I certainly meant to write something sooner, but life got in the way, as it often does! I've been fascinated by The Emissary. It was unnerving having his image pop up in the corner of my bedroom while writing White Roses... I recognized him immediately and thought as I wrote that I had been watching too much television. I knew immediately who he was.
I watch a lot of television. There are friends who shake their heads in disbelief at that. I was an only child and growing up I had three companions, books, art and television. Television became one way I made a living as an adult. You'll always find the television on in my house. It makes me nervous when it's not on (unless I'm playing music)! You can't work in politics and not understand the value of television. Thirty plus years in politics and media can leave you with some peculiar habits! So when The Emissary appeared it made sense that he was coming to me from the world of television.
"Tony" told me why and I understood. But I figured there had to be a lot more to this man. I was right. In the here and now, I find him fascinating. He's a thinker, a good actor, an activist in more than name only, and lives in that small space that separates intensity from passion. He is what's now being called, "a woke man."
I've been amused at how many readers of White Roses... have paid little to no attention to him or see him not being real but a symbol representing my protector or guardian or an entity from the other side. There are a few who want to know who he is. I won't reveal that unless he gives me permission to do so. Given that I have never met this man, and doubt that I ever will at this point, it's going to be my secret. It's been difficult because on more than one occasion I've received information about an event in his life. My first thought is always, "Oh, he's got to know." It's been easier for to reach someone in the White House than contacting him! I did contact his publicist and mailed a copy of White Roses... to her. Who knows if she passed it on to him. But I can share with you one thing he's said that made me think, "This is no ordinary man."
He said, "We want to live in the black and white, but we don't. The world is gray. And I'm always fascinated by people who are clearly, 'This is black and this is white, and that's the way life is.' Life always has something to say about that." When I look into his eyes, I can feel every experience that led him to make this statement. Maybe I'm close enough.
