Maggie Blackbird

Romancing Canada's Indigenous People

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Heads Up!

As noted in my previous posts, I enjoy reading about Indigenous heroines.  So when I came across Robin Deeter‘s Paha Sapa Saga series, I had to click on the buy option.  According to her Goodreads page, Ms. Deeter is planning twelve books for the series.

Available for purchase are:  Sacrifice and Reward, Winter Moon, The Bear – Part One, and The Bear – Part II.  I ordered Sacrifice and Reward.  Her site says you can purchase directly from the author, and although I tried to, I had to order them from Amazon.ca.

Here is the blurb for Sacrifice and Reward, courtesy of Goodreads:

Which will be the victor: hatred or love?

Mid-18th century North America is a hotbed of unrest between many Native American tribes, who are feuding over territory. By this time, most of the Kiowa bands have been pushed west by the Lakota, who are on the move southward from the Great Lakes region. These invaders from the north want the game-rich, lush pasture lands of the territory for themselves.

However, one small Kiowa band is determined to remain in their early homelands in the region of what will be one day known as eastern South Dakota. These two enemy tribes are brought face-to-face through the vision of a young Kiowa medicine man.

Sky Dancer, a beautiful, Kiowa widow, and proud Lakota warrior, Dark Horse, are forced to marry in order to create an alliance between their peoples. Right from the beginning they clash in a test of wills, loathing each other on sight, making a happy marriage seem out of the question.

Will the sacrifice that is asked of them save their tribes? Can these two enemies overcome their initial hatred to find love in unlikely place or will distrust keep them from the reward they both crave?

Buy Links:  All books sold through Amazon.com.

Golfer

Fore!

Across the pond, the European Tour is in Prague, Czech Republic at the Albatross Golf Resort with the players battling for a spot on the Ryder Cup Team, and also fighting to earn enough points to compete in the prestigious Race to Dubai play-offs that begin on November 1st in Turkey.

Meanwhile, in the USA, the Fed-Ex Cup is off and running.  This week, one hundred and twenty-five golfers will slug it out at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, New Jersey.  Why is this event so important to these golfers?  Because twenty-five will be cut and unable to compete in the remaining three events for a chance at winning the Fed-Ex Cup.

Trust me, nobody wants to be sent packing.  These guys want to go on to compete in the third tournament.  Here are my picks for the fantasy games…

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Anishinaabekwe in 1901

I did a previous post about the novels–contemporary and historical–I’ve read, was reading, or planned on reading that starred Indigenous heroines.  Today, I’m blogging about more books I’ve discovered.  It doesn’t matter if the continent is North America, South America, Australia, or wherever else.

As a matter of fact, after watching Mighty Cruise Ships by chance, I fell in love with the MS Paul Gauguin as the ship cruised around French Polynesia for fourteen days.  I kept conjuring up a romance between a gorgeous captain falling for a Polynesian beauty.  Anyone willing to write that one for me?

Anyway, not to get sidetracked, here are some books in my TBR list, or that I’ve recently read:

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On the Hunt

Where I live, there are places told to me where the Ojibway and Dakota battled.  There is even two towns that carry the names–one is a narrows and the other is a lookout spot.  One elder even mentioned a battle that took place where a bridge is now–it’s where she wanted to offer tobacco, she told her granddaughter.

John Tanner, in his book the Falcon, even documented these battles.

Currently, I’m reading a book by James A. M. Ritchie, who formerly worked as a community development researcher, electronic and print media journalist, native policy analyst and consultant, and town archivist.

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Golfer

Fore!

This week, the European Tour is hosting the Nordea Masters at Hills Golf & Sports Club in Gothenburg, Sweden.  On this side of the pond, the PGA Tour will be teeing it up at the at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina.

For the PGA, the countdown has begun to see who will earn enough points to play in the the prestigious Fed-Ex Cup playoffs.  Spain’s Sergio Garcia is one of those who hovers on the line, and he’ll be playing in South Carolina this weekend.

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Today, there won’t be a Wednesday edition for my blog, because I’m guest blogging at Alternative-Read for Sassy Brit’s What’s on Your Desk Wednesday.

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Welcome to our WHAT’S ON YOUR DESK, WEDNESDAY? Our Weekly Spotlight Feature!

