Rebirth of House of Lies and No Second Chance

 Two of my romantic suspense/romantic mystery books formerly published by The Wild Rose Press are now on preorder and will release on September 17, 2020. Please take at look at these newly updated books and covers! These books are exclusively available on Kindle for 90 days.

HOUSE OF LIES

This was my first published book, and it won the 2007 National Readers' Choice Award. House of Lies is also the only book I ever wrote with secret agents and international spies! Here's the brand new cover (with a nice thank you to help from Polly Iyer), the book blurb, and the buy link:

It’s too late to win her father’s love. Instead, Hannah Montgomery must deal with the remote mountain cottage she inherited. The caretaker of the property, wounded ex-CIA agent Jake Sutherland, promised his dying partner that he’d help Hannah get settled.

But Hannah is very unsettled by the hidden letters from her father, letters which put Jake and Hannah on a collision course. As secrets from her father’s life are revealed, Hannah’s deep-seated quest for the truth challenges Jake’s loyalty and honor.

To make matters worse, the double agent who betrayed Jake and killed her father tracks them down. Caught in a web of deceit, Hannah must make a choice. Will she risk her heart—and her life - to learn the truth about her secretive father?

Buy Kindle version of HOUSE OF LIES

NO SECOND CHANCE

This book came about through my volunteering for a horse rescue charity and it is near and dear to my heart. I hope you will be keenly interested in this Cinderella tale of corporate espionage and redemption. Again, many thanks to my friend Polly Iyer for help with this cover.

Hope Farrier rescues unwanted horses, but she’s saddled with debt. Without help she’ll lose Second Chance Farm, the first home she’s ever known. An endowment brings the promise of future relief and the presence of shrewd business manager, Devlin Temple.

Trouble is, Devlin has his dreamy blue eyes on more than her bottom line.

Playboy Devlin Temple lays a trap for the thief that’s fleecing his company. When his cousin sets his cap for Devlin’s job, Devlin knows he needs Hope’s help to secure the CEO position. In her arms he finds the solace and support he craves, but their blossoming romance prompts the thief to raise the stakes.

Will Devlin and Hope pay the ultimate price for love?

Buy Kindle version of No Second Chance.

SAVE THE DATE!

PARTY! There will be a launch party to celebrate the release of these two updated books and three updated futuristic romances from Nancy J Cohen on September 22, Tuesday, at 7 pm EDT over at https://www.facebook.com/NewReleaseParty/ 

Release Day for All Done With It

 What a challenge it is to launch a book during a pandemic! We had a technical issue at one vendor but thankfully it is fixed today, and this is the day that counts! Do I believe in miracles? Yes, I do!

(I just used up a year's worth of exclamation points but other than using all caps and bolding everything, I don't know how to share my absolute elation.)

ALL DONE WITH IT is book 7 in the Dreamwalker mystery series. It was a joy to write, and now I get to share it with paranormal mystery readers. I'm hoping you have been waiting for this moment just as I have.

In this final book of the series, Baxley is faced with her biggest challenge ever. With bad guys in real life and on the Other Side, paranormal anomalies, and a full term pregnancy during a heat wave. Mercy! But this unsinkable gal still manages to find a way to help people, to bring closure to families, and to solve the biggest, baddest mystery ever, all of this while the fate of the entire world is at stake.

Here's what advance readers say about this book:

"WOW. I have no other words. This book consumed my reading time, quickly becoming a page-turner as I could not put this book down until all was said and done." --Dru's Book Musings

"All Done With It's ability to build on the prior books, yet remain accessible to newcomers, makes it a highly recommended cozy paranormal mystery pick for both audiences, easily available and compelling."--Donovan Literary Services for Midwest Book Review.

