Speculative Fiction Author Interview!

AuthorInterviewwithPaulDeBlassieIII

March 30, 2014

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author interviews, supernatural, thriller, virtual book tours

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I’m interviewing Paul DeBlassie III, author of supernatural thriller “The Unholy”.

Q) What inspired you to write this story?

Over thirty years of treating patients who have suffered from the dark side of religion inspired The Unholy. The travails and dramatic life stories ushered my imagination into a phantasmagoric realm in which a youngmedicine woman engages in a life-and-death battle against an evil Archbishop. Dreams, such as ones experienced in therapy, and synchronous events, natural magical happenings, inform the healing process just as they guided Claire in her battle against evil!

Q) How long did it take you to write?

The book was in process for ten years. After years of rejection from other publishing houses, Jim Smith of Sunstone Press in Santa Fe, New Mexico saw it and claimed it. The actual writing took two to three years with edits. The Unholy was its own journey of discovery and natural magical happenings!

Q) What is your favorite thing about writing?

Listening to the unconscious mind unfold creatively in the form of story, dramatic narrative is fascinating. The characters come alive, speak to you, tell you what to write, what they suffer, their challenges, and their outcome. The Unholy filtered through my waking life, dreams, and ongoing musings during the three years in which it was written. I totally enjoy the life of the story felt within the context of my daily life and inspiration and then taken to paper.

Q) What is your least favorite thing about writing?

Waiting to hit the page running is my least favorite thing about writing. The anticipation of pouring words out onto paper can be painful. You want to get to it and do it. The pain is in the waiting. The Unholy would allow me to write only so much at a time, pause, let days pass, wait, write more….painful in the waiting…a pregnancy of sorts.

Q) If you could be any famous person for one day, who would you be and why?

No fame for me. The mystics of old would flee the thing. They felt it compromised them. I believe that. Archbishop William Anarch in The Unholy craved the power and prestige of fame, among other things. When you read the story, you’ll see where it got him.

Q) What is the oldest thing in your fridge and how old is it?

Old memories are the oldest thing in my fridge. They’ve been there metaphorically for a good, long time.Funny thing, when I open up the fridge, things from the past pop to mind. So often, the stored memories of pleasant encounters and painful occurrences usher forward. In The Unholy, a young woman is haunted by the past, things stored in her mental fridge, and needs to come to terms with them, to face the past, deal with it, or forever be haunted.

Q) What can readers expect from you in the future?

The Dark Goddess is rolling out. It’s another psychological thriller set in the mythopoeic realm of Aztlan, same region as The Unholy. It’s a novel asking is bad love better than no love? This and other psychospiritual thrillers will be coming on down the pike over the next few years.

AboutTheUnholy

Title: The Unholy

Author: Paul DeBlassie III

Genre: Psychological / Paranormal 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.

AuthorBio

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 psychological thrillers with an emphasis on the dark side of the human psyche. The mestizo myth of Aztlan, its surreal beauty and natural magic, provides the setting for the dark phantasmagoric narrative in his fiction.  He is a member of the Depth Psychology Alliance, the Transpersonal Psychology Association and the International Association for Relational Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy.

Links

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Truth Pissing Us Off!

I gotta say how this quote from a strong woman, Gloria Steinem, "The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off" reminds me of Francesca, the old wise woman in The Unholy, and how she speaks and guides the younger woman, Claire. Sometimes the truth is just so shocking it pisses us off and there's no other way to put it or feel it!

We want to mince words. Putting things in a way that truth is soft peddled, watered down, does self or others no good. In The Unholy Claire struggles to find her rage, to see if she can come to terms with what it means to have suffered loss and the terrifying psychic trauma of witnessing her mother's death. In order to potentially heal she needs to discover vital emotion.

There's no guarantee she can do this. Fear cripples anger, an anger that can propel us into change. Needing to face the unfaceable and unspeakable is one of the most critical decisions in life. Claire is faced with it, and there are not guarantees.

Bruno Bettleheim, a famous depth psychologist, often said that when we find our rage we find ourselves. Gloria Steinem would put it that we need to get pissed off to find ourselves and the real truth inside us! I buy that. It's a truth we can bet our life on!

https://www.facebook.com/theunholy.deblassie/posts/703754359676299?stream_ref=10

https://www.facebook.com/dailykos/photos/a.416444264254.190398.43179984254/10152300518389255/?type=1&theater

Cassidy Crimson's Blog

I’m interviewing author Paul DeBlassie III today. He wrote supernatural thriller “The Unholy”, and has some more works in progress. Find out more about the author and his writing here.

http://cassidycrimson.wordpress.com/

Author Interview

Tell us a little about your latest or upcoming release.

The Unholy will be followed up by The Dark Goddess. In The Dark Goddess the question of whether bad love is better than no love is asked. It takes place in the phantasmagoric realm of Aztlan where dream, visions, and natural magic are everyday happenings!

