Blood Moon is a story set in Africa, a place where superstition and witchcraft runs deep, a place of beauty, but where death can lurk in the shadows.
A land shrouded in mystery, with ancient beliefs simmering beneath the surface set on a collision course with modern western ideas.
Blood Moon deals with how an innocent act unleashes a horror that walks the African night, under the full moon, and nothing is safe.
Something that is set in motion by the utterance of a single curse, something that should not even walk in your worst nightmares, walks in these pages, and is waiting to greet you under the Blood Moon. Piet van Zyl, expat from South Africa, safari owner finds himself drawn into a world of witchcraft, and face to face with a horror returned from the grave, with the support of Veronica Strydom, H.O.D. of African Culture he must rid the night of the abomination.
Blood Spoor is set in modern Africa and follows on where Blood Moon ends. With fear, comes power. Travel deep with Piet van Zyl into the Congo Basin and come face to face with The Secret Sect that has emerged from the dark past and now walks the night. Experience the superstition rituals and witchcraft of the killers known as The Leopard Men, as history repeats itself in an orgy of ritual murders, and blood lust. Veronica is once again drawn into the web of superstition and fear.
Blood Demon – Revenge follows on from Blood Spoor and is the final chapter in this Trilogy. Pure evil, that walks in the African bush. An evil that devours – called up from the darkness of hell, in a ritual that involves flesh and blood, by one man whose desire for revenge blinds him, and in the end is his undoing, as he unleashes his demon to walk and hunt under the African moon. Piet van Zyl once again finds himself on the receiving end of madness as he confronts the Blood Demon that threatens the very lives of those he loves.
Targeted Age Group:: 16+ to Adult
What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
I am happy to say that my wife inspired me. It was a thought that I had carried around for a long time. She challenged me to write, so think it would end up as a three to four page story, I sat down and started, and the flood gates opened, and The Blood Trilogy was born.
How Did You Come up With Your Characters?
My characters seemed to come naturally into the story line as the story unfolded in front of me, none of them, except for David and Adele were planned.
Book Sample
The full moon looks down on the drama being played out below it, David shouts out Adele‟s name as he rushes headlong towards the smallholding, all thoughts of caution thrown to the wind. Adele hears his voice, full of panic as she moves up the road towards him; she grips the rifle, ready to fire in defence of herself or her husband. Piet, swearing under his breath, narrowly avoids a collision with the Cruiser stuck in the middle of the track, in his wild ride down the farm road, and pushes the accelerator to the floor. The other, growling, hears the voice and moves off quickly in that direction, blood lust coursing through its veins.
Adele sees a shadow up ahead, moving towards her. “David, it must be David, thank God.” David panting and out of breath looks up and sees silhouetted against the lighted house Adele running towards him. Behind David, the light beams of the Land Rover play across the night sky as it speeds towards them.
The bushes on the side of the road part, a blood curdling growl rocks the silence of the night as the other lunges towards David. David his eyes on Adele fail‟s to see the rock in the road, and in seconds he‟s eating dirt and gravel. Adele sees the other lunge from the bush, and the Land Rover rounds the bend in the road, its headlights capturing the scene before it.
The other had missed its attack on David; he had fallen out of the way of its charge as it had leaped towards him.
Illuminated by the headlights, it turns towards David, fangs bared, drool and blood dripping from its powerful jaws, eyes blazing with hate. David looks up into the gates of hell, helpless on the ground, as it leaps towards its intended victim.
A shot rings out, catching the other, and knocking it off balance as it leaps towards David, it scrambles up, issuing forth a defiant howl, and charges the source of the rifle. Adele stands firm, determined to end this obscenity‟s existence as it moves towards her, she fires again, and the beast goes down into the dirt. Piet brings the Land Rover to a halt where David‟s lying in the road, jumps out of the Land Rover, rifle in hand and fires into the form that is slowly rising back up onto its feet. Adele fires again, the beast staggers, its growls filling the night and in a flash it‟s gone into the bush.
Nothing moves the world waits. Adele rushes up to where the men are. The six guys are now out of the vehicle, forming a protective circle around the three, weapons at the ready. Piet helps David to his feet. “Adele, thank God you‟re alright.” He takes Adele in his arms and both sob with relief. “ I thought I had lost you Dave.” He feels tremors running through her body as she sob‟s against him, the realisation of what has just taken place, of what she has seen hits home, and she collapses in his arms. Piet issues instructions to Andrew and his men, and they start searching the area, looking for a blood spoor as the beast had been hit three times, and they knew it was badly wounded.
They find nothing in the road, there is no evidence of blood on the grass, and it‟s as if the beast was never there, but the memory of what just happened, and what they saw will forever be burned into their minds. The howl comes to them from the direction of the house, defiant and unafraid, as if issuing a challenge to them and to the night.
Piet turns to the two of them. “I‟m not a religious man, but something like this can make me a believer. If God made man in his image, what the fucking hell made that, the devil? I saw it hit three times, but there‟s no blood.”
The silence is shattered by Piet‟s cell phone, making them all jerk. “Wat die fok?” He fumbles with it, and checks to see the caller I.D. “Its Peggy let me take this call.”
“Piet, are you there yet, can you hear me?” He hears the urgency in her voice, as well as a tremble of fear.
“Ja skat, I hear you, I‟m with David and Adele.”
“Thank God, are you guys okay? Listen I scanned that photo to Veronica, and she called me a few minutes ago, you guys have to get out of there, it‟s not safe to stay there. She didn‟t say why, but she‟s flying out here first thing in the morning. What she did tell me is that you must not have any contact with that thing, and don‟t try shooting it, all you‟ll do is enrage it even more, just leave the bloody thing alone, and get off that farm, now!”
“Okay skat, we just need pick up a few things and then we‟ll leave.”
About the Author:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Paul Zunckel was born in 1957 in Zimbabwe, then known as Rhodesia.
His family moved to South Africa in 1966, where he completed his schooling at
Kingsway Senior High School in Amanzimtoti.
He did his two years National service as an Ops Medic, wanting to follow his heart
and study medicine, but life got in the way.
He started to write full time in August 2014, and to date has self published four novels in the e-book format and is at present busy with his fifth one.
He has two children from a previous marriage, and is at the moment married
to the love of his life who is responsible for the books that have been written, as without her
it would never have happened.
In some way a gate was opened, and the first four novels are a direct result of that.
She inspired me, and supported me in this venture in every way possible, and because of
that, I dedicate these books to my loving wife Lucie for believing in me.
I also dedicate these books to my Mother, for her unwavering encouragement and support.
Thank you, Mom.
And The Lord above who blessed me with this gift.
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