"Several murders set the stage for a supernatural end game in this fast-paced paranormal mystery... All Done With It is an enthralling read that offers a satisfying conclusion to the Dreamwalker series."--Nancy J Cohen, author of the Bad Hair Day Mysteries

"This story is very satisfying and fulfilling" --Pat Dupuy, Goodreads reviewer

"As the story unfolds, Baxley and her extraordinary family must each play a role in closing a tear in the world or risk losing a mortal battle to a sinister foe. All answers are revealed in the satisfying conclusion." --Karla Brandenburg, reviewer

It wouldn't be official if I didn't share the book blurb:

A Jane Doe jogger homicide near the swamp mystifies Dreamwalker Baxley Powell. The petite woman carried no ID, and no one recognizes her. Worse, a shadow passes from the body to a deputy, rendering him unconscious. The deputy and the corpse are dispatched to the hospital and morgue, respectively.

With summer heat and pending childbirth on her mind, Baxley’s dreamwalks into the spirit world fail to yield leads, frustrating Baxley and her deputy husband, Native American Sam Mayes. Days later, Jane Doe’s description matches a missing Mississippi woman. Turns out, her new husband is missing too. Jane’s sketchy brother-in-law and her aunt arrive, full of secrets. At Jane’s campsite, the team encounters a terrifying anomaly, nullifying Baxley’s senses. With such danger present, they must protect their unborn child. No more dreamwalks will occur until Baxley gives birth.

When her friend Bubba Paxton vanishes, Baxley sights him in a mirror, trapped between worlds with other souls.

Meanwhile, the shadow invades other hosts, demanding to see Baxley. Mayes and Baxley ignore the shadow as they rescue Bubba, untangle the Jane Doe case, and handle missing persons reports.

To free the trapped people, Baxley must outwit a powerful foe. Can she stop this super villain before he steals her soul?

In this 7th Dreamwalker Mystery, female sleuth and psychic crime consultant Baxley Powell works a homicide case that leads straight to an evil force in the spirit world. The stakes? Her soul, her unborn child, and humanity’s freedom.

And by now you're dying to check it out for yourself. This book is in trade paperback and ebook, and you can find it here:

EBOOKS:  Kindle  ❙  Nook  ❙  Kobo  

PRINT:  Amazon  ❙  Smashwords

To order from your favorite bookstore: use this ISBN: 978-1603818322

What are you waiting for? Go forth and read!

Maggie Toussaint

Sign up for my newsletter at https://maggietoussaint.com 

Free Mystery from Maggie Toussaint

Some of you may not know I use the pen name of Rigel Carson for a futuristic mystery series. The first book in this series, G-1, is now available for free. Previously a Kindle Scout winner, this book is now out under my imprint.

At the time I wrote this, 60 years in the future of Earth seemed so far away, and yet, with recent world events, the future I envisioned has many similarities with this book. This is an eco-thriller, where a secret society with a bent on world domination will do anything to get their hands on the Keystone.

Only one man can save the world. Dr. Zeke Landry, a brilliant but reclusive scientist with a very cool entertainment model android, uses strategy and island smarts to stay one step ahead of the bad guys in each Guardian of Earth book.

If you're a fan of my other mysteries, you will find this series to be written in that familiar light vein but with serious subject matter. In any event, I hope you give this one a try. It's free!

DOWNLOAD NOW

Here's a quick description of my book: The Big Bang Theory meets the Q Continuum 

Though plague, locusts, and earthquakes riddle 2065 Earth, brilliant and reclusive hydrologist Zeke Landry focuses on solving the problem of the world’s vanishing water supply with the help of a souped-up A.I. named Forman. When his uncle disappears, Zeke and his dashing sidekick search the country for Uncle John. A routing error lands Zeke’s travel pod far from its destination. Worse, every step he makes puts him in harm’s way and has him questioning his employer’s agenda.

Chaos reigns as food and water shortages destabilize governments. The Chameleons, a secret society poised for world domination, believe Zeke has the keystone, an object of great power. They’ve already murdered in their quest to find the keystone, so if Zeke can’t produce it, his hours are numbered.

