FEATURED AUTHOR: MAGGIE TOUSSAINT

ABOUT THE BOOK

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.


Book Details:

Title: Dreamed It

Author: Maggie Toussaint

Genre: Paranormal cozy mystery

Series: Dreamwalker Mystery Series, book 6

Publisher: Camel Press (August 13, 2019)
Print length: 248 pages

On tour with: Great Escapes Book Tours


IFs ANDs OR WHATs INTERVIEW WITH MAGGIE TOUSSAINT

Ifs


Q: If you could live in any time period which would it be?
A: I live in a small town in coastal Georgia and have been working on my ancestry. My research has been hampered by fires. Our town of Darien was torched during the Civil War (illustrated in the movie Glory) and our County Courthouse has been torched three times. That means a lot of records were destroyed. Consequently, we can only go back so far until the lineage becomes anecdotal and different factions of our family favor this ancestor or another. What a mess. I’d like to go back to the early 1800s and see for myself! One ancestress lived to be 100 years old, dying in 1834. How’d she do that in that timeframe? Why didn’t I inherit her bone structure or immune system?

Q: If you could step back into a moment or day in time, where would you go?
A: I would like to revisit my childhood and spend more time with my dad. His life was cut short by a heart attack and I barely got to know him as an adult. He made and repaired many of his fishing nets, cooked like a dream, and is the only person I know who read the entire World Book Encyclopedia set from cover to cover. I also remember him doing the crossword puzzles in the newspaper, and I think of him often as I work my crossword puzzles.

Q: If you could time travel for an infinite period of time, where would you go?
A: First, I hope time traveling doesn’t involve motion sickness! I’d do it if it were smooth like an express elevator ride. I would like to watch Alexander Graham Bell make the first telephone call on March 10, 1876. Did you know some people started using the word “ahoy” as the first word of their phone greeting at first, until Thomas Edison suggested in 1877 using the word “hello” and it caught on?

Q: If you had to do community service (or already do volunteer work), what would you choose?
A: I volunteer monthly at the Old Jail Art Center, which is also a satellite location for our Visitor Center. I enjoy doing this as I am often asked to share information about our current attractions and about our past.

Q: If you could live anywhere in the world, where in the world would it be?
A: I’d want a tropical island with lots of fresh vegetables, few bugs, and no hurricanes. I’d also need a doctor on that island for emergencies.




Ands


5 things you need in order to write:  
    •    peace and quiet
    •    computer
    •    iced tea
    •    chocolate
and
    •    electricity

5 things you love about writing:
    •    creating twists and turns
    •    allowing the characters to stretch and grow
    •    holding the finished product in my hand
    •    getting to meet amazing readers
and
    •    sharing my experience with beginning writers

5 things you love about where you live: 
    •    it is home and generations of my family have lived in this remote coastal area
    •    I can’t go anywhere without bumping into someone who knows me or is related to me
    •    We have fresh from the ocean seafood
    •    It doesn’t get very cold in the winter
and 
    •    I am close enough to see my sister regularly

5 things you never want to run out of:
    •    toilet paper!
    •    fleece clothing!
    •    clean underwear!
    •    hats!
and
    •    sunscreen lotion!   

5 things about you or 5 words to describe you:  
    •    amateur photographer
    •    yoga enthusiast
    •    classic rock and roll fan
    •    arts and crafts addict
and
    •    flower garden admirer

Whats

Q: What’s your biggest pet peeve?
A: People driving inappropriately. What part of sharing the road don’t they understand?

Q: What’s the loveliest sight you’ve ever seen?
A: The smile of a child.

Q: What’s your favorite time of day?
A: I love mornings. The day is fresh like a blank sheet of paper, just waiting to be filled with explorations, visits, and great meals.

Q: What’s one thing you never leave the house without?
A: Sunglasses! It’s really bright here in coastal Georgia. You’d think that my aging vision would make everything dim, but that’s not the case. I have really dark sunglasses.

Q: 
What book are you currently working on?
A: I’m polishing book 2 of my next series and going through the final edits of book 1, Seas the Day, which releases in April 2020. The Seafood Caper Mysteries is a culinary cozy set on a coastal island.

