Occupation: Caterer
My earliest memories are of cooking with my grandmother. Back in those days I was too short too see over the counter, so Grandy had a stepping stool just for me. We sifted and stirred and iced cookies to our hearts content. The kitchen became my happy place and it still is. I’m River Holloway, and I own Holloway Catering.
This afternoon, family friend Estelle Bolz called me in tears because her son Chili is missing. The news hit hard, namely because he’d always been a big brother to me. We’d reconnected as adults, him with his charter fishing business and me with my catering. In fact, I expected him to walk across my lawn any minute with ocean-fresh fish for tonight’s client.
I wanted to drop everything and search for Chili right this minute, but I’m a one-woman show, and I had to work all afternoon to be ready for tonight. Even so, Estelle wrung a promise from me to hit the island hot spots to ask people about Chili.
My clients loved my arugula and pear salad, parchment-wrapped sea bass, roasted onions and sweet potatoes, and lemon meringue pie. Then instead of sacking out afterward as was my custom, I showered and hit the bars. At the second club, I bumped into my friend Viv who delighted in introducing me to everyone. No luck in finding Chili, but a deputy at the bar bought us drinks and stuck tight as a sandspur.
This very deputy arrested my brother a few months ago, so he wasn’t a friend. My attitude toward him was the same as if a shark circled me in the ocean. I couldn’t get away fast enough, but he had other ideas. He wanted to hook up, well, that too, but he claimed he wanted to temporarily join forces in the search for Chili Bolz. Imagine that.
Now all I’ve got to do is find my missing friend, ditch the deputy, and somehow keep my catering business afloat. Thank goodness tomorrow is another day.
Giveaway: Maggie is giving away one (1) print copy of Seas the Day to one lucky winner who comments on their favorite island/beach thing to do. Giveaway limited to U.S. residents. Contest ends April 23, 2020. Good luck everyone!
Seas the Day is the first book in the NEW “Seafood Caper” cozy mystery series, released April 21, 2020.
Caterer River Holloway cooks like a dream and is known on Shell Island as a “finder” of things. Which is why a desperate mother begs River to track down her grown son, Chili Bolz, who’s vanished.
Deputy Lance Hamlyn can’t find the missing man, so he teams up with River. The missing person case boils over into something frightening when Chili’s mother falls victim to a brutal assault. Worse, her dying words incriminate River’s friends in both kidnapping and, now, murder. River soon finds herself caught in an unsavory recipe for disaster.
Despite catering events and the return of her absentee boyfriend, River finds the number of suspects growing longer than her food shopping list. Along the way she befriends a black cat who becomes her crime-solving partner. River must locate Chili and discover who killed his mother before her own goose is quite literally cooked.
Maggie Toussaint serves up a fun and captivating read in Seas the Day, the first in her Seafood Capers series.
Purchase Link
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About the author
Southern author Maggie Toussaint writes cozy and paranormal mysteries, romantic suspense, and dystopian fiction, with more than twenty fiction novels published. Seas the Day is the first in her new Seafood Caper Mystery Series. A multiple award winner, Maggie lives in coastal Georgia, where secrets, heritage, and ancient oaks cast long shadows. Visit her at maggietoussaint.com.
All comments are welcomed.
This book sounds good — I’m adding it to my TBR list. I always love the beginning of a new series.
I think it would be right up your alley, Christi!
One of my very beach things to do is walk along looking for pretty, unique seashells. I also love to sit and read and listen to the waves.
I love walking along the beach and searching for intact shells. This sounds like a great beginning to another successful series!
These are my favorite things to do at the beach too, Jeanne. It is an immersive experience for me, even if I don’t get wet!
Thanks Jeanne. I hope you get many more fun beach days in your future!
Congratulations on the release, Maggie! This sounds like a fun one.
Thanks, Lynn. The idea for this series sprang from a short story, and I just knew River and Pete demanded their own series. I hope readers love them as much as I do.
Happy Book Birthday, Maggie!
Thanks, Cheryl. I enjoy book birthdays more than my regular birthdays now. Everyone is much more excited about something new to read as opposed to an aging female, LOL.
This is so fun! Thanks, Dru Ann, for featuring Seas the Day here on its Book Birthday! I love visiting here and hanging out with readers. Looking forward to hearing readers thoughts all day long here. Thanks to Christi, Jeanne, Sharon, Lynn, and Cheryl who’ve already popped in. So nice to see you ladies here!
