Dadgummit
by Maggie Toussaint
Dadgummit
Series: Dreamwalker Mystery (Book 4)
Publisher: Camel Press (August 1, 2017)
Paperback: 312 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1603815932
Amateur sleuth Baxley Powell is on vacation at Stony Creek Lake in the north Georgia mountains. Her parents, best friend, and ten-year-old daughter are camping with her. Almost immediately, a young man’s body is found beside the lake. Strangely, there’s no apparent cause of death. The local police have heard about Baxley’s skill at closing unusual cases, and at their urging she agrees to help.Her psychic sleuthing leads the police to a halfway house. There they encounter eight comatose victims and an odd man named Jonas, who also has supernatural abilities. Baxley senses Jonas cruelly drained their life force energy. Jonas escapes, taking the sheriff as a hostage. Deputy Sam Mayes, a Native American, leads the manhunt, and he keeps Baxley close, knowing she’s the key to capturing this powerful criminal.Baxley’s paranormal talent of dreamwalking, which she uses to traverse the veil of life, draws the unwanted attention of beings believed to be Cherokee folklore. Jonas stole a treasured artifact from them, and they want it back. They hold Baxley’s best friend and two others because they know Baxley can help them. As the clock ticks, Jonas taunts this crime-fighting duo and proves to be a wily adversary.With the body count rising, Baxley and Mayes realize they are up against an entity who appears to be invincible. Do they have the power to subdue an energy vampire, turn the tide of evil, and save the day?
About The Author
Southern author Maggie Toussaint writes mystery, suspense, and dystopian fiction. Her work won the Silver Falchion Award for best mystery, the Readers’ Choice Award, and the EPIC Award. She’s published seventeen novels as well as several short stories and novellas. The next book in her paranormal mystery series, Dadgummit, releases August 2017. Maggie serves on the national board for Mystery Writers of America, is President of Southeast Mystery Writers of America, and is Co-VP of Low Country Sisters In Crime. Visit her at www.maggietoussaint.com.
Interview
Where are you from?
I grew up in a small
fishing village on the Georgia coastline. My father was a shrimpfisherman, and
many of his sisters and their families lived within walking distance. I grew up
wild under southern skies, tamed by tides and times and education. As an adult,
there’s still a longing to have that kind of freedom again.
Tell us your latest news?
My latest book, Dadgummit, is out TODAY! This is the
newest entry in my Dreamwalker Mystery Series featuring amateur sleuth and
psychic Baxley Powell. In this book, Baxley and her family go on vacation to
the Georgia Mountains. She’s drawn into a case when a young man dies of no
apparent reason. The reason becomes clear, thanks to Baxley. An energy vampire
is draining young adults of their energy, and not just a little. These
encounters are fatal. Baxley can block the energy thief’s attack, but everyone
else is at risk. That’s not all. There are others in the mountains, creatures
relegated to myth and legend, only they turn out to be real as real can be.
They’re especially interested in the powerful dreamwalker and kidnap her to demand
a favor.
When and why did you
begin writing?
The effort to write
books began a little over 25 years ago, but there was a steep learning curve
and not much time to write. I kept at it, little by little and about seven
years later I had not one but two book contracts in hand. One was for a
romantic suspense and the other was for a cozy mystery. I was thrilled and
concerned. I always figured I’d know what kind of writer I was by what sold.
Contracting in two genres made my life very interesting.
When did you first
consider yourself a writer?
It wasn’t when I
wrote my first book, or even my fifth book because the truth is anyone can sit
down and crank out a book. That kind of writing is for your own pleasure. But
to write something that someone else thinks is decent, that someone else wants
to publish, is darn near awesome. I considered myself a writer when I got my
first “No, but…” rejection letter. An editor took the time to tell me why the
story was rejected and encouraged me to submit again with a little more story tweaking.
Once I started getting those positive rejections I felt like I was a
professional writer.
What inspired you to
write your first book?
