Inspiration From
A Traitor
I
first created the Shamelessly Adorable Teddy Bear cozy mystery series for
Kensington in 2016. I discovered that the idea was fairly unique, with the lone
exception of an older series featuring a retired cop and his wife, a teddy bear
collector and artist, solving murders. Once my premise of a teddy bear shop and
factory was given the green light, I began researching.
Easy
peasy, since the first thing I planned was a visit to the Chelsea Teddy Bear Factory,
about an hour’s drive from my home in southeast Michigan. Lots of my friends
had gone, and I’d been collecting teddy bears shortly before my daughter was
born. At last I’d get to see how teddy bears were manufactured, learn the
history behind the factory, and maybe buy a few. The Chelsea Teddy Bear Factory
had been doing tours since 2001, so my trip was long overdue. Plus, they also
had a wonderful toy museum.
However,
when I looked up the directions on Google Maps, I was shocked. To my horror, I learned
the business had shut down. Closed? Since when? And RATS! How did I miss this
bad news? Apparently the founders decided to move manufacturing operations out of
Michigan two years prior, in 2014. They moved kit and caboodle to Missouri. Traitors!
Chelsea is a small town, so losing the teddy bear factory was a huge blow. At
least I managed to find a new and tagged Chelsea teddy bear on eBay for a
decent price to use as inspiration. That soothed my ruffled feathers. A little.
At
least I found lots of information on Google about the business including the materials
they used for bears, the tours they once conducted, the stuffing they used,
plus photos of their former factory building, their sign, etc. To be fair, I
also checked out Build-A-Bear and the Vermont Teddy Bear company for comparison
purposes, and that gave me the chance to flesh out plans for my “Silver Bear
Shop & Factory” plus their competition. Next I plotted out a village map and
a list of businesses, owners, and other minor characters. That is the most fun
during the research phase.
I
also studied a YouTube video (see the link below), which shows the Chelsea
Teddy Bear Factory in its heyday. Their former claim to keep their toys “Made
in America” is no longer valid. Most mass-produced stuffed animals are now made
in China and Indonesia. What a shame. That played a big part in book 1, Bearly Departed.
Having
once written online articles for a real estate company, reporting their staff’s
community involvement, I was able to use details of holiday events, parades, picnics,
and charity fundraising efforts to my character’s fictional world. That helped
a lot when I created the “Oktobear” Fest in Book 2, Bear Witness to Murder, and a village Christmas tree lighting and
parade in Book 3, Have Yourself A Beary
Little Murder.
While
I’ve (sort of) forgiven the Chelsea Teddy Bear Factory for leaving Michigan, I keep
kicking myself for missing a great opportunity to visit. Drat. At least readers
can visit my fictional world of Silver Hollow.
Award winning author Meg Macy writes the “Shamelessly Adorable”
Teddy Bear cozy mystery series for Kensington, and is also one-half of the
writing team for the Agatha Award-nominated historical mysteries featuring
Eliza Doolittle and Professor Henry Higgins. As Meg Mims, she’s written
award-winning western historical mysteries and sweet Christmas-themed romance
novellas with rescue dogs and cats. Meg tackles her to-be-read pile between
deadlines, and enjoys tearooms, flowers, and gardening. Visit her on Facebook,
Instagram, Twitter, or her website at www.megmacy.com
About Have Yourself a Beary Little Murder
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Kensington (September 24, 2019)
Paperback: 288 pages
ISBN-10: 1496722655
ISBN-13: 978-1496722652
Digital ASIN: B07MRC5KZG
This holiday season, teddy bear shop manager Sasha Silverman must solve the slaying of Santa Bear . . .Sasha and her sister Maddie are thrilled that the Silver Bear Shop and Factory has won the Teddy Bear Keepsake Contest, which means they get to produce a holiday specialty toy, a wizard bear named “Beary Potter.” Promising to be just as magical is Silver Hollow’s annual tree-lighting ceremony and village parade. Only one hitch: the parade’s mascot, Santa Bear—played by Mayor Cal Bloom—is missing.After a frantic search among the floats, Bloom is found dead. When the outfit is removed, it’s clear the mayor’s been electrocuted. Who zapped hizzoner and then stuffed him into his Santa Bear suit? While the police investigate the grisly crime, Sasha attempts to track down the murderer herself, with some help from the Guilty Pleasures Gossip Club. Can they wrap up this case in time for Christmas—or will Sasha meet her own shocking end?
REVIEW
*I received a free copy of this book which I voluntarily chose to write an honest review for.
As a huge bear loved this series has been perfect for me from book one but each new one still manages to top the last. This was is just fantastic! Gearing up for Christmas the annual tree lighting and parade are here making things chaotic yet fun. Especially Santa Bear a huge town favorite. The mayor plans to be in the suit but when he is running late they go searching only to find him dead under some weird circumstances. Sasha just wants to stay out of it but her mother has other plans. Holiday events make for a perfect way to talk to people which makes for a fun yet still mysterious investigation. Macy definitely knows how to write a truly fabulous cozy with the bear bits making it even better. I totally loved it so I give it 5/5 stars.
As a huge bear loved this series has been perfect for me from book one but each new one still manages to top the last. This was is just fantastic! Gearing up for Christmas the annual tree lighting and parade are here making things chaotic yet fun. Especially Santa Bear a huge town favorite. The mayor plans to be in the suit but when he is running late they go searching only to find him dead under some weird circumstances. Sasha just wants to stay out of it but her mother has other plans. Holiday events make for a perfect way to talk to people which makes for a fun yet still mysterious investigation. Macy definitely knows how to write a truly fabulous cozy with the bear bits making it even better. I totally loved it so I give it 5/5 stars.
About Meg Macy
Meg Macy is an award-winning author and artist, and lives in Southeastern Michigan, the setting of her Shamelessly Adorable Teddy Bear cozy mysteries for Kensington. Her first published book, Double Crossing, won the 2012 Spur Award for Best First Novel from Western Writers of America. Meg is also one-half of the writing team of D.E. Ireland, authors of the Eliza and Henry Higgins Mystery series—of which two titles have been Agatha Award finalists. Meg love gardening, watercolor painting, and reading books of various genres.
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Thank you so much for having me on your blog!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great read
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