Guest post for All Done with It

End of an Era

By Maggie Toussaint

When something ends, sadness is expected, and I feel that way about finishing the 7^th book of the Dreamwalker Mystery series, ALL DONE WITH IT. Sleuth Baxley Powell has been in my head for at least eight years. We’ve been through some rough situations, scary stuff, and messy personal stuff (hers not mine) together. Her daughter Larissa; her parents, Lacey and Tab Nesbitt; Sheriff Wayne Thompson, along with Deputies Virg and Ronnie; best friend, Charlotte Ambrose; missing husband, Roland Powell; all those Bubbas; and of course, Deputy Sam Mayes, all have been three-dimensional to me from their first appearance.

Mayes, like Baxley, strode into the story with a purpose. A Cherokee man with power to spare, he had his eye on Baxley from the moment he saw her. I kept telling him this was a mystery until he finally agreed that their romance could be secondary for the series as long as I made sure everyone knew Baxley was his All.

Cloaked in mystery and self-gratification, Rose played a part in Baxley’s character arc, shaping her when she didn’t want to be shaped. Rose advanced the story, at a cost. “Nothing in life or death is free” is her motto. All things Rose are revealed in this final book. It is sincerely hoped that Rose will stay at rest now that the series is concluded.

Don’t get me wrong. The last book isn’t full of sappy memorializing of Gone and Done It, Bubba Done It, Doggone It, Dadgummit, Confound It, and Dreamed It. Nope. In All Done With It, Baxley lives out her worst nightmares: feeling like she’ll be nine months pregnant forever, being so hypersensitive she feels ill, and blocking her talents to protect the baby. And then there’s Mama Lacey. One advance reader stopped reading to write me, begging me to save this character.

The pets. How could I forget them? Baxley has such a keen affinity for animals that despite her limited income, she collects quite a menagerie. Of note are Elvis, the Chihuahua therapy dog, and Oliver, the Great Dane Ghost dog. I can’t imagine this series without either of these fine canines, even though Sulay the big cat ruled the roost from the get-go.

Even though I’ll miss this crew, this book is not to be missed. Readers are already asking if I’ll write another book in this series. There’s nothing planned at this moment, but that’s not a firm no either. Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy this supernatural showdown between good and evil.