Vicki Batman's Blog, page 29

Author Vicki Batman on Handbag and Book - Yes, It's Silk and #newbook Just Desserts and Other Stories #readromance #cutemeets #MFRWorg

Yes, it's silk. I found this bag years ago at Tuesday Morning (who knew?) And I wish I had more. I just don't carry silk every day.

It's melon and white with a short handle made by Echo. It doesn't hold tons of stuff, like my book or needlepoint. But that's okay for special dates.





I'm excited to show off my new book baby, Just Desserts...and Other Stories!

What readers are saying:

4 stars. What a fun collection of sweet short stories.. Some had me laughing out loud and others had me saying ...awwww. Quick little stories and a great way to escape from the stress of the day and just sit back and enjoy. Each story shows how two people meet . Sunshine, humor and heart all rolled into one enjoyable book.
5 stars. What a delightful collection of short stories. Each one sweet with dollops of humor. Cute meets with the promise of much more. Perfect when you haven't much time but want something entertaining and delicious.
From FB: Vicki's newly released collection of 11 sweet short-fiction reads is where ordinary life takes cute and unexpected turns.

5 stars. Such a fun book! Love these feel good short stories. Perfect for a lazy, summer, afternoon at the pool read, I have also read her two books: Temporarily Employed, and Temporarily Insane. Her wit, humor, and sense of romance make her books thoroughly enjoyable!

Find Just Desserts at:

Author Amey Zeigler on Handbag and Book - Just Like Mom's? #readromance #MFRWorg #travelinginEurope

Okay, I have to tell you about this purse. I bought this cross-body at Ross (anybody out there love Ross, too?) for a trip to Europe. It was big enough for a book (because I am always reading) and a water bottle.

I hauled it around France and Switzerland and it's the perfect size. When I got home, I noticed that my mom, who was watching my kids had the exact same purse only in red!
Twenty-three year-old investigative journalist, Andy Miller is armed with her many disguises and creativity to take down the riff-raff of Saint Louis. When her stepbrother is murdered by the mob, Andy soon discovers she’s out of her depth.
Enter Hugh Donaldson who has reasons of his own for discovering the murderer. He’ll use everything in his power to achieve that, including lying to Andy about his past. Dangerous as he is attractive, his martial arts skills and his quirky ways raise Andy’s suspicions.
Although Andy balks at his lies, Hugh’s charms, twenty-inch biceps, and electrifying blue eyes are difficult to resist. Striking out on their own, Hugh and Andy try to outwit each other as they traverse North America tracking down people connected to the case.
As clues disappear and the body count climbs, Andy and Hugh must trust each other and use their combined skills to bring the murderer to justice.
“Let go of me.” She scrambled around powerless against his strength.
“Are you still resisting?” He bent his head to whisper in her ear, his face lost its kindness. “If you work alone, then I will use you as bait. You will go bumbling around in the dark and I will capitalize on your bumbling and stumbling. I will get what I want.
With or without you.”
Andy finally relaxed her body. He hated taking the spirit out of her. But it was the only way to keep her from getting killed.
“Okay, I concede,” she said.
He smiled inwardly, the rush of victory, conquering a well-matched foe. “I knew I could persuade you.”
Her smile warmed him, he released his body from hers. In a flash, her leg flew up and hit him square in the nads. She opened the door behind her, and slipped out by saying, “Brad asked me to do this. So I will do this.”
Through the purple haze of pain, he called out, “Where will you go Andy Baker?” The front door opened. “They’re hunting you,” he called.
The door slammed shut again.
He smiled despite the throbbing.
He liked her.
Find Bakers Dozen at: https://www.amazon.com/Bakers-Dozen-Amey-Zeigler-ebook/dp/B076X1XHTG/
Find Amey Zeigler at: https://www.ameyzeigler.com/ Welcome, Amey! and thanks for sharing your Handbag and Book. I bought one bag online in a beautiful sage suede and later, bought a black one at a store, not realizing they were the same bag, only different colors. LOL

