BookLife Talks with Catalina DuBois
A sponsored Q&A with the author of 'Book of Matthew'
You already have a trilogy under your belt in addition to the prequel for Book of Matthew. Has your writing process changed since those first books?
No, it has not. I have always given everything I have to every book I write, and I will continue to do so in the future.
All of your books have been historical fiction. What draws you to that genre?
Modern love stories tend to ruin the leading man. He’s always some pig who will sleep with anything that walks until “she” enters his life and magically changes him. Plots like this have been done to death. I am beyond sick of them. I have very little free time. When I’m not writing books and doing research, I am raising a daughter with autism. On the rare occasion that I am blessed to have three days to devote to reading, I want a hero who is beyond reproach, a man I can fall in love with. He must have chivalry, selflessness, and respect for all women, not just the one he is interested in. I desire to read about the knight, not the frat boy. This is why most of my tales are historical. If your readers can’t fall in love with your hero and they don’t feel swept off their feet, have you truly written a romance?
What kind of research did you do to ensure historical accuracy?
I’ll just say that there are a lot of librarians and professors who are sick of seeing my face.How do you imagine readers at this moment will connect to Book of Matthew?
Matthew is a man who was born to privilege owing to the suffering of others. Rather than taking advantage of his status and turning a blind eye to the less fortunate, he refuses to accept such inequality, especially regarding the woman he loves. Sarah is being hunted by a killer. She can’t rely on the police to intervene because she is a slave and as such is considered property. Her only hope is to team up with a man she isn’t allowed to love and solve the dark mystery. This is an against-all-odds love story that is full of surprising twists. I believe most people can relate to Book of Matthew because finding true love is never easy, no matter the circumstances.
Can readers expect a sequel?
Book of Matthew II will be released on Halloween 2020, and it will be an even more explosive ride. Matthew and Sarah are at the center of another murder plot as America is ravaged by civil war. She serves as a Union nurse and he fights for the freedom of others, both while hiding their profound but illegal marriage. Matthew is soon betrayed, ambushed, and captured. He and Sarah must discover whether this new threat is a repeat of the past or something even darker. You can find this story on barnesandnoble.com in paperback format or download the e-book from my website, catalinadubois.com/free-downloads.
