Monday, March 5, 2012

Ketchup is more than a vegetable

When my kids were little, we used to joke that ketchup was a vegetable. It's chock full of tomatoes, so it has to be healthy, right? Fast forward a few years and we move to the deep South. At one of our fav eat-out spots, they have a list of veggies in big letters right on the back of the cash registers. Get this, macaroni and cheese is a vegetable. So is rice. You gotta love the South!

Anyway, I have some catching up to do, hence the ketchup blog.

For anyone that missed the announcement, SEEING RED, my sweet romance about the bed and breakfast that's a huge money pit, is FREE this week/month at Smashwords as they promote reading e-books. Free, that's right. But you need a coupon code, so here it is:
MD44L and here's the link: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/41338 

In this book, Emma Heartly is desperately trying to get out of her dead end job, but her boss and sisters won't let her. Contractor Quentin Stone likes old Victorians and he's keen about the redhead too, so he volunteers to help her when her loan falls through. Expect construction mishaps and family drama in this full length book.

As the wheels of publishing turn at unequal rates, my "February" release of my hardcover title from Five Star / Cengage, DEATH, ISLAND STYLE, actually becomes live at Amazon and B&N on March 7. That's this Wednesday. You need to read this fun-in-the-sun book. It's gotten fab reviews from Publisher's Weekly, Kirkus, Library Journal, Romantic Times and more. MaryBeth reinvents herself as a craft store owner after the deaths of her husband and her mother, but her past isn't done with her. It catches up with her in the form of a dead guy in the surf, a guy the cops link to her. Yikes! She has to work fast to prove her innocence.

Besides 3 of the Big 4 reviewers taking a shine to this mystery, read this from a trending author:

"On the surface, Maggie Toussaint's "Death, Island Style," is a well-written, intricate, and satisfying cozy mystery with a charming setting and well-developed characters. Below the surface, it's an emotional but no less satisfying look at a woman's journey from heartbroken widow and grieving daughter to self-confident business woman and kick-ass heroine. It delivers on both counts, and will hopefully not be the last we see of MaryBeth Cashour and the people of Sandy Shores Island." Jennie Bentley, New York Times Bestselling Author

Thank you, Jennie Bentley. You are truly a Rock Star in my world.

And the publishing wheels revolve again, this time to my zany cozy mystery, MURDER IN THE BUFF, an ebook-only mystery from Muse It Up which releases this Friday, March 9. Holy Murgatroid, Batman. Two books releasing in one week! What was I thinking?

Murder is about wronged Molly Darter, a reporter who caught her husband doing a tonsil check of her sister. Her boss makes her go to the nudist colony for a story and the nudists insist that one of their own was murdered. Molly doesn't want to help them, but certain photos push her into sniffing around. There's a slobbery dog, a precocious boy-child, a determined husband, a boss with secrets, and a whole lot more. Plus this book very affordable. Here's a link you might find useful on Friday (to buy) or today just to nose around. Muse It Up Publishing

I've got two signings coming up this month. One on Sunday, March 18 and another on Saturday, March 31. Local folks will get postcards with more info. If you aren't on my mailing list - you need to be! Email me for more info maggie@maggietoussaint.com

In the upcoming weeks, I have guest posts to promo the books, and I'll post a link at mudpies in case folks want to click over. There are excerpts for all my books at my site www.maggietoussaint.com.

Whew! That was a lot of Ketchup. I've fulfilled my vegetable requirements for the week.

Maggie Toussaint

all formatting errors are mine and mine alone. blogger hates me.

19 comments:

  1. WOW congratulations, Maggie! You are doing awesome!I went over and picked up my free copy of SEEING RED. You're getting some rave reviews, and wonderful happenings coming your way. I'm so happy for you!
    Hugs,
    Cheryl

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    1. Thanks for your kind comment and friendship, Cheryl. I'm enjoying the ride, that's for sure.

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  2. Maggie, I'm curious. What about mustard? **smile**
    I'm excited for your recent releases and I love the cover to Murder in the Buff. You've got a busy spring coming up.

    Smiles
    Steph

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    1. You're right, mustard is probably every bit as much a veggie as ketchup. I enjoy mustard of my sandwiches and dry mustard is the key ingredient in my homemade macaroni and cheese (another Southern vegetable). Seems like we're surrounded by a field of vegetables.

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  3. I have Seeing Red in my downloads, but want to convert it for my Kindle. These days, I've given up reading from my computer because I do that so much anyway. So, thanks for the freebie.
    Our son and DIL would allow the first two boys about one TBS of ketchup--if they allowed it at all. Third boy--baby boy...growing up, wanted a LOT of ketchup on his French Fries and to dip his grilled cheese sandwich in. Does he get what he wants? Of course he does!!! He's the baby and he can have anything he wants.(but he's still a wonderful polite kind very smart boy--even though he often smells like ketchup.)
    Congratulations on all your fantastic releases! You're in the big time and I'm proud to know you.

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    1. Celia, you can download the pdf to your computer and then mail it to your Kindle. Or at least, I should say my Kindle does just fine with pdfs. Thanks for your nice words and for taking the time to leave a comment.

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  4. Maggie, maybe I'll have to download Seeing Red from SW so I can review it there since I've already read it. ;-)

    Macaroni and Cheese a vegetable? LOL

    Celia, you can download in kindle format from SW if that's easier.

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    1. That sounds like a great idea, Loraine. Go for it!

      Yeah. Southerners are very broadminded about what consitutes a veggie. Don't get them talking about what meat is either.

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    2. blogger is playing tricks on me. it ate my last reply. hmm. bad blogger. bad.

      Maybe now that I've shown it who's boss, this will go through.

      Great idea, Loraine.

      In the south it's much easier to eat all your vegetables before you leave the table...

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  5. Thanks for the laugh about the vegetables, Maggie. I like their thinking, though!!!!!

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  6. okay I double commented above. Time for a little less caffeine. Always a pleasure to have you visit, Gail!

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  7. Maggie, lately Blogger hates everyone! Your post made me laugh because my kids and I still joke about ketchup being a vegetable. Husband has long since failed to laugh at thsi joke. Sadly, in our schools here in Texas, it's still a fact. Congratulations on your releases. Can't wait to read them. Well, I HAVE to wait, but you know what I mean.

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    1. Caroline, I'm always amazed at how fuzzy the border is between veggies and other foods. Most of the time, veggies get no respect. If you mix veggies with meat, often the meat gets all the glory: Turkey Divan, Pot Roast, Beef Stew, etc. Where's the vegetable lobby when you need them?

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  8. If ketchup is a veggie, does that mean wine is a food group?

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    1. Absolutely. There are entire aisles in grocery stores devoted to wine. And since they are based on grapes, that gives them a double qualification. I've trended away from the darker wines, going soft in my old age. Maybe I'll do a wine blog sometime soon...

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  9. And where does chocolate fit in? You'll need plenty with the schedule you have this week. Wishing you all the best with your latest releases!

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    1. Chocolate is an anytime food. The challenge is to try to eat the lowest calorie chocolate or to stop at one piece/square/kiss/etc. I'm not always good on limitations for chocolate. It's a food I never tire of.

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  10. This reminds me of "The Ketchup Council" on Prairie Home Companion. Garrison Keillor hasn't had it on recently, but I always love hearing it when he does.

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    1. I need to look that up, Gloria. Sounds like it would be right up my alley. Thanks for the visit and the comment!

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