Character Interview: Meet Toni Wakefield from Muskoka

Today I’d like to welcome Toni Wakefield to the readers of Inspy Romance. Toni is a mother and an artist based in the beautiful Muskoka region of Ontario, Canada. Welcome, Toni.

Thanks so much for having me today.

So, let’s begin. Tell us how long you’ve been living in Muskoka.

My brother and I moved to Muskoka last year when he got a job in Muskoka Shores as an assistant pastor. I was pregnant and without any family except Joel, so I felt like coming with him was the best option. I found a lot of people in my church in the city were pretty judgmental about me being a single mom, so it was good to get away from that. Anyway, my brother and I are pretty close, especially since the deaths of our parents, so it made sense to leave the city and come to Muskoka Shores.

And do you now enjoy living in a small town?

I actually now really love living in Muskoka Shores. It’s such a pretty part of the world with its lakes and trees and quaint shops and friendly people. I wasn’t sure at first, as I used to live in the city, but now I really appreciate the slower pace of life, and the fact I’ve made genuine friends here. I found that people in the city were far more superficial and didn’t want much to do with me when I was in trouble. Some of my best friends here include Joel’s girlfriend, Serena Williamson, who I met at church, along with some other women like author Staci Everton and Jackie O’Halloran. We like to catch up regularly on Friday nights at Serena’s soirees. They’re a lot of fun. We watch movies, laugh, share about our weeks, eat some of Serena’s fabulous food. I love that I’ve now got friends who don’t judge me, and who I can be real with. That’s gold.

You’re a single mother to a little boy, Ethan. We’d love to know more about your son.

Ethan is four months old, and the sweetest thing. He’s been such a good baby. I’m really blessed.

Please tell us about your art.

I’ve always enjoyed creativity, and have painted since I was a kid. I’ve always loved painting trees – there’s something so solid and reassuring about them, even life-giving about them – and now I’m here surrounded by trees and lakes so I find there’s inspiration galore.

I was really blessed last year in meeting Serena. I gave her one of my paintings and she took it to her office where she works at the Muskoka Shores Resort and it drew the attention of the resort manager and became the logo for the resort. That was so unexpected, and definitely one of God’s blessings. Another blessing was the fact that a famous NHL star bought one of my paintings for his wife, who then shared about it on social media. That was amazing.

Sure sounds like it. So how do you balance being a mother with your art career?

Talk about God’s blessings: I have a new job at the Muskoka Shores Resort where I’ll be running an art gallery as well as providing art lessons for resort guests. Serena got me the gig; she’s so amazing, I love her like a sister. I wasn’t sure how it could work with a baby in tow, but they have a creche – a day care – there for resort employees, and I’ve got space enough in the art gallery to allow for space for Ethan to have a sleep if necessary. And Joel and friends like Jackie have always been more than willing to help me out when necessary.

And we’d love to know more about your faith journey.

I know some people have judged me in the past for not being a very good Christian, but I’ve always believed in God. I know I struggled after the deaths of my parents, and yeah, I made some choices I regretted, but God has been so faithful despite all my mistakes. That’s the thing that those people in my city church didn’t get. God loves all of us, even while we’re still sinners. I’m pretty sure some Christians think everyone has to be perfect and have everything together before God loves them. That’s not what my Bible says. So I’ve been learning a lot about God’s love, and God’s grace, and learning to forgive myself and others. I know that I’m not perfect, but I also know that I am loved by God. I’m not my past, and if some people want to judge me, or won’t include me, or whatever, then that really says more about their narrow-mindedness prejudice than it does about God. I know that God loves me, and that He has good plans for me, and for Ethan, so I’m trying to trust God for the future.

That’s awesome to hear, and such a good reminder for us all. So what do you think the future might hold for you?

Well, that’d be great to know, wouldn’t it? I hope Ethan continues to grow up strong, and my art career flourishes. And who knows, maybe one day there will be a handsome Christian man in my future.

A handsome man like your brother’s best friend?

Matt Vandenberg? Please. As if someone that successful and good-looking would be interested in a mess like me. Anyway, whoever my mythical man might be has to be in it for the long haul, as I’m wanting this to last forever, so he’ll need to be willing to consider being Ethan’s stepfather one day. And that would have to take a very special man.

Thanks so much for sharing with us today, Toni. And if you’d like to find out more about Toni’s story then please check out Muskoka Hearts, releasing just in time for Valentine’s Day.

Toni Wakefield may be a talented artist, but past choices means this single mother never feels the equal of those around her–especially her brother’s best friend, investment funds manager Matt Vandenberg. Matt long ago fell in love with his best friend’s younger sister, and ry as he might, he just can’t fall out of it. And between his crazy working hours and the fact she’s now settled two hours away in beautiful Muskoka it seems they never have any time together. How can he persuade her to consider to give him a chance, when she’s sworn the only man she can care about is her baby boy?

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Carolyn Miller (30 Posts)

Carolyn Miller lives in the beautiful Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, with her husband and four children. A longtime lover of romance, Carolyn loves drawing readers into fictional worlds that show the truth of God’s grace in our lives. Her Regency and contemporary novels are available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Koorong, etc