I’ve been quiet the past few days because I my thoughts were buried in the next few stories of the Gods Awaken paranormal erotica series. The third story, The Ecstasy of Xochiquetzal, had a topic and a setting that really interested me, and it took a bit longer to write.

I really want to tell a story about a less-famous god and setting. In fact, I wanted to tell a story about a goddess–specifically a fertility goddess. When you look at fertility goddess statues, they have lush, full, rounded figures. Combined with the color and movement of her sacred wildlife–butterflies, hummingbirds, flowers–I had the makings for a magical tale.

The other side of the magic, though, is in the main character. Unlike the first two stories, Quetzal isn’t a young maiden. She’s a mother of three, happily married, living a life of love and faith. Meeting the goddess gives her a chance to give thanks for the life she loves so much, for all the blessings she has received over the years. It’s a story of lust, yes, but also of kindness, grace, and the passage of time.

I debated changing the name of the goddess to something more easily pronounced. Then I debated breaking the pattern of the other two stories and not using the goddess’ name in the title of the work. I decided to stay true to it and to her, though, because each of these stories contains a thread of historical accuracy. Every story you hear about the Aztecs paints them as blood-thirsty savages and I wanted to show the human side of their culture. Maintaining authenticity in the names felt like an important part of staying true to that goal.

I hope you enjoy reading The Ecstasy of Xochiquetzal as much as I did writing it!