By
Paul DeBlassie
III
BLURB:
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.
EXCERPT:
Lightning
streaked across a midnight dark sky, making the neck hairs of a five-year-old
girl crouched beneath a cluster of twenty-foot pines in the Turquoise Mountains
of Aztlan stand on end. The long wavy strands of her auburn mane floated
outward with the static charge. It felt as though the world was about to end.
Seconds later,
lightning struck a lone tree nearby and a crash of thunder shook the ground.
Her body rocked back and forth, trembling with terror. She lost her footing,
sandstone crumbling beneath her feet, and then regained it; still, she did not
feel safe. There appeared to be reddish eyes watching from behind scrub oaks
and mountain pines, scanning her every movement and watching her quick breaths.
Then everything became silent.
The girl leaned
against the trunk of the nearest tree. The night air wrapped its frigid arms
tightly around her, and she wondered if she would freeze to death or, even
worse, stay there through the night and by morning be nothing but the blood and
bones left by hungry animals. Her breaths became quicker and were so shallow
that no air seemed to reach her lungs. The dusty earth gave up quick bursts of
sand from gusts of northerly winds that blew so fiercely into her nostrils that
she coughed but tried to stifle the sounds because she didn’t want to be
noticed.
AUTHOR
INFORMATION:
Paul DeBlassie III, Ph.D., is a
psychologist and writer living in Albuquerque who has treated survivors of the
dark side of religion for more than 30 years. His professional consultation
practice — SoulCare — is devoted to the tending of the soul. Dr. DeBlassie
writes fiction with a healing emphasis. He has been deeply influenced by the
mestizo myth of Aztlan, its surreal beauty and natural magic. He is a member of the Depth Psychology
Alliance, the Transpersonal Psychology Association and the International
Association for Relational Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy.
Thank you for hosting today.
ReplyDeleteHow does your psychology background influence your writing?
ReplyDeletevitajex(at)Aol(Dot)com
my psychology background totally effects my writing especially in The Unholy as a young medicine woman confronts destiny as healer and slayer...patients in my daily practice coming to terms with what it means to be human and to live life in their unique way...full of challenges and mystery!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great excerpt and the chance to win!!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great read!!
natasha_donohoo_8 at hotmail dot com
I loved the excerpt!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the amazing giveaway!
elizabeth @ bookattict . com