Handbag and Book w guest author Kathy Otten - What a Bag Can Accumulate #historicalromance #CivilWar #accessories #RLFblog

Ever since high school, I carried a purse. But after my son was born and I returned to work, the only thing that would hold my breast pump, bottles and bags, plus my wallet, sunglasses, etc. was a backpack. But even after three kids I still carried it. It was amazing how many things I accumulated inside. A small photo album with pictures of my kids, a notebook and extra pens to jot down story ideas when I had some down time, my current read, etc. It was a durable bag from a high-end company, and though it was battered and a bit stained, for me it worked great.My daughters however, were mortified. They changed purses to match their outfits and here was mom, lugging around a backpack like an aged hippie. So one year for Christmas my oldest daughter bought me two purses.One was brown, the other gray. I picked the gray one. It was leather, which I love, and had a pretty lining in a light color so I could easily find things. Switching to a purse forced me to down-size which was hard in the beginning, but technology (my e-reader and cell phone) has helped. But I’m something of a packrat, and five years later the weight of my purse has steadily increased along with its contents. Though my photos are on my phone and I no longer need to carry a breast pump, I now carry things like wipes, a plastic spoons, and small cars, for my little grandson, amid my own paraphernalia of pens, highlighters, breath mints and lipstick. Needless to say the bag is weighted down. If it wasn’t made of leather it probably would have broken from the strain. But it’s still good, so why change?  Gracie McBride isn’t looking for love; she’s looking for respect. But in this man’s world of Civil War medicine, Gracie is expected to maintain her place changing beds and writing letters. Her biggest nemesis is the ward surgeon, Doctor Charles Ellard, who seems determined to woo her with arrogant kisses and terrible jokes.Charles is an excellent surgeon. He assumed he would be well received by an army at war. He was not. Friendless and alone, he struggles to hide the panic attacks that plague him while the only person who understands him is a feisty Irish nurse clearly resolved to keep him at a distance.But, Charles is sent to the battlefield, and Gracie is left with a wounded soldier, a box of toys, and a mystery which can only be solved by the one man she wishes could love her, both as a woman “No. I want you to go home before the death of that ten-year-old boy becomes so ordinary that one day you wake up and realize you no longer have the ability to feel.”She squared her shoulders and stepped toward him. “Me own husband was a doctor, sir. I’ve birthed babies and stitched wounds. I stood by William’s side during surgeries and passed him instruments. I helped him clean the intestines of a man gored by a bull, before putting it all back inside that man’s belly. Me delicate sensibilities did not send me into a swoon then nor will they here. I thank ye for yer concern, Doctor Ellard, but ’tis who I am. And by the saints, as long as I have breath in me body, I will feel, and I will care.”Their gazes locked in that moment and something flickered in his icy depths, overshadowing his usual cynicism with what she suspected might be admiration. The harsh lines of his face softened.“Saint Jude must indeed be watching over you, Mrs. McBride.”“That he is, Doctor Ellard, that he is.”He gave her a brisk nod and opened the door. “You’re not going home then, are you?”She turned. “Ye know us Irish, Doctor Ellard. We don’t know what we want, but we’ll fight to the death to get it.”Find A Place In Your Heart at: Amazon Find Kathy Otten at: Website So lovely to have you show off your handbag, Kathy!

Vicki Batman - Thirty-four #readromance #MFRWorg #RLFblog

                                                                                                                                                                  