Let’s take a look at where stories are created, from the desk of… Maggie Blackbird

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My Writing Routine :

by Maggie Blackbird
Website: : https://maggieblackbird.com/blog/

I am starting to blog on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I do these blogs in advance. Blogging is a lot of work, but I love it. I should because I’ve had a personal blog since 2004. I do blog-related posts for what I write: romance starring the Indigenous people of Canada. I promote books I’ve read and loved. I do author interviews. I host guest bloggers. I talk about music, golf, and reading. I list TV shows that I love and why others should watch them. There’s something for everyone. I’m coming up with new ideas all the time.

About the Book :

Blessed (The Matawapit Family #1)

by Maggie Blackbird (Goodreads…

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I grew up on what is known as the Voyageurs’ Highway, the lakes and rivers men used to transport furs from long ago to back east.  As a child, and unbeknownst to me of its history, the replica fort where my cousins, sisters, brother, and I used to play was simply a neat place to spend the evening while our parents engaged in a game of baseball at the baseball field next door.

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The Voyageurs’ Highway

The older I got, the more I learned about the fur trade.  Grandpa was a trapper.  I can recall the cool room where he stored the pelts nailed and stretched on boards.  While the furs were Grandpa’s livelihood, us children thought of them as pretty things to play with.  Of course Grandpa would always give a, “No, no.  Don’t touch.  That’s grandpa’s money, hehe.”

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Golfer

Fore!

This weekend is the last of the four majors of the season–the PGA Championship.  But don’t worry, there is still plenty of competitive golf to be played, such as the Fed-Ex Cup on the PGA tour, the Race to Dubai across the pond on the European Tour, and one of the biggest events coming up in September–the Ryder Cup.

Bellerive Country Club in St. Louise, Missouri is hosting the 100th PGA Championship.  That’s right, this fourth major is celebrating its centennial birthday.

As always, anyone who is anyone in golf will be there.  Since I’m not anyone in the golfing world, I get to watch from the sofa, haha.  But I’ll be enjoying every minute of the game.

Anyway, here are my fantasy picks:

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Movie Night!

When I belonged to a fan fiction community back in the early 00s, a few writers friends were always talking about Velvet Goldmine.  Eventually, their enthusiasm wore me down and I purchased the movie to see what all the fuss was about.

Boy, was I in for a treat.  Being an avid reader and writer of m/m romance and slash fan fiction, and also a die-hard music lover, Velvet Goldmine was the perfect fit for me.

Everyone insist the characters are loosely based on Iggy Pop and the late great David Bowie, but nothing has been confirmed by anyone connected with this movie.

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I did a two-part post on AIM (American Indian Movement), and you can read about the movement itself and its members.  AIM, according to the late founder Dennis Banks, was “formed to address the oppression of the native people living in the twin cities.”

In Canada, Indigenous people held their share of protests for aboriginal rights.  Some were documented in books, others weren’t.  I am still searching for one about the occupation of Anicinabe Park in Kenora, Ontario.

For this post, I’ll be recommending two books I’ve read on this subject, one taking place in my Treaty Area (meaning the First Nations communities who signed a Treaty with the British Crown) and the other in Quebec.

Books

Reading is good.

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Golfer

Fore!

There’s a lot of golf this weekend.  The European Tour is continuing the Race to Dubai at the Champion Course in Natadola Bay, Fiji.  The underdogs of the PGA will be teeing it up at the Montrêux Golf & Country Club in Reno, Nevada.  But everyone who is anyone in the golfing world will be at the WGC (World Golf Championship), taking place at the Firestone Country Golf Club’s south course in Akron, Ohio.

The WGC is the best of the best.  Players from the PGA, European, Asian, and every other tour you can think of, who are good enough to qualify, participate in this event.

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Blessed is my first book in the Matawapit Family trilogy:  In the wilds of Northwestern Ontario, the secular world challenges the adult children of a perfect Catholic family headed by a full-blooded, domineering church deacon, when a vengeful former lover, an ex-fiancé out on parole, and a seductive family enemy, all dedicated to their Ojibway culture, test the faiths of Emery, Bridget, and Jude.

