Monday, August 29, 2016

Fall into some Great Stories

My "Dead Men Tell Tales" novella and a host of other great stories from cozy mystery authors you know and love are released today in the Happy Homicides 4: Fall into Crime anthology. The anthology is having a launch part this evening, Monday, August 29, from 5-7p.m. EDT, at https://www.facebook.com/HappyHomicides/ Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend, but there are plenty of prizes from the folks in attendance, so you should plan to go!

Best of all, when you purchase Happy Homicides 4 right now, you also get Happy Homicides 3 thrown in for free. That's twice the number of short stories and anthologies. It's for sale at Amazon and Kobo right now. Other vendors like Barnes and Noble haven't pubbed the link as of this writing.



To get back to "Dead Men Tell Tales," this is Book 3 of my Lindsey & Ike romantic novella series. In this book a hunting accident sets off a chain of events that put Lindsey & Ike squarely in a killer's crosshairs.

Want to read a little of the story? I thought so! Here's an excerpt from "Dead Men Tell Tales."

After Ike left on a callout for a hunting accident, I thought how my role had shifted. Before, I’d chased cops to a scene to get the story for the paper. Now I lived with a cop and had more information than I could print. Best of all, I chose to stay home with Trent when these afterhours calls occurred.

From the incident details I overheard, one man accidentally shot the other in the swamp when he heard a noise. I didn’t know the name of the shooter yet, but Dispatch mentioned he seemed broken up about the tragedy.

The victim, John Starling, tended bar at Fiddler’s at the north end of the county. I’d met him once when he came into the office to buy a newspaper, not long after he moved here this spring.

Time flew as Trent and I played cards, bathed, and got ready for bed. Ike returned in time to tuck his son in for the night. “Was it bad?” I asked when we were cozied up on the sunporch sofa.

He drew me into his arms. “Seemed straightforward, Lindsey. Both men were hog hunting in the swamp. Neither was aware of the other. Sonny Mowrey shot the bartender, thinking he was a hog. Mowrey was so upset he could barely hold it together to give his statement.”

“I’ve shot a gun before, at targets mind you, but I’ve never shot a person, and I hope it never came to that. I’d be a wreck too.”

“Seemed cut and dried to me. Accident all the way.”

An accident. Many people today thought “accident” meant no one was responsible. Surely that wasn’t the case for a human life. “Will Mowrey face charges for killing someone?”

“He’s being fingerprinted right now, something he isn’t happy about.”

“Why? He said he shot the guy.”

“Learned this lesson a long time ago. Tie up loose ends or they’ll bite you in the butt. Whatever happened out there, I’ll get to the bottom of it.”

“I want to see the police report tomorrow.”

He nuzzled my neck. “I expected no less, Madame of the News.”

I swatted him playfully, enjoying his attention. “You make me sound like something dirty.”

“You make me think wild thoughts.” His hands drifted lower. “How about we take ourselves up to our bedroom and let the world take care of itself?”

“Sounds good, but I have one more question.”

Ike groaned. “What is it?”

“Where was the bullet hole?”

“Straight through the heart. Two kill shots.”

Swamp hogs came in all sizes and were ferocious. You did not want to be charged by one, so you made sure you aimed at the right spot. “A person is taller than a hog.”

“So?”

“Shouldn’t Mr. Mowrey have aimed lower if he was hog hunting?”
~*~

I know you want to read more OF "Dead Men Tell Tales," and you can, in the Happy Homicides 4: Fall Into Crime anthology.

For your convenience, here are the buy links again:



Happy Reading!

Maggie Toussaint


Monday, July 25, 2016

Meteors and Rio and Aliens, Oh My!

My futuristic, dystopian thriller novel, G-3, will be on sale July 25-29, 2016. That's right, you can try this quirky series on the cheap, for all of $0.99. I write this series under the pen name of Rigel Carson.

In this story, a meteor shower changes everything on Earth, and not for the better! An unusual meteor in Rio may have some answers.


Here's the book blurb:

Guardian of Earth, Dr. Zeke Landry has even more reason to protect his planet now that his wife is carrying his child. Little did he know, the romantic evening they enjoyed at the beach watching meteor showers was the last peace on Earth.