A fish out of water, Zeke must face his worst fears to outwit his enemies. He must step into his late father’s shoes to protect his heritage...and more.

What are you waiting for? This is a free book! 

DOWNLOAD NOW

Cover Reveal for All Done With It

The Cover Reveal for All Done With It, Book 7 in the Dreamwalker Mystery Series, will be tomorrow evening. I'll reveal the cover during a Facebook event that author Nancy J Cohen and myself are having Tuesday, June 9, 7-8 pm EDT at https://www.facebook.com/NewReleaseParty.

I hope you'll join us!

Maggie Toussaint

Great Escapes Blog Tour for Seas the Day

Today Seas the Day, my culinary cozy mystery, released in digital, trade paperback, and hardcover. I'm at Dru's Book Musings today with "A Day in the Life of River Holloway," but tomorrow starts the Great Escapes Book Tour! I hope to see you there!

SEAS THE DAY TOUR PARTICIPANTS

April 22 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

April 22 – A Blue Million Books – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

April 23 – I'm All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

April 23 – Mysteries with Character – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

April 24 – Jane Reads – GUEST POST

April 24 – The Book Decoder – REVIEW

April 25 – Here's How It Happened – SPOTLIGHT

April 25 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

April 25 – Teresa Trent Author Blog – SPOTLIGHT

April 26 – Literary Gold – CHARACTER GUEST POST

April 26 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews - SPOTLIGHT

April 27 – Christy's Cozy Corners - REVIEW, GUEST POST

April 27 – StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW

April 28 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW 

April 28 – A Wytch's Book Review Blog – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW

April 29 – Dee-Scoveries – SPOTLIGHT

April 29 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – SPOTLIGHT

April 30 – Diane Reviews Books - REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST

April 30 – eBook addicts – SPOTLIGHT

May 1 – Ruff Drafts – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

May 1 – View from the Birdhouse - SPOTLIGHT

I hope you'll check out these great sites and I'll see you there!

Stay safe in these perilous times of the pandemic.

Maggie

Life in the time of Corona

We're safe here, so far, but I swear everything you read or hear makes it sound like the coronavirus (or CoVid-19) is stalking everyone. Who needs that? Life is difficult enough as it is.

My computer is in the shop. That's something no writer likes to hear. I'm on day one with no personal computer and trying not to hyperventilate. So far I haven't passed out, but I've raided the pantry a few times already. Thank you very much, computer gods.

Planning for a book launch when everyone and everything is locked down seems like spitting in the wind. And yet, I'm doing it because that's expected. Luckily, I have a strong online presence so I hope folks will be receptive to many of the online things I've planned. After all, we should SEAS THE DAY, right?

More info about my April 21 release at https://maggietoussaint.com/seas-the-day 

Launch tour posts done, check. Supplemental blog posts done, check. Launch party online, still to be planned. Library mailing, in the works. Local signing, on hold. Conference appearances, on hold.

Book conferences are being cancelled right and left. It's a whole new world out there now, and many conference planners are going with virtual conferences this year. Let's all step up to the Brave New World for authors and readers.

As for personal care, we are washing our hands with soap and water at home and using hand sanitizer for any medical trip or food run. I made a few cloth masks in case we need them, and we've got some gloves. But it's all scary. Will life go back to normal?

More importantly, where did all the world's toilet paper go?

(I hope you enjoy my photography. I love taking photos of natural images.)

Keep Reading!
Maggie Toussaint
https://maggietoussaint.com
https://facebook.com/maggietoussaintauthor

Free audio short story

I'm delighted to announce that there's an audio version of my short story "Sand Dollar Secrets." This story features the characters from my Cleopatra Jones cozy mystery series. It's a weekend getaway for Cleo and Rafe and darn if there aren't secrets and a mystery to boot. CLICK for Free Podcast download.

