Shadow Visions Virtual Tour: Guest Post with Gabriella Hewitt

Shadow Visions Virtual Tour

Welcome to Wickedly Bookish's stop on the Shadow Visions Virtual Book Tour brought to you by Innovative Online Tours. With us today we have Gabriella Hewitt, author of the paranormal romance Shadow Visions. Today, she shares with us some of her research for the novel and compares Aztec culture to our modern culture. Enjoy and don't forget to come back Saturday when Gabriella returns for an interview!

Welcome Gabriella and thank you!

Guest Post with Gabriella Hewitt

  

The fun part of writing SHADOW VISIONS based on Aztec mythology was getting to do the research. Some of the things I found out had me smiling and heralding the Aztec culture. Other things had me cringing and shaking my head.

In a way, we are not so different than the Aztec people of the past. And in another way, we are completely different.

Here is a quick comparison list of how we are alike and different:

ALIKE:  Aztecs liked to eat meat and tons of it. (Throw some steak on the BBQ any day)

DIFFERENT: Aztecs ate deer, rabbits, and dogs. (Sorry but chewing on Bambi, Thumper and Fido doesn’t sound tasty to today’s modern girl.)

ALIKE: Corn tortillas on the Go! The tortilla shells were a staple of food and young women made them as a right of passage. Warriors ate them fresh or carried them on long journeys because they kept well. (Ancient Taco Bell)

DIFFERENT: Aztecs worshiped corn. Yup, they even had a corn god named Cinteotl. According to About.com contributor, http://atheism.about.com/od/aztecgodsgoddesses/p/CinteotlAztec.htm.>Austin Cline “During the festival of Hueytozoztli, "great watch," Cinteotl was honored in order to encourage the growth of corn. First a procession of virgins would march to the Temple of Chicomecoatl, and then an impersonator would be sacrificed.” (Nice. Wonder how that would go over with the Dept. of Agriculture today?)

ALIKE: Chocolate! Chocolate! Chocolate! The Aztecs loved it as much as we do today. They ate it, drank it and used it as an aphrodisiac. (We’ve perfected it and made chocolate pens to write naughty messages on our lover’s body and then lick it off!!)

DIFFERENT:  Chocolate was considered decadent and only for the rich.  Today anyone can enjoy the delicious delicacy without fear of retribution from the gods. (If you’re really feeling rich, Hershey’s Amusement Park offers a chocolate infused mud bath. Now that sounds divine.)

 

In many ways we are alike and different. Definitely one thing is for certain, whether it is modern times or ancient times, Aztec Warriors are considered hot and sexy.

 EXCERPT Publishing, Ltd. publication

“Don’t come any closer or I’ll shoot.” Her gun shook in her hands as if she were a damn rookie. She fought to control her emotions but they swirled inside her. If she didn’t pull it together another tornado would manifest, and that frightened her more than the half-naked man with the eagle eyes in front of her.

“Not another step,” she ordered, but he continued to stalk towards her.

She held her stance. Her finger trembled on the trigger.

He reached her. His chest pressed to the muzzle. He easily towered over her. She stared up into his golden eyes. No fear. Instead, she read another emotion in his eyes.

Desire.

She should have felt threatened, and she did, but not because she believed he meant to hurt her—it was much more fundamental than that. Her whole body seemed to come alive in his presence. Her breath shortened and she felt a flush stealing up underneath her tanned cheeks. She lowered her gaze and let her weapon fall to her side. Keeping her fingers tightly wrapped around the grip reminded her to remain grounded. Her reaction to him was so totally unlike her.

Up close, she found herself staring at a broad chest covered with a mantle of feathers. The man was made of solid muscle. Without volition, her gaze traveled upward, noting the powerful shoulders, the hard jaw, the firm lips and the stern expression he wore.

“You’re very brave, but your gun won’t help you against the tzitzimime.”

Ixa swallowed, searching for her voice. “Who are you? What are you?”

His hand came up. Gently, he traced the image of the hummingbird tattooed on her right bicep. Her muscle quivered under his touch. “Just as I thought. You bear the mark,” he murmured.

