Today we are pleased to welcome Lacey Baker to CLC to celebrate the publication of her latest novel, Her Unexpected Match, which is the first book in the Crescent Matchmaker series. Thanks to Entangled Publishing, we have one copy to give away!
Lacey Baker, a Maryland native, is a wife, mother, nana, and an author. Family cookouts, reunion vacations, and growing up in church have all encouraged Lacey to write heartwarming and inspirational stories about the endurance of family and finding love. She is the author of the Sweetland series and Hallmark Channel Original Movies: A Gingerbread Romance and Christmas in Evergreen: Bells are Ringing. She also writes contemporary romance under the name A.C. Arthur.
Off the picturesque shores of Maryland sits the island community of Crescent Island, where the only thing sweeter than the local bakery is the town’s famed matchmaker. When cynical writer Allie Sparks agrees to take a job covering the human-interest story of an astrology based matchmaker with a 100 percent success rate, she’s sure she’ll debunk the mythical woman. But she didn’t plan on running into her best friend’s charismatic older brother once she gets there.
Ryan Parker has only two weeks to land an angel investor for his fledgling barbecue restaurant before he has to give it up for good. He wonders if the stars have finally aligned when Allie lands in his lap— figuratively and literally, thanks to his overly affectionate golden retriever puppy—with a background in marketing and willing to help him woo the investor. But if Allie doesn’t find real love on Crescent Island and publishes her negative review, it’ll put everything Ryan’s worked for in jeopardy.
What is a favorite compliment you have received on your writing?
One of the things I love hearing from a reader after they’ve read any of my books is that the story felt so real to them, or that they could in some way relate to my characters and what they experienced. For me, this means that I did my job. That I was able to tap into some very human themes and emotions and that makes me feel good.
What were the biggest rewards and challenges with writing Her Unexpected Match?
I’d have to say the biggest challenge was not being able to convince my husband that we needed to spend a month on a real coastal island while I was writing. The reward was definitely in creating a whole new place full of interesting people. That’s always a highlight to writing the first book in a small town series for me.
If Her Unexpected Match were made into a movie, who would you cast in the leading roles?
Funny you should ask because I have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to this series and on it are my inspirations for some of the characters in Crescent Island. Most often I will use an actor for inspiration, call it wishful thinking. 😊 So, for Allie my inspiration was Aja Naomi King and for Ryan my inspiration was Anthony Dalton.
Which TV series are you currently binge watching?
I actually just binge watched the entire Teen Wolf series—for probably the twentieth time—in preparation for the movie. And now, I’m attempting to watch the new Wolf Pack show. But I don’t really have the patience to wait for weekly episode releases so I might just stop watching until the first season is complete and then binge it.
If we were to visit you right now, what are some places you would take us to see?
Definitely St. Michael’s, Maryland because it’s a beautiful Eastern Shore town that gives me such calming vibes. And of course, while we're there we’d go to The Crab Claw restaurant and have steamed crabs while looking out to the Miles River—similar to a scene with Ryan and Allie in Her Unexpected Match.
What was the last thing you had a good laugh about recently?
Just this morning I was telling my husband about a dream I had last night, where we owned a tiger that eventually tried to eat us. I was so disturbed by this dream that re-telling it in the light of day had my heart pounding in fear again. His immediate response was silence, then he frowned and asked, “Well, what did we name him? ‘Cause I don’t know any good tiger names.” I didn’t laugh immediately—because I was still dream-traumatized—but a couple hours later I thought about it again and I did wonder about a good name for a tiger.
Thanks to Lacey for chatting with us and to Entangled for sharing her book with our readers.
How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here.
Giveaway ends February 26th at midnight EST.
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Listen to this book on Speechify!
When I find money on the floor and it's enough to run some errands
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ReplyDeletewon some money at a time I needed it
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ReplyDeletewon a book
ReplyDeleteBecame paralyzed from the arms down
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