I love beaches and I admit that the St. Joe's of the story is patterned after St. Simons Island, GA, where I spent my middle school and high school years. Though the SSI of today is bustling and condo-friendly, light years ago it was a family vacation place where rambling clapboard cottages lined the beaches.

It was a different time in so many ways. We kids were allowed to walk the beach for hours on end (and that was my first love!). I thoroughly enjoyed the sound of waves and shorebirds, the scent of salt air, the wind in my long hair, the crunch of sand between my toes, and oh my gosh, what treasures washed in with every tide. It could be a perfect shell or an object from clear across the world. The possibilities were endless! I was truly in heaven.

As you might imagine, I collected seashells for decades and have lamps and boxes and bags filled with my beach treasures. Now I'm writing a new cozy mystery series entirely set on a laid-back island like that, and the first in that series, Seas the Day, is now available for pre-order. CLICK here to pre-order this cozy culinary mystery. I hope you'll check it out. (More vendors shown at my website )

Also, have you checked out the Booklover's Bench contest this month? The winner receives 6 cozy mysteries, each written by a different author. This is a marvelous set for your She-Shed, Woman Cave, or wherever you enjoy reading. It's a mystery 6-pack! And it could be yours. CLICK on over to enter!

Lastly, I'm appearing in an author extravaganza over at the House of Clues Facebook page tomorrow, Feb 14, at 9:30 am EST, talking about my forthcoming Seas the Day, and I hope you'll click over to be part of the excitement. I'm giving away a print ARC of the new book. CLICK HERE for House of Clues Feb 14 Valentine's Giveaway party. Remember, it doesn't start until 9 am EST on Feb. 14.

Happy reading - and happy early Valentine's Day!

Maggie

Dreamed It releases today, August 13, 2019

Seemed like it took forever for August 13 to arrive, and then it came on fast like a freight train! Wow! The wonderful feeling of a book release never gets old.

Dreamed It, Book 6 in my Dreamwalker Mystery Series, features my amateur sleuth, Baxley Powell and an ensemble cast of family, friends, and pets. This time she squares off against a wily serial killer.

Oh, man! She is in such a pickle. Not only is she trying to solve the Suitcase Murder, a teenage girl goes missing. With the girl's life clock ticking in her team, Baxley and her team keep digging, putting Baxley in dire straits.

Here's the book blurb: 

Justice for the dead and solace for the living is Baxley Powell’s creed, but she faces uncharted territory in this sixth book of the Dreamwalker Mystery Series. The Suitcase Killer has struck again, only this big city menace is now a problem for Baxley’s hometown. As that investigation heats up, a local woman is reported missing. The sheriff orders Baxley to work the missing person’s case.

Listening to the dead is familiar ground for Baxley but finding a missing young lady isn’t in her skill set. Besides, her dreams rarely follow a timeline. With the clock ticking, can this crime consultant discover a way to reach the living?

Her main source of help in the afterlife, a mentor named Rose, is unavailable. Instead, Baxley must rely on her wits and her Native American boyfriend, Deputy Sam Mayes, to find leads. Each shared dreamwalk and energy transfer binds them closer together, creating another issue. Mayes wants to marry Baxley but it isn’t that easy. They’re hampered by their community roles in opposite ends of the state.

Baxley juggles the pressure of two high-profile cases, a determined suitor, and expanding her limits. One thing is certain. Without her extrasensory sleuthing, the missing woman will die.

~*~

An excerpt is available at my website: https://maggietoussaint.com/dreamed-it/

Early reviews of Dreamed It follow:

“A tense, outstanding whodunnit,” 

- Midwest Book Reviews 

“One of the best books of the series!“ 

- Dru’s Book Musing

“An excellent adventure into the paranormal,” 

- Map Your Mystery

"A suspenseful page-turner that you won’t be able to put down.”

