GET LOST IN A STORY READERS. Today's guest is Mystery & Romance Author Maggie Toussaint.
KIRKUS REVIEW says about DEATH ISLAND STYLE “Toussaint creates a gutsy heroine whose struggles with murder and romance add up to a very enjoyable read”
A little sun, a little fun,
and a dark shadow from the past
Recent widow MaryBeth Cashour moved six hundred miles to escape memories of her late mother’s betrayal and her husband’s mysterious death. While beachcombing for seashells to use at her artsy Christmas shop, MaryBeth finds a corpse rolling in the surf on Sandy Shores Island.
The horror doesn’t end there. When detectives uncover a connection between the murdered man and MaryBeth, she’s their prime suspect. It’s not her fault the dead guy had one of her hand-painted Christmas sharks in his pocket—she doesn’t even know him. Besides, lots of people from the Mid-Atlantic region vacation in coastal Georgia. She insists it’s a coincidence he’s here. The cops don’t believe her.
As her world comes unglued, MaryBeth strips the shellac from her memories, discovering secrets that endanger her life. But time to prove her innocence is running out faster than a rip tide. The killer is crafting up a new murder – MaryBeth’s.
Death, Island Style is a cozy mystery flavored with eccentric southerners, Christmas music, and hand-painted holiday decorations. Set in sunny coastal Georgia, the book reveals the struggles of a young woman trying to make her Christmas gift shop profitable while dodging a murder rap. Beach scenes, a hunky pharmacist, and disastrous craft projects add sparkle and humor.
Death, Island Style, Five Star
ISBN: 9781432825669
Hardcover
EXCERPT:
http://www.maggietoussaint.com/death_island_style.html
AND NOW LET'S LEARN ABOUT MAGGIE TOUSSAINT:
DONNELL: Hi,
Maggie: What’s your favorite room in
your house?
MAGGIE: I love relaxing on my sunporch. It’s so bright and welcoming.
Just outside is a very active bird feeder, and I try to keep several pots of
pretty flowers out there as well. Right now, I have two lovely pots of pansies,
and their cheerful colors make me smile.
DONNELL: Favorite
activity outdoors?
MAGGIE: This sounds like a cliché, but I love, love, love
walking on the beach. Always have. I like the way the warm sand crunches under
my toes, hearing the sound of the surf, wading in the breaking waves, and even
sitting down at the high water mark and watching all the action. Even if the
beach is deserted, there’s always something going on at the beach. Now with sun
issues, I have to be a lot more creative about my beach time, but its still my
all-time favorite thing to do.
DONNELL: What’s your
preference -- small towns or big city?
MAGGIE: I’m definitely a small town gal. Don’t get me wrong,
I enjoy the shopping a big town has to offer, but there are too many people
there to suit me. I feel like they are using up all my air.
DONNELL: When you’re
not writing, what will we find you doing?
MAGGIE: I have a
part-time job at our weekly newspaper, I sing and play guitar in our church
choir, and I help with the care of a family member who is having memory issues.
DONNELL: Who’s braver
your protagonist in Death Island Style or you?
MAGGIE: MaryBeth in Death Island Style doesn’t start out
very brave at all, but by the end of the story, she’s got all the moxie of a
Stephanie Plum. I fit in the middle of that spectrum. I don’t like surprises. I
like to know what happens next, something that’s rare indeed in a family
setting. So, I’d definitely say MaryBeth is braver than me.
DONNELL: What’s in
your refrigerator right now?
MAGGIE: Jello, cheese, fake eggs, V-8 juice, fresh veggies,
strawberries, and about 6 kinds of salad dressing. This is a South Beach Diet season
for my husband and me. So far, it’s working great!
DONNELL: Do you read
your reviews?
MAGGIE: That’s like asking if I chew my food! Of course, I
read reviews. The wonderful ones lead to euphoria; the less stellar ones cause muttering.
I realize you can’t please all the people all the time, but it is nice to know
that a reader/reviewer got what you intended from the story.
DONNELL: What sound
do you love?
MAGGIE: The sound of moving water.
DONNELL: If you could
meet anyone in your lifetime, alive or dead, who would it be?
MAGGIE: I’d like to meet Walt Disney in his heyday. The man
was such a font of creativity, imagination, optimism, and entrepreneurship –
I’m in awe of his accomplishments. I’d like to talk with him about wellsprings
of creativity and how he overcame the challenges he faced along the way to
fame. The classic Disney features were mainstays of my childhood and strongly
affected my storytelling decision. I’d love to meet the man behind the magic.
READERS: NOW MAGGIE GETS TO ASK *YOU* A QUESTION
MAGGIE: What inspires you to do the things
you love each day?
One lucky commenter will win a copy of Death, Island Style.
Check out my links:
www.maggietoussaint.com
http://mudpiesandmagnolias.blogspot.com/
www.facebook.com/maggietoussaint/
Note: Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be
mailed to North America addresses only unless specifically mentioned in the
post. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants. Winners of drawings
are responsible for checking this site in a timely manner. If prizes are not
claimed in a timely manner, the author may not have a prize available. Get Lost
In A Story cannot be responsible for an author's failure to mail the listed
prize. GLIAS does not automatically pass email addresses to guest authors unless
the commenter publicly posts their email address.
