Guest post by Meg Macy for Bear a Wee Grudge tour

ROMANCE WITHIN COZY MYSTERIES

Why do so many cozy mysteries have an element of romance? Do readers expect that? Does the author prefer to include it? It’s a good question, and one I had to face when first beginning my “Shamelessly Adorable” Teddy Bear cozy series.

Since I’m a fan of reading cozy mysteries, both contemporary and historical, I must admit I enjoy a bit of romance embedded within the plotlines. For example, in Cleo Coyle’s Coffeeshop series, owner Clare Cosi ends up in a relationship with NYC homicide detective Mike Quinn after helping solve several cases. In Rhys Bowen’s Royal Spyness series, Lady Georgiana Rannoch keeps her true love Darcy O’Mara close at hand while helping her distant relations, the English royal family, out of jams and murders. And in Victoria Thompson’s Gaslight Mysteries, midwife Sarah Brandt clashes with Sergeant Frank Malloy while he investigates before sparks fly between them in the series. I could list plenty of others, but plenty of authors have chosen to mix romance and mystery.

Cozies are not romances with hot and heavy scenes, however, and that’s a good thing. Not even the murders take place “on the page” and the gruesome details are also left mostly to the imagination. Cozy protagonists are far more interested in solving the puzzle of who, how, and why than anything else.

So when I first began writing the first book of the series, Bearly Departed, I chose a different path. I wanted my amateur sleuth, Sasha Silverman, to remain aloof and independent. She didn’t clash with Detective Mason, who resembles a teddy bear (based on the actor Sean Astin, actually) with glasses, light brown hair, and a hefty build. But I deliberately avoided any romantic attraction. Mason keeps reminding her to “stick to selling bears” in the series and leave the investigating to the police. In addition, Sasha has to fend off her ex-husband who continually pops up at the wrong times—besides dealing with staff problems at work and family dynamics with an overbearing mom, grumpy uncle, and more.

But her main wish, from the start, was to find a decent guy and have kids. She loves seeing visiting children pick out a new teddy friend, or outfits to dress them. Sasha also feels a tiny bit jealous of friends who are raising their families. Her biological clock is ticking. And while her sister has had a string of men, one after the other, without feeling any need to tie the knot, Sasha keeps her wish deep inside. She has a murder to solve and that comes first.

But characters sometimes surprise an author during the writing process. In a minor subplot of book 1, I introduced a woodcarver to honor my dad and his longtime hobby. I tossed in a backstory thread about Sasha recalling Jay Kirby from a high school woodshop class long ago, although the two of them missed the boat to be more than acquaintances. Jay had his own plans, however, about being left in the background. His woodcarving talent impressed Sasha, and although she resisted at first to explore a romantic relationship, they finally clicked by the end of book 2, Bear Witness to Murder. 

It’s not easy dealing with minor characters who battle their way forward into the spotlight. Sasha and Jay took control of their relationship, and seemed happier when I hung back without interfering in Have Yourself A Beary Little Murder and Wedding Bear Blues. In their latest adventure, Bear A Wee Grudge, things are getting serious! But I couldn’t let things be all chocolate and roses. They have to work together, in fact, and face major problems.

After all, setting up conflict in a mystery is an author’s main job.

Learn more about Meg Macy on her website at megmacy.com. Want more author news? If so, click here to read my Behind the Story interviews from your favorite authors.