Lacey Baker's Blog
January 1, 2021
A Sweet New Year!
We’re stepping right into the new year with a new book!
There’s no place like Sweetland for a holiday celebration…
When the idea for a new script brings Hollywood actor Kelan Hunter to the Wine & Chocolate Festival in the small town of Sweetland Valley, MD, sparks fly with the charming candy shop owner who has a list of reasons for why their love isn’t meant to be.
Ruthlessly organized Sydni Murray’s life goal checklist was derailed after her broken engagement last Valentine’s Day. Now, with the holiday fast approaching again and the town’s biggest chocolate festival on the horizon, she must put her biases about love on the backburner. Until Kelan walks into her shop with his model good looks and a box of his grandparents' love letters that melt her heart.
But happy ever after may not be in the cards for the couple as Sydni’s in danger of losing her shop and Kelan’s plan to stay in Sweetland is threatened by an unbelievable career opportunity.
Get ready to spend another holiday with the delightful citizens of Sweetland!
THE SWEETEST VALENTINE February 16, 2021
There’s no place like Sweetland for a holiday celebration…
When the idea for a new script brings Hollywood actor Kelan Hunter to the Wine & Chocolate Festival in the small town of Sweetland Valley, MD, sparks fly with the charming candy shop owner who has a list of reasons for why their love isn’t meant to be.
Ruthlessly organized Sydni Murray’s life goal checklist was derailed after her broken engagement last Valentine’s Day. Now, with the holiday fast approaching again and the town’s biggest chocolate festival on the horizon, she must put her biases about love on the backburner. Until Kelan walks into her shop with his model good looks and a box of his grandparents' love letters that melt her heart.
But happy ever after may not be in the cards for the couple as Sydni’s in danger of losing her shop and Kelan’s plan to stay in Sweetland is threatened by an unbelievable career opportunity.
Get ready to spend another holiday with the delightful citizens of Sweetland!
THE SWEETEST VALENTINE February 16, 2021
April 20, 2013
Why do you love to read romance novels?
Over the years I’ve been asked why romance novels? Why, of all the books on the shelves, each time I enter a bookstore, or shop an online one, I hit the romance section first? My answers always the same… I love being swept away by the exploration of love. It’s not always an easy path and that’s what makes it realistic, but by the last page of the book I get to sigh with pleasure as another couple commits to each other. The setting and circumstances certainly add to the experience but in the end I’m always won over by the romance.
I asked a few friends their thoughts on romance novels and here’s what they had to say:
“I love the love scenes. They give me hope that a stunning hero might be out there for me also!”
Kristen, Richmond, VA
“I pick up romance books when I want to be taken away from the daily hum drum of life. I enjoy being dropped into another person’s life to walk the path to falling in love with them. It makes me happy all over to know that love still conquers all.”
Natalie, Easton, MD
“Passion and promise, that’s what I enjoy about romance novels. They give you both in equal doses and then the happy ending comes. Sometimes I want to weep with joy and others I was to jump up and do a happy dance! It’s an adventure!”
Dorothy, Syracuse, NY
“I like the hot covers and everything in between.”
Lucy, Bowie, MD
So now’s your chance, leave a comment explaining why you love reading romance novels and be registered to win an autographed copy of HOMECOMING, the first book in the Sweetland Romance series!
Homecoming: A Sweetland Novel
I asked a few friends their thoughts on romance novels and here’s what they had to say:
“I love the love scenes. They give me hope that a stunning hero might be out there for me also!”
Kristen, Richmond, VA
“I pick up romance books when I want to be taken away from the daily hum drum of life. I enjoy being dropped into another person’s life to walk the path to falling in love with them. It makes me happy all over to know that love still conquers all.”
Natalie, Easton, MD
“Passion and promise, that’s what I enjoy about romance novels. They give you both in equal doses and then the happy ending comes. Sometimes I want to weep with joy and others I was to jump up and do a happy dance! It’s an adventure!”
Dorothy, Syracuse, NY
“I like the hot covers and everything in between.”
Lucy, Bowie, MD
So now’s your chance, leave a comment explaining why you love reading romance novels and be registered to win an autographed copy of HOMECOMING, the first book in the Sweetland Romance series!
Homecoming: A Sweetland Novel
February 17, 2013
The Creation of a Town
More than a year ago my editor and I began discussing a new series. In the beginning all we knew for sure was: a small town and six adorable puppies. Not a whole lot to go on, huh? Yeah, I know. Weeks later, a few other elements were added to the mix, and like a good recipe I began to try this and that to see what worked.