 - Nancy J Cohen, author of the Bad Hair Day mysteries

“Maggie Toussaint is a master of quiet suspense,” 

- Anna Gerrard, author of Peach Clobbered

~*~

 “A dream come true for fans of paranormal mysteries,”

 - Leigh Perry, author of A Family Skeleton Mysteries, on Confound It 

~*~

The book is available on wide distribution. Here are the links currently available:

KINDLE                  AMAZON                     BARNES & NOBLE

I hope you'll follow along on this amazing journey and that you enjoy the entire Dreamwalker series as much as I do!

Keep in touch!

Maggie Toussaint

https://maggietoussaint.com

Two Mossy Bog books out now!

They're here! The Author editions of HOT WATER and ROUGH WATERS are now available across all digital platforms. These books have a mystery plot line and a romance plot line, with different sleuthing couples in each book. Each books is described below.

In HOT WATER small town cop Laurie Ann Dinterman assists the state arson investigator, Wyatt North, who's tracking a serial arsonist turned killer. Wyatt needs to catch the guy that killed his partner, and Laurie Ann needs to keep Wyatt alive to ensure her promotion to investigator. All too soon clues put them at cross purposes. Can they catch the serial killer and arsonist before they go up in flames?

Order from  Nook     

                   Kindle     

                   Kobo

                   iBooks

"Exciting action scenes, sizzling romance, and a nail-biting climax."

- Nancy J, Cohen, author of Trimmed to Death

In ROUGH WATERS former Navy SEAL Rock Mackenzie believes pink-haired florist Jeanie Munro is the key to recovering his stolen sovereigns. A single mom who learned responsibility the hard way, Jeanie turns to Rock for protection when her shop and home are ransacked. After spiriting the kids off to safety, Jeanie and Rock hit the road to catch a thief and a stone cold killer.

Order from  Nook     

                   Kindle     

                   Kobo

                   iBooks

"A story about knowing what you want out of life and not letting the trials get in your way. I intend to read more of the Mossy Bog stories, you should too." - FRESH FICTION

If you like my cozies, you'll like these romantic suspense novels. I certainly hope you'll give them a try!

Also, I'm having a Facebook launch party on Thursday, May 7, from 6:30-8 pm EST over at https://www.facebook.com/NewReleaseParty   I hope you'll join in with the revelry! You're invited.

Happy Reading, y'all.

Maggie Toussaint

The Trouble With Cupid, round two!

This fun mystery anthology just went live for 2019. I hope you'll consider purchasing this short story collection all of which feature Trouble the sleuthing cat from Wetumpka, AL, because all the proceeds go to charity.

$2.99

Buy from KINDLE 

Fun-sized bites of Trouble, Cat Detective! All proceeds from the sale of THE TROUBLE WITH CUPID will be donated to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. The famous black cat detective from Wetumpka, Alabama is at it again in this collection of sometimes poignant, often amusing short mystery tales.

Bestselling authors Carolyn Haines and Laura Benedict lead the lineup with the sassy “Calling All Cupids” and the sweet “Of Mice and Munchkins,” followed by Claire Matturro’s heartwarming contribution, “The Madonna in the Garden.”

With additional stories by eight other authors, including critically acclaimed veterans and exciting new talents, The Trouble with Cupid is a delightful offering of wicked fun for anyone who loves mysteries, cats, and a touch of romance.

Authors: Laura Benedict, Carolyn Haines, Greg Herren, Michelle Broussard Honick, Eve Osborne, Fran Roberts, Nancy Sartor, Maggie Toussaint, Lisa Wysocky, Claire Matturro, and Jaden Terrell.
The Trouble books are a multi-author coalition published by KaliOka Press with each mystery novel featuring Trouble, the black cat detective. All the full-length mysteries are available in e-format and print.

Come on, you know you gotta have it!

Happy Reading!

Muddy Waters cover reveal, Author Edition

As is the way with books and publishers, from time to time, rights revert to the author. That's what's going on here with the forthcoming Author's Edition release of Muddy Waters, the first book in my Mossy Bog Romantic Suspense series. It will soon be available from all digital venues.

