PAUL DeBLASSIE III, PhD, is a psychologist 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 Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy,
he has for over thirty years treated survivors of the dark side of religion.
His latest book is
the psychological/paranormal thriller, The
Unholy.
Visit his website
at www.pauldeblassieiii.com or
his blog at www.pauldeblassieiii.blogspot.com.
Please share a little about yourself, your genres, any other pen names
you use.
I am a psychologist and writer. Psychological thrillers set in the mythopoeic realm of Aztlan are my specialty. They delve into dark regions of mind where good encounters evil, battle ensues, and darkness threatens to overcome light. In The Unholy, as one reader described it, things get going and then they get going stronger and faster and scarier. That’s how I write and how I enjoytelling stories.
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 dad (or 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 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!