Are you a parent?

Kathy and I have been married thirty-six years, have four grown children, two writers and two artists who grew up with the tale of The Unholy. Each of them has said that it’s been strange reading on the page what was told them years back while the novel was in formation. They’re creative individuals with a keen eye and sharp mind who readily picked up on the shades, shadows, and moments of enlightenment in The Unholy.

Have you ever based your book or characters on actual events or people from your own life?

Oh my gosh…the characters in The Unholy are a compilation of so many folks. These are people who suffered under the reign of organized religion. Despair and mental torment threatened their existence. I treated them in psychotherapy, others I knew as associates and friends, and was privileged to witness the unfolding drama of their courageous lives.

Is there a theme or message in your work that you would like readers to connect to?

Yes…definitely. The theme of The Unholy is Religion Kills. This refers to the dark side of religious experience that is terrifying and can be experienced in the novel as a young woman struggles against overwhelming odds. Religion has stolen from her the very foundation of her emotional life. She witnessed her mother’s murder. Dramatically, this is enacted and stated at the end of the novel as headlines of a news publication reads–Religion Kills!

When you’re not writing what do you do? Do you have any hobbies or guilty pleasures?

The greatest pleasure for me is in my marriage and family life. Three of our children are married. Getting to know them and their spouses in a new way is an exciting experience. My wife and I are getting to know each other in a new way after having spent so many years raising them. I really dig music, play folk and blues, and am an avid yogi! Life is an unending trip leading to one state of enlightenment after another!

The Unholy

Title: The Unholy

Author: Paul DeBlassie III

Genre: Psychological / Paranormal 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.

Rainy Of The Dark Interview!

Author Interview: Paul DeBlassie III

Posted by rainy on March 10, 2014 in Author Interviews | 0 comments

Your Name (as it appears on your books): Paul DeBlassie III
Your Blog or Author Website: http://www.pauldeblassieiii.com
Your Twitter: https://twitter.com/pdeblassieiii

How would you describe yourself? I am a depth psychologist and writer of psychological/paranormal thrillers who dips into the invisible world behind the world of the everyday and dramatizes the workings of spirit, soul, and nature.

How would you describe what you write? As is the case in The Unholy, my writing moves through supernatural realms that we often overlook through lack of sensitivity, story helping us to regain a certain pulse and vibe that sees through illusion and into the true heart of situations, relationships, and self.

What inspired you to start writing your first book? I’ve written three other books, nonfiction in psychology and spirituality, The Unholy bringing together my thirty years of insights and explorations about the dark side of religion.

Do you prefer chocolate or vanilla? I love dark chocolate and I love French vanilla and I love both of them together, may be telling regarding my propensity toward inclusion of all that is best and satisfying and delicious!

What authors influence your writing? The old gothic masters like Algernon Blackwood, H.P. Lovecraft, Arthur Machen have been a serious influence on my writing along with contemporary writers like Robert Stone, S. King, Joyce Carol Oates.

What one writing tip do you have for new authors? Keep on keeping on. Feeling the inspiration means there’s something there to write so keep at it and it will all come together over time with hard work, patience, and time.

Did you self or traditionally publish, and why did you choose that route? I have always traditionally published because that’s what opened up for me and I’m not familiar with the process of self publishing. Sunstone Press was and is enthused about The Unholy and wanted to take the story to print; so, I was game and feel the mojo and thrill of it!

Do you have a blog, and how has it helped with your promotional efforts?My blogsite for The Unholy is http://pauldeblassieiii.blogspot.com. It ties into pr posts during tour, fb posts, and twitter feeds. It reaches out to over ten thousand people with all those other tie ins considered. I think it probably helps. I know I instinctively feel that it is an essential part of relating to my reading audience. I wouldn’t feel whole, pr wise, without it.

What one thing are you OCD about, in general? I am definitely OCD about editing. Ray Carver used to say that the writing is in the editing and editing and editing, etc. That’s the truth, far as I’m concerned. Then, I need to be able to feel like I’ve edited myself full and let the story go on to the next level, into the hands of a professional editor, and onto the publisher.

What is the most creative way you have promoted any of your books?Things have changed so much over the last thirty years in the book pr world. I used to have a great deal of face to face contact via readings and speaking. Now, it’s more about virtual pr and having so much more reach. This is incredibly exciting, finding my way through the virtual world with my books a creative endeavor that my dreams and psyche seem intricately attuned to. They tell that this is the way to go!

What would you do differently if you had to start over? I would forego self doubt in all its shapes and guises more quickly as I’ve come to learn that what is required is devotion to work, patience, and time so as to conjure magic that inevitably births new stories, publications!

Where do you hope to see yourself in the next five years? If I’m reading the signs correctly, the next five years will birth another two books, supernatural thrillers, each with their own phantasmagoric theme addressing life changing possibilities and heart warming inspiration.