My first priority is to reissue ebooks of the five romances that I just had rights reversion on. After that, I will see if issuing print books are warranted.

Meanwhile, please enjoy this new cover, put together with the loving hands of my friend Polly Iyer. My goal is to use the same font and font placement for all three books in this series to create a series look.

Originally issued in 2010, this book has been edited from front to back to update the content.

Muddy Waters is currently up for pre-order at Amazon, to go live on Tuesday, Feb 5. Other vendors have already pushed the listing through their sales channels so there's no waiting at Nook, Kobo, or iBooks.

Here's the new blurb:

Real estate broker Roxie Whitaker is juggling skittish clients, an anxious bride, and her wayward brother. She’d very much like to sell some property, soothe her friend’s wedding jitters, and knock some sense into her party-boy brother’s head. Meanwhile, she needs a date for the wedding. In walks Sloan Harding, the town’s former bad boy and now an Atlanta security expert, and Roxie believes he’s the answer to her dreams.

Sparks fly as he escorts her to the wedding and asks her advice about his property. While he’s home, Sloan hunts for his missing inheritance. Sloan’s search uncovers family secrets and painful memories. To make matters worse, someone in the shadows is after his inheritance, someone who will do whatever it takes to walk away with the fortune.

Also, reviewers from before loved Roxie and Sloan's story. Here are a few snips from those earlier reviews: 

“Great book, wonderful mystery and a red hot love story underlying it.  Roxie and Sloan really mix it up in and out of the bedroom and that is what makes for a great romance.  You can’t ask for more than that now can you?” –  Mary Gramlich, THE READING REVIEWER

“Toussaint pens a pleasant read for a nice fall afternoon. With its home realty and repair subplot, the author obviously knows her stuff.” – Cindy Himler, ROMANTIC TIMES

Buy Links:

Ready now:   Nook    iBooks    Kobo  

Pre-order for Feb 5 delivery    Kindle

More information at my website, including an excerpt!  Click here for the website listing.

Thanks, readers, for demanding more in this fun series that blends cozy mystery and romantic suspense. Hot Water and Rough Waters will be reissued next.

Happy Reading!
Maggie

 

Permanently bad hair and a fiery tale

Hi friends and fans!

I have a guest post up today at Paranormal Romance Guild. They invited me to help launch their new feature "Tell Me More Tuesday."  https://www.paranormalromanceguild.com/tell-me-more-tuesday-maggie-toussaint-shares-new-release-confound-it/

I'm very excited to have the opportunity to share my Dreamwalker Mystery series, which has a strong romantic subplot, with paranormal romance readers. My sleuth Baxley Powell has some serious psychic mojo going on!

Many new-to-a-series readers are purists, so that's why, even though Confound It is a really cool, ultra-absorbing book, I'm giving away a copy of the first book in the series, Gone and Done It. To have a chance to win, you must comment on the post at   https://www.paranormalromanceguild.com/tell-me-more-tuesday-maggie-toussaint-shares-new-release-confound-it/

The Dreamwalker Mystery Series in order from first to last are: Gone and Done It, Bubba Done It, Doggone It, Dadgummit, and Confound It. There will be 7 books in this series, with Dreamed It slated for release next summer. To find out more about my books, visit https://maggietoussaint.com/books/

But to have a chance at winning Gone and Done It, you must comment on the Tell Me More Tuesday post at Paranormal Romance Guild. See you over there!!!

https://www.paranormalromanceguild.com/tell-me-more-tuesday-maggie-toussaint-shares-new-release-confound-it/

No Quarter steps out on its own!

My Cleopatra Jones Mystery novella, "No Quarter," is out now as a standalone in digital format. It was previously released in the Sleuthing Women II Anthology in 2017. The anthology is no longer available and so No Quarter got its own cover and is now out through Muddle House Publishing.