By far the largest amount of planning time went to the small town in which this new series would be set in. I was born in the city, but by the time I was in high school my parents had moved us to the suburbs. The move was quite a contrast but I quickly adapted. As an adult I began traveling with my husband and what I found was that no matter where we went, from big cities with bright lights and lots of action, to smaller cities with specialty restaurants and lovely hotels, I always preferred the small towns. Something about the cobblestoned streets and the buildings that looked like houses but were really thriving businesses tended to stick with me long after we’d returned home.
A Maryland native, it seemed natural to be drawn to the Eastern Shore—where I also had family and visited during the summers. One summer, I stayed at a bed and breakfast once in St. Michael’s, Maryland and thoroughly enjoyed the quaint little house in comparison to a big hotel chain. (My husband did not share in my enthusiasm, but that’s how it is sometimes. LOL) We walked along the cobblestone streets, down the small pier to board the ferry that would take us on a scenic view of the Miles River. After the tour we fed the ducks that waddled alongside us back up the dock. A walk in the opposite direction took us past a lovely lighthouse—the first I’d seen close up. That night we had a light dinner at a seafood restaurant followed by a dozen jumbo steamed Maryland Blues. It was a lovely time.
This was turning into one huge recipe and I wasn’t yet certain of the finished product.
In our family cooking for large gatherings is a staple to our lives. Cook-outs, holiday meals, after church fellowships, all of the above are second nature to us. Again, this was something I wanted to weave into the small town I created. It was a given that there would be a big family, one with all the issues and attitudes and dilemmas as any real family. The difference with this family would be that they were such an intricate part of the town that their stability was almost a must.
The following week I sat down with my laptop and began to gather all my ideas. The name didn’t immediately hit me, but the history and the look and the feel of the town did. There was the bed and breakfast that instead of city hall would be like the glue holding the entire township together, the streets with simplistic names that all somehow lead back to Main Street. Shops with owners who had their own histories, quirky citizens and a dock where everyone could go down to walk along the riverside all melded together to create what is now known to me as Sweetland, Maryland. The town motto: Life should be this sweet, came later. Still, there’s no way I can think of one without the other now and I can’t help but smile each time I think of a place called Sweetland with great food, gorgeous sunrises and people that are just like you and me.
By far the largest amount of planning time went to the small town in which this new series would be set in. I was born in the city, but by the time I was in high school my parents had moved us to the suburbs. The move was quite a contrast but I quickly adapted. As an adult I began traveling with my husband and what I found was that no matter where we went, from big cities with bright lights and lots of action, to smaller cities with specialty restaurants and lovely hotels, I always preferred the small towns. Something about the cobblestoned streets and the buildings that looked like houses but were really thriving businesses tended to stick with me long after we’d returned home.
A Maryland native, it seemed natural to be drawn to the Eastern Shore—where I also had family and visited during the summers. One summer, I stayed at a bed and breakfast once in St. Michael’s, Maryland and thoroughly enjoyed the quaint little house in comparison to a big hotel chain. (My husband did not share in my enthusiasm, but that’s how it is sometimes. LOL) We walked along the cobblestone streets, down the small pier to board the ferry that would take us on a scenic view of the Miles River. After the tour we fed the ducks that waddled alongside us back up the dock. A walk in the opposite direction took us past a lovely lighthouse—the first I’d seen close up. That night we had a light dinner at a seafood restaurant followed by a dozen jumbo steamed Maryland Blues. It was a lovely time.
This was turning into one huge recipe and I wasn’t yet certain of the finished product.
In our family cooking for large gatherings is a staple to our lives. Cook-outs, holiday meals, after church fellowships, all of the above are second nature to us. Again, this was something I wanted to weave into the small town I created. It was a given that there would be a big family, one with all the issues and attitudes and dilemmas as any real family. The difference with this family would be that they were such an intricate part of the town that their stability was almost a must.
The following week I sat down with my laptop and began to gather all my ideas. The name didn’t immediately hit me, but the history and the look and the feel of the town did. There was the bed and breakfast that instead of city hall would be like the glue holding the entire township together, the streets with simplistic names that all somehow lead back to Main Street. Shops with owners who had their own histories, quirky citizens and a dock where everyone could go down to walk along the riverside all melded together to create what is now known to me as Sweetland, Maryland. The town motto: Life should be this sweet, came later. Still, there’s no way I can think of one without the other now and I can’t help but smile each time I think of a place called Sweetland with great food, gorgeous sunrises and people that are just like you and me.
February 5, 2013
Welcome to Life With Lacey!
Welcome to Life With Lacey!
