Guest Post & Giveaway: Gabriella Hewitt

Aztec Myths that Enchant

The second novella in my Shadow Warrior series comes out March 20^th from Samhain Publishing. Yeah! I’m counting down the days until release.

Writing is never easy, but in a paranormal romance, there is the extra aspect of world building. While SHADOW VISIONS is a contemporary story, it weaves Aztec mythology and culture into the plot making for a rich storytelling experience.

Aztec mythology isn’t as well known as the Greek, Roman or even Norse myths. Although people may be familiar with Huitzilopochtli, the Aztec sun god, they probably have never heard of Ehecatl, god of the wind. Aztec names are not the easiest to pronounce, are they?

The wind god plays an important role in this story. In the Aztec creation myth, when the fourth sun was destroyed, the gods gathered to decide what to do. Two gods jumped into a sacrificial fire. One became the sun and the other the moon. However, it wasn’t until Ehecatl blew on them that they were able to move. Thus, his other name is Yohualli Ehecatl, the One Who Moves Matter in the Universe. In fact, it is said that Ehecatl has no corporeal form.

There is another myth attached to Ehecatl. It is one of love and passion and tragedy. There is a goddess called Itzpapaloti who was feared greatly by the Aztecs. It was said that she wore a necklace of human hearts, and during a solar eclipse, when the moon swallowed the sun, the goddess would come down and devour all humanity. Now, Itzpapaloti had a mortal granddaughter named Mayahuel, a beautiful young maiden that she kept hidden in the farthest corners of the universe. Mayahuel was lonely and longed for companionship. One day, Mayahuel felt the caress of the wind god and became enchanted. Every night the wind god would visit the young maiden and transport her to different parts of the universe. Within the wind’s embrace the two lovers became one. However, Itzpapaloti discovered the two were meeting and became enraged. She sent her tzitzimime, celestial demons, out to search for them.

Mayahuel and Ehecatl embraced and combined to form a plant. One side became the feminine side and the other the masculine side. The plant took root in the desert, where it stood solitary and proud. The tzitzimime discovered the hiding place of the lovers and broke off the branch of Mayahuel, tearing it into pieces. After they left, Ehecatl became the wind once more. He grieved for his lost love and buried the pieces. At that spot grew the first maguey plant. It is from this plant that they syrup agave is produced, not to mention Pulque, a favorite alcoholic beverage of the gods.

Researching Aztec myths is fascinating. Threading them into my shadow warrior tales has been fun and challenging. I’ll leave you with a blurb and an excerpt from my first shadow warriors novella, OUT OF THE SHADOWS. I hope you enjoy it. Don’t forget to stay tuned for the next installment, SHADOW VISIONS, coming very soon!

You can always find out what I am up to by visiting my website at www.GabriellaHewitt.com . Check out my other series and my free recipe booklets.

In celebration of the 2^nd book in the SHADOW WARRIOR series, I am holding a contest. Anyone who comments in this post will be eligible to win a copy of my first Shadow Warriors novella, OUT OF THE SHADOWS. In your comment, please put your email address, so that I can contact the winner.

EBOOK Order
Available everywhere ebooks are sold
Book One – OUT OF THE SHADOWS
When the last shadow warrior falls, so will all humanity.
With each demon he vanquishes in service to the Aztec sun god, Tomás fulfills his duty to defend humankind—and surrenders another piece of his humanity to his wolf spirit. All hope seems lost until a mission leads him to the door of the one thing he thought he’d never find…his spirit mate. The only woman who can save him from oblivion.
When Carolina hears the wolf’s howl, it pierces the very core of her lonely heart. Yet she dare not answer. As the last guardian of her land and the secret it contains, she is haunted by the mistake that cost the lives of her family. Never will she repeat that mistake, especially with a warrior who is more beast than man.
Chasing away the demon is easier than breaching the barriers around the heart of the young woman who possesses a strange power over water—and his very soul. But if they are to survive the night, he must convince her they are destined to stand together.


***EXCERPT***
A wolf’s howl pierced the desert silence, causing the animals to stir restlessly in their stalls. Wolves had been reintroduced into Arizona, but she had yet to see or hear one so close to her ranch. Was it an omen?
Carolina paused in her chores to stare out the open barn door into the gathering darkness.
For a moment, she let herself get caught up in the long, solitary note. It felt like a kindred spirit. She knew loneliness intimately. Only her loneliness did not come from the vast miles of the sun-parched Sonoran desert that surrounded her, but out of the necessity to protect her goddess, her land’s secret. As one of the few amongst her people to become a guardian, her choices were limited.
The one occasion she’d invested herself in another, he’d betrayed her. She’d foolishly placed her hope and trust in Billy and she’d paid a horrendous price. Her desire to find someone to share the workload, her joy and sadness, and the burden of her secret—just as her parents had done—had blinded her to the trap she’d walked into. By the time she understood what was happening, it was too late. Her parents were dead.
Her heart weighed heavy in her chest as if it had happened recently and not five years ago. The memory of her parents lingered too close to the surface today. This had been their land, their dream, and now it was hers to fight for. She’d vowed never to fail them again. Above her own needs came the higher purpose of protecting her goddess at all costs.
Her mare, Mariposa, snorted and reared up, pulling Carolina from her thoughts. The animals had been growing edgier with each passing minute. They sensed the evil that blew in with the warm desert breeze. She berated herself for not paying more attention to them.

Goose bumps prickled her skin. Her tattoo, a gift from the goddess, began a slow burn on her shoulder, a sure sign that evil was approaching. She felt the heat radiating through the fabric of her denim shirt. The last time she’d experienced the odd sensation, her world had fallen apart.
Cautiously, she turned her head, seeking the source.
Her breath came out in a gasp.
Less than ten feet away sat a magnificent gray wolf, watching her. Waiting.

