Maggie Toussaint

We’d like to welcome Maggie Toussaint to our interview blog this week. A very talented author, Maggie has a fabulous contemporary, sweet romance with us titled Seeing Red.

Welcome,Maggie.

FB: Seeing Red touches on the dynamics of family life. Even though Emma is the oldest, she still has disapproving younger sisters. (I relate. ) Where did the inspiration for this book originate?

MT: Hi Marci, thanks for this opportunity to showcase my work. Seeing Red was very much borne out of real life. I have three sisters, and we jointly inherited a property. In time that property needed rehab, or it would be uninhabitable. One of my sisters, the one who occupied the home, was willing to undertake the repairs at her expense. However, she couldn’t get a loan without clear title. To get a clear title meant that the rest of us had to sign over our share of the property. Like Maddy in the story, I had a very difficult time signing over my interest. It felt like I was invalidating my father’s trust in me, that I didn’t value my heritage or his gift. I eventually came around to the others’ viewpoint, but I had to work through a lot of emotion. That experience really stuck with me.

FB: Does Emma share any characteristics with you? If so, do tell. If not, did you base her on anyone you know? (No names necessary.)

MT: One of the cool things about writing is that bits and pieces of people are glommed onto characters. I share a science background with Emma. I never had such a hostile work environment as portrayed in Seeing Red, but there were times when it seemed like I was on the outside looking in. At the most basic level, that’s Emma’s dilemma. She just doesn’t fit in the life she’s living. I think many people can identify with being stuck and with wanting something different.

Seeing Red by Maggie Toussaint

FB: How did you choose your names for your characters in this book? I love the name Emma, but Quentin is not a name you see that often.

MT: I’m so glad you asked about names! I love naming characters. My goal is to have the name reveal more about the character. This is a bit tricky as we all have name associations with folks we know, but I go for it anyway. Emma struck me as a name that was a bit old fashioned. I liked the way it sounded, and I especially liked that it was plain because Emma is fighting for identity on many levels. I selected Quentin for my hero’s name because it was different. I wanted a name that stood out, a name a man had to live up to. I had a cousin growing up named Chisolm. We called him Quiz. I thought that might be a mouthful for a romance, but I liked the idea of a “Q” name. Thank goodness for baby naming books. That’s where I found Quentin’s name.

FB: Beyond looks, what is it about Emma that draws Quentin to her?

MT: This question made me smile. As a rehab contractor, Quentin is an excellent fixer, plus his secret passion is cooking. Emma is living in a house that is quite literally falling down around her, and she’s a terrible cook. Her goal is to turn the old house into a bed and breakfast, so she keeps trying to cook – and failing miserably. Quentin wants to fix the house, the cooking, and the hole in his heart.

FB: What would you like readers to take away with them after reading Seeing Red?

MT: My take home message for this book is that dreams come true. The odds were heavily stacked against Emma, both in finding herself and her career. She went for it anyway and found more than she’d ever dreamed possible.

FB: Do you write in other genres as well?

MT: Yes, I do. Besides romance, I also write mysteries. My romances have a bit of suspense, and my mysteries have romantic subplots. To me these are essential story elements, like the hot fudge sauce on the ice cream.

FB: Will we see any of the characters from these books in any others?

MT: This book has two possible follow-ons, the stories of Emma’s sisters. Sadly, I have been tied up with other projects and these haven’t moved forward as yet. But there’s always tomorrow!

FB: Do you have anything else in the works?

MT: I have been developing several mystery series of late. I enjoy my association with Freya’s Bower because I believe in the viability of the electronic market, however I want to explore other markets as well.

Now for some fun questions:

FB: What about writing life/being an author took you by surprise?

MT: I’m amazed that people want to know what I think about writing. I worked hard and for many years to get published. It’s amazing to me how many people are inspired by my struggle to succeed in publishing.

FB: Where did your journey as a writer begin?

MT: I’ve always been a scribbler, but I didn’t decide to write a book until a back injury sidelined me in 1991. Then I had the opportunity to read nearly a hundred books; some of them were not very good. It didn’t take long before the idea of trying to write a book progressed into scribbling in a notebook while I sat at my daughters’ extracurricular activities.

FB: If you could be any man, living or dead, who would you want to be? Why?

MT: I’ve never actually thought about being a man before, LOL. Given my sympathy for the underdog, my propensity for detail-oriented tasks, and my love for animals, I think I might like to be St. Francis of Assisi.

FB: Jane Eyre, Jo March, or Cathy Earnshaw? Which these famous historical heroines do you share the most characteristics with? And what are the characteristics?

MT: (this is a great question!) I’m definitely Jo March. I’m independent, creative, and outspoken. I like to push the bounds of my life, and I encourage others to reach for their potential. In addition, I have high personal standards, and I truly believe anything is possible.

FB: Any last words? Um, for the interview, that is. (grin)

MT: This made me grin as well. I recently visited my mother-in-law. She always prays for us to be taken safely home. I know she means home from our travels and not to the afterlife, but still, her words always catch me by surprise. Given that circumstance, my parting thought is that words matter. Choose how you spend your words. My choice is to spend mine entertaining others. I hope you’ll try Seeing Red and many of the other fine products from Freya’s Bower. For more about me, visit www.maggietoussaint.com.

To find out more about Maggie Toussaint, you can visit her website.

Freya’s Bower books by Maggie Toussaint:

Seeing Red by Maggie Toussaint

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 15th, 2009 at 3:40 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.