions that we could be surrounded by. You never know whether someone or something not “real” is watching us or is trying to send a message from who knows where. Just be ready to “capture” those signals and if you are lucky enough to catch them, let them talk to you with no boundaries!
So, my dear reader, all I have to say is to enjoy your reading!
Your editor!