Fish and wildlife vanish. Seas thicken with mud. The dolphins warn Zeke to stay away from the ocean. An environmental catastrophe of the highest order is in the making, and no one knows how to prevent it.

Zeke seeks extra-planetary advice from his alien allies, but the news is not good. The threat is dire, and the clock is ticking. Unless a solution is found, the Earth will be transformed into an uninhabitable world. Will Zeke and his android sidekick find a remedy in time to save the day?

~*~

I had a great time writing this book. It's rated 4.7 out of 5 stars on Amazon, and here are two review snips:

"With its unique science angle, memorable characters, and sense of urgency, G-3 will keep you awake at night turning pages. After reading this book, you might want to keep a cat for company."
-Nancy Cohen, author of Peril by Ponytail

"The build-up of tension to the final showdown is very well done. Overall, an engaging, entertaining, and thoroughly enjoyable story." - -Lea Kirk author of Prophecy


And while you're shopping books, G-1 of this series is marked down nearly 1/2 price for a few more days. You might want to check it out as well!  CHECK OUT G-1
That's all for now. Happy Reading!
Maggie aka Rigel



Saturday, July 16, 2016

Some news from Maggie Toussaint!


I'VE GOT ARCS FOR DOGGONE IT. They just arrived yesterday. Some are already committed. Some are looking for 5 active reviewers who enjoy paranormal mysteries. Leave a comment here or contact me via email if you're interested. This book releases Oct 19. Here's a snip about Doggone It...

Dreamwalker Baxley Powell is worried when she’s summoned to a haunted house. A recent ghost dog encounter short-circuited her woo-woo powers. She bluffs her way through the double homicide where a boat captain and a movie crew member bled out from knife wounds.

Her extra senses return in fits and spurts as she consults with the sheriff. Suspects include the captain’s good-for-nothing brother, the movie guy’s replacement, and, of course, his stalker. The media circus jeopardizes the movie’s funding, the sheriff’s job, and Baxley’s senses.

Will Baxley’s powers recharge before the killer strikes again?

Haunted houses, lost pirate treasure, conniving in-laws, supernatural baddies, and a determined ghost dog test amateur sleuth Baxley Powell’s mettle in Book Three of Toussaint’s Dreamwalker Series.

~*~

BUBBA DONE IT is a semi-finalist at Kindle Book Review. The finalists will be announced in October. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Enter this contest by going to bit.ly/cozysummer
This same title is also in a fantastic bundle where we're giving away a KINDLE FIRE and more than 40 cozy mysteries. Contest ends Aug 8, 2016.

~*~
Some great bargains for you in July on my dystopian fiction books, set 50 years in Earth's future. Scientist Zeke Landry and his trusty android sidekick are having a great time saving the planet from secret societies, aliens, and shapeshifters. The series is written thriller style with a side of humor.

G-1 is on sale for the entire month of July for the bargain price of $1.99

G-3 will be on temporary markdown to $0.99 from July 25-29. It's my book about the meteor find in Rio. It's just the thing to get your dystopian brain tuned up for the Summer Olympics in Rio.

~*~

 
My new novella series is being featured in the Happy Homicides Anthologies. There are 3 novellas in the Lindsey & Ike romantic mystery series. "Really, Truly Dead" is in Happy Homicides 2. "Turtle Tribbles is in Happy Homicides 3. And "Dead Men Tell Tales" will come out in August in Happy Homicides 4. Later in 2016 or early 2017, I will release these individually and bundle the Lindsey & Ike set into a print book. This series is set in coastal Georgia and features a cop and a newspaper editor who missed their chance at love first time around.

~*~

Also, don't forget to check in at Booklover's Bench each month. We give away prizes, including a $25 gift card, books, and there are other promotions going on in our Let's Talk Posts.

I hope you will follow me on social media and if you haven't already signed up for newsletter, please do that at my newly revamped website MaggieToussaint.com

~*~
Stay cool this summer and look for a newsletter when Happy Homicides 4 releases next month!

