Hello
everyone! Today, my dear friend and fellow eXtasy Books author Maggie Blackbird
drops by to talk about her latest release, an MM YA Romance called Toy
Soldiers. It hit the shelves at Devine Destinies just this
morning, so go get your copy now. Links are in the body of her post.
She did a
live reading with me last week from Chapter 1. It’s awesome!
Don’t forget
to show her tons of love at eXtasy Books and Devine Destinies, or follow her
blog on WordPress!
* * * *
Book
Info:
Title: Toy Soldiers
Series:
When We Were Young, #2
Author:
Maggie Blackbird
Genre:
LGBT, Young Adult, Contemporary, Multicultural
Heat
Rating: 1 Flame
Publication
Date: October 2, 2020
Publisher:
Devine Destinies
Once a
thief, always a thief, and if he can’t win the heart of the boy he loves, he’ll
steal it.
Blurb:
Billy Redsky’s made one of his biggest dreams come true, but there’s a
problem. Even though the boy he loves is
mere footsteps across the hall from his bedroom, they might as well live a
country apart because claiming René Oshawee’s heart is more difficult than
Billy anticipates.
Much to
Billy’s disgust, René can’t accept his true self, so he’s incapable of loving
someone else. And all he cares about is
living a life the chief and his wife foresee for their youngest son.
If Billy is
to finally have what he truly desires, he must stop René from running away from
who he really is and face the man in the mirror, or what they share will never
blossom into true love.
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55405414-toy-soldiers
Buy at
Devine Destinies: https://www.devinedestinies.com/978-1-4874-3048-1-toy-soldiers/
EXCERPT:
They were
at Gold’s Coffee, a place Billy hadn’t hit since last Friday. He stirred the
three teaspoons of sugar and four creamer containers he’d added to his mug. He
then fixed René’s with the specified one teaspoon and one creamer because he
was on the payphone, making the call to the school secretary.
There were
a few people from school chillin’, one junior, a few seniors, and some OAC
students who probably had spares and didn’t have to be at the school until
second period. They all had their books open, studying. The ones paired up
talked the odd time.
In the
lobby, René looked like he banged down the phone. He threw open the door and
huffed to the table. His leather jacket bounced. So did his loose cargo shorts
sitting low on his hips with long underwear beneath them. Even the laces of his
black boots flopped about as he bore down on Billy.
When René
reached their table, he pretty much slammed his butt into the chair, sunglasses
pushed up on his head. “Don’t you ever force me to make that kind of fucking
phone call again,” he snarled while lifting his mug. “If the school
double-checks, Danny’ll fry my ass.”
“You
pretended to be your bro?” Billy innocently asked.
“Who the
fuck else was I gonna be? Dad? As if.” René reached inside his leather jacket
and withdrew his cigarettes. “You’re lucky Mom and Dad have Danny listed at the
office as a contact, or we woulda been screwed. Now what the hell’s so
important you got us skipping class?”
“Dude,
haven’t you ever cut class?”
“No.” René
blustered. “Never.”
This guy
really had to lighten up and try some serious living. “You’re on the honor
roll. There’s no chance you’ll fail because you missed one class.”
“Listen
here.” René again shoved his finger at Billy’s face. “Don’t you dare try and
dictate my life. Got it?”
“Why not?”
Billy made a pfft sound. “You let everyone else.”
“I’m not
about to let some little shit in grade ten manipulate me—”
“Cut it. If
I hear you call me that again, I’m gonna smack your big trap shut.”
“You go
ahead and try, and I’ll wipe this very floor with your ten-year-old, little
shit, grade-ten ass.” René lit his cigarette. He’d pretty much sneered his
words, since he was sneering.
“Fine, keep
calling me a kid, but at least I know my own head. I don’t let everything scare
me.” Billy leaned into the table.
“Scare me?”
René placed his hand on his chest.
“Yeah. You
don’t ever think for yourself, even though you’re more than capable of it. Why?
’Cause you’re too busy quoting their laws. Did they also give you a manual to
study for all these rules they have for you?”
“Haha.
Fun-ny. Not.” René kept scowling. “Now what do you need to talk about? The
timer’s running.” He used his thumb to motion behind him at the clock tacked
above the serving counter.
“Your
attitude sucks.” Billy shook his head. “I wanted to talk to you about…the bus.”
“What about
the bus?” Exasperation filled René’s tone. “If this is about catching rides
again, the answer is no. Mom and Dad said—”
“See? There
you go again. Mom says… Dad says… What do you feel?” Billy
lightly punched his heart. “Right here.”