Both my first book
(long buried, thank goodness) and my first published book were written because
of a personal interest that fit with what the market was publishing. The first
book, a loosely based historical based on my grandparents’ love story, allowed
me to write about my fishing village, but I didn’t know much about good writing
at that point, and as it turned out, I had a contemporary voice. I got it right
with House of Lies, a story about a
young urban professional who loved to birdwatch who becomes enmeshed in a CIA
cover-up when she claims her estranged and recently deceased father’s house. I
had another favorite setting, mid-Maryland, that I enjoyed writing about, a
bird expert at my fingertips, and a lifelong fascination with spies. It worked
for me, and I’m still thrilled that I broke out of the slush pile.
Do you have a
specific writing style?
I write in my own
way. I adapted to this writing style over time. In the beginning, my science training
in the Scientific Method had me heavily outlining stories. That made for a
straightforward write, but truthfully it was more fun to write the outline. I
learned from that. Now, I write to certain story events and the writing
experience is a knee-knocking, knuckle-biting wonder. Apparently that kind of
writing lure is something my muse finds vastly entertaining, so for the most
part, she cooperates. My muse also styles herself after those old commercials
where an earthly woman with a garland in her hair stands up and says “It’s not
nice to fool Mother Nature.” Anyway, I let her think she’s driving the novel
and then I put my southern twist on it.
How did you come up
with the title?
In a series, you’re
somewhat bound by the limitations you set in the first title. I started the
Dreamwalker Mystery series with Gone and
Done It. The next book pretty much named itself, Bubba Done It. So then I thought I might be limited to titles that
ended with done it, but along came Doggone
It. Hmm. So any combination of gone, done, and it seemed to work. Dadgummit came about because my sleuth
was supposed to be taking time off from sleuthing, but she ended up in the middle
of a case anyway. The next two books are written and those titles all end with
“it,” so that’s the prevailing title convention for this series.
Is there a message in
your novel that you want readers to grasp?
My message in every
book is that scary things exist in the world. Through facing our fears, we rise
above them and battle the darkness with light and hope.
What would you like
my readers to know?
I’m so glad to be
hear at Deal Sharing Aunt today showcasing my new release on my Great Escapes Blog
Tour for Dadgummit. If you’re new to
my series, I’m happy to answer any questions you may have about the series or
my sleuth, Baxley Powell.
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TOUR PARTICIPANTS
August 1 – deal sharing aunt – INTERVIEW
August 2 – Books,Dreams,Life – SPOTLIGHT
August 2 – Island Confidential -GUEST POST
August 3 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
August 3 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
August 4 – Teresa Trent Author Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
August 4 – T’s Stuff – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
August 5 – I Read What You Write – REVIEW, GUEST POST
August 5 – StoreyBook Reviews – CHARACTER GUEST POST
August 6 – Cozy Up With Kathy – INTERVIEW
August 7 – Pulp and Mystery Shelf – SPOTLIGHT
August 8 – Jane Reads – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
August 9 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
August 9 – Varietats2010 – REVIEW
August 10 – Readeropolis – SPOTLIGHT
Have you signed up to be a Tour Host?
Thank you for featuring Dadgummit here on its release day. I enjoyed answering your interview questions and stand ready to answer addition questions your reader may have. Maggie Toussaint
ReplyDeleteMake that additional questions. If anyone asks me math questions my eyes may glaze over, LOL!
ReplyDeleteDreamwalking seems like an interesting talent to have. I'm curious to see how Baxley uses it to solve mysteries.
ReplyDeleteHi Jana, Baxley has an array of extrasensory talents. They often lead her to flashes of something that happened in the past, which then helps her and the police know where to look for real world clues. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. I hope you'll give the series a try.
DeleteI can't wait to read more about Baxley and her Dreamwalking talent. Sounds like an intriguing series.
ReplyDeleteHi Dianne! I hope you truly love the series!
ReplyDelete