Here's the blurb for the novella: Amnesia, the doctor says when accountant Cleopatra Jones wakes in a distant hospital. Hours later, most of her memory returns. Detective Jack Martinez visits Cleo’s nearby wealthy client, only she’s dead and broke. To Cleo’s horror, she’s a murder suspect. Will she totally recover her memory before the killer returns?

This novella is available across many platforms: 

Kindle           Kobo            iBooks          Nook

I'm excited to have an entry in this Cleopatra Jones series, and I thank fans of the Cleo series for being so patient. Please let me know if you like this new direction for her, and if you want more Cleo. Also, if you previously read the novella in the SWII anthology or if you're just now picking it up, please feel free to leave a review wherever you post your online reviews.

The entire Cleopatra Jones series looks like this:

To celebrate the release of the "No Quarter" novella, I will give away at least one hardcover copy of the first book in this series, In For a Penny, which may be a collector's item by now! Entry for the drawing (US only) may be made by leaving a comment on this post. The contest ends September 26, 2018. Please leave contact info. If you don't want to leave your email or your Facebook name, plan to check back after the 26th. Prizes unclaimed after a week will be forfeited.

Thanks for enjoying my books! 

Maggie

ps The monthly Booklover's Bench contest is ongoing through September 18. Enter for a chance to win a $25 gift card from Amazon or B&N. Visit the contest page.

Maggie Toussaint's Podcast Interview

I'm delighted to share a link to a podcast interview by Tyler Wagner of Business Insights. This brief podcast is a great way to get to know me and my mysteries. You'll learn why Dr. Seuss's Green Eggs and Ham was a sentinel book in my childhood.

Best of all, the audio interview is concise and only 5 minutes long.

Please check it out!   https://tinyurl.com/y9nf522r

Maggie Toussaint https://maggietoussaint.com

Book Club Questions for Confound It

Is your Book Club interested in reading Confound It, a paranormal cozy? Here are discussion questions to get the party started! (This book is available through Ingram, through Baker and Taylor, online vendors, and Epicenter Press.) I am also available to Skype into your meetings!

1. We are often quick to judge others. For instance, what if a young mother found a lucrative way to provide a future for her son, but then couldn’t get out? Soon she becomes a homicide statistic. We automatically look at what she did-making drugs-and label her a bad person. Now that you know character Mandy Patterson’s backstory, do you feel empathy for her? Do you think others care if a meth cook dies?

2. A man she met on vacation, Deputy Sam Mayes, visits my sleuth Baxley Powell and her family. Like her, the man has extrasensory abilities, and she wants to learn from his experiences. He, on the other hand, is abiding by her lets-be-friends decree, but he’s made it clear he’s interested in a romantic relationship. As a woman, would you pursue the friendship?

3. For the longest time, Baxley has lived in relationship limbo. Her elite soldier of a husband went missing on a military mission. After a year went by, the Army declared him dead. As someone who can traverse the Veil of Life, Baxley knows he isn’t dead, only she can’t find him in the land of the living either. She worries he’s hurt. That’s the only way she knows that he wouldn’t come home to her and their young daughter. People say she should start dating again, but Baxley is married. Her honor and integrity demand that she honor her vows. What would you do in that situation?

4. In-laws and Outlaws is a phrase I’ve often heard applied to some extended families. In Confound It, discord rules amongst the victim’s family members. There’s love, but there’s also envy, greed, jealousy, and lust. Does your family always get along? What’s the usual bone of contention? Examples: curfew, bedtime, heirloom, elder care, employment, authority, money, respect…

5. We expect those who care for us to comfort us when troubles occur. But Confound It’s Mandy Patterson is trapped in a desperate situation, and she’s afraid of her boyfriend. What advice would you give someone like Mandy?

6. In Confound It, Mandy’s sister makes no bones that she wants what her sister has, only June is mostly talk and no action. Plus, she believes the world owes her. She gets mad when Mandy won’t continue to give her money. Do you believe in Tough Love? Why or why not?

