Shadow Visions Virtual Tour: Interview with Gabriella Hewitt

Shadow Visions Virtual Tour
Welcome to Wickedly Bookish's second stop on the Shadow Visions Virtual Book Tour brought to you by Innovative Online Tours. Earlier in the week, we had a great guest post with Gabriella about Aztec culture and how it compares and contrasts with modern culture. Now, Gabriella is back for an interview and answers all our questions about collaborative writing, the Shadow Warriors series, and all things nerdy. Please give a warm welcome to the writing duo who behind Gabriella Hewitt, Sasha Tomaszycki and Patrizia M.J. Hayashi! 

Interview with Gabrielle Hewitt

First off, Gabriella I wanted to thank you for taking the time to stop by Wickedly Bookish and talk to us!

Thank you for having us. We’re excited to be here.

According to your author bio, Gabriella Hewitt is actually the pen name of two authors, Sasha Tomaszycki and Patrizia M.J. Hayashi. It's always fun to see two writers collaborate, but what made you two decide to publish under one pen name?

Our names aren’t exactly the easiest to pronounce or to remember. Also, when we got together it wasn’t as common to see two authors’ names on a book. You see that a lot more now. So, given all that, we figured we should come up with a name that readers could latch onto. Thus, Gabriella Hewitt was born.

I've always been interested in the collaborative process. How do you two tend to write? Do you each write a section and then switch off? How do you blend your two writing styles into a single collective one?

We’ve been getting this question a lot lately and we’ve also been seeing more and more writing teams out there. But if you asked this question to each team, you’d probably get a different answer each time. In our case, we don’t divvy up the work. One of us starts and the other will pick up from where the first one left off. We might go back and completely rewrite what the other did. We definitely go back and layer. We write over each other so much that it’s completely one voice in the end. We’re constantly chatting and batting ideas back and forth. We fill up each other’s Inbox every day with emails. Every now and then we’ll IM to get through some sticky point. It’s a formula that works for us. ( :

I have many writers and aspiring authors in my readership. Do you have any words of wisdom or tips for them about writing and getting published?

If you truly want to make it in this industry, don’t give up. Study the craft, keep on writing, query your project, then get back to writing. Very few writers grab that gold ring on the first try. The market is changing rapidly, which means there are more and more opportunities for writers to succeed.

From your guest post published here earlier this week, we can see that you heavily researched Aztec culture in order to write Shadow Visions. How much time would you say you spent on research alone? Do you particularly enjoy this part of the writing process?

Once we hit on our shadow warriors concept we knew that we had to build the Aztec aspects of the story. We’ve done a lot of research into Aztec mythology and even language. It’s a fascinating civilization and it’s been a lot of fun figuring out how to fit the mythology into our stories. Since there is much still not known about the Aztecs, it gives us leeway to adapt the gods and goddesses to our storyline. Honestly, research is a lot of fun. It’s very easy to get caught up in what we’re researching about and lose time!

Readers can check out a synopsis right after this interview that describes the dangerous and sensual journey they will take while reading Shadow Visions. However, Shadow Visions is book two in your Shadow Warriors series. Can you tell us about a little bit about the series as a whole?

Imagine a world in which the Aztec gods still exist. They no longer have the power they once had because humans no longer believe in them. They retreated to their pantheon to live. But not all gods are happy with this outcome. They want the power they used to have and they want humans to fear them and revere them as they once did. The only ones standing in their way are a group of elite warriors, men fallen in battle whose souls have been pledged to the sun god, Huitzilopochtli. They fight the demons the gods use as evil soldiers and even fight the gods themselves. All the while, they know that their days of existence are numbered. Unless a shadow warrior finds his spirit mate, he will lose his last trace of humanity and succumb to the animal spirit that resides within him.

Should the Shadow Warriors series be read in order, or can readers pick up with book two and still understand what is going on?

Each book is stand alone, so there is no problem starting from book 2. Out of the Shadows (book 1) is a short novella that introduces the Shadow Warriors. Carolina is struggling to run a ranch on her own and protect a generational family secret. Tomás is sent to discover why demons keep attacking this area of Arizona. He never expects to meet his spirit mate, the one woman who can save his soul.

Nerdy Confessions

Nerdy Confessions is an interview segment here on Wickedly Bookish where we ask the author to reveal their nerdy side. We know you have one! 

This time around, my nerdy confession is that I'm an avid gamer. My hubby and I own nearly ever major video gaming console released in the United States and over 130 classic and recent game titles. I personally also play many casual games on my PC. How I balance gaming and reading is honestly even a mystery to me!

How about you two? Are there any nerdy hobbies that you enjoy?

Sasha: Yes, I have a nerdy side. I play Wii and collect Skylander figurines which helps us play the game. I go hunting with my boys to find the latest character to be released.

As for hobbies, I am an avid gardener. This year I planted two peach trees and an apple tree. I have many potted herbs that I use in my dishes and like to dry them and bottle them. This summer, I am growing tomatoes and tried my hand at sweet pepper plants. Good grief these take forever to grow but the yield will be high and I hope to cut them up freeze them for the winter. I planted various grape varieties and am training them to spread out along my back fence, in hopes that next year I can cultivate some young grapes. Yummy! My dream is one day to have a sustainable garden.

Patrizia: Books. I am a hoarder when it comes to books. It doesn’t help that I live in an apartment in Tokyo or that my husband collects manga. He has complete sets of manga from way back when he was in elementary school. I couldn’t drag my school books with me to Japan, but over the years, I’ve hung on to every book I buy. I have to admit, I am seriously grateful to Amazon for coming out with the Kindle. I already have some 500 books on that. I’d have to rent another apartment if I had to store them for real!

Again, thank you so much for being with us today and sharing! It has been a pleasure to have you.

Thank you for having us. We hope to be back again in the future.

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.
 

Gabriella Hewitt online:

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

Twitter  @GabriellaHewitt

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

Synopsis

SHADOW VISIONS (c) 2012 Samhain Publishing

Manuel has been tracking down a demon bent on sacrificing women with hummingbird tattoos. He is in danger of losing his humanity to his eagle spirit until he comes across Ixa Reyes, a beautiful San Diego Detective working on the same case, who also bears the mark of Huitzilopochtli. She is his salvation and redemption from a past filled with failure. Only she wants nothing to do with him or her heritage.

When a demon kidnaps her grandfather, the wind god, they must work together to save him and all mankind. He has twenty-four hours to help her control her elemental power over wind, that is if he can control his own desires to claim her body and soul. Because if he should fail, then the god of war will bring in a new era filled with blood and destruction.

When the last Shadow Warrior falls, so will humanity.

Don't miss out on more Shadow Visions content at these scheduled stops!

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, Spot Light
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
6/17 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