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Friday, April 19, 2019

New Release Announcement! eXtasy Books Author Maggie Blackbird Is Celebrating Her Latest Novel, REDEEMED!

Hello everyone, and welcome back to my blog. I am so excited to be hosting my good friend and fellow eXtasy Books author Maggie Blackbird, who is celebrating the release of her latest novel, REDEEMED! The book hits e-shelves today and is the follow-up to her novel BLESSED, which are both part of her MATAWAPIT FAMILY SERIES.

Read on to find out more about REDEEMED and learn all about Maggie and her writing process. Then stick around to  get the scoop on THE MATAWAPIT FAMILY SERIES, and to enter a chance to win a $15.00 eXtasy Books gift card!



Redeemed:  Book Two



A single woman battles to keep her foster child from his newly-paroled father—a dangerous man she used to love.

Blurb:  Bridget Matawapit is an Indigenous activist, daughter of a Catholic deacon, and foster mother to Kyle, the son of an Ojibway father—the ex-fiancĂ© she kicked to the curb after he chose alcohol over her love. With Adam out on parole and back in Thunder Bay, she is determined to stop him from obtaining custody of Kyle.

Adam Guimond is a recovering alcoholic and ex-gangbanger newly-paroled. Through counselling, reconnecting with his Ojibway culture and twelve-step meetings while in prison, Adam now understands he’s worthy of the love that frightened him enough to pick up the bottle he’d previously corked. He can’t escape the damage he caused so many others, but he longs to rise like a true warrior in the pursuit of forgiveness and a second chance. There’s nothing he isn’t willing to do to win back his son–and Bridget.

When an old cell mate’s daughter dies under mysterious circumstances in foster care, Adam begs Bridget to help him uncover the truth. Bound to the plight of the Indigenous children in care, Bridget agrees. But putting herself in contact with Adam threatens to resurrect her long-buried feelings for him, and even worse, she risks losing care of Kyle, by falling for a man who might destroy her faith in love completely this time.

Want more? CLICK HERE to order REDEEMED!

1.  Hello Maggie, and thank you for stopping by. Congratulations on today’s release of REDEEMED! We’re really looking forward to getting to know more about you, your books, your writing process, etc. First off, why don’t you tell us about your genre, novels, and how many books you’ve published thus far.

MB: Hi, Denise.  First, thank you for hitting me up to guest at your blog.  I really appreciate it.  As for genre(s) I write, I always say I write romance starring Canada’s Indigenous people, whether contemporary or historical.  And I might have to add supernatural into the mix.  We’ll see.  BLESSED, book one in the series, is my first published book.  REDEEMED, book two in the series, is scheduled for release on April 19, 2019.  Oh wow, I guess that’s today, hah.

2.  Yes that is today, lol! And I’m sure you’re already thinking about book three of the series. I don’t know about you, I’ve been known to walk around with a book idea in my head for years before actually putting pen to paper. How do you know when you’re ready to actually sit down and begin writing a book?
  
MB: There’s no set time for me to decide when to write.  I simply start writing.  I know.  Boring answer LOL, but that’s how I operate.  For example, I started a novella when the idea came to my head a couple of week ago.  There was no brainstorming.  I just started writing.

3.   I think that's awesome, and it shows writing is in your heart and something you love to do. When I first began writing, I’d do like you and just pull up a new document in Word and begin typing. But nowadays I like to start with a synopsis then write a full outline. Do you have a method when plotting out an entire book in the beginning?

MB: I do like to come up with the tagline first, and then a blurb.  I have to know what direction I’m going.  I tried outlining but it didn’t work for me.  I’m a fast-drafter.  So that first draft is the characters doing the writing, not me.  I’m simply there to take dictation while they tell me their story.

4. Are you a morning or evening writer? And are there certain things you need to have around you while writing, such as coffee, crystals, candles, snacks, etc.?