Q: What’s your latest recommendation for:
Food: cauliflower pizza
Music: anything by Dean Evenson (soft and soothing music)
Movie: Men in Black, International
TV: I’ve enjoyed every show and movie Nathan Fillion has been in. If you haven’t seen The Rookie, it’s good and entertaining
Netflix/Amazon Prime: a zany choice, but compelling: The Santa Clarita Diet
Miscellaneous: I love writing with Gel pens

Q: What books do you currently have published?
A: I have 20 books out now, but for brevity’s sake will include only the Dreamwalker Mystery Series in order of their publication.
Gone and Done It
Bubba Done It
Doggone It 
Dadgummit 
Confound It 
Dreamed It 


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Southern author Maggie Toussaint writes cozy and paranormal mysteries. Dreamed It, book six in her Dreamwalker series just released. She has another Dreamwalker novel (All Done with It) coming in 2019 as well as a new culinary cozy series, Seas the Day, coming in April 2020 from Henery Press. Her work won two Silver Falchions, the Readers’ Choice, and the EPIC Awards. She’s finaled three times for Georgia Author of the Year. Maggie also writes romantic suspense and science fiction. She’s past president of Southeast chapter of Mystery Writers of America and a board member of LowCountry Sisters In Crime. She lives in coastal Georgia, where secrets, heritage, and ancient oaks cast long shadows.

Connect with Maggie:

Website  |  Blog  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads  |  Linkedin  |  Pinterest  |  Bookbub  |  Amazon


Buy the book:
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FEATURED AUTHOR: NANCY WARREN

ABOUT THE BOOK

Vampires who knit

A troublemaking witch

Who killed Granny — and is she really dead?



At a crossroads between a cringe-worthy past (Todd the Toad) and an uncertain future (she's not exactly homeless, but it's close), Lucy Swift travels to Oxford to visit her grandmother. With Gran's undying love to count on and Cardinal Woolsey's, Gran's knitting shop, to keep her busy, Lucy can catch her breath and figure out what she's going to do.



Except it turns out that Gran is the undying. Or at least, the undead. But there's a death certificate. And a will, leaving the knitting shop to Lucy. And a lot of people going in and out who never use the door—including Gran, who is just as loving as ever, and prone to knitting sweaters at warp speed, late at night. What exactly is going on?



When Lucy discovers that Gran did not die peacefully in her sleep, but was murdered, she has to bring the killer to justice without tipping off the law that there's no body in the grave. Between a hot 600-year-old vampire and a dishy detective inspector, both of whom always seem to be there for her, Lucy finds her life getting more complicated than a triple cable cardigan. 
The only one who seems to know what's going on is her cat ... or is it ... her familiar? 

First in a new series of paranormal cozy mysteries with bite!

“A terrific read - witches, vampires, knitting and a great plot. What more could you ask for?”***** 5 star review by Krystyna, Amazon reviewer.

Book Details:


Title: The Vampire Knitting Club

Author’s name: Nancy Warren

Genre: Paranormal cozy mystery

Series: Vampire Knitting Club, book 1

Publisher: Ambleside Publishing (October 4, 2018)

Print length: 218 pages

On tour with: Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours

OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES

Stitches and Witches, Vampire Knitting Club book 2
Crochet and Cauldrons, Vampire Knitting Club book 3

LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT WITH NANCY WARREN

Things you need in order to write: My computer, an idea!, my 15-year-old border Collie, Max, at my feet.
Things that hamper your writing: Noise (this includes music. How writers can work with music is a mystery to me). Feeling like I have too much to do.

Things you love about writing: The freedom to create my own schedule, to work in sweats and the joy of creating something new.
Things you hate about writing: The second draft, AKA the poo draft. When the right word won’t come.


Things you never want to run out of: LUSH lavender body cream, Yorkshire Gold Tea, wine.
Things you wish you’d never bought: Those expensive jeans I knew were too tight and I thought I could lose a couple of pounds and fit into . . . 


Favorite foods: Chocolate, wine, cheese and bread: the major food groups.
Things that make you want to throw up: Liver, anything that ends in ‘wurst’ which is the perfect name for that stuff.

Favorite beverage: Champagne.

Something that gives you a pickle face: Kombucha. I try, I really do, because I know it’s good for me, but that stuff is nasty.

Favorite smell: Lavender.

Something that makes you hold your nose: Sometimes when I’m hiking a young guy will pass me and he’s put on heavy men’s cologne which is supposed to cover up his sweat smell, I guess. Well, it doesn’t and the combination of BO and cheap cologne nearly makes me throw up.

Something you’re really good at: Croquet, and I used to be a killer ping pong player. Not sure if I still am.

