I’m super excited that the release of Muffins & Moonbeams is less than a month away! This book was so much fun to write and the feedback I’ve been getting from my beta readers has made my heart happy. So far people have loved Malachi, and that’s lovely because I have a teeny crush on him myself.
Muffins & Moonbeams is the first full-length book in my Baxter Family Bakery series (following after the novella, Loaves & Wishes, that was in Romance Grows in Arcadia Valley, which released last month.) It’s book three in the Arcadia Valley books overall (Mary Jane Hathaway’s book, Summer’s Glory, is book two overall. It just released on Valentine’s Day.)
Here’s the back cover:
Malachi Baxter is happy to hide in the background and manage the business-end of the family bakery. He’d much rather live in the online world of computer games where he can explore the galaxy and no one has to know he’s deaf.
Ursula Franks designs websites during the day and spends her evenings battling alien races online where relationships are easy and uncomplicated. When she agrees to design a website for the local Community Supported Bakery, she has no idea that Malachi is the real man behind her online persona’s best friend and her own secret crush.
As the two work together on the website, they uncover an attraction, but will they be able to put aside past hurt and insecurity to find love?
I had a lot of fun writing this book. I suspect no small part of that is because I enjoy playing online role playing games like Malachi and Ursula. My husband and I have spent many an enjoyable Saturday on our computers fighting goblins and other creatures together in various online worlds. Often my dad, sister, and brother-in-law join in. We haven’t played as much recently as we did before kids (amazing how those kids eat up your gaming time, isn’t it?) but it’s still something we try to work in when we can.
Ursula also stole a little piece of my heart, and I hope that you come to enjoy her. She struggles with some of the same insecurities I’ve struggled with my whole life. I wasn’t sure delving into that was something I wanted to do, but that’s where the story took me, so…what’s a writer to do?
And now, since I’ve teased you with this much, perhaps it’s time for a little excerpt to round out the appetite whetting?
Malachi clicked on the mission, double checked that he had all the required equipment on board, and opened the map. He chose the first star system he’d need to visit and set the ship in motion. It wasn’t instantaneous transport, which made the game a little more fun. Things could go wrong en route. There were pirates for one, and the handful of people who were irked at him for beating them to prizes. Most of them got over it and remembered it was just a game. But there were others who needed a stiff dose of reality. He tried to steer clear.
“Started without me?” Scarlet Fire’s chat message popped up.
“Just barely. You can still join if you want.”
“Sound good. I’ll beam in?”
“Perfect.” Malachi closed out of the armor customizing screen he’d been in and ran through the halls of his ship to the transportation hub. He verified that it was her and clicked to allow her to join the party. Her avatar materialized. He swallowed. It wasn’t as if he didn’t run into roughly the same avatar all the time—you could only customize your clothes and hair—but something about hers always made his heart stop. Which probably meant he needed to get a real life. “Welcome. We’ll hit the first system in about two minutes. How was your day?”
“Got a new client. Always a good day. Even better, they’re a referral from a previous client and they’re local.”
“Don’t you do web design? Why does local matter?”
“Doesn’t necessarily. But sometimes it helps if there are hiccups.” Her avatar’s hair color changed from bright red to blonde. “What do you think?”
“It’s different.”
“Is that good or bad? Was trying to go a little more real to life.” The hair changed back. “Maybe that’s not a good thing?”
She was a blonde. It didn’t fit his mental image. Not surprising as he’d essentially un-animated her avatar and dressed her in normal clothes when he was forming it. But…blonde worked, too. “No, I liked it. It just took me by surprise.”
“Don’t you ever want people to know the real you?”
He shook his head and tapped the keys to dock the star ship at the port where they’d find the first leg of their mission. The best part of online multi-player games was having the chance to be who he really was without first waiting for people to get over the fact that he was deaf. “Not really.”
Muffins & Moonbeams releases March 14, 2017. It’s available for pre-order already wherever e-books are sold.
Elizabeth Maddrey is a semi-reformed computer geek and homeschooling mother of two who lives in the suburbs of Washington D.C. When she isn’t writing, Elizabeth is a voracious consumer of books. She loves to write about Christians who struggle through their lives, dealing with sin and receiving God’s grace on their way to their own romantic happily ever after.