34          I counted just the other day because I kinda had thirty in my head. So why the number?
I’ve written thirty-four short stories. I began by writing my romantic comedy mystery, Temporarily Employed. Then I critiqued six very short stories for a friend, and all of the sudden, the rhythm of writing these fell into my head. Then an idea came, and I was off. I churned out a lot of short stories, many of which were pubbed by magazines and other publishers, some have been in anthologies. I really do like writing short. My life has been upside down and concentrating on a book is hard for me. I can pop in and out of a short story and feel as if I’ve accomplished a lot. As for very shorts… I’ve collected eleven, two of which have never been pubbed before. Here’s a bit about them: Love blossoms in the small town of Sommerville in these heart-warming and very short tales, filled with fun and forever possibilities. Included are: Bug Stuff ~ An accountant unites with his co-worker to exterminate a pesky adversary. Just Desserts ~ A political dinner gone disastrous brings together a reluctant attendee and her handsome seat-mate. With This Ring ~ When a wife forgets the all-important little black dress, the evening turns into something utterly unforgettable. Good Girls Finish First ~ When men friends are challenged to fix breakfast if they lose a race, one woman leads the pack and discovers finishing first can lead to romance. Ouch ~ Who knew a yoga class would be so dangerous...and romantic? Man Theory ~ When a geeky co-worker espouses his theory on love, a friend risks her heart. Tommy and the Teacher ~ A young boy steals from the school’s book fair causing interesting possibilities to arise. Absolutely Positively Lost ~ Helping a map-challenged young man find his way is truly serendipitous. The Little Birdie Who ~ A new town, a new friend, a new beginning. Who would have thought a little bird could bring two people together? Check Her Out ~ It’s a sticky situation, especially between a store manager and Auntie Caren when her nephew must pay for the gum he stole. This Is Not Working ~ One of those days at a new job when nothing is going right, and then the  boss steps in.    Are you thinking short stories are not as satisfying as a book? Shorts are VERY satisfying. Find Just Desserts…and Other Stories at: Amazon       Nook                                                                                      

Author Elf Ahearn - A bag Which Reminds her of Father #historicalromance #archeology #readromance #RLFblog

For the record, this rustic little bag isn’t my only purse; I’ve got a nice Michael Kors for summer and a chocolate slouch from Italy for winter, but I rarely use them. There are two reasons why I like this canvas bag. 1. It’s lightweight. I’m convinced that the more money one pays for a pocketbook, the more backbreaking it is to carry.
The second reason I like my bag is that it reminds me of my father who was a dyed-in-the-wool archeologist. He used to come home after months in Egypt with canvas duffle bags girded by straps just like the one on my purse. Out from their depths, he’d unpack potsherds, ancient tools, and presents for his adoring daughters. His flight home usually included a stop in India and a second hold over in Austria. As a result, we four little girls usually got an inlaid box from Egypt; glass bangles and saris from India; and a doll, or in my case, a miniature horse, from Austria. Accompanying our gifts, he would tell us wild tales of his adventures in Cairo, Luxor, or some dusty village on the fringe of the dessert. The magic of Aladdin was contained in those duffle bags. By contrast, my little satchel holds the wizardry of Kleenex and rubber bands to hold my socks up, yet it still offers a hint of pyramids and ancient treasure.  
In Lord Hugh Davenport’s opinion, women of the ton perpetually hide behind a mask of deception. That’s hard for Ellie Albright, the daughter of an earl, to swallow—especially since she’s disguised herself as a stable hand to get back the prized stallion her father sold to Hugh to pay a debt. If Hugh learns her true identity she’ll lose the horse and her family will go bankrupt. Somehow, though, losing Hugh’s affection is beginning to seem even worse…
Already only a step away from being snagged in her own web of lies, Ellie’s deceit threatens to spin out of control when Hugh’s mother invites Ellie and her sisters to a house party. Now Ellie has to scramble to keep Hugh from knowing she’s the stable girl he wants to marry, while simultaneously trying to win his trust as herself. Can she keep her costumes straight long enough to save her family? And even if she does, will it be worth losing his love?
Ellie took a few limping steps after him. “I’ll need your assistance.” He came back and eyed her suspiciously. “Your arm, in fact,” she told him.
His lips hardened, but he looped her arm through his. As they passed a row of seated grande dams, every eye watched with envy.
At an alcove, Hugh stopped to let her pass. “In here,” he said.
“I can’t go in there alone with you.”
“Did you see a free chair on the floor?” he said. “Because what I saw was a row of plump sugar plums, and none of them likely to abandon her seat.”
“People will say I’ve been compromised.”
“Nonsense. I couldn’t possibly compromise anyone in an alcove shielded by a simple palm tree. A young lady compromised in such a manner either wants to be or wants to pretend she was. Which one are you?”
“Neither,” snapped Ellie.
“Then sit.” He whacked back the palm revealing a gilded bench by the wall. “Besides,” he continued, following her into the alcove, “your reputation will swell in direct correlation to the amount of time spent in my company.”
As she sat, she rolled her eyes. “La, what an extraordinary view of oneself.”


