Joining me today in The Loft is USA Today best-selling author Christi Barth. Christi typically writes contemporary romantic comedy, including the Naked Men and Aisle Bound series. On October 25, she will release her first paranormal romantic comedy novel. A part-time writer, Christi can be found stirring up trouble in a wide variety of locales with a wide variety of characters after working at her day job, usually between the hours of 8 to 11:30 p.m. each evening. A resident of Baltimore, Christi took time from her annual vacation in Ocean City, MD, to visit The Loft and chat about her latest book.
S: Good morning, Christi. Thanks for joining me today!
What was your worst date ever?
C: My blind date was a sales rep for Proctor & Gamble. He gestured to his stuffed back seat and offered me all the feminine hygiene products I could possibly want. That was not sexy!
S: I would have grabbed a handful and fled!
What do people get wrong about publishing a book?
C: That's a two-part answer. First, that if you write a book and pay an editor, it is automatically good enough to publish. Just because you can publish something doesn’t mean it is necessarily ready. Finishing a book is a huge accomplishment to be celebrated – but there is a lot to be learned by doing, and two or four or more books might have to be written before one is truly ready. And second, that writing a book is all you have to do as an author. That is not true. You are a full-time business owner. Even with traditional publishers, you have to market your books. I’m super happy to be chatting with you today, but this takes time. Now imagine doing 15 of these blogs during release week--all with different questions to answer – and 15 more when there is a sale, and multiply that by your back list. Actually, writing the book is the easiest part!
S: That is so true. Book marketing is not only a series of trials and errors, but also time-consuming.
What inspires your stories?
C: Often, it is travel. My first book idea came from a visit to Charleston. I tripped over a tree root in the cobblestones and landed on the fence around a cemetery. Instantly, I had a book idea. Same thing happened when I visited the Finger Lakes--my Shore Secrets series--and took a cruise, Cruising Toward Love." But my fave inspiration story comes from when I was sitting in "Anastasia" on Broadway. I knew I had to write a book with similar themes. I spent all of intermission scribbling the idea down on the back of my ticket--and it became my Sexy Misadventures of Royals series.
S: How has romance changed in your lifetime?
C: I don’t think romance itself has changed, aside from it being more of a two-way street. I think the romance genre has changed, and for the better. I grew up on absolute bodice-rippers. Loved them at the time, but see them now as very, very not okay. Today’s romances are more balanced--the hero and the heroine are both smart, both have careers that matter, and the dumbing down of women has very much dissipated.
S: When I was studying for the bar exam, someone passed around a big bag of "bodice-rippers" their mother had sent. Those books were a great source of entertainment, and a nice break from studying, but so removed from reality that it was a little disturbing.
What attracted you to your current partner?
C: We were great friends. He was married--nothing hinky was going on, I promise--and we played romantic leads in an operetta. We didn’t flirt or anything, we just had a lot of sitting around time to talk and laugh and do crosswords and we became fast friends. Okay, I did notice how handsome he was, but would never, ever have done anything about it. And I truly think that is the secret to a great marriage--sure, you love each other, but being best friends is truly the foundation.
S: What inspired "Hottie On Her Shelf?"
C: It was actually a suggestion from my publisher. I know, not a super eventful inspiration story. She suggested that a librarian run against a mayor. Period. Which yes, sounds fun, but is actually incredibly hard to make into an entire book. Because in these partisan times, I had to ensure that this election romance had zero politics in it--since everyone deserves to enjoy a romance no matter their political leanings.
S: Is there anything special you want people to know about "Hottie On Her Shelf?"
C: I, myself, visit small towns and break out in immediate emotional hives with the thought of everyone knowing my schedule and thinking they can comment on my life. But I do adore reading--and writing--small town romance. And this book takes place in a tiny coastal Maine town, full of quirky, adorable side characters. They are my favorites. Plus, there is a--no spoilers--dream date for a reader--because my heroine is a librarian. Trust me. You’ll all want to go there and this date is a real place!
Here's the blurb--
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