Today we have Christi Barth guest blogging with us, giving us some insight into a character from her current release Cruising Toward Love. Grab your tropical cocktail and help me welcome Christi Barth to Cocktails and Books!
A Character Cocktail!
I start with the basics – his inner character. Reed is just like spiced rum: strong, but with a dark streak. Most of all, it packs a punch – but you don’t realize it until too late. Reed used to be a photojournalist, embedded with the Army in Iraq.
“Got shot at one too many times. My shrink told me if I wanted to keep taking pictures I needed to take myself out of the line of fire.” The line was verbatim what Dr. Pratt had instructed him to tell people. Reed thought it gave the impression he’d freak out if a champagne cork popped in his vicinity—which wasn’t too far from the truth.
He’s definitely strong enough to survive a bad case of PTSD, but is stuck recovering as a cruise ship photographer. Not exactly his dream job! Beneath his tight teal uniform is a well-developed set of pecs and a heart that beats in triple time when he meets the lovely Internet mogul Callie Caldwell. Of course, they can’t actually get together. The cruise ship doesn’t allow the staff to dally with passengers. On top of that, the ever-present spectre of his PTSD means – in his mind – he’s in no shape to start a relationship.
“Callie, you don’t know what you’re asking. I’m no good for you. Right now I’m no good for anybody.”
“Are you trying to convince me you’re a classic bad boy? Because no woman in her right mind would see that as a con. Bad boys are hot.” She wriggled against him sinuously.
But this is a funny book, light and sexy. So a straight shot of rum by itself wouldn’t work as Reed’s cocktail. I decided to make a Dark & Stormy. Why? Well, piña coladas are too sweet for my emotionally unsettled guy. Adding ginger beer sweetens, but still gives it quite a zip. The bubbles are all over the place, just like Reed.
He’s trying to make the best of his new life, will constantly on guard for anything that might trigger a relapse. He felt like a windshield the moment after it’s hit by a rock—covered with a web of hairline cracks, on the verge of splintering apart. Waiting for the next tiny thing that might shatter him irreparably.
As if that weren’t enough, the capricious Callie keeps him off balance. Luckily, he’s got me as the author, and I guarantee a happily ever after for them.
Finally there’s the presentation. Ever been at a bar where they dump your drink into a plastic cup? Somehow it doesn’t taste as good. A nice glass, a silly paper umbrella and a juicy slice of lime make all the difference. Reed needed to look amazing. And that brings us to the super fun part of my job. I scanned the Internet for days, googling ‘sexy movie stars’. Remember, I need to keep an image of this guy in my head for several months (and several sexy photos on my computer). He’s got to be perfect. I ended up modeling Nate after Michael Shanks. Go on, look him up. Dark hair, piercing blue eyes, and enough muscles to easily be able to pick a girl up and carry her to a bed. Remember, this takes place on a cruise, so there is plenty of occasion to bare his arms and legs and spend lots of time wallowing in how gorgeously hot he is.
To really get you in the mood for some rum, here’s an excerpt from Cruising Toward Love. They’re on a scavenger hunt in Tortola and have figured out the clue. It mixes rum and smooches – what could be better?
The sandy soil gave way easily beneath the shovel. The clink of metal against metal startled all of them after only a few minutes. Reed pulled out his camera and captured the awe and excitement widening Nate’s eyes. With this moment, he got to live out every boyhood fantasy of pirates and booty.
“It’s a treasure chest!” Nate tossed aside the shovel and pulled a battered wooden box with a cross work of metal braces out of the ground. Rusted and warped, the chest looked as if it might have been buried for centuries. Reed had to give Peter and the Amphitrite high marks for this leg of the hunt.
“Go on, Nate. Open it,” Callie urged.
Hinges creaked as he lifted the top, revealing two glass bottles filled with a murky brown liquid. Nate lifted one and carefully worked out the cork, giving it a sniff. “Spiced rum. Smells terrific.” He passed it around.
Reed let out a whoop and threw his arms around Callie, lifting her off the ground in a spin. “We found the treasure!” Fueled by exhilaration, he kissed her. Like a dropper of water after crossing the desert, it did little to relieve his desire. He dipped her back over one knee and deepened the kiss, sinking into it.
Senses heightened, Reed took in everything about the moment; the faint tinge of salt water in the air, the roar of the waves breaking on the beach, and the crunch of leaves and twigs beneath his feet. All of it imprinted indelibly on the mental picture he snapped while Callie’s tongue met his, dipping in and out in a swirling dance. She set off firecrackers in his mind, in his heart, and definitely over every inch of his body.
Need swamped him. Their closeness after days of his self-imposed restraint drained every speck of blood in his body directly south of his belt. Her wonderfully soft breasts pressed into his chest. As nice as it felt, he wanted to mold them in his hands, learn their shape and weight and taste. Unable to resist, he wrenched out of their lip lock to trail kisses down her neck.
Callie’s hands clutched at his hair, and she let out a moan. An infinitesimal portion of his brain checked—yup, it was a good moan, not one of pain or shock or fear, so he must be doing things right this time. Using his teeth, he undid the bow of her peasant shirt and nosed the gap open. Then his tongue took its first luxurious swipe across the rounded satin lusciousness of her breasts. And it was good. First-time-tasting-ice-cream good.
“Uh, whatever happened to your plan to not have sex with each other?” Zoe’s polite yet intrusive tone—no doubt it was her sternest librarian voice—broke his rapt concentration like a boulder through hoarfrost. Reed realized he’d been two seconds away from taking Callie on the ground, completely oblivious to Zoe and Nate’s presence. He pressed a final kiss, a promise of things yet to come, on the outer corner of her lips. Then he stood Callie on her feet and grinned at her. Probably the same kid in a candy store, shit-eating grin Nate wore when he found the treasure chest. Because that’s exactly how he felt.
“I’m over it.”
So mix yourself a Dark & Stormy and dive into the pages of Cruising Toward Love by Christi Barth. Here’s the blurb to get you started.
Can an unexplained breakup and ten years of heartache be cured by the romance - and endless buffets - of a tropical cruise? When her sister is left at the altar, small town librarian Zoe Balis jumps at the chance to take the bride’s unused ticket for the honeymoon cruise. But she didn't count on sharing a cabin with the man who broke her heart ten years ago!
Army medic Nate Hyatt never told Zoe goodbye when he enlisted - or the real reason why he dumped her on prom night after a year as high school sweethearts. And he never stopped dreaming about the girl he left behind. Could this voyage be his chance to fix the worst mistake he ever made? After all, a Caribbean cruise should be romantic… if he can convince her to move past ten years of bitterness and hurt.
Once aboard the luxury liner, Zoe befriends a bored Internet mogul with more heart than tact. Nate vents his problems to a ship’s photographer battling PTSD. The four team up on an island hopping treasure hunt. The stakes grow higher with each of Zoe’s mysterious brushes with death. They race to discover why she's a target and who's behind it, while still competing in the treasure hunt.
Zoe’s never gotten over her first love, and is tempted to let Nate back into her life. But she already lost him once. She’s not willing to risk loving a man whose career keeps him in a combat zone. Can Nate breach her defenses and suture her broken heart? Grab a deck chair and see if they survive the stormy relationship seas as they cruise toward love
For more information about all my books, please visit www.christibarth.com. Also, swing by my blog at http://christibarth.blogspot.com or follow me on Twitter @christi_barth
Great post, Christi! If Reed is like spiced rum, I think I'll have to give spiced rum a try. He's a hot, hot, hot character. Best wishes for continued success with your writing. :)
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