Have preordered this, and I’m looking forward to reading it. The Arcadia Valley books are proving to be great reads so far:)
Blessings:)
Oh I was totally taken by surprise with the deaf revelation. I’d not have guessed that (I’ve preordered it already and now I’m even more looking forward to reading it).
That’s going to be an interesting read since the hero is deaf. That’s going to be some exciting communication when his heroine finds out. That’s for sharing.
I enjoyed the excerpt, Elizabeth. Congratulations!
Thanks, Wembley! I’m so glad you’re enjoying our town!
Gah! Wemble! Sorry. I thought I checked my autocorrect.
I hope it lives up to your excitement :) If you haven’t read Loaves & Wishes (in Romance Grows in Arcadia Valley) you get a good introduction to all the Baxters there.
I’ll admit I cheated a little and based Malachi on a deaf friend I had growing up who had lost her hearing at age five after learning to speak. So he can speak clearly enough that often people don’t realize he’s deaf. My friend always had fun with that in youth group.
Thanks, Jill!
Hi Elizabeth. Enjoying the Arcadia Valley Romances. Muffins and Moonbeams is pre-ordered. As a teenager, I worked in a bakery for 3 years. My favorite bakery in our town is Bit of Swiss. They make the best Artisan breads. They are celebrating their 50th Anniversary. Nice twist with a hero that is deaf. As a pastor’s wife and teacher I have worked with both deaf and blind people. Looking forward to your book. Congrats.
I’m so glad you’re enjoying Arcadia Valley! :) Yay for artisan bread – we have one near us as well and it’s all I can do sometimes not to eat half a loaf in one sitting. So yummy. :)
Thanks for stopping in!
I have the bookset but didn’t make that far yet. My son arrived a month before he was due and everything changed (for the best of course), but that also meant that I haven’t had time to finish reading anything that came out / I bought since early January.
Oh congratulations! But yes, new babies change everything :)
I was thinking I didn’t know if I’d like this story or not, until I read the excerpt. Wow! Hooked me right in. Will have to check it out!
Oh yay! :) That makes me happy.
This little bit of conversation really popped out at me from the post:
“Don’t you ever want people to know the real you?”
….“Not really.”
Isn’t that how we are so often? We want people to know the best-foot-forward “me” not the real me. We fear we’re unlovable. Pitiable.
Folks, I had the privilege of beta reading this story a few weeks ago. You’ll love it!
<3 thanks Valerie! (And yes…That's very frequently me.)
I completely fell in love with the Baxter family in Romance Grows… can’t wait to get to know Malachi better :)
Yay! :)
I’ve got it pre-ordered too, and am eager to read it!
Thanks Margaret!
Looks like fun! Online gaming is a whole new world for me!
Thanks, Autumn! It can be fun to game online, you just have to look out for crazies. :)
Hehe, no drama. I sent out an email with my husbands’ name spelt correctly (Tim), autocorrect changed it to Tom??!!
Ha! My hubby is Tim also and my phone likes to do that to me as well. :)
This sounds like my kind of book! Congrats….hope to read it!!
Thanks Jackie, hope you enjoy it!
Sounds like a great story and I’m curious to see how Malachi’s story turns out. I’m intrigued that he’s deaf and interested to find out how Ursula reacts when she finds out.
Thanks! Ursula….Yeah her reaction is fun :)
Oh, I haven’t read any of these books yet, but this series sounds really good. I like the bakery theme and am glad to see some new contemporaries.
Thanks, Sylvia! Contemporary romance is what InspyRomance does, so the more you hang around with us, the more books you’ll hear about :) Hope you get a chance to enjoy my Baxter Family and Arcadia Valley.
I vastly enjoy series books so I will be ordering this!!
Thanks! I hope you enjoy it!
I haven’t heard of this series, but will definitely be looking it up now. I agree with Valerie, and the book excerpt, that it is often not easy to let people see the real you/me. The excerpt caught me quickly so I’ll be preordering. I have enjoyed every book I have read of yours and am certain this will be no different.
Oh yay! Thanks – I hope you enjoy it :)
I loved Muffins and Moonbeams and all of Arcadia Valley. I want to live there.
Thanks Linda! It would be a lovely place to live.
I love that cover!