Title: CRY OF THE MACHI
Author: Alan S. Blood
Genre: Occult/Suspsense/Thriller
Length: 160 pages
Release Date: November 2013
ISBN-13: 978-1493565016
Imprint: Enigma PressSYNOPSIS:
Like all English villages, the quiet and charming Thorpe Amberley in the heart of the Suffolk countryside has its secrets, its mysteries and its legends. It also has its traditions, such as the Tamberley Morris Men, a dysfunctional band of blow-ins, mainly professionals, who rehearse every Thursday and drink in the local pub.Nothing much has served to disturb the tranquillity of Thorpe Amberley for centuries. Until now. A stunningly beautiful American woman comes to the village to teach at a nearby school, and her arrival coincides with the resurrection of deadly seeds of jealousy, evil and murder.When the village is rocked by a series of gruesome and apparently ritualistic killings, it soon becomes clear that the local police are up against dark forces which they are wholly unequipped to deal with. Unlikely help comes from the shamanistic connection with a Patagonian Machi through the Morris Men's Squire and the unexpected assistance of an ex-NYPD policeman. A hunt for not one, but two serial killers, is on, and Thorpe Amberley will never be the same again.AUTHOR INFORMATION & LINKS
Alan S. Blood worked in Advertising and the Civil Service, London, before qualifying as a Teacher from Reading University, England and enjoying a long distinguished career. He now writes novels, plays, screenplays and poetry and has widely travelled the world, especially undertaking research in Chile where some of his supernatural crime thriller ‘CRY OF THE MACHI A Suffolk Murder Mystery’ is partly set.
Alan’s novel ‘ONCE UPON A CASTLE' is a teenage ghost story taking place in World War 11. The paranormal genre, therefore, features in much of his prose work. Alan won top award at the ‘Hastings International Poetry Festival’ (2003) with his controversial ‘litter’ poem ‘CONTRITE CAN CANNOT’. He enjoys wildlife photography, painting, scraperboard engraving and lives in a rambling Victorian house in Wales, UK.Interview By Georgina Wroe on Thursday 9th August, 2012 at 2.10 pm. (This Interview can be heard on the 'Potpourri' section of my website – www.alansblood.co.uk by clicking the 'Play' button)
'CRY OF THE MACHI A Suffolk murder Mystery'
I have always found it impossible to believe that, over the centuries, countless millions of people throughout the world (of all ages, races, creeds and convictions) who have seen or experienced inexplicable phenomena can be totally wrong. Equally, their claims have invariably been forcibly disputed by armies of sceptics who flatly refuse to give any credence to their assertions, often cruelly labelling those who have witnessed anything connected to the paranormal as 'cranks', 'madman' or some other such crudely derogatory term.
The disbelievers will go to great, often quite hostile, lengths to challenge all forms of the paranormal, supernatural, psychic, mystical or occult and will call upon much scientific evidence to disprove the existence of anything that might be ghostly, phantom, spectral or 'other-worldly'. However, despite a mass of science, people still continue to have all forms of unearthly experiences. Some of the religious pagan rituals of so called 'uncivilised' societies that try to accommodate this.
The Mapuche Indians of Chile come to terms with the unknown by viewing life as a constant struggle between the powers of good and evil. They have a dualist perception of the universe, viewing the cosmos as two opposite and complementary worlds in one. One world is the natural world, represented by the earth with its people. The other is a supernatural world which is magical and spiritual represented by the sky. The spiritual world is Wenumapu, and is an organized and balanced region between the clouds and the cosmos. Here the gods, spirits and ancestors live. Next to it is the opposite, the 'Anka-wenu', a disorganized, chaotic space next to the clouds where evil spirits the Wekufes live. These cause illnesses and suffering to mankind. The Machi spiritual leaders keep in contact with the gods and are responsible for combating the power of Wekufu (evil).
It is from research, in Chile, upon the religion and culture of the 'Mapuches' that I drew inspiration to incorporate and modify 'the concept' of the power of a Machi, working through the supernatural forces across the cosmos, into my novel 'CRY OF THE MACHI A Suffolk Murder Mystery'. It is, essentially, a conflict between good and evil in which the supernatural plays a very significant part and questions the wisdom of ignoring it !
THE MOTIVATION FOR 'CRY OF THE MACHI...'
'CRY OF THE MACHI A Suffolk Murder Mystery' belongs in the somewhat unusual category of a supernatural Crime thriller and is therefore much more complex that a mere Crime Novel.
I have always been fascinated by the paranormal and have, at times, experienced some inexplicable, strange phenomena. As a Morris dancer in the very old English 'Cotswold' Dancing Tradition, I was intrigued by the murky beginnings of this ancient form of recreation which has deep rooted links with centuries old mystical pagan rituals.
Beyond the colourful sights and sounds of Morris Dancers performing, to the delight and applause of a crowd of onlookers, outside of an English country pub on a balmy summer's evening, there is a dark sinister side to the history of the proceedings. Despite various theories, even the most ardent Morris Dancers, let lone spectators, are unsure of the whereabouts, location, origins and birth of the dancing, as this has never been conclusively proved.
In 'CRY OF THE MACHI...' I wanted, through the novel, to explore possibilities of dark connections to the dancing. This, in actual fact, was also motivated by an extremely ugly, bitter dispute between two of my fellow dancers who were each both having a sexual affair with one of the ladies in our associated 'sister' women's 'Clog Dancing' troupe. It was unpleasant nastiness that is normally unheard of amongst the usually very nice folk who take up Morris Dancing and this, in itself, again motivated me to be inspired to think about a story where extremely appalling events occur to completely disrupt the harmony of a Morris Dancing side, as well as the English village which supports it. Having embarked upon this, I decided to incorporate repulsive murder in the form of gruesome serial killings into the plot and sub-plots – further linked to forces, as well as organised crime, all connected to a 'Master' whose supernatural powers date back to the earliest of time.
The novel really took shape with addition of another powerful dimension when I visited Chile and witnessed ancient Folk Dancing uncannily similar to 'The Morris'. Research there also took me to the frequently shamanistic rituals of the 'Machi' witch doctors, in remotest Patagonia, that relate to the whole cosmos and cementing the idea of linking them to the already developing story. Having previously lived in an isolated part of the very rural English County of Suffolk, where sometimes witchcraft was still practised, I created the fictitious village of 'Thorpe Amberley' where, apart from associated events in Chile, the main story takes place.
The main theme of the novel, examining the wider, age old conflict between the forces of good and evil, slowly unravels through the book whereby 'CRY OF THE MACHI A Suffolk Murder Mystery' endeavours to leave readers to draw their own conclusions in relation to the whole basis of our existence in this world, within the the vastness of the universe.
FOLK DANCING IN PATAGONIAN CHILE
(IN MAPUCHE INDIAN TERRITORY) BEARING UNCANNY RESEMBLANCE TO ENGLISH MORRIS DANCING
BOOK LINKS
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