MB: I’m a morning person, so naturally I’m a morning writer.  However, I’m so busy with promo, marketing, blogging, moderating, sometimes critiquing another author’s work, etc., that the first three hours (sometimes even longer) are spent on promo (like what I’m doing right now, which is answering these questions LOL).  Finally, I get to write.  If I’m home for the night, I write or edit some more.  I find this works great for me.

In the morning, I’m at my desktop and I need my decaf.  In the evening, I’m in the living room with my laptop, and I need the Property Brothers playing in the background on TV, hah.  If I’m proofing a galley, the TV is off.

5. You just said a mouthful! So much goes into being an author aside from simply writing books. Marketing, blogging and keeping up with social media alone can eat up so much of your day. To make things more efficient, do you ever write and edit simultaneously while working on your books, or do you write, finish the novel then editing? I like to write first and edit later for fear that if I stop and go, I’ll never finish.

MB: As noted above, I fast-draft.  All I want to do is get everything down so I can edit.  I’m one of those writers who’s in love with editing.

6.  Let’s talk about writer’s block. Do you ever experience it, and if so, how do you get past it?

MB: You know, I’m very disciplined when it comes to writing and working.  My whole life is disciplined LOL.  So I haven’t run into writers block because I MAKE myself write.  I do, even when I’m not in the mood, and there are many, many, many times that I want to sluff off.  Writing is my job, and when I do a job, I give not 100%, but 150%.  I find viewing writing as my job doesn’t take me into the “writer’s block” pit that I hear about.

7.  I follow a lot of authors on social media, and many of them mention being set on a specific storyline while writing, then deciding mid-book to take the plot in a completely different direction. Has that ever happened to you, and if so, how’d you handle it?

MB: My characters dictate which direction the novel’s going, so I haven’t had that problem of being hauled in another direction halfway through the novel.  Do I make changes, eliminate whole chapters, even eliminate characters?  Yes.  But never have I overhauled a plot, which I’m grateful for, because I’ve heard of this happening, and the thought of that gives me the shivers LOL. I’d cry and scream worse than lil Ava (my niece) if I had to do that.

8.   Once you’ve finished your book (yay!), what’s the next step? Do you edit it yourself, and if so, how many times do you usually read through it? Also, do you use beta readers to critique your work, and if so, how helpful have they been?

MB: I begin self-edits, three rounds minimum.  I look at the plot, character arcs, chapter beginnings, chapter endings, scene beginnings, scene endings, pacing, info dumping, GMC, etc.  Then I begin tightening, looking at emotion, POV, clarity, etc.  And I’m watching for my weakest points.  I don’t polish.  Then it’s off to my critique partner.  I must say I wish I had a faster process, because it takes me longer to edit a book than write one.

When I get the edits back, I address the notes in the critique.  When that’s done, I begin a stronger round of edits.  I’m sharpening body language, passive writing, emotion, over-writing, clichĂ©s, dialogue, visceral responses, watching for my crutches (and I know them well haha), etc.

By the time I’m done, I’ve completed about five or six passes full of highlights with every colour of the rainbow.  Then I listen to Word play back my MS.  I know I’m done when I’m simply nit-picking.  So I send that baby off to my publisher, and spend more time nit-picking during pubbed edits LOL.

For SANCTIFIED (book three in the Matawapit Family Series), I’m beginning my first round of edits now that I fast-drafted.  I’m targeting the summer to submit to the publisher.  As I said, I wish I had a faster editing process and could simply sub this baby in May, but that’s not happening.

9.  Have you ever self-published your work, or have you always gone the traditional publishing route? What are your thoughts on the pros and cons of each? And do you/have you ever worked with a literary agent? How do you feel about having representation?

MB: I’ve always used a publisher.  My hats off to those who self-publish.  I can’t really answer what the pros and cons for either are because I don’t have any experience with self-publishing, nor do I really know anything about it.  I have writer friends who do self-publish and it’s a lot of work from what I understand.  I’m not ready to think about going that route because I need more experience in the industry.  Right now I have a job.  If I self-pubbed, I’d have a business, and owning a business is TONS of work.  Ask my hubby.  He owns a business LOL.