Happy Reading!
Maggie Toussaint

Saturday, April 30, 2016

OMG! On a panel with Charlaine Harris!

Are my feet touching the ground? Not hardly! I was lucky enough to draw a panel assignment with my friend Tj O'Connor and my writing idol Charlaine Harris. We were talking about paranormal mysteries at Malice Domestic today.

Holy Cow. I'm still grinning like a crazy woman. First, let me say that Charlaine is the Most Gracious, Most Charming, and Most Personable person in the world. It was hard not to be tongue-tied sitting beside her. But I took one for the team because due to the small size of our panel being in the middle often means that the moderator, in our case the capable Eileen Watkins, starts at one end or the other of the panel. Having that buffer of time helps me to collect my thoughts or sneak a peek at my notes so that I don't babble and ramble.

Before I ever thought I'd write paranormal mysteries, I read in the genre, and Charlaine's books were my favorites, especially her Sookie Stackhouse series. So I did my best to sound coherent, to look like I was paying attention to everyone, and to try not to let my  fan girl crush on Charlaine turn me into a blithering idiot.

We had a lively time because the topic and the panelists were all so fun, and the attendees seemed to really hang on our every word, even mine.  It was a MOMENT for me, an honest to goodness life moment. I'm still saying to myself: I was on a panel with Charlaine Harris. I sat next to her. She knows my name. She kindly posed for pictures before and after the program. I got to talk shop with her. She laughed (in a good way) at the humor In Bubba Done It I used as an illustration to answer a panel question.

Thank you, Malice Domestic, for making my dream come true.

Maggie Toussaint
http://www.maggietoussaint.com

Friday, April 22, 2016

Pre-order your Sleuthing Women Mysteries today!

Sleuthing Women Mysteries is a 10-author anthology of first-in-series cozy mysteries, including my IN FOR A PENNY. This bargain-priced book is in pre-order right now at Amazon, Nook, Kobo, and iTunes. It will be available for release on May 1, 2016. A short description of each of these full-length mysteries follows.

Assault With a Deadly Glue Gun, an Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery by Lois Winston—Working mom Anastasia is clueless about her husband’s gambling addiction until he permanently cashes in his chips and her comfortable middle-class life craps out. He leaves her with staggering debt, his communist mother, and a loan shark demanding $50,000. Then she’s accused of murder…

Murder Among Neighbors, a Kate Austen Suburban Mystery by Jonnie Jacobs — When Kate Austen’s socialite neighbor, Pepper Livingston, is murdered, Kate becomes involved in a sea of steamy secrets that bring her face to face with shocking truths—and handsome detective Michael Stone.

Skeleton in a Dead Space, a Kelly O’Connell Mystery by Judy Alter—Real estate isn’t a dangerous profession until Kelly O’Connell stumbles over a skeleton and runs into serial killers and cold-blooded murderers in a home being renovated in Fort Worth. Kelly barges through life trying to keep from angering her policeman boyfriend Mike and protect her two young daughters.

In for a Penny, a Cleopatra Jones Mystery by Maggie Toussaint—Accountant Cleo faces an unwanted hazard when her golf ball lands on a dead banker. The cops think her BFF shot him, so Cleo sets out to prove them wrong. She ventures into the dating world, wrangles her teens, adopts the victim’s dog, and tries to rein in her mom…until the killer puts a target on Cleo’s back.

The Hydrogen Murder, a Periodic Table Mystery by Camille Minichino—A retired physicist returns to her hometown of Revere, Massachusetts and moves into an apartment above her friends' funeral home. When she signs on to help the Police Department with a science-related homicide, she doesn't realize she may have hundreds of cases ahead of her.

Retirement Can Be Murder, A Baby Boomer Mystery by Susan Santangelo—Carol Andrews dreads her husband Jim’s upcoming retirement more than a root canal without Novocain. She can’t imagine anything worse than having an at-home husband with time on his hands and nothing to fill it—until Jim is suspected of murdering his retirement coach.

