Mancini Blue: An Art Studio Mystery by Maggie Toussaint
About Mancini Blue
Mancini Blue: An Art Studio Mystery
Paranormal Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting - Fictional Island (St. James Island)
off the Georgia coast in the USA.
Publisher : Muddle House Publishing
Publication date : October 13, 2026
Digital ASIN : B0HCHW5JGT
Paperback Info To Come
After his wife, famous artist Sophie Mancini, allegedly commits suicide in Savannah, wealthy financial advisor Robert Calloway makes a fresh start on St James Island. To honor Sophie, Bob creates the Island Art Gallery. He lives above the shop with his niece, her ten-year-old daughter, and Sophie’s cairn terrier. He is certain the cops got his wife’s means of death wrong. When he left her in the studio that fateful evening to paint overnight, her door locked behind him. She wouldn’t unlock her door for a stranger. To get justice for Sophie, Bob delves into her murder using his hidden ability to help find solid evidence. When he unsuccessfully searches his old Savannah haunts for leads, he returns to St. James to discover a bizarre murder occurred near his shop. Despite his alibi, he is questioned by the local cops. He’s stunned when many aspects of this new case are identical to Sophie's death. Thus, solving his wife’s murder will most likely shed light on the recent case. Bob’s suspect list includes family members, neighbors, friends, and Sophie's art associates. He discovers people are rarely what they seem and believes this deadly foe kills to protect secrets. Can he identify his wife’s murderer before the killer strikes again?
About Maggie Toussaint
Southern author Maggie Toussaint writes cozy and paranormal mysteries under her name and a pen name of Valona Jones, romantic suspense, and dystopian fiction under the pen name of Rigel Carson, with thirty-one novels published. Her recent release, Mancini Blue is the first in An Art Studio Mystery. A multi-year finalist for Georgia Author of the Year, she’s won Silver Falchions, Readers’ Choice awards, and the EPIC Award. She’s a member of Mystery Writers of America-Southeast chapter and Sisters In Crime-Guppy chapter. She lives in coastal Georgia, where secrets, heritage, and ancient oaks cast long shadows. Visit her at https://maggietoussaint.com/
Interview:
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
I have always been entranced by the written word. Stories have always been my preferred means of armchair traveling, escape, and, frankly, me-time. At one point in my life, a story failed me, and I decided I could write better than that. So, I started the journey and never looked back. Little did I know that it would take me ten years to rise up out of the slush pile.
How long does it take you to write a book?
For most of my writing career, it has taken me nine months to write and polish a full-length novel. Now that I am also exploring other means of creativity, it takes a little longer to finish a book.
What is your work schedule like when you're writing?
I am a morning person. On writing days, I stay at the keyboard until I hit my word count goal for the day, which is usually a thousand words. Some days I write more. But I never do less.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I write quirky characters because that’s the lens through which I view life. I like being around characters who express themselves, who communicate (sometimes badly), and have eccentricities. No shrinking violets in my books,
How do books get published?
There are several ways to bring your book to readers, and I’ve tried them all. There’s traditional publishing where you sign with a publishing house, usually receive an advance, and then your book comes out on their production schedule. But publishers change lines and authors now and again, so a writer might also need to find a place in a mid-sized or smaller house. That path doesn’t come with a royalty, but the house still does the covers, editing, and formatting. I’ve also gone the route of becoming published by going through a contest on Amazon that was set up around readers voting your book through to publication in their Kindle Scout program. And there’s self-publishing, where an author is responsible for cover creation, editing, formatting, uploading, and marketing.
Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?
I never know what will stimulate my creativity until something does. Sometimes it’s a chance phrase overheard or a certain sunset color, or even something ripped from the headlines. I’ve had story ideas come while I was sleeping. I’ve found it’s best to be open to anything and respect my process.
When did you write your first book and how old were you?
I was a married, working mom of two when I began to write. My time for writing (in a spiralbound notebook) was while I waited for one of the kids to do an after-school activity. None of those activities were near home, so it made sense to wait until it was over. The world could’ve burned down around me in those moments because I was so focused on getting everything written down in that limited amount of time. Note: this was way before the evolution and laptops and tablets.
What do you like to do when you're not writing?
I have always been creative in one way or another, but not usually all at once. For a while, I sewed clothing, then I began doing crewel embroidery, which led to counted-cross stitch. I always loved arts and crafts and making my own greeting cards. Lately, I’ve taken a serious plunge into all kinds of crafts, such as creating wreaths, angels, mobiles, and more out of a blend of natural materials and décor items. I’m not a whiz at exercise, but I enjoy yoga and Tai Chi.
What does your family think of your writing?
My entire family has always been supportive of me following the dream. I dove into writing headfirst, joining major writing organizations, attending conferences, meeting industry pros, and so on. I could not have done all of that without their help! It takes an extended family to “raise” an author!
What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?
Ha! Great question, and I bet you get this answer frequently. I learned the hard way that I am not in charge of the story. The characters always are, no matter how much I outline or flesh out their goal, motivation, and conflict. And it’s pointless to fight something that channels straight from the story ether. I just ride the wave. Much easier that way.
How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?
I have published 31 works of fiction and two nonfiction books. I wrote a trilogy before I learned how to write and those never made it anywhere. (thank goodness!) Just weren’t up to publication standard. All of the published fiction works are on my maggietoussaint.com website.
Do you have any suggestions to help me become a better writer? If so, what are they?
First, understand that everyone’s writing process varies. There is no right or wrong to it. Find what works for you and stick to it. For me that meant making sure I had at least two hours of morning time that was always for writing. Email, phone calls, games, laundry, etc., was all put on the back burner for that time because if you don’t respect your writing time, no one else will. I highly recommend joining a professional writing group to learn basic tools of the craft and to network.
Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?
I do hear from readers. It is always a joy to receive a note from them. Usually they really liked one of the books and felt compelled to drop me a line. Sometimes, they want me to write more stories in a story world they fell in love with.
Do you like to create books for adults?
I thoroughly enjoy writing books. In fact my demographic is women of a certain age. We know what we want in a story, and we have high expectations. And yes, I am a voracious reader. I have several authors on auto-buy.
What do you think makes a good story?
I read across genres, and I’ve written in mystery, romantic suspense, cozy mystery, and science fiction/urban fantasy. For me, a good story is a fast-paced read with a mystery as the plot, a slow-boil romance as the subplot, and an intriguing setting that also acts as a character.
As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?
This is too funny! I wanted to be an astronaut. However, I am completely unsuited to be an astronaut due to motion sickness, vertigo, eating patterns, and so on. But I wanted to explore new worlds, only through books…
What Would you like my readers to know?
My latest release, MANCINI BLUE, a cozy paranormal mystery, is out now in digital and print. In it, a grieving widower seeks justice for his late wife using his aura-reading talent to help find suspects.
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