Today's Thursday Takeover is with Paul DeBlassie III, author of The Unholy. Before we do, allow me to introduce Mr. DeBlassie and his book.
The Unholy
Paul DeBlassie III
Publisher: Sunstone PressGenre: Psychological thriller
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.
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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.
“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
Book video: http://youtu.be/O6dqH211hKA
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.
Question: I get the impression
that The Unholy is a book only you could write, because of the setting, and
because of your own background. Let's start with the setting. Tell me about
Aztlan.
Paul DeBlassie III: Aztlan is the mythopoeic
realm of the mestizos (mixed bloods of southwestern United States). I am
mestizo. Aztlan is New Mexico, especially
the region of Albuquerque (southern Aztlan) and Santa Fe (northern
Aztlan) and extends to the four corners area. Spirits, dreams, visions, and
natural magic are woven seamlessly into everyday life.
Q: Your protagonist, Claire
Sanchez, is a curandera, a term which roughly translates as "Medicine
Woman." What exactly is a curandera? What led you to choose this
occupation for your heroine?
Paul: A
curandera is a healer. She spoke to me as the story evolved, told me who she
was and told me of her struggle to find herself. The path of a healer is
fraught with danger. She dramatizes the life of so many women and men seeking
to face their fears, find themselves, and walk the path of healing, natural
magic, and life.
Q: Faith and religion are
central themes of The Unholy. You explore the abuse of religion and the
conflict that can come from spirituality. What would you say is the central
theme or message of Unholy? What impact are you hoping to have on your readers?
Paul: The central message of The
Unholy is Religion Kills. It is made explicit at the end of the tale. News
media broadcast Religion Kills as they describe the battle between the evil
Archbishop and the young curandera.
Q: You live in New Mexico,
in the general area where the novel is set. How has this affected the writing
of The Unholy? How important was your knowledge of the places and people and
culture? What kinds of personal knowledge did you draw on as you crafted your
characters and setting?
Paul: New Mexico is Aztlan. My
lineage reaches back for over three-hundred years in Aztlan, a long line of
medicine people, healers. I live here,
breathe its air, am sheltered under the canopy of its turquoise sky. The Unholy
and the natural magic of the medicine women, forces of darkness and light,
exist side by side in the daily, mythopoeic realm of Aztlan. I live here. It is
my homeland.
Q: How has your training
and experience as a psychologist impacted your writing in general?
Paul: For over thirty years I have treated survivors of
the dark side of religion. I chose to write a novel about this human drama.
Stories cut to the chase. I’ve written three other books in psychology and
spirituality, but there is nothing like stirring the imagination via story to
set the mind working and the heart healing.
Q: I know you've had some
specific experiences in your role as a psychologist that led to your decision
to write this book. Tell me about that.
Paul: Religion can be both terrifying and damaging. I help people to heal
from the dark side of religion. Decades of such experience led me to write this
book and the ones that will follow. Each phantasmagoric story, much like The
Unholy, plumbs the dark and light sides of human nature and spiritual
experience.
Q: The cover image for The
Unholy is striking and haunting, and it's not just some random stock photo.
Tell me about that picture.
Paul: It is the Devil’s Throne, an actual site
between Albuquerque and Santa Fe. The evil archbishop performs atrocities
there. The land has been contaminated by evil, women desecrated, the air itself
befouled. It is the Devil’s Throne in the realm of Azltan!
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