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How to enter?  It’s easy.  Sign up to follow my blog.  Where do you enter your email address to follow my blog?  Where it says Follow Me on the right menu bar.

The contest runs from Wednesday 6:00 AM, August 01, 2018 to Thursday, 11:59 PM, August 02, 2018.  Central Standard Time.

On Friday morning, at 9:00 AM CST, I’ll announce the winner and send a free copy of Blessed in the format you desire:  ePUB, mobi, PDF, or PRC.

Questions?  Leave a comment and I’ll be sure to answer.

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In Part One and Part Two, the books I listed were completed by scholars and historians.  For this post, I’m concentrating on those of an autobiographical/biographical/memoir nature.  These are wonderful account from those who lived long ago, or are about those who lived long ago.

Canoe

Everyone’s journey is a story.

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Golfer

Fore!

Since I enjoy playing Fantasy Golf, I thought I’d devote Fridays to my picks for the PGA Tour and the European Tour.  Starting Thursday, on the PGA Tour, they’ll be in Canada at the Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ontario for the RBC Canadian Open.

Across the pond in Hamburg, Germany at the Porsche European Open, stars of the European Tour, including Patrick Reed, Bryson DeChambeau, and Paul Casey will be teeing it up.

Here are my picks!

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I have so many books, I’m going to have to break this post into three, instead of the original two that I’d previously promised in Part One.  The third part will be the autobiographical/biographical/memoir accounts from long ago.

Books

Reading is good.

For this post, you’ll find studies and texts written by historians and researchers.  Enjoy.

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Some spell it Ojibwe.  For others it’s Ojibwa.  But I grew up learning to spell it Ojibway.  All are correct.  There’s nothing I love more than immersing myself in a good book about the history, culture, and people of the Anishinaabe Nation.

My love of reading prompted me to do a post about some great books I’ve immersed myself in, for pleasure or for research.  I should say all for pleasure since every book I read is pleasurable.  Because there are many books I’ve stuck my nose in, I’ll be splitting this post into Part One and Part Two.

Canoe

Everyone’s journey is a story.

For this post, I’m going to list and highly recommend the late and great Basil Johnston, a survivor of the Indian Residential School (he attended the same one as my dad, but they attended at different times since Basil is much older than my father).

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Captive Spirit by Liz Fichera

Captive Spirit by Liz Fichera

It’s time for some fiction since I’ve been on a non-fiction kick as of late.  Last night, I popped Captive Spirit by Liz Fichera into my trusty old Sony e-reader.  Mind you I can’t comment on the beginning of the story because I fell asleep before I could begin reading LOL.  So I’m looking forward to sneaking in some reading time tonight.

Here is the blurb courtesy of Goodreads:

Sonoran Desert. Dawn of the sixteenth century.

Aiyana isn’t like the other girls of the White Ant Clan. Instead of keeping house, she longs to compete on the Ball Court with her best friend Honovi and the other boys. Instead of marriage, she daydreams of traveling beyond the mountains that surround her small village. Only Honovi knows and shares her forbidden wish, though Aiyana doesn’t realize her friend has a secret wish of his own…

When Aiyana’s father arranges her marriage to a man she hardly knows, she takes the advice of a tribal elder: run! In fleeing, she falls into the hands of Spanish raiders and finds herself being taken over the mountains against her will. Now Aiyana’s on a quest to return to the very place she once dreamed of escaping. And she’ll do whatever it takes to survive and find her way back to the people she loves.

Buy Links:  Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Kobo | Nook | iBooks

Golfer

Fore!

aka The Open or the British Open is the oldest major golf tournament.  This week, everyone who is anyone in the golfing world is at Carnoustie Golf Links in Scotland.

I love playing fantasy golf (no, I’m not a gambler LOL) for my own fun.  I don’t expect to win a prize from the PGA, European PGA, or the Golf Channel, but it’s always a hoot to see if I picked the right golfers to win or do well on the leaderboard.

Here are my picks from the following tours:

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Blessed by Maggie Blackbird

Blessed by Maggie Blackbird

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

Blessed is now available for purchase at eXtasy Books.

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. Darryl intends on using his power to destroy Deacon Matawapit and his 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.

This is very erotic book about a spiritual journey.