In this Business Blast podcast episode, host Tyler Wagner interviews award‑winning mystery and suspense author Maggie Toussaint. The conversation opens with a light‑hearted anecdote about Maggie’s childhood love of books and a failed "green eggs and ham" breakfast, illustrating early lessons about parental expectations and the value of initiative. Maggie then shares eleven years of experience in the publishing world, describing how market shifts, line closures, and a glut of cozy‑mystery titles created a challenging period, but ultimately led her to a new publisher and renewed sales. She offers broad business advice emphasizing the importance of delivering a high‑quality product—whether through a traditional publisher or self‑publishing—and leveraging writer networks for leads. Reflecting on personal growth, Maggie advises her younger self to view change as an ally rather than an enemy, encouraging experimentation alongside routine. She defines happiness as accepting what is within one’s control, citing her own publisher’s collapse and subsequent proactive networking as an example. When asked about influential reading, she cites Jane Ann Krentz’s Absolutely Positively as a turning point that reshaped her writing direction. Her favorite quote, Yogi Berra’s “When you come to a fork in the road, take it,” serves as a mantra for decisive action. Finally, Maggie directs listeners to her website maggitousaint.com and various social media channels for further engagement. The episode is sponsored by Authors Unite and produced via Anchor.
Chapters
Welcome to the Business Blast podcast. I'm your host, Tyler Wagner. This episode is brought to you by Authors Unite. Authors Unite provides you with all the resources you need to become a successful author. You can learn more about Authors Unite and join the free community at authorsunite.com. Now let's jump into the episode.
¡Hola!
¡Hola! ¡Hola!
All right everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Business Blast Podcast. I'm your host Tyler Wagner. Today I have Maggie Toussaint with us. She is an award-winning author who writes mystery and suspense. Her Dreamwalker Mysteries feature Baxley Powell, an amateur sleuth with extrasensory abilities who seeks justice for the dead, solace for the living. So welcome to the show, Maggie.
Thank you so much, Tyler Wagner. I'm delighted to be here.
We're delighted to have you. We'll dive into the first one, Maggie. The first question I have for you is, what is the best story from your life that has an underlying valuable message?
Okay, well, I've loved books since I could hold them in my hand. The first thing after I learned to read, I just took so many wonderful adventures. One of my most favorite books early on was Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss. And that inspired me to cook breakfast one morning. And despite serving my parents a wonderful breakfast of green eggs and raw bacon, they did not eat it. But they did praise me for my initiative. And I learned two valuable things. One, parents do not like breakfast surprises. And two, parents will buy you many books after they hide Seuss's Green Eggs and Ham. So it all worked out.
I love that. And what is the most valuable piece of information we should know that is within your expertise or industry?
Well, I'm in book publishing, so one thing I've learned, and I've been in it for, gosh, 11 years, change is constant in publishing. Editors come and they go and lines fold. I signed my first book contract in 2006, and that cozy mystery, In for a Penny, released in 2008. Everything went great with that publisher for many years until the economy hit a downturn. Then my publisher dropped their science fiction line. And a few years later, their mystery— I mean, the romance line. Then a few years later, the mystery line. And the other bad thing is at the same time this was happening at other houses too, particularly amongst cozy mystery authors. There were just too many of them. So there was suddenly a glut of us on the market. And it became a dark moment, but I landed in a good place. I got a new publisher and cozy mysteries are selling again. So if you're an author, just be patient.
And what's your best piece of overall business advice, not necessarily industry specific?
I think it's important to make sure you have a quality product for the market, whether you're being published through a publisher or you're doing it yourself. A poorly edited book or a poorly conceived widget, whatever you're doing, it will disappoint everyone, yourself included. You want to grow your market and deliver a high-quality product, because if you knock on the right door with your high-quality product, it's more likely to open for you. And if you need advice on how to make your product better, network among— in my case, writer friends for leads. So take time to make your product the best it can be, and you'll be pleased with the result.
And if you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would that be?
I think I would say change is not the enemy. Fear of change and narrow-mindedness are the enemy. Just because you've never tried something is no reason you shouldn't try it. I've learned that if I put too many restrictions on myself, I don't fully experience life. Don't get me wrong, I really respect routines. That's how I stay productive. But there's a value in trying a fresh approach as well. It can keep you aware and focused, and for writers, it can be a bridge to creativity.
And in your opinion, what is the key to happiness?
This was a hard-learned lesson. I think the key to happiness is accepting things that are in your control. So much of our life journey and our publishing journey is just completely out of our control. If you don't stress over the speed bumps or whatever happens to you, happiness comes from that good attitude. For instance, when my mystery publisher went out of business, I could have gotten very upset and moaned and groaned, but that wouldn't change the facts. Instead, I networked, found another house, and I'm continuing to publish my Dreamwalker mystery series.
And, uh, this will be a good one for you. What is the best book that you've read, and what was the number one thing you learned from that?
Well, you think it's a good question, but it was actually very difficult because I have bookcases full of my favorite books. But I did choose one, and it was Absolutely Positively by Jane Ann Krentz, who's— well, I'll just tell you the story. This book was assigned reading material at the first writing conference I went to, and I was prepared to hate it because I'd never heard of the author before. But I loved her characters, and I discovered a new favorite author. Even better, I realized that that was the kind of book I wanted to write. So after that conference, I changed how and what I wrote. So the lesson I learned was to try new things and discover hidden depths in myself.
And what is your favorite quote and why?
Well, probably showing my age here, I'm a Yogi Berra fan. Not everybody knows who he is anymore. But he was a baseball player who stated the obvious in a funny way. My favorite quote of his is, "When you come to a fork in the road, take it." And my interpretation of this is that when life offers you a choice, make a decision and move along. Making no choice means that you go nowhere. So whether you go right or left is unimportant. You just keep your momentum going and you'll get somewhere.
I love that quote. Thank you so much for coming on. The last question I have for you before we let you go is, where's the best place for people to find you online?
Well, Tyler, I'd love for visitors and listeners to visit my website at maggitoussaint.com. There you'll find my background, my books, my writing articles, my newsletter signup, and my anarchy amateur photographs about the South. They're all showcased there on the site. You'll also see social media links to all the places like Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and more. I really enjoy connecting with readers and sharing insights about life and my books, and I'd especially like to thank Tyler for the podcast opportunity. It's been a pleasure to be here today.
Awesome. Thank you so much, and we'll definitely put your website in the show notes. So for anybody listening, definitely check it out if you're interested, and thanks again for Thank you.
The podcast you just heard was published with Anchor. Got something you want to say to the creator of this show? Send them a voice message using the Anchor app, free for iOS and Android.