Something you’re really bad at: Knitting. Which is unfortunate as I’m writing a series about a knitting club! I’m learning, but knitting is much harder than I thought.


Something you wish you could do: Sing and dance like a Broadway star.
Something you wish you’d never learned to do: Iron.


Last best thing you ate: Recently? It was these amazing cream pastries in France.

Last thing you regret eating: That second cookie after dinner last night.

Things to say to an author: I am so mad at you! I was up until two reading your book and then I had to call in sick because I could not put it down!

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: I have a great idea. How about if I tell it to you, you write it and we’ll split the profits! Closely followed by, ‘You should write a romance about my friend. She’s been married fifteen times!’

Favorite places you’ve been: Bath, Oxford, Venice, Matera, the Great Barrier Reef, the Inca Train in Peru, Paris, Sedona, San Francisco, and too many more to name . . . 

Places you never want to go to again: Barcelona. I know people love it, but to me it’s too crowded, and I was nearly robbed by a pick pocket.

Favorite books: Pride and Prejudice, anything by Jane Austen, anything by Susan Elizabeth Phillips.

Books you would ban: Any book (nearly always written by a male author) where women are portrayed as weak and useless. Grrrrr.

Favorite things to do: Hiking, reading, traveling, live theater.

Things you’d run through a fire wearing gasoline pants to get out of doing: Accounting, most housework.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: I’ve hiked some mountains that I wasn’t sure I could summit and then stood at the top feeling like I’d conquered the world.

Something you chickened out from doing: Sky diving. I wanted to but was too scared.

The last thing you did for the first time: I tried Kombucha.

Something you’ll never do again: Drink Kombucha.

READ AN EXCERPT FROM THE VAMPIRE KNITTING CLUB




One

Cardinal Woolsey’s knitting shop has appeared on postcards celebrating the quaint views of Oxford, of which there are many. But when a visitor has tired of writing ‘wish you were here’ on the back of pictures of the various colleges, the dreaming spires, and the dome of the Radcliffe Camera, a cozy little shop painted blue, brimming with baskets of wool and hand-knit goods, can be so much more inviting.

My grandmother Agnes Bartlett owned the knitting shop and I was on my way to visit after spending a very hot month at a dig site in Egypt visiting my archeologist parents.

Gran was always ready to wrap her warm arms around me and tell me everything was going to be all right. I needed comforting after discovering my boyfriend of two years Todd had stuck his salami in someone else’s sandwich. I referred to him now as my ex-boyfriend The Toad. I was thinking about Gran’s wisdom, her hugs and her home made gingersnaps, when I started to feel as though cold, wet fingers were walking down the back of my neck.

My wheeled suitcase clanked and rattled behind me along the cobblestones of Harrington Street as I looked around, wondering what had caused the heebie-jeebies.

The October day was chilly and crisp and, in the mid-afternoon, the street was busy with shoppers, tourists and students. Church bells chimed three o’clock. When I glanced ahead, I saw my beloved Gran. She wore a black skirt, sensible shoes and one of her hand-knit cardigans, this one in orange and blue. She was walking with a glamorous woman in her sixties whom I didn’t recognize. I thought Gran looked confused and my hackles immediately rose. The glamor puss was holding an umbrella over Gran’s head, even though the day was dry and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.
I waved and called, “Gran!” moving faster so my suitcase began to bounce.

I was sure they saw me, but as I sped toward them, they veered down a side street. What on earth? I lifted my case and began to run; though my case was so heavy it was more of a grunting stagger.

“Gran!” I yelled again. I stopped at the bottom of the road where I’d last seen them. There was no one there. A dry, shriveled leaf tumbled toward me and from a window ledge a small, black cat regarded me with what looked like pity. Otherwise, the street was empty.

“Agnes Bartlett!” I yelled at the top of my lungs.

I stood, panting. The side street was lined with a mixture of half-timbered cottages and Victorian row houses, all clearly residential. Gran hadn’t popped into a shop and would soon emerge. She was visiting in one of those homes, presumably. I wondered if it belonged to her friend.

Well, there was no point standing there. I’d go to Cardinal Woolsey’s and wait for Gran there. Her assistant, Rosemary, would be running the shop and I could let myself into the upstairs flat and unpack while I waited for my grandmother to return.

I retraced my steps, but when I reached the entrance to the quaint shop and tried the door, it didn’t open. I tried again, pushing harder, before my other senses kicked in and I realized that no lights were on inside.