In the distance she heard the confused shouts of her fellow officers. “They’ll be here soon.” They would have heard the shots. They’d be searching for her.

“I distorted the sound so they check in a different area. They will not be upon us yet.”

“You can do that?” It didn’t seem possible, except she didn’t have an explanation for anything that had happened. Her brain seemed to be functioning in first gear, unable to catch up to anything that required substantial thought.

“I can do many things, you will find.”

He cupped her chin and tilted her head. His golden eyes came closer until his head blotted out the sky and everything around her. Helpless, she waited for his lips to touch hers.

His lips brushed hers, once, twice. She let out a sigh. He pressed down a third time and she leaned into him, but before she could deepen the kiss, he released her and stepped back.

Her entire body zinged with energy. She stared up at him, bemused.

He chuckled, which snapped her out of her daze. Had she lost her mind?

“Don’t ever do that again.”

He smiled, an incredibly sexy smile that made her nerve endings sing with need. Before she could lash out at him again, he raised his arms up. A breeze passed around them, ruffling the feathers adorning his chest. His image wavered and bent. She heard bones cracking, reshaping. Wave after wave of feathers burst forth in a soft, rippled covering. Where a warrior once stood, now a large eagle spread its wings and gave a loud cry. The eagle flapped its wings and took to the skies.

Ixa gasped. The gods will find a way to convince you. Her abuelo’s words echoed in her mind.

About the author:

Gabriella Hewitt is the pen name of creative writing talents Sasha Tomaszycki and Patrizia M.J. Hayashi. Together they weave tales of romantic suspense and dangerously sensual paranormals. Check out the website www.GabriellaHewitt.com to find out about upcoming releases and events on their blog.

Website  http://www.gabriellahewitt.com/blog

Twitter  @GabriellaHewitt

Goodreads  www.goodreads.com/author/show/1361127.Gabriella_Hewitt

Don't miss out on the content available on each stop of the Shadow Visions Virtual Tour!

5/6 I Just Wanna Sit Here and Read!, Bio/Excerpt/Synopsis

5/7 A Soul UnsungGuest BlogThursday
5/10 Ramblings of an Amateur Writer, Interview, Give Away
5/11 Bodice Rippers, Femme Fatales and Fantasy, Review
 5/16 Simply Ali, Interview

5/18 Tea and Book Guest Blog
5/20 TBR Bio/Excerpt/Synopsis
5/21 I Just Wanna Site Here and Read, Guest Blog Give Away
5/25 Books Reviewed by Bunny, Interview
5/25 Sapphyria's Book Reviews Bio/Excerpt'/synopsis
5/29Redheads Review It Better /Bio, excerpt, synopsis
5/29 Reviews by Molly Review
5/29 My Secret Romance /Bio, excerpt, synopsis
5/31 Adventures of a Frugal Mom, Excerpt
5/31 Good Choice Reading Guest Blog Give Away
6/5 Journey with Words, Guest Blog, Give Away
6/5 Understanding Shae's Story Review
6/7 Ramblings from this Chick, Bio/Excerpt/Synopsis, Give Away
6/7 Reviews by Molly Guest Blog
6/11 Storm Goddess Book Reviews & More Review
6/11 Wickedly Bookish, Guest Blog
6/13 Miraculous, Review
6/13 Fictional Candy Bio/Excerpt/Synopsis
6/13 Adventures of a Frugal Mom, Review,
6/16 A Soul Unsung, Bio/Excerpt/Synipsis,
6/16 Indie writers review, Review
6/16 Wickedly Bookish, Interview
6/25 Words I Write Crazy /Review
6/27Reviewing Shelf /Review
7/1 Ramblings From This Chick /Bio/excerpt, synopsis, Guest Blog
7/1 Red Headed Bookworm /Review
7/1Lissette E. Manning /Review 7/1 The Lucky Ladybug /Review and Give Away 7/3 vampires, werewolves, and fairies, oh my! /Guest Post & Give Away

7/3 Reader Girls /Guest Blog