As for having representation, it depends what I’m trying to accomplish, and at this point in my career, I don’t need a literary agent.  But if I do begin thinking about hitting up bigger publishers, then I’ll consider tossing my hat into the dreaded reject, reject, reject game of trying to land an agent LOL.  But for now, I’m very happy with eXtasy Books.

10. Okay, this last question will be helpful for both aspiring and current writers. What do you think are some of the most effective ways to promote your work?

MB: Last August, I did a blog post for Romance University (they’re currently on hiatus) that addresses promotion for new writers. Check it out.

Thank you so much for sharing your writing tips, tricks and methods with us, Maggie! Now that we know all about your process, let’s discuss 
THE MATAWAPIT FAMILY SERIES and its' first installment, BLESSED:

In the wilds of Northwestern Ontario, the adult children of a domineering Ojibway church deacon find their faiths crumbling and their beliefs faltering when a vengeful former lover, an ex-fiancé out on parole, and a seductive family enemy challenge Emery, Bridget, and Jude in a duel of love, loyalty, and values that threatens to destroy their perfect Catholic lives and family.

 
Blessed: Book One

A mixed-blood Catholic seminarian struggles to discern his true calling:  the priesthood or his ex-lover, a proud but damaged Ojibway man.

Blurb:  It’s been ten years since Emery Matawapit sinned, having succumbed to temptation for the one thing in his life that felt right, another man.  In six months he’ll make a life-changing decision that will bar him from sexual relationships for the rest of his life.

Darryl Keejik has a decade-long chip on his shoulder, and he holds Emery’s father, the church deacon, responsible for what he’s suffered:  the loss of his family and a chance at true love with Emery.  No longer a powerless kid, Darryl has influence within the community—maybe more than the deacon, and he intends on using his new-found power to destroy Deacon Matawapit and the church.

Hoping to save the church, Emery races home.  But stopping Darryl is harder than expected when their sizzling chemistry threatens to consume Emery.  Now he is faced with the toughest decision of his life:  please his devout parents and fulfill his call to the priesthood, or remain true to his heart and marry the man created for him.

*Blessed is on sale for $3.49 (during the month of April) if you purchase it directly from eXtasy Books.

***GIVEAWAY***

In celebration of Maggie’s new release, she is giving away a $15.00 eXtasy Books gift card! All you have to do is leave a comment below (keep it clean and positive, please!) Comments will remain open for 48 hours, and a winner will be randomly selected. Good luck, and please be sure to check out Maggie’s novels!

Amazon Buy Links:  Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com.au

Other Buy Links: Kobo | BookStrand | Nook | Smashwords | Google | iBooks

About the Author:

An Ojibway from Northwestern Ontario, Maggie resides in the country with her husband and their fur babies, two beautiful Alaskan Malamutes.  When she’s not writing, she can be found pulling weeds in the flower beds, mowing the huge lawn, walking the Mals deep in the bush, teeing up a ball at the golf course, fishing in the boat for walleye, or sitting on the deck at her sister’s house, making more wonderful memories with the people she loves most.

9 comments:

  1. Great interview! Congrats Maggie, it's well deserved! ♥

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    1. Thank you for stopping by and checking it out, VJ!

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    2. Thank you for stopping by, VJ. It's much appreciated!

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  2. As Native representation is sorely lacking in books, I'm glad that you're out there writing Maggie!

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    1. Thank you, J. Shannon. Glad to see you here and I'm happy to hear you enjoy reading about Canada's native people. :)

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    2. Thank you for stopping by and checking out Maggie's interview. You have been selected as the winner of her new release, REDEEMED! Maggie will be in contact with you regarding the details. Thank you again for participating!

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  3. Lovely interview...Congratulations Maggie ❤

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  4. Thank you to everyone who stopped by and checked out Maggie's interview and new release. The giveaway is now closed, and reader J. Shannon has been selected as the winner of REDEEMED!

    Thank you again, and please stayed tuned for future giveaways!!

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