Find  Rogue in Sheep's Clothing at: Amazon.com
Find Elf Ahearn at: elfahearn.com Elf, so delightful to have you visit today. I remember our fun cab ride to the RWA hotel.  Loved your sharing about your father and his adventures.  Happy writing, my friend! 

Author Viviana MacKade - Ah, The Things This Purse Has Seen and her #newbook #readromance #RLFblog

Yes, it’s worn on the handle. Yes, colors faded a bit. Yes, the chunky thingy came off.

Yes, I love it. Because, come on, this handbag! Let me give you some backstory so you can see why it has a special meaning to me which goes beyond simply being awesomely cool.

My mom gave me this bag when I graduated from Law School. It ran the year 2007, the city was Turin and the country Italy, and Marco (my now husband) and I had just bought our one-way plane ticket for England.

It was the end of an era (school, Italy, and everything we knew) and the beginning of another. 
And my mom, being her fantastic self, knew I wasn’t going to afford that kind of handbag for a while (we’re talking three-digit price tag more than ten years ago, people. It’s a Roberto Cavalli handbag, after all. Look him up. He’s top). She knew how much I love handbags. And she knew my country girl heart beats for horses, saddles, and leather, and this thing sums it up perfectly.
Ah, the things this purse had seen, the places it had gone.

Also, it’s so spacious I can fit pretty much everything in it (if fact, I used it as diaper bag when my son was little. The bag was outraged, threatened to take a flight back to Italy. It didn’t, and I kept using it for baby stuff for a while longer because I'm the boss).

And this is the story of my favorite hand bag. I hope you enjoyed it, and seriously, look up my buddy Roberto and his purses.
At eighteen, DJ made a choice–her heart or her dreams. Neither was wrong, yet either would break her heart. She chose the world. Over a decade later, she returns to Crescent Creek and to the one regret she's ever had–Scott.
Scott’s always been steady as a rocky reef. He’d loved once and when she’d left, his strong heart had crumbled like a sandcastle. Now DJ is back, and Scott wants nothing to do with her. If only Eva, his and DJ’s old friend, didn’t need their help. Because of her, he’s stuck with DJ and he’d be damned, she still gets under his skin.
DJ is a free spirit who needs the road under her feet. Scott is a family man who wants to groom his roots. With danger on their doorstep and a baby to keep safe, how much are they willing to compromise for love?

“I missed you. All these years.” At his skeptical face, DJ shook her head. “Not in a romantic way. We were friends before we became more, and I missed it. I understand we can’t jump back to it,” she hurried to add, “but if we can at least be civil enough to talk to each other, spend some time together, it would be nice. Not only now, because we have Henry. I mean later, too.”


“And when is this happening? Now you stay because of Henry. Then what? Are we going to spend some time together when you feel like you have crumbles of spare time from your travels?” he said with mocking indifference. “I don’t like leftovers, and I have a life that doesn’t need or want you in it.”



“I don’t remember you being cruel.”



“Sorry to disappoint you, and welcome to the present.” He threw the vegetable he’d so carefully worked on in the garbage can, then looked at her again. “Let’s survive these days until Eva comes back, then we can move on.”



Find All Those Miles I Walked at: ebook  

Find Viviana at:  Website

Handbag and Book w guest author Michal Scott ~ Unexpected and Delightful and a #newbook

 My little cat handbag was an unexpected and delightful find at a church Christmas bazaar last December. Kittens in Christmas stockings patterned with snowmen and little yellow mice. It was irresistible.