So this is supposed to be my first blog post, an introduction of myself to you…and I don’t know what to tell you. That’s what happens when the most interesting thing in your life is the town you’ve created that doesn’t really exist but you kind of wish it did so you could pack up all your earthly belongings and go live in it, right now!
Today is yoga day…so I figure this is as good a place as any to start. For 2013 I promised to take care of me. I didn’t make a resolution per se, because I always tend to break them. But this is a promise that I made to myself, so I only run the risk of letting one person down if I don’t see it through. Keep in mind that one person is really important to me…which means I’m off to a good start. I rotate between yoga and walking because a deeper commitment to more strenuous exercise made me nervous, which might ultimately lead to me backing out. I’m working on yoga for stress relief and I’m working alone, which might not be so smart. But I don’t have a lot of time between getting the kids ready for school (Goddess#1 who is in her first year of college and Goddess#2 who is in the eighth grade but acts like she’s twenty-one), getting hubby and twenty-one year old son out of the house for work and getting myself out to work all before 7:15am. Yeah, that grueling schedule is definitely for another post.
For now, I’ll try to stay on topic. Yoga for stress relief is a half hour regimen that I’ve become quite used to over the past few weeks. I workout in the morning before I write and before doing all the other things on my To Do List, which means I wake up really early. The scenery on the yoga DVD is a lovely island which helps me to visualize a calming start to my day. The deep breathing is what really helps and not just during the time that I’m focused on completing the program. For example, I was at work the other day—at my day job which is in a courthouse where there is never a dull moment—and my desk was super cluttered with stuff, as I like to call the work I have yet to get to. Co-workers were on every nerve I own and steadily working their way into the battle zone and I get a call from my mom about a family member being hospitalized. Way back when, this would have been considered one of those “Calgon, take me away” days. Instead, I latched on to my new commitment and began the deep breathing exercises I’d learned from the yoga DVD. Surprise, surprise, it worked. It consists of steady, relaxed breathing in intervals of four: Deep breath in, count to four. Deep breath out, count to four. Eyes closed. For about 5-10 minutes. It actually worked at calming my mind and letting me accept what was without freaking the hell out. I’ve read that breathing exercises get better with practice so I’m really encouraged now that it’s worked once. It was one of those thankful for the baby steps moments.
What steps have you taken in the new year to reach for a better you?
Lacey Baker
So this is supposed to be my first blog post, an introduction of myself to you…and I don’t know what to tell you. That’s what happens when the most interesting thing in your life is the town you’ve created that doesn’t really exist but you kind of wish it did so you could pack up all your earthly belongings and go live in it, right now!
Today is yoga day…so I figure this is as good a place as any to start. For 2013 I promised to take care of me. I didn’t make a resolution per se, because I always tend to break them. But this is a promise that I made to myself, so I only run the risk of letting one person down if I don’t see it through. Keep in mind that one person is really important to me…which means I’m off to a good start. I rotate between yoga and walking because a deeper commitment to more strenuous exercise made me nervous, which might ultimately lead to me backing out. I’m working on yoga for stress relief and I’m working alone, which might not be so smart. But I don’t have a lot of time between getting the kids ready for school (Goddess#1 who is in her first year of college and Goddess#2 who is in the eighth grade but acts like she’s twenty-one), getting hubby and twenty-one year old son out of the house for work and getting myself out to work all before 7:15am. Yeah, that grueling schedule is definitely for another post.
For now, I’ll try to stay on topic. Yoga for stress relief is a half hour regimen that I’ve become quite used to over the past few weeks. I workout in the morning before I write and before doing all the other things on my To Do List, which means I wake up really early. The scenery on the yoga DVD is a lovely island which helps me to visualize a calming start to my day. The deep breathing is what really helps and not just during the time that I’m focused on completing the program. For example, I was at work the other day—at my day job which is in a courthouse where there is never a dull moment—and my desk was super cluttered with stuff, as I like to call the work I have yet to get to. Co-workers were on every nerve I own and steadily working their way into the battle zone and I get a call from my mom about a family member being hospitalized. Way back when, this would have been considered one of those “Calgon, take me away” days. Instead, I latched on to my new commitment and began the deep breathing exercises I’d learned from the yoga DVD. Surprise, surprise, it worked. It consists of steady, relaxed breathing in intervals of four: Deep breath in, count to four. Deep breath out, count to four. Eyes closed. For about 5-10 minutes. It actually worked at calming my mind and letting me accept what was without freaking the hell out. I’ve read that breathing exercises get better with practice so I’m really encouraged now that it’s worked once. It was one of those thankful for the baby steps moments.
What steps have you taken in the new year to reach for a better you?
Lacey Baker
