Today we are very excited to welcome to Book Lovers author Christi Barth in celebration of her newest release with Carina Press, Love at High Tide! Christi Barth is an author well known for her sweet and heart warming romantic stories and Love at High Tide is no exception to that rule! Today Christi stops by to share with us something special about her newest release, so let’s welcome her! And don’t forget to check at the end of the post for the giveaway details 🙂

A Behind-the-Story Peek at How I Came Up With My Plot

Authors love talking about their books. Except for one, specific instance. We hate when people ask how we came up with the idea. Because usually there simply isn’t an answer. Just the other day, my mother (of all people who should have some faith in my creative abilities!) asked if one of my lawyer friends ‘gave’ me the suspense sub-plot idea in my latest release, Love At High Tide. I had to remind her that I am a writer, so I can make stuff up myself.

But the surprising fact is that I know exactly how I came up with the idea for Love At High Tide. 11 years ago we lived in Chicago and decided to move to Maryland. The day we officially bought our house here – a house we’d have to move in to in exactly one month – what was the first thing I did? Not packing. Not finding a job. Not listmaking. No, I went online to find beach house rentals. I’d always wanted to do it, and didn’t want to miss the opportunity. We’ve gone every summer for 11 years, and we LOVE it. We love sitting on the beach doing nothing but reading and soaking in the scenery and the hordes of entertaining people around us.

One of the oddities we noticed was that the workers at the grocery store, ice cream store and all the waiters had thick Eastern European accents. As did many of the 20-somethings strolling by. Soon we discovered that there was a work-program set up with several Eastern bloc countries, and that they provide much of the seasonal help in Ocean City. I think my jaw literally dropped. Chimes went off in my head as if I’d won the lottery. Well, come on! If that isn’t a situation made for a writer to tweak, I don’t know what is.

So this book was an absolute joy to write. I got to sit in my beach chair (wearing a hat and beneath an umbrella, because I burn faster than a vampire) and make lists of all the coolest, most iconic things about Ocean City (crab chips, divebombing seagulls, over-the-top mini-golf, illicitly amorous use of the lifeguard chair….). I got to take gratuitous pictures of the super hot lifeguards. And I got to constantly think about my favorite place on earth every time I sat down to write.

Hopefully, my love of the beach shines through, and turns this book into a mini-vacation for you. But without any ugly reality like dripping sunscreen, damp towels and potential hurricanes!

Excerpt:

“Thanks for the rescue. If you hadn’t grabbed me, I’d still be doing somersaults underwater. In my book, that qualifies you for hero status.”
An unreadable emotion flickered across his eyes so fast she almost missed it. In a low mutter, he said, “Don’t call me a hero.” He hit the hard-packed sand at the edge of the water and stopped walking.
Modest, heroic and gorgeous. And it didn’t take even a fraction of her eight years of training in cultural anthropology to figure out he was attracted to her. They’d long since hit land, and yet he made no move to put her down. Not that she was complaining. She’d happily continue to sit cradled in his arms. It gave her an up-close view of his chiseled cheekbones, sharp enough to etch glass. Her fingers brushed through the salt-spiked tips of his blond hair. No doubt about it: she’d found the man candy Trina had promised. One bite of him would be as sinful and addictive as a chocolate honey truffle.
“Well, I can’t call you Mr. In-The-Right-Place-At-The-Right-Time.” When his lips curled up showing off his dimple, Darcy’s interest kicked up a notch.
“Good point. I’m Cooper Hudson. Coop, to my friends.”
“Darcy Trent.”
“It’s been a long time since I met an ocean virgin.”
“Oh, but only in the aquatic sense, I assure you.” What? Why wave her long-vanished virginity under his nose? Now he probably thought she had the morals of an alley cat. But hearing the hottest man she’d ever seen use the word virgin threw her for a loop. Not the standard nice-to-meet-you conversation, by a long shot.
He flashed an easy smile. “Don’t worry. I hadn’t planned on delivering you as a virgin sacrifice to appease the volcano gods over at the mini-golf course.”
Okay, now Darcy could add funny to the list of his overwhelming awesomeness. Maybe she really had blacked out and was hallucinating her ideal man while unconscious, underwater. What else could explain such perfection?
“Darcy, what happened?” Trina’s yell preceded her appearance in front of them. After a quick yank upward to her scrap of a top, she rested her hand on Darcy’s leg. “Why’s he carrying you? Did you get stung in the foot by a jellyfish? ’Cause if you did, I’ll pee on it. That’ll take the sting away.”
That certainly settled the whole am-I-hallucinating question. Never, ever would Darcy fantasize about her best friend peeing on her. The situation had to be real. And if Trina in all her adorable annoyingness was real, then her hot hero hunk had to be real, too.
To her dismay, Cooper lowered her to the ground.
“Your friend’s fine,” Cooper announced. “A wave almost rolled her, so she’s a little shaken up, but uninjured.”
“You keep your distance,” Darcy warned with a hand raised to keep Trina at arm’s length. “Don’t even think about peeing on me. Not even if I get attacked by an entire school of jellyfish.”
Trina wrinkled her nose. “Okay, but if the situation arises, just remember that I would be willing to make that sacrifice.”
“Friendship is a beautiful thing.” Cooper’s sardonic tone belied the sincerity of his expression.

About Love at High Tide

Darcy Trent is lucky Cooper Hudson is on hand to sweep her off her feet—literally—when she nearly drowns while swimming in the ocean. But life-saving aside, Mr. Perfect’s timing stinks: Darcy’s career is about to take her to the complete opposite side of the Atlantic. Still, a little summer loving with the tall, blond and sexy former cop is far too tempting to pass up.
When his plans to enter the Secret Service went south thanks to a bum knee, Coop retreated to the family beach house to mull his future. Romance is the last thing on his mind, until he fishes a curvy brunette out of the sea. Now, spending time in Darcy’s arms seems like the ideal distraction, even if it is just for a week.
But with Darcy’s departure date fast approaching and their careers on the line, can they realize in time that their beach fling might become the real thing?

Buy it at: Amazon | Barnes Noble | Carina Press | Kobo | Goodreads

About Christi Bart

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 is President of the Maryland Romance Writers and lives in Maryland with her husband.

Visit Christi
Website | Blog | Pinterest | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon Author Page |Facebook

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~*~*Giveaway*~*~
Christi has generously offered to give away a copy of Love at High Tide to one lucky commenter!

All you have to do is leave a comment and tell us:

What is your favorite summer story?

(You can read our full giveaway policy here)

Please be sure to include a valid email address in the comment form (need not be in the actual body of the comment).

This giveaway is open to all!

Giveaway ends on Saturday, 27 July 2013; we will announce the winner on Sunday.

Good luck!

About Anna

Anna is a psychologist from Greece.You can almost always find her with a book stuck under her nose,so it's no wonder that all her friends make a joke of her.Apart from reading she dreams of the day she'll be able to travel around the world!Anna also blogs at Books to Brighten your Mood.

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