Welcome to my sixteenth edition of Muse Monday. It’s a chance for a character who inspires me to guest on the blog. Instead of a guest post, though, I have Jude Matawapit, the handsome and take-charge hero from Sanctified, book three in The Matawapit Family series, in the interview chair.
1. First off, tell us who you are and what role you play in the novel.
Jude: It’s great to be a part of your blog. My name is Jude Matawapit. I am the eldest son of Deacon Norman and Maria Matawapit. We are a proud Catholic family, even though my father is Ojibway. My parents live back home at an isolated First Nations community. I’m the father of two wonderful children. I consider myself a dad first, and everything else is second. Unfortunately, I’m also in the middle of a divorce. This makes my decision to relocate a difficult one, since I have worked my way to principal for the Catholic elementary school I oversee in Thunder Bay. One day I planned on becoming the superintendent of education and finally the director of education. So this change isn’t only hard on my children, it’s also hard on me.
2. Share with us your hobbies and interests, and why you enjoy them.
Jude: I’m an avid golfer with a +4 handicap. I live and breathe golf by playing and watching. I am also very involved in my children’s activities, from soccer and hockey to golf and ballet. I also enjoy my weekly glass of the finest scotch that sure isn’t cheap. But I consider it my Friday night treat when I can sit in my study after a hard week at work to wind down. I also enjoy playing fantasy games for the sports I enjoy watching, such as golf, hockey, and CFL Football. Go Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
3. Tell us how you feel about being in a novel, and if you are happy with how your author presented you to readers.
Jude: I will admit I was shocked to get my own novel. I thought the author would stick to Emery. Then she gave Bridget (my younger sister) a novel. Then told me I was to have one, as well. She does make me come across as a bit of a hard ass at times, but maybe that’s just part of my lovely personality LOL.
4. If your author were to create another novel with you in mind, give us a quick blurb of what it would be about. And be sure to give the title.
Jude: Considering I’m starring in Sanctified, followed by Renewed (the last novel that ties the series together with a proper ending), I think I have been in enough novels. Any more and the reader will grow bored of seeing my name on the page.
5. Which character in the novel do you like the most, and why?
Jude: If we exclude my children from this question, the answer would be Raven Kabatay. She has a lot going for her after overcoming some difficult obstacles. There’s a fight in this woman I really admire, even when her family tries to hold her back.
6. Which character in the novel do you dislike the most, and why?
Jude: This is an easy one. Clayton Kabatay, Raven’s brother, who will do anything to dismantle the Catholic church on the rez.
7. Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Jude: I simply want to thank you for the interview, and I hope I meet the expectations of your readers.
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In the midst of a battle for leadership at their Ojibway community, two enemies of opposing families fall in love…
After suffering a humiliating divorce, infuriated Catholic Jude Matawapit bolts to his family’s Ojibway community to begin a new job—but finds himself thrown into a battle for chief as his brother-in-law’s campaign manager. The radical Kabatay clan, with their extreme ideas about traditional Ojibway life, will stop at nothing to claim the leadership position and rid the reserve of Western culture and its religion once and for all, which threatens not only the non-traditional people of the community, but Jude’s chance at a brand-new life he’s creating for his children.
Recovering addict Raven Kabatay will do anything to win the respect and trust of her older siblings and mother after falling deep into drug addiction that brought shame and anger to her family. Not only does she have the opportunity to redeem herself by becoming her brother’s campaign manager for chief—if he wins, she’ll have the reserve’s backing to purchase the gold-mine diner where she works, finally making something of herself. But falling in love with the family’s sworn enemy—the deacon’s eldest son, Jude—will not just betray the Kabatay clan. It could destroy everything Raven believes in and has worked so hard for.
Genre(s): Multicultural, Contemporary Romance, First Nations Romance, Adult, Inspirational.
Heat Rating: Level 3
Publication Date: September 20, 2019
Publisher: eXtasy Books
Maggie Blackbird 