A printed sign hung on the windowed front door. It said, “Cardinal Woolsey’s is closed until further notice.” At the bottom was a phone number.

Closed until further notice?

Gran never closed the shop outside her regular closing days. And if she had, where was her assistant?

I stood on the sidewalk that feeling came again, like cold fingers on the nape of my neck.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 


Nancy's a USA Today bestselling author of more than 60 novels. Nancy's originally from Vancouver, Canada, but she tends to wander. She currently lives in an 18th century house in Bath, England where she loves to pretend she's Jane Austen, or at least a character in a Jane Austen novel.

When she's not writing, she's hiking, skiing, traveling or sipping wine. She's appeared on the front page of the New York Times (when her book, Speed Dating launched Harlequin's NASCAR series), has been a clue in a crossword puzzle (National Post, Canada), and she's been a finalist for the RITA award three times, honored by Romantic Times Magazine and often shares her love of writing in her popular workshops.

Connect with Nancy:
Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads

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INTERVIEW WITH GILIAN BAKER'S JADE BLACKWELL

ABOUT THE BOOK

Former English professor turned blogger, Jade Blackwell, is enjoying her predictable routine when trouble comes knocking in the form of an old friend and colleague. Unbeknownst to Jade, Gwendolyn Hexby is no longer the successful academic she once knew and trusted—she is now following a new calling as a psychic medium, a contentious career that flies in the face of the logic and deductive reasoning Jade values.

At first, Jade welcomes the visit, but things soon turn bizarre as Gwendolyn brings only disorder, danger, and disruption. When a murder is prophesied, and a beloved pillar of the Aspen Falls’ community winds up dead, Gwendolyn becomes Sheriff Ross Lawson’s prime suspect.

To get Gwendolyn out of hot water, and more importantly, out of her house, Jade attempts to prove her friend’s innocence. Jade believes she’s finally discovered the truth, but is soon brought back to reality when she learns all is not as it seems in the realm of the metaphysical. Not even murder.
Return to the Jade Blackwell Cozy Mystery Series in Murder Over Medium, as Jade jumps into the fray of a territory not governed by logic or reason—in either this world or the next.

Book Details

Author: Gilian Baker

Title: Murder Over Medium

Genre: Cozy mystery, Jade Blackwell series, 3rd in series

Publisher: Misterio Press (December 31, 2017)

Paperback: 216 pages

On tour with Great Escape Book Tours

ABOUT THE CHARACTER

Jade Blackwell, the protagonist of the series, left the world of academia to pursue the life of an entrepreneur. Now she teaches writing informally on her successful blog and is CEO of a ghostwriting service. That is, when she’s not busy solving murders.

She’s happily married to her high school sweetheart, Christian, and they have a daughter, Penelope, who is away at college. She describes herself as a much younger and better-looking Miss Marple. She loves her auburn bob, though the color is now manufactured by Darlene at the Hair Hut. She hates her newly-required bifocals. She’s a smart, sassy homebody who lives in her head.

INTERVIEW WITH GILIAN BAKER'S JADE BLACKWELL

Jade, how did you first meet Gilian?
I knocked around in Gilian’s head, trying to get her attention for years. She always told me she was too busy to come out and play. But I kept after her. She finally gave in when she took her daughter’s advice to join NaNoWriMo in 2015. I’d like to think I saved her. Well, at least her sanity. She was a struggling blogger who spent way too much time working. I gave her a way to enjoy life while still producing something worthwhile. She gave up on blogging and now spends much more time with me.

Why do you think that your life has ended up being in a book?
Besides my charming personality and wit, I’d say because there aren’t many, if any, other professional bloggers who are also amateur sleuths. The work-at-home way of life has exploded over the last few years, and I believe people are fascinated by what an online entrepreneur does all day. Plus, Gilian and I like to think we provide a fun distraction from the endless to-do lists we all live by in our modern world.

Did you have a hard time convincing Gilian to write any particular scenes for you?
Well, just one. I took exception with the ending. I wanted to save myself this time, but Gilian didn’t write it that way. Actually, she didn’t even pay attention to my wish until after her editor had it in her hands. I couldn’t convince her to make the change, but we found a compromise. She wrote an alternate ending that she’s giving away to readers, so I guess that’s better than nothing. I’d love to be proven right—that my idea was better. So, it would be awesome if anyone reading this would finish the Murder Over Medium and then get the free download of my preferred ending. Then, email Gilian and let her know which you like better. The link is in the back of the book. Thanks, folks!

