Interview with Shanaya Hassan Ali, author of Nothing Is What It Appears To Be

What can you tell us about your new release, Nothing Is What It Appears To Be?

Nothing Is what Is Appears To Be is my life story. I dealt with being bothered, fondled, molested, harassed, and much more by beings I could not see. Many people refer to them as spirits, demons, or ghost. For a long time my mother and I could not figure out what was going on with me. Most of the time these attacks would happen while I was asleep. Something would put me in a vegetable state which felt like sleep paralysis and then have its way with me. It made my childhood very difficult to deal with. Eventually my mother turned to a spiritual reader for help. This women took advantage of us and when I got old enough to take my fate into my own hands, I went on a long and hard journey trying to figure out what was happening to me.

What or who inspired you to become an author?

When I finally found answers and was able to live my life peacefully I had a certainty in my heart that there are people out in the world that need to know my story because they could benefit from it. I wish I had someone like me to write their story down and share it with me, I could have benefitted from it. There are many people out on in the world that suffer with what I suffered with in silence because of the fear of being outcasted, ridiculed, or not believed. Spiritual fights with the unseen is very real and it’s time to get the conversation going.

What’s on your top 5 list for the best books you’ve ever read?

Roots by Alex Hailey, There Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, Kindred by Octavia E. Butler, A Man Called Ove by Fredrick Backman, and Master of the Jinn by Irving Karchmar

Say you’re the host of a literary talk show. Who would be your first guest? What would you want to ask?

Roots by Alex Hailey, There Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, Kindred by Octavia E. Butler, A Man Called Ove by Fredrick Backman, and Master of the Jinn by Irving Karchmar

What’s your favorite thing about writing?

Roots by Alex Hailey, There Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, Kindred by Octavia E. Butler, A Man Called Ove by Fredrick Backman, and Master of the Jinn by Irving Karchmar

What is a typical day like for you?

I am a U.S. History teacher, so my typical day is busy with teaching, grading, and classroom management, however, the best part of my day is when I come home and am able to write for at least an hour. I imagine who I could support with my words.

What scene in Nothing Is What It Appears To Be was your favorite to write?

Oh my God, there are so many. I did my best to make it as interesting as possible so any and everyone who reads it will get the most out of it. If I had to choose one it would be when I went to the Dominican Republic to be “initiated” into a religion called Spirituse. I ended up getting emotional because I was so tired of being confused I just started cursing at God at the top of my lungs until it felt like something hit me and I passed out. In my mind I was supposed to understand what was happening to me and why I was being harassed by things I couldn’t see but the problem didn’t go away and the sleep attacks kept happening. I was at my wits end because I had did so much by that point to find answers but was still confused.

Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?

Yes the quote that’s on the back of my book: “I just want the truth to be known on what’s intentionally hidden, not talked about, and misunderstood”

Shanaya Hassan Ali is the author of the new book Nothing Is What It Appears To Be

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