Character Name: River
Holloway
1)
Tell us a little bit about yourself--both
something we learn from [the story] and something that readers might not guess?
Most people see me as confident and self-assured. I show my poise in Spawning
Suspicion when I’m asked to find a missing groom. It wasn’t part of my job
because I was merely the caterer, but I needed this wedding to happen. As for
something you might not guess…though I love cooking and catering, I wish it
made enough money consistently to support me. People keep asking me to expand
my business or go into business with them, but I can’t do it. I’m too afraid to
change anything and lose forward momentum.
2) How did you first meet your writer? I answered an online ad Maggie Toussaint
posted for a caterer that loved horses. She was looking for someone exactly
like me for her short story “Trouble with Horses.” I’m happy to say that I won
that role and the series that followed.
3) Want to dish about him/her? Maggie is
good about understanding that I put family first, but there are times when I
wish my family and friends weren’t penalized by virtue of hanging out with me.
If I hadn’t dragged them into this cozy mystery series, their lives would’ve
been much different. My brother wouldn’t have been accused of murder. My fiancé
wouldn’t have lost his shirt in a business deal in California. I wouldn’t have
had to face off with a murderer.
4) Why do you think that your life has ended
up being in a book? I like to think its because both Maggie and I have
something to say. I need family and friends; in fact, I can’t get by without a
little help from my friends. Maggie is clever at how she uses my strengths and
weaknesses to drive the plot. The world is always changing, and it’s how we
deal with those changes that matter. The victim in Spawning Suspicion wasted
his life. I hope people never say that about me. I love helping people—and feeding them! I even allow Maggie to
share my secret recipes in each book of the series.
5)
Who's your favorite character? Why? My fiancé
Pete Merrick. As for the why…have you seen Pete? He’s gorgeous, compassionate,
and faithful. I’ve been in love with him since elementary school. He held a
board meeting for his California company North Merrick not far from Shell
Island back in February to win me back after our across-the-country jobs drew
us apart. He wanted to return triumphantly from that job, fully loaded with
money and prestige. I made certain he knew money and prestige didn’t matter to
me. I’m in love with him, not the trappings of his life. He asked me to marry
him on the spot.
6)
Who's your least favorite character? Why? I have
a love/hate relationship with the deputy assigned to Shell Island. I get why he
wants me to stay out of police business, but the sheriff is quick to close
investigations. Things look bad for my brother right now, but I’m doing my
darnedest to fix that. I’ll cooperate with the police in any way, shape, or
form (my cookies help!), but they have to know that I will stand up for my
family and friends.
7)
What's next for you? Rumor has it that my next
featue will be in a full-length book named Shrimply Dead, book 3 of the
Seafood Caper Mysteries. Maggie says it’s scheduled to release April 2021. In
that book, the chicken lady goes missing, a burglar is roaming the island,
there’s a gator problem, and I explore a new business opportunity. All of that
mystery and mayhem will be here on my favorite place in the world, Shell
Island, GA. I hope you’ll join us!
About Spawning Suspicion
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Publisher: Muddle House Publishing (November 9, 2020)
Paperback: 293 pages
ISBN-10: 0999705423
ISBN-13: 978-0999705421
Kindle ASIN: B08J2R9FLG
The death of island playboy Curtis Marlin doesn’t register on busy caterer River Holloway’s radar…that is, until her brother and his girlfriend are arrested for the former athlete’s murder. Certain of the pair’s innocence, the amateur sleuth sets out to investigate. Suspicion on the island spreads like chocolate sauce when River questions the victim’s teammates. The suspects don’t appreciate her stirring up trouble, but she won’t let an election-hungry sheriff make her brother a sacrificial lamb.
But there’s more than murder on River’s to-do list. A missing groom, catered banquets, and River’s own wedding plans keep her hopping like a short order cook. And as the cherry on the sundae, she has a wild kitty to tame. Under mossy oaks and rustling palmettoes, fact and fiction blend in a mouthwatering romp of good eatin’ and yummy recipes. Spawning Suspicion is the second in Toussaint’s Seafood Capers Mystery Series.
REVIEW
*I received a free copy of this book which I voluntarily chose to write an honest review for.
River is one busy woman! She runs a busy catering company which is where the book starts with her setting up for an event. Just as it ends she gets a call from her brother who always seems to need something saying he is in jail along with his girlfriend. A playboy from the island was murdered and the gigirlfriend is the !ain suspect with the brother being an accessory. River jumps on clearing his name with the full support of her fiance. She had a knack for figuring things out which she embraces. On top of that is a missing groom as well as the planning for her own wedding. This all combines into a great read full of varied characters, excellent details, and a unique island life. !makes for a fast paced read that is sure to delight fans of cozies. Gave me a slightly different fell from other cozies for a nice change of pace. I totally loved it so I give it 5/5 stars.
About Maggie Toussaint
Southern author Maggie Toussaint writes cozy and paranormal mysteries, romantic suspense, and dystopian fiction, with twenty fiction novels published. A multi-year finalist for Georgia Author of the Year, she’s won Silver Falchions, the Readers’ Choice, and the EPIC Awards. She’s past president of Mystery Writers of America-Southeast chapter and an officer of LowCountry Sisters In Crime. She lives in coastal Georgia, where secrets, heritage, and ancient oaks cast long shadows. Visit her at https://maggietoussaint.com/
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Thanks so much for hosting SPAWNING SUSPICION here today on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour. I loved the answers River gave in the interview, and a I dearly love that the book totally worked for you. Thanks for that grand review!
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