Its surface holds white quilted serpentine stitching that makes the little cats look like their moving. I’ve had to re-stitch the handles because only 7-1/4 x 8-1/2, I make it  hold more than it’s little snap can keep from spilling out. I had a chance to buy a larger version but declined. The artist had all handmade items like this. So of course I can’t find her name. Am I sorry now. :-(




Freed Man seeking woman to partner in marriage for at least two years in the black township of Douglass, Texas. Must be willing and able to help establish a legacy. Marital relations as necessary. Love neither required nor sought.
Ex-slave Caesar King placed this ad because he needs a wife to keep his land without paying an exorbitant residence fee. Free-born Philadelphian Queen Esther Payne answered the ad because she needs a husband who won’t make her a submissive wife and mother. Each agrees this marriage of convenience will give them what they want. However, when they kiss at the wedding ceremony, the love neither Caesar nor Queen sought or required rears its head. In the battle of intellectual and sexual one-up-manship that ensues each is determined to come out on top. But who’ll be the first to cry uncle if victory means surrender? 
A soft light shone at him from her eyes. “Sorry for your loss.”
“None needed. Good comes from bad. Death, not slavery, took my boys from me. They never had to live as someone’s property.” He sat a little straighter. “Our children will never have to worry about that.”
“Our children?” She swiveled in her seat. “You made no mention of wanting children, just marital relations as necessary. I understood that to mean intercourse.”
“I wrote I wanted to leave a legacy.”
“A legacy. Not a dynasty.”
“Legacy. Dynasty. Is there really so sharp a distinction?”
“To my mind there is. I understood you meant to affect future generations—endow schools, found churches, create civic associations. I didn’t realize that meant children. I agreed to having sex, not having children.”
 “Of course I want children.” His brows grew heavy as he frowned. “Doesn’t having sex lead to having children?”
Find Better To Marry Than To Burn at: Book Find Michal Scott at: Website

Stitching Projects with Vicki ‎@DritzSewing #needlepointhandbag #sweetromance

Many of you know I love to stitch needlepoint. I'm not big on counting for intricate stitches. I like bringing the canvas to life with thread and color. 

Several years ago, I completed a poinsettia canvas and turned it into a handbag. It is absolutely gorgeous. The poinsettias had been stitched in wool. I had to do the background. 

I have a storage closet in my office, and when the printer acted up, I had to arrange a few things, and of course, took a moment to clean out the junk. And found this postcard: It must have been stapled to the poinsettia canvas and fell off at some point. Look closely and you will see their version of the finished poinsettia handbag on the bottom row.
I learned something as well. My canvas was sold by Dritz, a name I knew from sewing products. I went to the Dritz website and found this information about the company's history:
In the 1920s, John Dritz & Sons was a family business that sold beaded handbags in New York City. Over the years, John Dritz & Sons also developed innovative sewing notions and gadgets, such as seam rippers, zippers and electric scissors. In 1969, the Dritz family sold the business; in the next 20 years it changed hands again. In 1988 it was acquired by the Prym family of Germany and named the Prym-Dritz Corporation. So from the back of the postcard, I learned consumers completed the canvas background with Dritz tapestry yard and could pick the finished size and style of a handbag and send the finished canvas to Dritz. A place for pricing was designated on the card as well. I've completed other canvases styled like these with part pre-finished. A red handbag with street scene of Paris and was gifted a flower canvas which I turned into a pillow. I don't know if these were Dritz products, but it is good to know stitchers had access to projects. 


What project am I working on now? Just Desserts!! Delicious and Funny tales. 

