I was born in Michigan, but all I actually remember about the state are the memories I accumulated when I visited my dad and brother (who’d recently loved up north) when I was eighteen. My dad took me to Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland. If you love Christmas, this store is your dream! I am talking about shelves and racks and displays high and low full of Christmas decorations. So many decorated trees and train tracks and just about anything you can imagine. It is truly magical.
One thing I remember from my visit many years ago was a tree that was half-mannequin, half-tree. The top half was a bride, and the branches of the tree created the full skirt of her dress. When I was eighteen, I adored drawing fashion designs, especially dresses, so that tree had delighted me. I even took a picture of it.
When I had to write about Beth and Donovan having fun in Michigan before the blizzard comes, I decided to use what I knew from my visit. We had visited a frozen lake, Frankenmuth (an old-time German town), and Bronner’s, so all three of those things are mentioned in my book, as a nod to my Michigander family and friends.
Of course, because it’d been so long since I visited, I took a virtual trip on the Bronner’s website to refresh my memory and to find a decoration that Beth could pick out. You can take a virtual trip of Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland HERE. BRONNER’S EXCERPT: During the next couple of days, they visited Frankenmuth, an old-time German town, and shopped at Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland, the largest Christmas store in the world, open year-round. Beth walked in wide-eyed and in awe. From the floor to the ceiling…Christmas. Every sort of Christmas decoration you could imagine, and dozens of trees decorated for different themes. One tree had a mannequin as the upper-half, and the bottom half of the tree was designed to look like a full skirt. The sheer number of ornament display racks could make you dizzy. Beth picked out a personalized “We’re Expecting” ornament that featured a snowman couple arm in arm. The snowwoman had a nice round belly. An arrow pointed at it and the word “Baby” was spelled out. At the bottom of the ornament, it said the month and year the baby was expected. She couldn’t wait to put it on their tree at home. When disasters strike around every corner, is it possible to have a happily-ever-after?
BLURB: Beth and Donovan are expecting their first child. Life couldn’t get any better…until a stalker makes his presence known. This person sends disturbing messages and unsettling items, but it isn’t long before his menacing goes too far.
Hoping for a peaceful Christmas, Donovan takes Beth to Michigan. Days into their trip, a winter storm named Nemesis moves in with the goal of burying the state. Snowdrifts surround their house, and the temperature drops below freezing. Except, the storm isn’t the only nemesis they must face. Everyone’s lives are at stake—especially that of their unborn child. Will they survive, or will they become a frozen crime? BUY LINKS: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iTunes ***HUGE DISASTER CRIMES GIVEAWAY***
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Chrys Fey is author of the Disaster Crimes Series, a unique concept that blends disasters, crimes, and romance. She runs the Insecure Writer’s Support Group Book Club on Goodreads and edits for Dancing Lemur Press. https://www.chrysfey.com Author Links: Website / Blog / Goodreads Facebook / Twitter / Amazon Please leave a comment and share on social media.
7 Comments
10/15/2020 06:35:33 pm
I've been to Frankenmuth a few times - it's a fun little village with some really great food!
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10/26/2020 06:12:03 am
Congrats to Chrys! That shop sounds like quite an experience, especially in summer. I love when books have nods to real locations - it adds to the authenticity.
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