The flash
in René’s eyes died. He sank back, folding his arms, the cigarette still
between his index and middle fingers. “Yeah, they’re being a bit unfair, but I
get their point, okay? I need space. You need space.”
“Space? My
new space has gotten me a…” Billy licked his lips. “The gang wants me to go to
the movies on Saturday. I had to lie and say your mom wants me to do stuff for
her.”
“What’s
wrong with going the movies?” René’s gaze was quizzical.
“It’s
Carla…” Billy crushed a creamer container. “She…”
“Oh, I get
it.” René arched a brow. “She’s not taking the hint.”
“No.”
“Then
you’re gonna have to set her straight, like I had to be—”
“Was Moxy
hitting on you?” The green-eyed monster resurfaced beneath Billy’s skin.
“Let’s say
nothing’ll ever happen between her and me. You’re gonna have to do the same.”
René tapped the ash into the ashtray.
“How? I’m
not you. Everyone listens to you.”
“Just tell
her in a nice way you’re not interested.”
There was
no way possible to reject someone nicely without hurting their feelings. Billy
let go of the creamer container. He glanced up at René, who had impatience
written all over his face.
“I also
feel as if…” Big deal if they argued. Arguing seemed to be what they did best.
“I’m not on your level.” He moved his finger to himself then toward René.
“We’re together, but you still sometimes treat me like…a stupid younger
brother. What’s it gonna be?”
René’s eyes
shifted up to the left. He glanced back at Billy, impatience still lining his
face. “When you stop acting like one.”
Frustration
gathered at the back of Billy’s neck. “And how the hell am I acting like one?”
“Duh. Try
right now. You have us cutting class. Maturity means owning up to your
responsibilities.” René banged his index finger that held the cigarette on the
table. “If you acted your age, we wouldn’t be sitting here right now, would
we?”
“Yeah? But
you sure don’t got your balls. Your fam has them. At least I have mine.” Billy
pointed down at his crotch. “And I’m not letting anyone take them from me.”
“What the—”
“It’s true.
You stand up to your friends. You stand up to me. The only people you don’t
stand up to is your fam or anyone in authority. You take what they say and mark
it in your book of rules.”
“I don’t
have my balls?” René flicked back his bangs. “And where’re yours? The reason
we’re sitting here is because you don’t have the balls to tell Carla to piss
off.”
“It’s not
about balls. It’s about not wanting to hurt someone who’s pretty cool.”
René’s eyes
narrowed. “Then go to the movies with them,” he snapped. He crushed his butt
out in the ashtray, shoved back his chair, and stood. “Let’s motor.”
“No. You
sit your ass back down. I’m not finished.” Billy trembled. Maybe he’d pushed
René too far.
Although
René didn’t sit, he didn’t leave. He folded his arms, glaring. “Then hurry it
up.”
“Sit.
Down.” Billy made sure his words were calm. Something was happening he couldn’t
put his finger on. There was a look in René’s eyes colder than the Arctic.
René yanked
out his chair and sat. “You got five minutes. The timer’s on.”
I love
you. I love you so bad. I don’t know why, ’cause all you do is feed me grief.
Take out whatever’s going on in your head on me. All I want is for you to love
me, too. Love me the way I love you.
“I don’t
want us to fight. And I don’t wanna make you mad. I just wanna be with you.”
Billy couldn’t stop trembling.
“You are
with me.” René’s said flatly. He reached inside his jacket and withdrew his
cigarettes.
At least
he’d listened. The hope sitting at Billy’s feet slithered a morsel upward. “I
wish…I wish I could hold your hand right now, but we can’t.”
“No, we
can’t. It’ll never happen. Ever.” René lit the smoke. He pocketed his platinum
lighter he always used.
“You’re
never gonna let anyone know about you. Only Keith?”
René
nodded.
Their
problem was René’s inability to embrace himself. Truly embrace who he was.
Sure, he’d finally accepted he had a thing for dudes, after too much pushing
and prodding from Billy, but René didn’t seem to embrace the idea. Somehow,
Billy had to make René see he was special simply for being super-cool René
Randall Oshawee, because if Billy didn’t, they’d fail.
There was
only one person who could help. He’d talk to him tomorrow morning.
* * * *
INTERVIEW
QUESTIONS
1. Hi, Maggie. I’m so glad you could take the time to stop
by and sit in the nice, comfy interview chair.
Let’s get started. First off,
readers have an idea of the writer you, but what about the everyday Maggie? Can you share about your personal life?
Maggie: There’s not really much to tell that isn’t
already stated in my author biography LOL.
Lets’ see. The hubby and I have
two new Alaskan Malamutes after our other “team” crossed the rainbow bridge. The two newbs are a handful, but now that
they’re closing in on five months, they’re starting to calm down a bit.
