Contest News! And a new Cover!

Amidst the thrill of notifying winners for our First Coast Romance Writers unpublished Beacon contest, I got some great news myself.

Hot Water won the 2013 Show Me Your Cover Contest for Sunshine State Romance Authors in Romantic Suspense. I'm thrilled about the acknowledgement as I always thought I had a darn good cover.

And more good news came in my email today. Hot Water (the book, not the cover) is a finalist in the EPIC competition. Yay!

I had to blow the dust off my blog settings and kick the tires because it's been awhile since I've visited this place. I've been so busy writing and promoting my two summer releases that I haven't had much time to blog. This week marks the last stop on my blog tour for Dime If I Know. I don't know who is happier, me or the book's characters, who can finally stop getting gussied up and trotting out on command.

While I'm here, I want to acknowledge Laideebug Digital who brought my website into the new millenium by making it user friendly. I've made a mess of it a few times already, and Dee has graciously bailed me out, but I was able to post my contest win tonight, on the actual night I got the news. That's worth a lot to me! For readers and fans, the website should look very similar; it's the behind the curtains part that got rewired.

Good things come in threes. I want to show off my new cover for my first ever paranormal mystery, Gone and Done It, which will come out next May. I have a reading snip on my website it you'd like to have a peek. http://maggietoussaint.com/gone-and-done-it/

Every month from the 4 through the 18, Booklover's Bench, where I'm a founding member, holds a giveaway of a $25 gift card and various ebooks. Be sure to check the site frequently to enter. You have a few more days this month to add your name into the pot. http://bookloversbench.com/contest/

That's about it for today. Thanks for swinging by to share in my good news!

Catch you later,

Maggie Toussaint

Release Day! Book 3 of my mystery series is OUT!!!

Yes, it's true! This is a special day for me. DIME IF I KNOW, book 3 of my Cleopatra Jones mystery series, is now available. I hope you're as excited about the event as I am.

Response from reviewers has already been so heartwarming! I'm delighted to share a few snips I've received so far on this book:

“Accountant Cleopatra Jones shifts into overdrive when her boyfriend is accused of murder. Toussaint makes her third entry into the sassy-working-girl-with-messed-up-love-life-solves-mysteries race . . .” - Kirkus

"Toussaint stacks the deck nicely against Cleo and Rafe, putting the reader into the position of wondering if they’ll survive their latest challenge and if Rafe really is Mr. Right. The plot has plenty of surprises to keep readers wondering what will happen next. " - Examiner.com 

"Maggie Toussaint scores a hole in one with this romantic mystery that combines suspense, love, and multiple puzzles.  Add in a few Saint Bernard puppies, and what could go wrong? A lot, as it turns out." - Tracy Weber, author of the Downward Dog Mysteries 

"Every book Maggie Toussaint writes is full of fun, mystery, great characters, and a wonderful storyline." - Mary Gramlich, The Reading Reviewer

Let me tease you with the back cover copy:

Cleopatra Jones has visions of marriage dancing through her head, but her boyfriend, sexy golf pro Rafe Golden, is happy with the status quo. With three puppies, a St. Bernard, two teenaged daughters, a free-spirited live-in mother, a kooky best friend, and an accounting firm to run, Cleo’s household is hopping. But still. After months of dating Rafe, her relationship should be headed somewhere.

Mama comes home engaged and the wedding is in three weeks. Cleo’s happy for her mom, and hopes Rafe takes the hint. Meanwhile, her best friend is running for mayor.

A former girlfriend of Rafe’s turns up dead in a seedy motel. His fancy red sports car was spotted there the night she died. Cleo questions him, but he swears he didn’t shoot her. 

The police identify Rafe as their top suspect, but Cleo’s having none of that. She hires him a lawyer, gets crossways with his snooty family, and sets out to prove her boyfriend’s innocence.

The more she digs, the more questions arise. Rafe’s been keeping secrets from her, but are they deadly secrets?

Dime If I Know is set amid the rolling hills of contemporary mid-Maryland. It features fast-paced family life and Southern humor. Cleo’s trials and tribulations with the game of golf are a counterpoint for her success in following the money and identifying the real killer.

Read an excerpt at my website or at Amazon. This book is available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Amazon       Barnes and Noble      http://maggietoussaint.com/dime-if-i-know/

 

Wishing everyone a happy September and a lot of fun with Cleopatra Jones!

Maggie Toussaint

 

Freebie this week!

In honor of the coming release of Book 3 of my Cleopatra Jones mystery series on Sept. 11, I've put the first book up for FREE on Kindle this week. That's right, IN FOR A PENNY, is just two clicks away from being on your Kindle or kindle-app device.

I'd be remiss if I didn't post the buy link, so here it is:

www.amazon.com/InForAPenny-ebook/dp/B008MCSGMM

  Some review snips to whet your appetite: 

"an amusing addition to the cozy ranks" Kirkus

"the story takes some unexpected and dangerous turns as it builds to a satisfying conclusion" Publishers Weekly

“Reading a Cleopatra Jones mystery is a nice way to spend an afternoon. This lighthearted story has a dash of romance and a lot of humor. Cleo is a delightful character, and her wacky family and friends add to the enjoyment.” Romantic Times

"Fans will enjoy this fun mystery" Harriet Klausner

"I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery book and highly recommend it" Reader Forever, Amazon

Here's the blurb from the book:

Amateur sleuth Cleopatra Jones of rural Hogan’s Glen, Maryland faces an unwanted hazard when she skulls her golf ball across the number six green and it lands in the inseam of a very dead banker. Though the victim is a longtime friend of Cleo’s, his ongoing dispute with Cleo’s best friend and golfing partner, Jonette, is public knowledge. When the police key in on Jonette as the prime suspect, Cleo sets out to find the real killer.

Amidst the fun of wacky meals, dueling daughters, Mama’s heart problem, lovesick Saint Bernards, a sexy golf pro, a repentant ex-husband and a host of murder suspects, Cleo does what she does best. With her trusty spreadsheets and logical accountant’s brain, she organizes the information and ferrets out a crazed killer.

Set against the lush splendor of mid-Atlantic springtime, this fun-packed mystery with a dash of romance will keep you turning the pages to see what happens next. 

--

What are you waiting for? Check out the first installment of my Cleopatra Jones series. Here's the link again:

www.amazon.com/InForAPenny-ebook/dp/B008MCSGMM

Enjoy!

Maggie Toussaint 

In For A Penny
On the Nickel
Dime If I Know