If you had a free day with no responsibilities and your only mission was to enjoy yourself, what would you do?
I’d sleep in for starters, because my husband Christian and I usually get up early. I’d luxuriate in the jacuzzi bath we have in our bathroom and then I’d meet up with my friends Gabby, Crystal, and Phyllis for lunch at Tea & Sympathy. Before we left, I’d buy one of Millie’s famous chocolate fudge nut cakes to enjoy for dessert after supper.

I’d go home and curl up on the couch with a good mystery, my cats, Tommy and Tuppence keeping me company. Since I hate to cook, I’d text Christian and have him bring home a pizza from the Pie Hole on his way home. In the evening, we’d enjoy our pizza and chocolate cake while we watched a rerun of Midsomer Murder, one of our favorite British mysteries. We’d have an early night, and I’ll leave the rest to your readers’ imaginations.



What’s the best trait Gilian has given you?
Besides my natural inquisitiveness, which all good sleuths need, I’d say my best trait is my strong B.S. meter. I became a good judge of character teaching college students for years.

What’s the worst?
Hmm. That’s a tough one. I’d have to go with that double-edged sword, my curiosity. I personally don’t mind it too much, but it has been known to get me into perilous situations from time to time. And it drives my husband crazy. 


What’s Gilian’s worst habit?
Doubting herself, and me, for that matter. She needs to just listen to me and her instincts more during that challenging first draft. She worries too much. But as I tell her, it always comes together in the end. 



How do you feel about your life right now? What, if anything, would you like to change?
I’m bored with my work and am currently trying to find just the right new challenge for my online business structure. There’s a lot of things I could do, but none I’ve found so far curl my toes. When I was an English professor, there was always something new to research. Always a new semester with different students to engage. But after four years of entrepreneurship, I find myself in need of tackling something new. Gilian and I are working on a solution, and readers will be able to see what we come up with in the next book.

If your story were a movie, who would play you?
You know, I get asked this a lot. It’s a difficult one to answer, but I recently decided on an older Honeysuckle Weeks. She’d need to perfect an American accent, but I trust she could do that. She’s a talented actress who could get across my smart, saucy, yet loveable, personality.

Describe the town where you live.
Oh, Aspen Falls, Wyoming is a gorgeous place. It’s in the southeastern part of the state, about an hour from Laramie, where the University of Wyoming is. Aspen Falls is a small village filled mostly with people who, like me, were born and raised there. We get some tourists coming through on their way to other places, but mostly we are ranchers. We have a small market, a pizza place, a nicer Italian restaurant on the edge of town, and, of course, my favorite little tea shop, Tea & Sympathy.

We are home to the county sheriff’s station where my friend Ross Lawson is sheriff. There’s also a non-denomination church, as well as the Gee and Tee bar. Aspen Falls is in the foothills of the Bow Medicine Mountains and is a magical place to live or visit.

What makes you stand out from any other characters in the cozy msytery genre?
I already mentioned my occupation is unique to the genre. Besides that, I’m happily married and have a daughter. Most cozy protagonists have a tangled, messy love life they are trying to figure out. With me, readers get a chance of pace—they see a woman in a stable relationship and all the ups and downs that entails. And, well, motherhood brings its own complications into the stories.

If you could be “adopted” by another writer, who would you choose?
The biggest honor I can image is to be adopted by Sue Grafton. It was such a loss for the world when she passed. She’s been my favorite authors for 30 years. Although her books aren’t firmly in the cozy mystery genre, I know she’d do a dazzling job of bringing my adventures to life.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gilian Baker is a former English professor who has gone on to forge a life outside of academia by adding blogger, ghostwriter and cozy mystery author to her C.V. She currently uses her geeky superpowers only for good to entertain murder mystery readers the world over. When she’s not plotting murder for her Jade Blackwell cozy mystery series, you can find her puttering in her vegetable garden, knitting in front of the fire, snuggling with her husband watching British TV or discussing literary theory with her daughter.

Gilian lives in Flagstaff, Arizona with her family and their three pampered felines. In her next life, she fervently hopes to come back as a cat, though she understands that would be going down the karmic ladder.

Connect with Gilian:
Website  |   Blog  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |   Goodreads
Buy the book:
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