Guest Post with Author Christi Barth and Giveaway

Today I would like to welcome back to RFTC author Chrisi Barth. Christi is celebrating the release of her book A Fine Romance and has stopped by to chat about secondary characters. 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 | Facebook | Twitter |

Secondary Characters Bring The Fun—And The Funny

I don’t know about you, but in my house, Thanksgiving is all about the side dishes. Sure, the turkey looks impressive, but we go back for seconds of stuffing. We nip down for a midnight snack of stuffing, or mashed potatoes and gravy. I’ll even eat cranberry sauce for breakfast (what – its fruit based—don’t judge me!).So one of my favorite things about writing the Aisle Bound series was incorporating a ton of secondary characters.

In book two, A Fine Romance, we meet Milo at a party: Despite the August humidity, a white linen jacket topped off Milo’s shirt and white slacks. Whenever he acted as bartender, he liked to dress the part, although Sam had yet to encounter a real bartender who tied a sequined white scarf around their neck. Milo’s a flamboyant office manager, who isn’t afraid to say what everyone else is thinking. “You sound like a psychiatrist. Did you screw a shrink last night?” Milo asked with a jab to Gib’s ribs.

Then there’s Helen, a candid socialite who is so passionate about cooking that she’ll do it for free. She hands out wisdom without charging, too: “An oyster doesn’t yield to every knife. Only the true wielder will pry it open and discover the pearl.”

What on earth? How did her brand-new, oh-so-wise friend suddenly turn into a talking fortune cookie? “Are you serious?”

Helen dissolved into peals of laughter. “Sorry. We finished book club by trying to talk only in Chinese proverbs. I couldn’t help myself.”

Hays, the struggling actor who uses his talent to charm the clientele: “Why is it only women who have to suffer to be fashionable?”

Hays looked down at his own wing-tips, high-waisted pin-striped pants and crisp white shirt topped with dark red suspenders. “Oh, I suffered. Halloween’s right around the corner. I had to fight off two other guys at the vintage store in order to grab these pants. I took an elbow right in my pancreas.”

It steadied her jitterbugging nerves to tease him a little. “Do you even know which side of the body your pancreas is on?”

“Sure I do. It’s the side with the elbow-shaped bruise.”

Of course, the best thing about those funny secondary characters? Chances are good that they’ll end up with a book of their own, sooner or later. Yes, the Aisle Bound series is four books of fun, friends and romance. So here’s a tease for two secondary characters in A Fine Romance who end up headlining in book three, Friends to Lovers.“A real date changes everything. And that’s what I’m hoping to do. To change from a friendship to a relationship. Or at least give it a go.”

“All right.” She scooted to the far end of the divan. The rolled arm was all that kept her from falling off. “But no sex.”

Gib scratched the back of his head. “You and I have very different definitions of the word relationship.”

Laughter pealed through the hall. “No. Trust me, if we do this, sex is definitely on the table.”

“You want to start on the table? Kinda kinky. Hard on the knees, but okay.”

They say you form your first impression of someone within thirty seconds of meeting them. Or, in Mira Parrish\'s case, within thirty minutes of not meeting them, when said person is supposed to pick you up from the airport and never shows. This is not a perfect start to her new life. Her friend Ivy is depending on her to run a new romance store, and Mira can\'t afford to let her down.

Sam Lyons should probably apologize. But every time he sees Mira—which is often, since his family owns the bakery next to her shop—he can\'t resist antagonizing her. There\'s something about the sexy, straitlaced woman that drives him crazy. He can\'t get involved, though. He has too much baggage to be any good in a serious relationship.

Despite his teasing attitude, Mira finds Sam too sweet to resist. (His hot body may be a factor.) But if there\'s going to be anything permanent between them, they\'ll need to let go of their pasts and look to the future…

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

Check out the Aisle Bound Series:

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Check out what's up for grabs.

Up For Grabs: 

• 1 lucky winner will win a eBook copy of A Fine Romance

To Enter:

• Please answer the question: What do you think about secondary characters? Who are your favorites?
• Please fill out the Rafflecopter form

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