ATH: Gabriella Hewitt

Now, here is our next Addicted to Harmless author, Gabriella Hewitt! Gabriella is going to be giving away a 5 dollar GC to Samhain Publishing!
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A predator stalks paradise and she’s next
Dark Waters
©  Gabriella Hewitt
On a tropical isle, Frankie Montalvo discovers roots to a past she never knew. Tales of witchcraft, missing girls and el chupacabra surround her, but it will take more than superstitions to scare her away. Determined to create her own home, she enlists the help of an enigmatic beach bum.
She doesn’t want to fall for a drifter who will probably break her heart and move on, but when both she and her home are attacked, it’s in Rico’s arms that she finds safety and protection. All she’s ever wanted was to settle down and live life on her own terms, but someone has other plans and Frankie must decide—is Rico her lover or her enemy?
Special Agent Rico Lopez has been to the depths of hell and back. He returns to his native island of Vieques to forget an ICE mission gone wrong only to find himself caught up in the search for a neighbor’s daughter—a victim of the legendary el chupacabra. Paradise has a predator and all leads point to a dilapidated old plantation and its sexy as sin owner. Lying to Frankie is the only way to do his job, but is he protecting her or himself?
As the net around them tightens and their lives are put on the line, he’ll learn the greatest danger he’s ever faced is the risk of losing his heart.

Excerpt

Enjoy the following excerpt for Dark Waters:
God save him from stubborn females.
He pulled a lock pick out of his pocket and went back to the kitchen door. In a matter of minutes he was inside. His eyes swept the kitchen, noting the clean counters and dishes lying in the draining board. The scent of onions and garlic lingered in the air. Well, she’d obviously eaten.
He retraced his steps from the afternoon until he was at the bottom of the staircase. He could see where Frankie covered over the hole he’d made with a patch of plywood. As much as he wanted to run up the stairs, he didn’t dare. Carefully, he tested each tread before taking a step.
While moonlight filtered into the rooms downstairs, up here, with all the doors to the hallway closed, he could barely see his hand in front of his face. Quietly, Rico made his way down the hall until he came to Frankie’s door.
He rapped lightly. Still no answer.
Moving to the side of the door, he reached over, turned the handle and gave it a small push inward. He glanced in and then slowly stepped over the threshold, grateful for the moonlight that enabled him to see.
Fresh sheets covered the bed. The room looked neat and tidy.
No Frankie.
What the hell had happened to her? God help him if she’d been snatched…
He didn’t pause to wonder why his fear she’d had an accident had morphed into something worse. He didn’t have to.
This house had him on edge, while his mother’s request had him balled up so tight he could bounce.
A sound caught his ears. Exiting the room, he moved silently down the corridor. The noise grew louder, like a herd of sick cows. When he reached the room where the sound came the loudest, he threw open the door and went in low and fast, ready to deal with the threat.
Frankie rose before him, moonlight casting its soft glow on the water droplets sliding down her torso and into the claw foot tub she stood in. Her mouth opened and closed and, in that second, Rico catalogued every gorgeous inch of her, from her perfect, dusky-tipped breasts to her shapely thighs.
“What do you want?” Her voice came out reed thin, her eyes wide.
He’d terrified her. Rico held his hands out, palms open. “I brought your truck back, Frankie. When you didn’t answer the door, I got worried and let myself in. I’m not here to hurt you.” He spoke low and soft, willing her to listen to his words. He almost missed the change in her eyes from fear to majorly ticked off, but he wasn’t left in doubt long.
Frankie exploded into action. She grabbed a bar of soap and hurled it at him, hitting him smack in the chest.
Instinctively, he caught the soap before it fell to the tiled floor. “Want me to get your back?” Relief coursed through him. Not only was she okay, she was in kick-butt NY mode. He could live with that.
“Get out!” she screamed. “Out! Out! Out!”
The gentleman in him grabbed up a towel and held it out to her. The other side of him wanted to wipe every drop of water off her sexy body, but he highly doubted she would let him.
Frankie seized the towel and wrapped it around her. “Get out!”
“I’m going. But, why are you taking a bath in the dark?”
“Because the damn fuse blew and I wasn’t about to go traipsing around the house wet and naked. Satisfied?”
Hell, no! But, feeling a definite tightening in his groin at the image, he decided not to answer. Safer that way. At least with this woman.
“Now are you leaving or do I have to get mean?”
“You got a weapon on you? All I saw—”
“Shut up, Lopez. I swear you’re dead meat.” Her hands tightened into fists at her sides.
“Need a hand getting out of the tub?” he asked hopefully.
“That’s it. You have five seconds to get out of this room or you and that toilet brush are going to become personally acquainted.”
“Okay, you win,” he said, holding his hands up in the air in mock surrender. “Anything but the toilet brush.” He winked at her and left the room, shutting the door with an audible snap. Leaning against it, he closed his eyes. He could hear her stepping out of the tub. Could imagine her rubbing that lithe body down and wished he were the towel. The image of Frankie rising up from the water like some goddess out of a Greek myth would stay burned onto the back of his eyelids for a long time. And if he told her, she’d probably try to have them surgically removed.
He grinned so hard the sides of his mouth hurt.
The bathroom echoed with her creative curses in both Spanish and English. The woman sure had a mouth on her.
Feeling incredibly lighter, Rico spoke through the closed door. “Frankie?”
“What?”
“Would it make you feel better if I got naked too?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Want a chance at that GC? Answer the following question:

Rico offered to scrub Frankie’s back.  Shower scenes, sexy or not? What are some ways you get creative with water?