What are the first three rules you would make if you took over the world?Read more. Live more. Love more.

Guest Post Editor Charlene

In today’s guest post, author Paul DeBlassie III talks about the background of the story in “The Unholy”. Enjoy!

http://editorcharlene.wordpress.com/2014/03/17/guest-post-the-unholy-book-tour/comment-page-1/#comment-65

Guest Post

The story comes out of over thirty years of treating patients in psychotherapy who are survivors of the dark side of religion…have been used and abused and cast to the side. I’ve seen that when this happens people, those around the victim, to include family and friends, often turn a blind eye and deny what has happened. Rather than writing a self help book I decided to approach this realm of human suffering in fiction. To tell a story moves the reader into a deep and unconscious dimension that bypasses conscious defenses, leaving us open to truths that otherwise would be blocked. So, dramatizing the dark side of religion, pulling what can be the most vile and evil, and pivoting it against an innocent and sincerely searching soul leaves the reader on edge, hopeful, but unsure as to what will happen and who in the end will survive…a truth conveyed symbolically and dramatically. To have written out a list of what to do or not to do in the midst of religious abuse might have helped some individuals, but would have left many people stone cold because there is no emotion is such guidance. In The Unholy, the story is pure emotion, fear and rage and hope and challenge, that inspires and frightens and causes us to stay up late at night in order to finish the story. Dream and chronic nightmares plagues people who’ve gone through the horror of being abused within a religious system. It could be emotional, spiritual, physical, or sexual torment—or all of the above—a true encounter with the unholy—that people undergo during childhood or adolescence or adulthood. They become anxious, depressed, or suffer a terrible emotional breakdown. I’ve treated them, helped them, and they helped to inspire the story of The Unholy!

I Heart Reading Book Interview!

Title: The Unholy

Author: Paul DeBlassie III

Genre: Psychological / Paranormal Thriller

Age Group: Adult (18+)

Rating: 4 stars

Purchase: Amazon

Review copy provided by Enchanted Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

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.

In The Unholy, Claire Sanchez is the daughter of a curandera, a medicine woman. At age five, she sw her Mom getting murdered by an evil creature in the woods. Growing up, she’s never been able to shake the memory of that fateful night. She decided not to take up her heritage and become a medicine woman. Instead, she works as a psychologist and tries to help people in her own way.

On the other hand, we have the villain, Archbishop Anarch, who is the leader of some kind of cult. Anarch is truly wicked – he has no problem killing others when they stand in his way, or convincing people to kill themselves when he stands to gain money from it. His followers are tightly in his grasp, and he abuses his power at every turn. The only one who has some form of control over him, would be his mother. But Anarch is convinced what he’s doing is right, which makes him one of the worst kinds of monsters.

When the evil Archbishop turns his eye to Claire, she has to rediscover herself and her heritage to find against the powers of darkness, to protect herself, and the people she loves.

The theme of the novel is pretty basic, good vs. evil. But the author takes that theme, twists it around, comes up with intriguing characters who often walk the balance between right and wrong, and takes things to a whole new level. Anarch would be completely evil, in the eyes of most, yet in his ownpoint of view, he is not. He knows his actions are wrong, but justifies them in the name of the greater good. There’s action, suspense, a hint of romance, and definitely enough darkness to share around in this book.

The writing style is very descriptive, almost poetic. On the downside, that means it’s a bit wordy at times. Once you bite through that though, and start focusing on the story, then the book becomes really intriguing.

Character Creation

We’re going to share some character creation tips with you from Paul DeBlassie, author of supernatural thriller “The Unholy”. Here’s what the author has to say about character creation.

http://hollowreaders.wordpress.com/2014/03/05/character-creation-tips-for-the-unholy/

Character Creation

The stronger the character in terms of capacity for both love and rage the more compelling they are and it is in this that the true character is birthed. Love and rage are in essence the nests in which the characters are cared for and nourished and then allowed to fly free. I find that I must dip into my own capacity for primal feelings of love and rage in order to discover that aspect of myself that is like the character, has been like or felt like the character feels in the situation. It’s critical to always allow this to move the story forward and not get stuck by over thinking the character, to just hit and go into the emotional life of the character and let the character then tell me what he or she wants to express. The rage in particular can be horrifying because of our human capacity to inflict injury on others or society. To then express this on the page leaves me feeling vulnerable yet also true to myself within this dimension of storytelling. It’s mind boggling for me to experience the rage of the character and what the character like Archbishop William Anarch in The Unholy wants to do and does to innocent human beings. Claire Sanchez, the medicine woman, on the other hand needs to find rage, a healthy aggression, that has gone awry in Anarch, and only by doing this, if she can, will she potentially be able to discover the strength to fight the powerful archbishop.