Congratulations to Maggie on this new series. I’m definitely hoping to read as this write up sounds so interesting.
My favorite beach activity was always looking for unique shells or stones and always hoping to find sea glass. I also used to sketch at the beach too. The beach was my happiest place but now my mobility is another thing of the past and getting through the sand to the beach or water’s edge is not possible. But I have my memories!
Wishing you the best of everything.
Cynthia
Cynthia- you’re not alone. We all have some reason why we don’t get out as much as we used to. For me it’s allergies and skin cancer. I’m the weirdo people see at the beach covered from head to toe in sweltering heat… Actually, I try to do that early or late in the day. Anyway, glad you stopped by. The beach was always my happy place too!
Hi Maggie, I love your books and have been reading them for many years. I’m looking forward to enjoying this new series just as much.
Thanks, Nora. You’ve made my day!
So excited to see a new character and setting from you. Having been a devote of your books from your Cleopatra Jones to your Dreamwalker series. Can’t wait to meet River.
Appreciate your kind words, Debra. Thanks!
Congratulations! The series sounds captivating and interesting. Thanks for this lovely feature.
I certainly hope it is captivating! Thanks!
Read a good cozy mystery like Seas the Day with a glass of wine and toes in the sand
That’ll work! Enjoy your day, Susan!
Hi Dru Ann. I’m not very familiar with Maggie Tousant so it would be great to be able to
claim this book. I enjoy following your blog because I find information about not just books
but also about the person who wrote it. Thank you for your service to the reader and author.
Glad to meet you here, Robin. Always love to get to know mystery readers!
I’ve never been to the beach before but I bet reading this book will be just as good!
Alicia – I hope I can save you a lot on a beach vacation! River and crew are a lot of fun so I surely hope that readers will immerse themselves in the island atmosphere as they read.
I like shelling and reading a light book of some kind while at the beach.
We have shelling in common, Rochelle. I finally got some of those lamps to put a few of my seashells in to display them.
I love walking in the wet sand and the feel of the ocean wind on my face! And lounging with a good book to read makes for a beautiful day!
Hi Nancy. I also enjoy feeling the wind on my face. The ocean freshness of the wind is wonderful to me. My fav is to walk in the shallows of the ocean, where it’s ankle deep or less. Somehow that makes me feel more connected to the earth.
I got to read this mystery a few months ago and enjoyed it thoroughly! I can’t wait to read future books. As for the beach, I usually have my nose to the ground looking for and at interesting things: shells, sea glass, washed-up critters.
Thank you for your kind words, Pat. Much appreciated. There will be two more books (at least!) in this series. And I hope the book wasn’t fattening!
This sounds like another good read from a favorite writer.
Thanks for your nice compliment, Libby. Hope you and everyone here will also make it to my Book Launch Party tonight on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/NewReleaseParty from 7 to 8:30 pm EDT.
Congratulations on your new release. My favorite island is Mackinac Island. I love the quaintness of the Island and lack of cars.
Dianne, We have an island like that near here, Sapelo Island. There are a few cars, but I’m talking 20 or so. Most of the time on the road you won’t see another car! The beach there is the same way. Looks like it must’ve looked for generations.
Best of luck with the new series, Maggie!
Thanks, Lois. How are you doing with shepherding those grands?
I love the beach just to set and relax and watch the tide come in.
Doward – I love watching the incoming tide. It is bristling with hope and determination!
Love to help my sister-in-law hunt for beach glass!
What fun to share beaching with a family member, Teresa!
What a fun sounding new cozy series. I am partial to seaside settings and grew up with all the excitement of beachcombing.
Thanks, GB. I love seaside mysteries too. Like you, I’m a beachcomber. I love finding shells, driftwood, stuff from ships, and any other treasures on the beach.
Congratulations, Maggie. It’s a fun book, everyone. You will not be disappointed.
Thanks, Polly! I am so appreciative of all your edits and suggestions!
I love to sit and watch the waves. So relaxing. Looking forward to reading Seas the Day. Happy book birthday!
Hi Linda. Those waves are mesmerizing to me as well. Watching them resets my internal clock from ayyyyyyy to ummmmm. Thanks for the book birthday wish!