7. My sleuth Baxley Powell is a Dreamwalker. She taps into her extrasensory abilities to learn more about a person, place, or thing in this world or the next. In reality, psychics often have one strong extrasensory skill. In the Dreamwalker Series, I take liberties so that Baxley explores a new paranormal aspect in each book. Confound It is book five in this series. Usually in other books, she must hold an item of the victim to make contact with his or her spirit. In this book, Baxley has several spontaneous visions causing her no end of confusion. What characteristic of Baxley’s do you most admire and why? (Her traits include loyalty, adaptability, courage, patience, composure, self-sufficiency, perceptiveness, honesty, fairness, or her curiosity).

8. Deputy Sam Mayes is a Cherokee. He carefully treads his way in both his native world and the white man’s world. Baxley doesn’t understand the issues he faces, doesn’t know how hard he is to appear to be solidly in both worlds, or that it costs his tribes when he is less than fully theirs. Assimilation used to be the American Way. Our society is a melting pot of immigrant groups. Why does assimilation hurt Native American tribes? Don’t people have to live and make a living in the twenty-first century?

9. Baxley’s household has a menagerie of animals: a Shih-Pooh named Muffin, a chihuahua named Elvis, black lab named Maddy, a Maine Coon cat named Sulay, and a tabby named Ziggy. Her ghost dog, Oliver the Great Dane, puts in appearances now and then. Occasionally, one of her pet-sitting clients leaves their animals with her, so she has even more animals at home. With such a variety of dogs and cats, which animal is the boss and why?

10. In a series mystery like this one, as the series goes along, the amateur sleuth gains more of a familiarity with the criminal world, though she still says firmly grounded in her community. Although Baxley has gained experience as a dreamwalker, one of her abilities, being able to perceive lies, happens automatically. This can be a bonus for her police work, but this (and her other skills) makes people leery of her. If you had a special skill that made people nervous, would you use it or hide it?

This book is currently available in print and ebook formats. It will be released in Large Print at a later date still to be determined.

Don't delay! Get your copy today!

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Thanks, and I hope you love reading this mystery!

Maggie Toussaint

https://maggietoussaint.com  

Dadgummit Wins Award!

I'm thrilled to announce that Dadgummit, Book 4 in my Dreamwalker Mystery Series, won the honor of finalist in the Detective/Mystery category on June 16, 2018, at the Georgia Author of the Year Awards.

The stiff competition had me sweating in my boots! Out of 19 category entries from the entire state of GA, Dadgummit came in second (finalist). A good friend, Roger Johns, took top honors in the category, and I highly recommend his book, Dark River Rising. Thank you, Georgia Writers Assn., for honoring Dadgummit. I am most appreciative!

Pictured above, the event emcee Michelle Khouri presents me with a certificate. GA Writers Assn also presented finalists (and winners) with cool stickers to place on our winning books.

I had a brief moment at the podium to thank my new publisher, Camel Press, for picking up this ongoing series. I did my best to sound rational and coherent but it wasn't easy. My heart was racing from excitement, and the room was crowded - somewhere between 150 and 200 people in attendance. Still, for an introvert, I did pretty good.

By now you must be wondering what the certificate looked like! I posted a photo holding the certificate above. All of these lovely photos are courtesy of my brother, Clifford Watson. He and sister Virginia Baisden accompanied me to the award banquet.

It was a great night of celebration, of making new friends, of finding a long-lost cousin, and of reminiscing with my brother and sister. Somehow Cliff managed to get these nice photos without a flash (something about bouncing the light off the wall) and I was impressed with his photography skills.

Now I just need to decide where on the book cover to place the Georgia Author of the Year finalist sticker. Decisions, decisions!

I hope you'll check out Dadgummit and all the Dreamwalker Mysteries at my website.

Maggie Toussaint
https://maggietoussaint.com