Please welcome Paul DeBlassie III to The Mystique
with his book The Unholy.
The Unholy
Paul DeBlassie III
Publisher: Sunstone Press
ISBN-10: 0865349592
ISBN-13: 978-0865349599
Paperback: 202 pages
Genre: Psychological thriller
Book Description:
A young curandera, a medicine woman, intent on uncovering
the secrets of her past is forced into a life-and-death battle against an evil
Archbishop. Set in the mystic land of Aztlan, the Unholy is a novel of destiny
as healer and slayer. native lore of dreams and visions, shape changing, and
natural magic work to spin a neo-gothic web in which sadness and mystery lure
the unsuspecting into a twilight realm of discovery and decision.
About the Book:
Part psychological thriller, part supernatural heroine’s
journey and part gothic horror, The Unholy lures the reader into a twilight
realm that pits two old worlds against each other: the medicine woman against
the church. Witchcraft, magic, demons and religion each play a role as healer
confronts slayer.
“Paul DeBlassie III
has brought us a richly imagined supernatural thriller set in the high mountain
desert of Aztlan, where Claire Sanchez, an herbalist and medicine woman, has
come to reclaim her healing heritage and uncover the secrets of her mother’s
death. The book digs deep into legend, folklore, and the author’s own
imagination to paint a stirring picture of traditional curanderismo pitted
against the oppressive forces of institutional religious power. Make sure you
have lots of time; once you start reading this book, it will be hard to put
down.”—Stephan V. Beyer, author of Singing to the Plants: A Guide to Mestizo
Shamanism in the Upper Amazon
Rich in the native lore of the southwest and set in the
mythical, yet modern, land of Aztlan, you will follow a young curandera
(Spanish medicine woman) Claire, who is intent on uncovering the secrets of her
past, secrets that lead her into a life-and-death battle with an evil
archbishop. As women die in mysterious circumstances, Claire must decide how
much faith she has in her own powers and how far she can go before putting her
own life in mortal danger.
The Unholy will appeal those who are fascinated by the old
traditions of healing and magic as well as those who simply desire a fast paced
battle between good and evil, masculine and feminine, darkness and light…
“The Unholy, an excellent novel by Paul DeBlassie III, keeps
the reader engaged throughout in mystery, suspense, and church politics. In
addition to vividly depicting the beauti- ful landscape and culture of New
Mexico, it exposes and strengthens the traditional work of the medicine women of
the Southwest. I am looking forward to Dr. DeBlassie’s next book.”—Eliseo
“Cheo” Torres, author of Curandero: A Life In Mexican Folk Healing, professor,
and university administrator
Excerpt 1
“Hush now, child,” said a voice she recognized as that of
her mother’s closest friend. “The man cannot harm you, mijita, as long as you
are with us.
We will make him think you are dead. But you must be very
quiet. Ya no
llores,” the woman warned, raising a finger to her lips.
The woman then carried her into a dark cave illuminated by
the light of a single candle. The cave was frightening, with shadows of what
appeared to be goblins and demons dancing on the red sandstone walls. “I will
return for you soon. You will be safe here,” the woman said. The girl watched
the woman walk away, shivering as a breeze blew through the cave’s narrow
passages.
Closing her eyes, she rocked back and forth—imagining
herself safe in her mother’s arms—then opened her eyes to the light of the full
moon shining through the mouth of the cave. The shadows on the walls were just
shadows now, no longer goblins and demons. As she slipped into a trance, images
flickered in her mind. She saw the woman who had brought her to this place
scattering pieces of raw meat around the open mesa where her mother had
struggled, helped by two other women the girl could not identify.
Suddenly, the scene shifted to a stone ledge jutting over
the mesa, and she heard the pounding footsteps of a man running toward the
women. The girl felt her heart race and her breathing quicken, afraid that the
bad man would spot them and kill them. Then the image shifted again, and she
now saw on the mesa three gray wolves circling the raw meat and the man walking
away from the granite ledge. As he left, she heard his thought: The child is
dead.
About the Author
Paul DeBlassie III, Ph.D., is a psychotherapist and writer
living in his native New Mexico. A member of the Depth Psychology Alliance, the
Transpersonal Psychology Association, and the International Association for
Relational Psy- choanalysis and Psychotherapy, he has for over thirty years
treated survivors of the dark side of religion.
SoulCare, his professional consultation practice is devoted to the tending of the soul. One of
the few therapists writing fiction with a healing emphasis, Dr. DeBlassie has
been deeply influenced by the surreal beauty and natural magic of the mestizo
myth of Aztlan.
The Unholy is his first novel.
Website www.pauldeblassieiii.com
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1 comment:
Thank you for appearing here today. Good luck with your tour!
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