Dead Air, A Talk Radio Mystery by Mary Kennedy—Psychologist Maggie Walsh moves from NY to Florida to become the host of WYME's On the Couch with Maggie Walsh. When her guest, New Age prophet Guru Sanjay Gingii, turns up dead, her new roommate Lark becomes the prime suspect. Maggie must prove Lark innocent while dealing with a killer who needs more than just therapy.

A Dead Red Cadillac, A Dead Red Mystery by RP Dahlke—When her vintage Cadillac is found tail-fins up in a nearby lake, the police ask aero-ag pilot Lalla Bains why an elderly widowed piano teacher is found strapped in the driver’s seat. Lalla confronts suspects, informants, cross-dressers, drug-running crop dusters, and a crazy Chihuahua on her quest to find the killer.

Murder is a Family Business, an Alvarez Family Murder Mystery by Heather Haven—Just because a man cheats on his wife and makes Danny DeVito look tall, dark and handsome, is that any reason to kill him? The reluctant and quirky PI, Lee Alvarez, has her work cut out for her when the man is murdered on her watch. Of all the nerve.

Murder, Honey, a Carol Sabala Mystery by Vinnie Hansen—When the head chef collapses into baker Carol Sabala’s cookie dough, she is thrust into her first murder investigation. Suspects abound at Archibald’s, the swanky Santa Cruz restaurant where Carol works. The head chef cut a swath of people who wanted him dead from ex-lovers to bitter rivals to greedy relatives.

Pre-order your copy now and it will be delivered on May 1st. Give this present to yourself and have plenty of fun reads on hand for all your summer vacations!

Buy Links:
Kindle
Nook
Kobo
iTunes

Friday, February 5, 2016

Maggie's new books, iPad Mini giveaway, free roses, free cookbook

I'm delighted to announce the release of G-3, the next book in my near-future thriller series. G-3, written under my pen name Rigel Carson, releases today, Feb. 5, 2016! After meteor showers litter the Earth with a foreign substance, Dr. Zeke Landry and his android sidekick must stop this threat or life as we know it will be ancient history. Don't delay on getting your copy. BUY G-3 NOW


I'm having 3 events to celebrate G-3's release. I hope you can make it to one of the parties!

Friday, Feb 5, 6:30 to 8 p.m. EST at http://www.facebook.com/NewReleaseParty
Tuesday, Feb 9, 8 to 10 p.m. EST at http://www.facebook.com/BandofDystopian

For my local fans, I will be having an in-person signing on Feb 13 at 10 a.m. at the Sapelo Island Visitor's Center in Meridian, GA. I hope you'll join me for this fun event.

BONUS GIVEAWAY! At Booklover's Bench, I'm running a week-long contest in my Let's Talk post to give away a print copy of G-3 to one lucky U.S. addressee. The contest closes on Feb. 10. We have fresh content weekly on the Let's Talk tabs, so I hope you'll visit the site frequently. At Booklover's Bench, readers are winners. ENTER PRINT BOOK GIVEAWAY


OMIGOSH! My Booklover's Bench group is giving away an iPad Mini. You'll need to click over to our contest page. We have multiple ways to enter. And there are also seven runner-up prizes, so 8 people will win in total. The contest runs until Feb. 18. CLICK HERE TO ENTER



HAPPY HOMICIDES 2: I'M IN IT! I'm delighted to announce the debut of my new sleuth, Lindsey McKay, in a novella titled "Really, Truly Dead" in the next Happy Homicides anthology. All-star authors include Joanna Campbell Slan, Teresa Trent, Neil Plakcy, Elaine Viets, Annie Adams, Camille Minichino, Nancy Jill Thames, Linda Gordon Hengerer, Kathi Daley, Carolyn Haines, Anna Celeste Burke, Randy Rawls and Maggie Toussaint. Recipes and craft ideas will be included, too! This cozy mystery anthology releases Feb 14, but you may pre-order your copy right now: CLICK TO ORDER HH2

The Happy Homicide 2 authors are giving away a dozen roses. That's right. You could win beautiful red roses in our contest.  Preorder your copy using the link above for HH2 and then enter by following the next link: CLICK HERE FOR ROSES

BUBBA DONE IT released in Large Print in late January. If you prefer Large Print editions, please ask your library to order a copy of this paranormal cozy mystery. It would be great if you asked your libraries to carry it in any event. ISBN-13: 9781410485519, Thorndike Press This highly-rated mystery is already out in digital and hardcover at Amazon and in hardcover at Barnes and Noble.

