Wedding Bear Blues (A Teddy Bear Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
4th in Series
Publisher: Kensington (December 29, 2020)
Paperback: 336 pages

Synopsis

When a heartless killer ruins a Valentine’s Day wedding, teddy bear shop manager Sasha Silverman vows to solve the crime . . .

 

At the Silver Bear Shop and Factory, Sasha will be selling plenty of bride and groom teddy bears come springtime. But this Valentine’s Day weekend, she’d take any of those silent, stuffed couples over the real thing. Sasha and her sister Maddie are bridesmaids at Cissy Davidson’s upcoming wedding in Silver Hollow. Cissy is fuming over the worst choice of best man—the jerk who broke her sister Debbie’s heart—and the groom-to-be won’t budge in his decision. At the rehearsal dinner you could cut the tension with a wedding cake knife.

That is, until best man Dylan is found dead, impaled with an ice pick. Although jilted Debbie is the most likely suspect—the blood on her dress doesn’t help her case—the bride begs Sasha to prove her sister’s innocence. If anyone’s going to walk down the aisle, Sasha will first need to find the cold-hearted killer who iced Dylan . . .

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Guest Post

WRITING A MYSTERY

As Meg Macy, I write the Shamelessly Adorable Teddy Bear cozy mysteries. As Meg Mims, I write western historical mysteries plus sweet holiday romance short stories and novellas. As one half of the D.E. Ireland team, I write the Eliza Doolittle & Henry Higgins historical mysteries. All in all, enough under my belt to lend credibility. I’m here to tell readers how easy writing a mystery is – just kidding! It’s not. Is there anything easy about it? Sure! The beginning.

I have loads of ideas in notebooks, scraps of paper, pieces of napkins, even docs in my laptop. Character sketches. Setting details. Research photos. I’ve trolled Pinterest for photos of actors and actresses who might help spark how a protagonist might look, how they would act (via a role in a movie), how they might sound. It helps to ground that character in “fictional reality” – that’s a conundrum, isn’t it? I’ve written scenes, first chapters, even multiple chapters to see if and how that idea would take shape as a full story. Like I said, beginning is the fun part.

The grueling part for a story in any genre is taking that beginning and then “fleshing it out”. I prefer Michael Hauge’s three-act (and six-stage) structure. Yes, it’s hard. And complicated. It makes a writer think about what a character wants (goals) versus conflicts (why they can’t get what they want), and maybe throwing in either a romantic entanglement or emotional journey they face. So what’s the big deal about adding mystery? That’s where it gets much, much harder.

Sure, drop a body in a book. Readers love a good murder. But they also want to see the killer brought to justice – it doesn’t always happen in real life. So in addition to the regular story, there’s a secondary structure of who did it (don’t forget you need multiple suspects to muddy the waters), why the killer did it (explained at the end after the confrontation/climax), where the murder took place (and often not at the spot where the body is found), when (timeline is important in establishing suspects’ alibis) and with what – the weapon. And don’t forget secrets and lies.

Add even more complications to a contemporary mystery, with modern forensics like fingerprint and DNA evidence (not always a problem in a historical before all that came about), body trauma, etc. Usually, the official investigators never want amateurs butting into their business – especially Miss Marple, and even Hercule Poirot had detractors. No wonder Agatha Christie was a genius and continues to be a bestseller to this day.

Have I ever written a mystery where I don’t know who the killer is? Never. But at times, the characters surprise me with a twist on that. And yes, mysteries need a good twist to spice things up, plus red herrings to lead the reader away from the truth. I don’t mind reading a mystery where I can figure out the killer easily, or early on, but not when the motive doesn’t make sense or isn’t explained well. Like I said, adding a mystery to any plot structure adds to the complications. I have loved the process. I’ve also hated it, at times. And I always hope my readers will be a little forgiving, like I am with other authors, if the book doesn’t completely satisfy.

So leave a review for an author, and keep in mind that writing a book is never a piece of cake. It’s like running a whole bakery. Now I’m hungry for cake. And the mystery is spice, pistachio, or chocolate?

“Writing is the hardest way of earning a living, with the possible exception of wrestling alligators.” Olin Miller

“Writing is easy. All you do is cross out the wrong words.” Mark Twain

About the Author

Meg Macy is a voracious reader, from first grade, and by 3^rd grade wanted to write her own stories. Being a late bloomer, she waited until after career, marriage, and childbirth – and then won a Western Writers of America Spur Award for Best First Book in 2012 with Double Crossing. After co-writing the Agatha Award nominated Eliza Doolittle & Henry Higgins historical mystery series, Meg began writing the Shamelessly Adorable Teddy Bear cozy mysteries. Wedding Bear Blues is the fourth book, and she hopes to keep writing beyond this horrible pandemic when life seemed to be “on hold” for so many. Meg spent way too much time doing puzzles, binge-watching TV, and somehow managed to deliver book five, Bear A Wee Grudge, to her patient editor. She also read A LOT! Always a good thing.

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