Author Christi Barth: Never Too Late

It’s a pleasure to welcome author Christi Barth back to Thoughts in Progress today to tell us about her participating in Harlequin’s More Than Words philanthropy.

Welcome Christi.

When I was a member of the Junior League of Baltimore, it amazed me how I could give back to the community, help people, and still have such a good time. Helping others who are less fortunate is an imperative to me. Unfortunately, life got in the way, as it does for so many of us, and my volunteering came to an end. 

So I was thrilled to be asked by Harlequin to participate in their More Than Words philanthropy. Every year, Harlequin solicits nominations of women who have made extraordinary charitable contributions to their communities. Harlequin readers vote to select three women who do so much to improve the lives of others. Harlequin not only provides financial assistance to those charities, but they raise awareness for them. Three authors are chosen to craft stories highlighting these worthy causes.

I had the honor of writing a story around Megs Yunn, who founded the Pittsburgh-based charity, Beverly’s Birthdays. Beverly’s Birthdays believes in spreading birthday cheer 365 days a year, and that every child, regardless of personal or financial circumstances, deserves a birthday celebration. 

Megan Yunn and Beverly’s Birthdays currently serve ten homeless shelters in the Pittsburgh region by throwing birthday parties for the children living in the shelters. In the future, Beverly’s Birthdays hopes to provide a birthday celebration for every child living in transitional or emergency shelters in the Pittsburgh region. Amazing and selfless and joy-filled, right? When I chatted with her, I was blown away by her energy and big heart. I’ve never wanted so much to get a story right as I did this one, because Megs and her organization deserve the spotlight.

As of today, if you go to http://www.harlequinmorethanwords.com/ you can download for free this year’s three new stories, including my own NEVER TOO LATE. (The stories are slated to go up Monday, so if you click on the link and can’t find the stories, please try again later in the day). They are all short, sweet, and will make you feel good about these wonderful charities.
 
So here’s the blurb for my story:
 
        Everyone thinks brilliant designer Chris Kessler is the playboy of the architectural world. Truth is, he's strictly a one-woman man. But how can he reveal his feelings when Ali Montalvo's his fiercest rival for junior partner? And now they've been teamed up to volunteer at one of Pittsburgh's most popular charities.
        In addition to helping underprivileged kids celebrate their special day, there's something else at the top of Ali's wish list. If only she and Chris didn't clash on just about everything! Now he's planning a circus outing-this from a man who never had a birthday party. That's when Ali comes up with a surprise of her own. Because it's never too late to give the gift of love...

Christi, thanks for joining us today and telling us about this incredible project.

For those not familiar with Christi, here’s a bit of background on her.
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 award-winning contemporary romance.  

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

For more on Christi and her writing, visit her website and blog and connect with her on Pinterest, Twitter, Goodreads, Amazon Author Page, and Facebook.

Thanks so much for stopping by today during Christi’s visit. Do you know anyone who does extraordinary charitable contributions for their communities?