Amy J Romine: #Friday Author Spotlight Interview with Maggie Blackbird

Suspense for the Romantic Heart ~ Author Spotlight with Maggie Blackbird

If you had the opportunity to live anywhere in the world for a year while writing a book that took place in that same setting, where would you choose?

Wellll, I write romance starring Canada’s Indigenous People, so I’d have to stay in Canada haha. And the stories usually take place in Northwestern Ontario, where I live, so it’d be sort of boring for me since I’ve travelled all over the northwest during my previous job.

What behind-the-scenes tidbit in your life would probably surprise your readers the most?

I don’t know if readers would find this surprising or shocking, but I’m a total golf addict. I watch it and play it. I watch all three tours (PGA, European, and Asian), but the European Tour is my fave. Some of my top golfers are Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, Henrik Stenson of Sweden, Victor Dubuisson of France, Joost Luiten of the Netherlands, Adam Scott of Australia, Gavin Green of Malaysia, and Tiger Woods of the USA.

How do you come up with names for your characters?

Quite simply actually. They come up with their own names. Yeah, I know. Weird. LOL.

Give a shout-out to a fellow author.

Check out the work of Zakarrie Clarke at https://www.goodreads.com/zakarrie. She’s an excellent writer.

What would the logline be for your book?

My book? You mean about my life? Here we go. When she walked her dogs into the woods that morning, she never expected to encounter Bigfoot…

What is your favorite word, and why?

Honestly, I have no favourite word. None whatsoever. But I do have pet words for each MS. I think my editor Emmy was slapping my hands at the word “before” in the last one haha.

Describe your writing space.

I have two writing spaces. In the evening, I’m in the living room sitting on the sofa that reclines. I have one dog at the foot of the recliner and another on the sofa with me. I’m doing my best to answer these questions and watch the golf I recorded over the weekend. But my satellite has conked out on me, so I’m waiting for it to reset.

How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?

Do you mean published? Or books I simply wrote because I simply need to write? If we’re talking books/novellas/short stories/etc. that I’ve written over the years, I have lost track. Simply lost track. There are too many to list.

As for my published works, I’d go with Blessed. It’s my first published book and near and dear to my heart.

What is the most surprising thing you discovered while writing your book(s)?

That even when I think I have it all figured out, the characters say differently. Out goes the nice logline and blurb I wrote before I began tackling the book, and I have to create new ones.

Do you have a favorite character that you have written? If so, who? And what makes them so special.

I’d say Emery Matawapit is my favourite. He’s quite introspective, self-punishing, full of guilt, sexually repressed, and has a ton of hang-ups. He’s extremely private. I had to wrestle with him to share his story with readers because he didn’t want a POV in the novel. He wanted his lover Darryl to simply tell the story.

Are there any secrets from the book (that aren’t in the blurb), you can share with your readers?

Which book? Do you mean my latest? My latest release is Renewed, book four in the Matawapit Family Series. Yes, there are many secrets that come to light. Many, many. I loved exposing all of those secrets in this book.

Does one of your main characters hold a special place in your heart? If so, why?

As mentioned above, Emery from Blessed, book one in the Matawapit Family Series.

If one of your books was to be made into a movie, who are the celebrities that would star in it?

Since I’m promoting Renewed, I’ll choose actors for the two main characters. I’d say Chaske Spencer would be a perfect Jude Matwapit. As for Raven Kabatay, the lovely Ashley Callingbull would be perfect.

Are you working on anything at the present you would like to share with your readers about?

I’m drafting the second novel for a trilogy. I wrote the first one during the month of January. I’m targeting the end of February for my current WIP. Once the second book is drafted, I’ll begin self-edits for the first book and prep it for submission. It’s a YA m/m contemporary romance that takes place during the grunge 90s and stars two young guys from the same Ojibway community.

How many plot ideas are just waiting to be written? Can you tell us about one?

Way too many ideas. I’d love to write a trilogy on the fur trade. Another on the Sixties Scoop. I’m hoping to start on those once my YA/NA trilogy is done.

What are you reading now?

I’m currently reading the Kennedy Heirs by J. Randy Taraborrelli. I have this fascination with the Kennedys, probably because I never knew anything about them while I was growing up. I can recall Jackie Onassis always being in the National Enquirer as a kid, and the same for Ted Kennedy. I’d think to myself, “Who are these people and why are they always in the gossip mags?” Keep in mind this was before the Internet, and being in Canada, I learned Canadian history, not American. It wasn’t until my late teens that I finally figured out who these people were and why the press wrote about them. And how important JFK was to the USA. See? I didn’t know about him, either, until later on. Seriously. They’re a fascinating family.

What famous author do you wish would be your mentor?

She has since passed away, but she is my fave romance author of all time: Johanna Lindsey. And he has since passed away, too, my fave Ojibway author Richard Wagamese.

What do you like to do when you are not writing?

Golf, walk, exercise, visit family and friends, garden, work on the lawn (we have five acres cleared on our property), fish, boat.

What is the best part of your day?

Mornings. I love getting up at five to start my day.

Would you rather be in a room full of snakes or a room full of spiders?

Either is fine because I adore spiders and snakes LOL—as long as they’re not the poisonous kind!

What is your favorite word?

Y’know, I don’t have one. There is no fave word.

What is your least favorite word?

The same thing. I have no least fave word, either.

What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?

Prayer. Seriously LOL. It always gets life going for me.

What turns you off?

Interruptions. I’m a very focussed person and it drive me crazy when I’m interrupted.

What is your favorite curse word?

I can’t say I have one. I’m not much of a curser. I’ve mellowed out over the years LOL.

What sound or noise do you love?

When my over-sized Malamute makes his “baby” noises. He sounds so adorable.

What sound or noise do you hate?

The nails on the chalkboard thing.

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?

Being a pro caddy for a pro golfer! Yeah, Rory, pick me to carry your bag!

What profession would you not like to do?

Anything to do with science or math. I am not good at that stuff.

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?

Welcome, Maggie, all of your fur babies have been waiting for you to take them for their walk. They’ve missed walking with you every morning. Now you can spend the rest of eternity doing what you love most—walking the babies outside in nature.