Goddess of the Wild Thing
by Paul DeBlassie
III
Genre:
Horror, Sci Fi and Fantasy
The Book Junkie Reads . . . Interview
with Paul DeBlassie III
How
would you describe you style of writing to someone that has never read your
work? I write supernatural thrillers that take place in the mystic land of
Aztlan (New Mexico).
What
mindset or routine do you feel the need to set when preparing to write (in
general whether you are working on a project or just free writing)? I settle
deep into my unconscious mind just as I do in the practice of psychotherapy.
It’s a realm reverie and creativity. Inspiration takes me unexpectedly to
insights and stories that leave me stunned.
Do you
take your character prep to heart? Do you nurture the growth of each character all
the way through to the page? Do you people watch to help with development? Or
do you build upon your character during story creation? The characters speak to me as I write. Often,
I dream of them. Then when I write about them the next day, what I’ve felt in
the dream comes to bear on the conflict and terror they experience in dealing
with matters of the heart.
Have
you found yourself bonding with any particular character? If so which one(s)?
In Goddess of the Wild Thing, you can’t help but feel for Eve, a woman
struggling with whether bad love is better than no love.
Do you
have a character that you have been working on that you can't wait to put to
paper? I’m always nurturing characters that dwell in my unconscious mind. They
will be emerging in supernatural thrillers to come. For instance, in the next
novel, The Goddess of Everything, Gabriel is a young man confronting mother
love gone bad and the struggle to break free. He’s been in me a long, long time
and is now coming alive in a supernatural thriller!
Have
you ever felt that there was something inside of you that you couldn't control?
If so what? If no what spurs you to reach for the unexperienced? I can’t
control the words that hit the page. They jump out of my creative unconscious.
As in the Goddess of the Wild Thing, they take me and the reader by surprise!
BLURB
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 influence her ability to love and
be loved.
Eve Sanchez, a middle-aged woman
and scholar of esoteric studies, encounters a seductive but frightening man who
introduces her to a supernatural world in which the wicked powers of a
surrogate mother’s twisted affection threaten love and life.
In the mystic realms of Aztlan
del Sur, Eve and three friends struggle with whether bad love is better than no
love and discover that love is a wild thing.
Excerpt
Unending
man dramas weren’t necessary to life and well-being. She was educated, had
plenty of common sense, and was street-smart. Countless members of the male
species spoke of her in hushed tones at the cantina, in university hallways,
and at social events when friends and colleagues were relaxed and
enjoying themselves during the cool, high-desert nights.
The thought of hooking up with the most desirable of fantasy
felines for the evening rippled through the undercurrent of verbal exchange.
She should be able to attract the right kind of man, one who was kind and
caring and didn’t bring tidal waves of emotional drama.
Eve had
no time to waste. She needed the counsel of her trusted friend and spiritual
guide. This turn of events was unlike any she’d ever encountered. It was
violent and bloody and made her fear for her safety.
This new
fellow had seemed genuine, courtly, romantic, and hot. He gave off a world-wise
and street savvy vibe. There was a gentleness and sensitivity to him, more so
than the typical single, middle-aged male on the lookout for female
companionship and mind-blowing times.
However,
she’d unwittingly found trouble and needed guidance from Graciéla, a
seventy-eight-year-old wise woman, crone, and seer into confusing matters of
the heart. Graciéla waited for Eve at the Sage Metaphysical Bookstore where she
served as resident manager for an absentee owner. Even after an exhausting day
of seeing one desperate soul after another, Graciéla agreed that Eve’s
situation was critical. She’d stay late for a friend and frightened soul.
Eve had
to park blocks from the store because lately, downtown had become a hub of
clubs, theaters, and trendy restaurants appealing to a congestion of new money
and hot times. Close-in parking was locked up by happy hour, so blocks away was
her only choice. She caught herself looking nervously from side to side and
down twilight-shadowed alleyways as she hurried along the cracked sidewalk. She
felt safer along these edgy streets with Shirley by her side, a genuine person
and mystic cohort.
“Eve,
honey . . .” Shirley paused before going on.
Eve knew
Shirley hesitated because she was trying to be conciliatory—not an easy talent
for a hard-bitten woman.
The pause
passed. “On the other hand, maybe if bad love is what we get, bad love is just what
we take. If there’s something better, I’m in . . . just saying I’ve never seen
it. Till I do, I for one gotta go with what I get.” Her look toughened. “It’s
just not come my way, and I’m not holding a sure-to-turn-me-blue breath.” A
tough attitude toward life, love, and men was her stock-in-trade.
Eve
smiled a bit. She loved her friend and all her rough spots and edges. There
were people who were mean but not nasty, malicious, or toxic. Shirley was
hardened and mean but only when and if she needed to be.
Shirley’s
hair floated a few inches away from her shoulders, static currents conjuring
magic. Eve’s peripheral vision caught the streaks of what she imagined as a
bonfire during a war dance. Shirley spoke from experience, a woman smitten by
man potential going south quicker than a rattler hisses and bites.
Eve kept
up her pace as she contemplated Shirley’s words. Settling for less than what
she wanted was no good. It left her cold and empty. It was definitely no good.
Plus, Shirley didn’t know the whole story, only that gloom about the prospect
of men and love had descended, and Eve was taking it hard.
“Bad
love’s a risk, Shirley. No good for me. If I need to cut this thing short, so
be it. But I’d rather see it through. Maybe there’s a chance that the bad I’m
afraid of isn’t there. Maybe I’m blowing it up into something it isn’t. Maybe
there’s good and I’m thinking it’s bad. So if the good is down deep, real
deep—I want to hold on and give it a chance.” Eve pondered the words as a light
rain started up. Then she went on, “I need to hear what Graciéla has to say.
I’d like to give things a chance. I’m not giving up unless there’s no way out
of emotional dead-ends and never-ending heartache.”
Mists
formed along the edges of the potholed asphalt and cracked sidewalks. They
twisted and curled, arising out of a subterranean ether sphere. Usually, they
arose during the early morning and hovered inches above the downtown park’s
green expanse, hardly ever at night with its fading daytime desert heat, and
hardly ever along the paved spaces. Darkness descended and pressed down like a
heavy hand, edgy and ominous.
Author Info
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.
Author Links:
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