Coming this year: I will have novella releases in the next two HAPPY HOMICIDES cozy mystery anthology editions. My contributions will continue with my new sleuth, Lindsey McKay. In June, look for "Turtle Tribbles," where Lindsey tries to figure out who killed the Turtle Girl. My September story is still a twinkle in my eye.

I've been invited to contribute another short story to the 2nd Killer Nashville anthology, which will release in conjunction with the conference in August 2016.

Also coming this year: DOGGONE IT, Book 3 in my Dreamwalker parnormal cozy mystery series, featuring psychic Baxley Powell. In this story, a ghost dog helps Baxley solve the case. DOGGONE IT releases in late October 2016.


Do you know about my free cookbook? KP AUTHORS COOK THEIR BOOKS is perma-free. I have two recipes in the cookbook under my Rigel Carson personna, and all the recipes in the cookbook look positively yummy. If you haven't downloaded your free copy yet, consider this my early Valentine's Day present to you. DOWNLOAD KP AUTHORS

What I'm doing now: I'm busy editing another Dreamwalker mystery, those novellas for the Happy Homicide anthologies, and writing a short story.

I love to hear from readers, and I hope you will take the time to post reviews after reading my books.

Thanks so much for your interest in my books!
Maggie Toussaint


Connect with Maggie:
Also: sign up for my newsletter on my website or the sidebar of my blog!

Connect with Rigel Carson, my pen name:

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Survivor or Darwinian Marketing?

Some rambling thoughts on the future of book reading and author marketing...

Coming Feb 5, 2016
I’m a hybrid author, with books out through a few traditional (and one non-traditional) presses as well as some titles I’ve released myself. My sales rise and fall, seemingly on the fate of the wind, though my marketing efforts are consistent and expanding.

The population who read mystery and romantic suspense are aging. Macular degeneration and other reading-related issues are game-changers, as are other long-term health issues with readers or the parents they are suddenly tending. Mystery fans are loyal, though, so the challenge is to keep them aware you’re out there without annoying them with too many “buy me! Buy me!” messages.

Print books are here to stay. So are ebooks. Having multiple book formats (including audio) helps authors access readers on all platforms.

The DIY pressure on indies is immense. I put out a new title in 2015 and I’ll release another book in 2016. You can’t skip any steps or your product will suffer. A strong, well-edited story is what you want to bring to market. The cover needs to be awesome in an eye-catching, provocative kind of way. Formatting needs to be spot on, and typos must be invisible to man and machine. Then there’s the whole selection of keywords for the web crawlers and readers to use to locate your books. This is more important than you might think. And finally, getting the word out in a friendly, compelling way. It’s no wonder authors farm some of this out. It’s a lot of time and effort to get a high quality book out there.

Some indies and some pre-published authors will say to heck with this and spend more time with their grandkids. I mean, who hasn’t had those thoughts?

The rest of us, the ones who’ll go crazy if we don’t get these story people out of our heads, will hunker down and find a way to survive. How do I know this? Easy. I’ve been doing it for a few years now and so have you. We will continue to network through great resources like SINC, and we are stronger because of the ties we form, the alliances we make for marketing.
--
SIDEBAR: anyone here a Survivor TV show fan? This year the strategy changed from alliances with a few trusted associates to voting blocks, where people scrambled around and voted independently  when it suited their solo purposes. The publishing world to me is like the game of Survivor. Whether we use alliances or voting blocks to command market share, we are pooling efforts, melding audiences, and benefiting from cross-promotion. Something to think about if you haven’t already. And good luck to all our authors and readers in 2016.

Maggie Toussaint
aka Rigel Carson
G-3 by Rigel Carson coming Feb 5
http://www.RigelCarson.com