My favorite beach activity is looking for sea glass with my nieces.
Hey there Mary C. You are in good company here as many have mentioned the delight of finding sea glass. I love finding water-worn treasure on the beach too.
I’m hungry after reading about all the lovely food your character makes. Congrats on the new release, Maggie.
That’s my intention, though I’d love for you to be hungry for more of the story as well! Thanks for stopping by.
My favorite beach activity is walking on the beach. I live in Oregon and the coast is windy and rocky and always changing. Thanks so much for the giveaway and congratulations on the new release!
Hi Autumn! I also love beachwalking. I used to be a beach sitter/reader in my early days, but the sun is not my friend anymore. Beach walking suits me the best now — I still get my beach fix and I also am adding steps to my mostly sitting lifestyle.
I like walking the beach looking for shells!
Me too, Linda. I’ve got a nice collection from the beaches I’ve visited in my lifetime. I think if there was an emergency here, I’d grab my computer and a bag of seashells before hitting the door!
I like to visit the beach off season & walk along the water’s edge or sit in the sand & read.
That’s lovely, Jana. It’s so nice to feel that sea air fill our bodies, isn’t it? I’m so glad I live near the ocean. It certainly adds smiles to my day.
My favorite thing to do on an island is eat local seafood at a locally owned restaurant. Yum! I also love browsing the quirky shops and hunting for shells on the beach. I’m very fond of books set on islands and of mysteries – this is my kind of book! Thanks for the chance to win.
Hi Susan. I was lucky enough to score carryout seafood last night and I have lots of leftovers for today. A double win! I hope you will give Seas the Day a try. Take care!
It sounds like a really interesting book. Thank you for sharing. My favorite thing to do at the beach is relaxing with a good book and listening to the waves.
Hi Susan, I love to do the same. It’s funny, being around high energy people can be exhausting but being around high energy beach waves is exhilarating to me! I certainly hope you’ll give my new Seafood Capers series a try.
Apologies, I meant to address that last reply to Diana. Brain is in corona mode this morning or something.
I’ve always loved going to the Jersey Shore because the boardwalk is my absolute favorite! I love just sitting on the beach and listening to the waves and sounds of the ocean, it’s so relaxing.
Hi Susan, I never knew the delights of a boardwalk until I married and traveled to beaches for vacations. Around here, we don’t have those shops so close at hand. You pack your picnic for the beach and hope there’s a public beach-house not to far away if you need a restroom. But I like the boardwalk ambiance too, and I’m glad it hits your happy place and relaxes you!
I love to relax on the beach under a tree or some sort of shade and either read or people watch, or a bit of both. Not a lot of beaches are great for shell hunting but depending on the beach, I like to do that as well.
Hiya Kristin! I hear you about needing shade at the beach. From the image next to your comment I see that you are very fair skinned like me. I hope you did a good job of protecting yourself from the sun when you were younger. We had baby oil that we used on our skin back in the day and there was no sun protection at all. Now I am very good friends with my dermatologist! Do you like perfect and imperfect shells? I used to only collect the perfect ones. Now I’m after the ones that look interesting or feel right in my hand.
Congratulations on you new release, Maggie!
Hey Morgan, Happy to connect with you here. Thanks for the congrats on the new book. Sometimes I feel that those of us who have been at this for a while have graduated to book warrior status! Stay safe.
I <3 FIRST BOOKS!!!!
Thank you for the giveaway…
I also love first books in series, Cyn. It’s a blank slate starting in a new story world, but it quickly becomes very real and this island that my sleuth River Holloway lives on is a wonderful place. I modeled it after a place I once lived and so I feel very at home in the setting. Thanks for stopping by.
Sounds like a great read.
Hi Karen! Thanks for stopping by. Now that the giveaway has ended, I hope you’ll try Seas the Day and get to know my sleuth River Holloway much better. She’d love to be your friend!
**** WINNER ****
Seas The Day is Nancy Timmerman
Congratulations!
Yay!! Really looking forward to visiting the beach! Well, in my mind at least. 😁 Thanks you so much!
I also congratulate Nancy on her win. Woohoo!
I love a new series to sink my teeth into! Anything to do with the beach goes to the top of my TBR, so I will be reading this very soon! Thanks Dru and congrats on a new release Maggie!