Addison Brae on Handbag and Book: When a #handbag screams "Buy Me!!" and a #newbook #Trigearrpublishing #readromance

Thanks, Vicki, for allowing me to share books and handbags! The bag with the flamingo is the one I would carry. Impractical as it is, it screamed “buy me” from behind the counter at a trendy Los Angeles thrift store a few years ago. The brand or its history didn’t matter. It was so fun I had to have it. Gillian, the heroine in Becker Circle is much too practical for a cute purse that only holds a phone, keys, and credit card. A good friend passed the colorful canvas bag to me at one of our regular clothing exchanges, and it’s very similar to the one that makes an appearance in the second scene of “Becker Circle.” It’s a special gift from her mom.  
My first and only boyfriend believed I was too gutless to leave. He was dead wrong. My name’s Gillian, and I graduated Harvard early and left his hot temper and everyone else behind for Dallas. Determined to make it on my own, I land a second job bartending at the neighborhood pub smack in drama central where most every jerk in the neighborhood hits on me—at a huge price. A week into the job, the neighborhood’s very popular drug dealer falls to his death a few feet from the table I’m serving. The cops say suicide, but the hot guitar player in the house band and I suspect foul play, and I intend to prove it. We dig deeper, grow closer, and make a shocking discovery. We know the murderer. 
Watch the trailer.


Rule one of my new life—forget about what already happened. Period.
Just as I turn the corner toward the tree-lined park, someone rams into me from behind. I gulp a breath as he twists me to the ground, dragging me along by the arm. The strap to my purse connects me to a guy who looks barely old enough to drive until he yanks it away. The purse holding the cash I have to live on until I get paid, my ID, one credit card, and proof I took an exam today.
The purse Mom gave me for my eleventh birthday.
“Stop!” I struggle to untwist my legs and sprint toward the strap dragging behind him. “No!” The distance between us widens.
At the edge of the park, a well-dressed man jumps out of a shiny SUV and shoves the guy into the shrubs. He leans over as they exchange words.A portion of the author proceeds will go to Hope’s Door New Beginning Center to help fight domestic abuse.

Find Becker Circle at:  Amazon Find Addison Brae at:  Website

Author Reet Singh on Handbag and Book - A fabulous and roomy gift and a #newbook #readromance #MFRWorg

This fabulous, roomy handbag was gifted to me by a dear aunt, Veena Mehta. The PG tag stands for Purificación García – I had never heard of the label before, but now I’m all for it. The bag has withstood every insult including me filling it with sharps like keys and pens and pencils – these things have killed every other bag of mine, but not my PG! When I first set eyes on it, I balked a bit at the color – the gray was fine, being a neutral color, but the green meant that I’d have to be careful to wear something green every time I carried the bag. Of course, once I fell in love with it, green became my favorite color and I made sure I had enough green in my wardrobe that I could carry my PG every day of the week. I learned something new thanks to my PG – that the color green is often called a "colored neutral" because it is as easy to match as any of the neutral shades (brown, gray, or black). Interesting!

Will the demons from their past succeed in tearing them apart?

After personal tragedy strikes, Mohini Kapoor runs away from the city to her grandparents home in a village in Punjab. Though she manages to pick up the pieces of her broken self, and even builds a life for herself, the horror of her experience is difficult to forget. She buries it deep down inside her subconscious mind until the arrival of a stranger threatens to resurrect the old demons.

Reputed photojournalist, Aalok Ahuja, has to hide out for a few days to escape circumstances beyond his control. When his friend recommends Tejopur, a remote village in Punjab, Aalok expects life to be simple there and, perhaps, even boring - instead, his world is thrown into chaos by a woman more desirable, and vastly more complicated, than any he has ever known.

When their destinies collide, attraction flares, but secrets threaten their new found feelings. Should they cut and run or give love a chance? This close up, in the silvery light of a full moon, Aalok looked quite beautiful. Harmless even. Mohini crept closer, ostensibly to pick up her cell phone, but she couldn't look away from the sleeping form of the man who plagued her so much. Although she wasn't even remotely interested, it was silly to pretend that Aalok wasn't a fabulous specimen. Now that she could stare without fear of embarrassment, she noted spiked lashes that fluttered ever so slightly as he slept. His jaw was strong and square, a determined contour - no wonder he walked about as though he owned the world. Mohini itched to know the truth. Was he running away from something? How absurd for a city slicker to come out all the way to a village he had never been to before. Even more absurd was for him to come unannounced. Find No Escape from Love at: buy book Find Reet Singh at: website