Guest Post with Christi Barth and Giveaway

Today I would like to welcome back to the blog, author Christi Barth to RFTC. Chrisit is gearing up for the release of her novella Ask Her at Christmas and has stopped by to chat. Please give Christi a warm welcome.

Christi Barth earned a Masters degree in vocal performance and embarked upon a career on the stage.

A love of romance then drew her to wedding planning. Ultimately she succumbed to her lifelong love of books and now writes contemporary romance.

Christi lives in Maryland with her husband.

Places to find Christi:

| Site | Blog | Pinterest | Twitter |

I fear that some of you might skip over this post because ‘Christmas’ is in the title of my book—and it’s only November 25th. That like me, you might be sick of Christmas creeping earlier every year, infiltrating other seasons. We spend a week at the beach every August, and this year, as I shopped for sunscreen, there were already Christmas decorations for sale at the drug store. Really? I mean, I’m an admitted Christmas-a-holic. Love the season, the music, the scents, everything about it. Spend every hour watching the holiday movies on Lifetime and Hallmark channel. But it should begin the day after Thanksgiving (a hard fought battle with my husband, who doesn’t want to start until December 1) and end on January 2 (another hard fought battle, as he lobbies for January 7. Nobody tells you when you get engaged that deciding how to celebrate the holidays is so contentious).

So imagine my dismay when my awesome editor asked me to write a xmas novella…in January. Right when I was one hundred percent over everything green and red for another eleven months. I plotted it in January and wallowed in self pity for a few weeks. Dug up the xmas cds and listened non-stop, to try and re-ignite the magic of the holidays. Lit pine scented candles. Researched blog posts about xmas in Chicago. Then I banged it out in March.

You know what I discovered? That, as in every good romance, it all came down to the relationship between the hero and heroine. Layering in Christmas references was no different than adding any other Chicago setting details. Like when I dropped in a trip to Wrigley Field in Planning for Love. The love story, the growth of their relationship was still front and center. So go ahead, dive into a Christmas book any time. It’ll only feel weird the first few pages. Then you’ll be swept away by the characters. But if you read it at Christmas, it’ll be like layering a perfume over lotion with the same scent. Rich and evocative and twice the fun.

Caitlin McIntyre's heart stops when her best friend drops to one knee and proposes. Kyle Lockhart never once hinted over the years that he has any idea she's in love with him. Not wanting to jeopardize their friendship, she's never let it slip. Good thing, too, since it turns out he's only practicing—he's about to propose to someone else.

A business merger might not be the most romantic reason to propose to a woman he barely knows, but Kyle's determined to win the respect of the dying father who's never seen him as quite good enough. Kyle's always depended on Caitlin's friendship, while trying to ignore the physical response she arouses. So he turns to her when it comes time to craft his proposal, not realizing his decision will affect their relationship, forever.

This Christmas, Kyle and Caitlin get one last chance to admit their feelings for each other, and find a mutual happily ever after, before he commits his life to another woman and Caitlin leaves town and him…for good.

Purchase: | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Carina Press |

1 lucky commenter will win a eBook copy of  Ask Her at Christmas

To Enter:

• Please leave a meaningful comment or question for Christi.
• Please fill out the Rafflecopter form.

Good Luck =)

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