2. Having read the majority of your books, I
know you love writing about Canada’s Indigenous People. Why?
Maggie:
Well, being Ojibway, it was only natural I’d choose to write about Indigenous
people falling in love. There are many
stories to tell that Canada’s First People faced, and still face. I love building issues into the romance, such
as the Indian Residential Schools, the Sixties Scoop, etc.
3. Your latest series is When We Were
Young. Can you tell me what inspired
you to create this series?
Maggie:
This is the result of a backstory from another novel that I started writing
around 2010. I was intrigued by the René
Oshawee and Billy Redsky characters. I
began writing a short story about them in their youth. It took off from there. I shelved the first book around 2014…I think,
to concentrate on Blessed, book one in the Matawapit Family Series.
4. The story you shelved, is this Two
Princes, the first book in the series?
Maggie:
No. The series was originally called The
Story of Us, and the first book was titled Crazy Life. Billy was only in elementary school at the
time. He was in grade seven going into
grade eight. I realised he was too
young, and that what I was writing was backstory, because the real story starts
when the romance between Billy and René commences. So I put the book away and started from
scratch to write Two Princes.
5. Can you share your writing process through
Toy Soldiers?
Maggie:
There isn’t really much of a process. I
fast-draft first. That means no sneaking
back to edit. My goal is to get the book
written as fast as I can. Why? Because I’m an edit junkie. I love editing what I write.
6. How much research goes into your novels?
Maggie: It
all depends on what I’m writing. For Toy
Soldiers, I’m lucky to know a few First Nations constables. One in particular was a very big help with
law, law enforcement, family court, and criminal court. He was my “beta reader” for these scenes.
7. Let’s talk about the main characters for Toy
Soldiers. What do you love most about
Billy Redsky and what makes you want to shake him?
Maggie: I
admire Billy’s spunk and his determinedness.
Whatever Billy wants, he’s brave enough to get. As for shaking him…aww, he’s only fifteen
going on sixteen hehe. Kids are guided
by their emotions at this age and are very reactionary. Billy is extremely reactionary. At times I want to tell him to show some
patience.
8. The same for René Oshawee. What do you
love most about him and what makes you want to shake him?
Maggie:
Even though René is extremely popular, he has much empathy for the
misfits. His best friend is a
misfit. The girl he befriended in
kindergarten is also a misfit. The same
for Billy who starts out as a misfit. As
for shaking him, the walls he has built around himself. He just won’t let anyone in.
9. What makes the When We Were Young
series different from other young adult romances?
Maggie:
First, mine takes place on at an Ojibway community aka Indian Reserve. Second, we’re dealing with the child abuse,
alcoholism, criminal activity, etc. René
and Billy also have a lot stacked against them since the series takes place in
the mid nineties.
10. If a reader asked you why they should read
the When We Were Young series, what would you tell them?
Maggie: I’d
say, if you like LGBT romance starring two Indigenous males who live on an
Indian Reserve and have to walk the “red road” to overcome the obstacles
keeping them from truly being together, then this is the series for you.
11. You can only recommend one of your novels
to a reader, which would you choose from the books you’ve written so far, and
why?
Maggie: I’d
say start with Redeemed, book two in the Matawapit Family Series. The issues in this novel focus strictly on
what Indigenous people face, and you see the problem from both sides.
12. Which novel was your personal favourite to
write, and why?
Maggie:
Y’know, I’d go with Redeemed. I
really enjoyed writing Adam Guimond’s story, and his romance with Bridget
Matawapit.
13. What about works in progress?
I just
finished the proof of Because of You, the sequel to Thanks to You,
a short story for American Thanksgiving.
I sent back my edits for Better Than Gold, a short Christmas
story for eXtasy Books’ 12 Days of Christmas Collection. And I’m now fast-drafting the third book in
the When We Were Young series.
14. What do you enjoy most about writing?
Editing!
15. What do you enjoy least about writing?
Fast-drafting
LOL.
16. I enjoy doing random questions, so humour
me:
- What’s your favourite movie?
Mad Max II
aka The Road Warrior
- What book is currently in your e-reader?
Beneath the
Grandstand by Amy-Alex Campbell
- Who’s your favourite musical group?
This is
tough. I have a few. Normally, I say Megadeth, but today I’ll say
Collective Soul, because I wrote a lot of the series to Collective Soul.
- What song puts a smile on your face?
There are
too many to list! But I do have a soft
spot for Fuzzy by Collective Soul.
17. Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Thanks for
having me. It’s much appreciated!
* * * *
AUTHOR BIO
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.
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