''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 beautiful 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.
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.
Paul DeBlassie III, Ph.D. is a depth psychologist and award-winning writer living in his native New Mexico. He specializes in treating individuals in emotional and spiritual crisis. His novels, visionary thrillers, delve deep into archetypal realities as they play out dramatically in the lives of everyday people. Memberships include the Author’s Guild, the Depth Psychology Alliance, the International Association for Relational Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy, and the International Association for Jungian Studies.
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Winner of the NYC Big Book Award, Goddess of the Wild Thing is a dramatic tale of one woman’s spiritual journey where magical happenings, unexpected turns of fate, and unseen forces impact her ability to love and be loved. Eve Sanchez, a scholar of esoteric studies, is driven into unreal dimensions of horror and hope as she encounters a seductive and frightening man, criminal lawyer Sam Shear.
Sam introduces Eve to a supernatural world in which the wicked powers of a surrogate mother’s twisted affection threaten love and life. Struggling to sort through right from wrong, frightened yet determined, Eve nears despair.
In the mystic realm of Aztlan del Sur, a mythopoeic land of hidden horrors and guiding spirits, Eve, with three friends and a wise-old woman, is caught in an age-old struggle about love—whether bad love is better than no love— and discovers that love is a wild thing.
EXCERPTS:
Elizabeth cradled the cup in her hands as she sipped. Claire had just begun to feel settled into the session as Elizabeth finished her tea, set her eyes hard on Claire, and threw a poison dart, in her gravelly voice, asserting, “You are a medicine woman—of Lozen—like your mother, Claire.” The words were hate-filled, meant to wound. Despite the culture in which she had been raised, Claire considered herself a natural therapist not a medicine woman, the distinction a matter of life and death. In her mind, she had long ago made the decision that being a medicine woman like her mother meant exposing herself to evil and injury and, potentially, death. Years ago, when handed the five-foot oak staff that had belonged to her mother, Claire had angrily rejected it, refusing initiation into the way of the medicine woman. Back then, she had often had fearsome memories of being a young child in the forest, an ominous black-cloaked man assaulting her mother, and hearing her mother’s screams— a child’s nightmare.
The words of her adoptive mother, her mother’s closest friend, reverberated in her mind: “You are of Lozen—a medicine woman. A time may come when only the staff can save you.” Claire’s stomach churned. None of her patients had ever attacked her so personally. She felt the blood draining from her head and a sharp pain shooting through her eyes. Elizabeth was trying to stop her from asking anymore prying questions.
“Are you all right,Claire?” she asked after a minute, her tone laced with sarcasm and a sneer on her face, expressions Claire was sad to see.
“You did what you wanted to do, Elizabeth. You shut me down,” Claire replied evenly, holding her gaze. She felt compassion for Elizabeth, realizing that all that she had locked inside of her must be nothing short of terrifying. Elizabeth didn’t let it go, though, saying, “You are of Lozen just like she was.”
This time her sneer was even more etched into the sunbaked lines that streaked across her face.
“I’m a natural therapist, Elizabeth, not a medicine woman,” Claire replied firmly.
She heard a voice whispering, Land of the forsaken, land of the lost… bring her to me…Claire. As she ran forward, out of nowhere the two crows flew at her, scraping the air near her face with their sharp talons. Fists clenched, she struck out at one and grabbed at the other. They flew up, circled overhead, then dove, talons flaring. Unmoving, Claire placed her hands by her side and held their gaze. They fluttered above her head for a minute, then left. Claire turned and saw an eagle soaring—a healer’s spirit manifestation. Medicine women said it came only when needed, when danger lurked.
Frantically tugging away bush, bramble, and cacti, she uncovered the mouth of the seventh cave and stepped in. She had the feeling somebody was watching.
Her eyes adjusted and she made out the contour of something. Squinting, she stooped and touched what seemed to be a circle of stones and charred, cold logs. She stood up and pulled back. A bat flew at her. She waved it away.
She stopped, waited for her breathing to slow, and, stepping sideways, touched the walls of the cave. They were damp and the stink of blood and guts was everywhere. Using the hard surfaces as a guide, her fingertips suddenly brushed through a hollow space roughly the size of a human body.
Books On Fire Tours Review: It is so awesome to have a kickass read that not only empowers women but broadens your horizons. Set in New Mexico's mythical city of Aztlan a woman takes on a very powerful man and confronts her past.
Author Paul DeBlassie III deserves more rewards for this masterpiece, because it challenges conventional beliefs. Trust a depth psychologist to grip you into a war between good versus evil, and make you research mythical versus historical .
I loved the way reality blurred with fantasy! You will never know what to expect next in this page turner.
"Mr. Paul DeBlassie III's novel is a story about a battle between the medicine women of Aztlan (Yes, I had to look it up) and an evil archbishop. It has an ending that you do not see coming. This novel also shows the author's vast knowledge of Aztlan's culture and customs. A good read." Joseph Inzirillo, Author of "The Meeting."
"Nothing like a good religious oppression to create fanatics that follow their religious authorities to the extremes. In this very entertaining novel, Paul treats this theme with mastery.
The plot is well elaborated and it all starts with a murder witnessed by a young girl (Claire). Her mother was just killed in a mysterious way. Somehow she managed to escape with the help of wolves and a good friend of his mother takes care of her. When she grew up, she became a doctor and starts working for a hospital in the area where she was born. But she finds that the institution Ecclesia Dei has strong influence over most of the inhabitants of the area, mostly through its leader, Archbishop Anarch. Trying to dig into some mysterious facts happening in the hospital and the community, she finds that the church controls even the authorities of the city, like the police chief. And through signals and perception, she starts finding her power, inherited from her mother, a medicine woman. And with the help of her aunt and a couple of friends she tries to unveil her past and figure out what really happened to her mother. But playing with Ecclesia Dei puts everybody that she cares at risk, including herself, as she soon finds out.
The story is full of suspense and you will read it at the edge of your chair, until you turn the last page. The characters are well developed and you feel their emotions. The environment is richly described and soon you start cheering and caring for our young heroine.
I recommend this book to the permanent library of any reader who appreciate a well written novel, full of twists and suspense, which will keep them entertained for hours. It took me around seven hours to read the whole book."
"Claire Sanchez comes from a long line of medicine women. At the age of five she was witness to her mother's brutal murder. But since there was no evidence, they claimed Claire imagined the black cloaked man that claimed her mother's life, and instead they believed that Lucia Sanchez had fallen victim to wolves. Now twenty years has passed, Claire has to decide if she will accept her destiny and have her medicine woman ritual done, with a fear that her mother died because she was a medicine woman or fight her destiny. The spirits are sending her warnings, will she listen before she loses everyone she holds dear?
This was an excellent good verses evil novel. It held new captivated throughout! This book has everything, there's action, suspense, and even romance! Claire is an easy to love character, she was such a selfless person, you could easily see why Anthony loved her. Francesca, was an awesome second mother. Although she knew what Claire needed to do, she never pushed. The relationship between Anthony and Claire was so wonderful, he was such a patient guy. Archbishop Anarch was a guy you just love to hate, he was so self-centered it was unreal. This was a great book for a Friday the 13th review. If you like thrillers mixed with suspense, then this should be at the top of your TBR pile!"
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