Based on an interview by Leah McKirgan
Realph Saintil remembers dreaming up the story of Money, Love and Power when he was a teenager in Cap-Haitien, Haiti. He never intended to write a novel—he was sketching scenes for a film. More than 20 years later, that vision has evolved into a published book, and Realph is now pursuing his Ph.D. in administration and supervision at Fordham’s Graduate School of Education.
“I’ve been developing each scene since I was 13,” he said. “Writing the book came later, but the story was already there.”
A Story Between Worlds
The book, published this summer, opens with a question:
“Do you sometimes see things in your dreams—only to encounter them later in real life?”
It’s not a rhetorical line. The story that follows mixes dreams, magic, faith, and the supernatural. It centers on a woman who turns to mysticism after struggling to have a child, and on a man named Nicky, born under unusual spiritual conditions. He and Mariza, the woman he meets in a dream and later finds in real life, are drawn into a complex spiritual conflict involving love, fate, and forces beyond their understanding.
Realph describes the book as “a tribute to Haiti’s cultural and spiritual identity,” and hopes it will encourage readers to reflect on the unseen forces that shape us. “Our world is more complex than we think,” he said. “There’s more to reality than what we see.”
From Screenplay to Page
Realph says his plan was always to make a movie—but the logistics of filming what he imagined proved difficult.
“The advocacy I was doing to make the movie… that ended up becoming the book,” he explained. “Eventually I realized: If I want to make this happen, I need to take the first step myself.”
That first step meant shaping his 350 scattered scenes into a full-length novel. The process took time—but it taught him something important. “You learn that the responsibility is yours. No one is going to do it for you.”
Finding Community at Fordham
Realph came to Fordham after years of professional experience in education and public service. He’s now in his second year of the Ph.D. program, and he says it’s been a good fit—not just academically, but personally.
“The people I’ve met here—the deans, faculty, other students—they’ve helped me grow,” he said. “It’s a collaborative and supportive environment, and it’s reminded me why I care about lifelong learning.”
He says the Fordham experience has also deepened his sense of purpose and spiritual commitment. “For me, it’s about meaningful spirituality, purposeful connection, and leaving something lasting behind. That’s what education should do.”
A Book, and a Beginning
Money, Love and Power is out now, but Realph still sees it as a first step. His goal is to eventually bring the story to the screen, and beyond that, to use his creative work as a platform for cultural education.
“This is about Haiti, yes—but it’s also about love, about faith, about dreaming,” he said. “It’s about asking what’s possible, even when the odds are against you.”
Read More
Money, Love and Power by Realph Saintil is available now at Barnes & Noble.
