Vicki Batman's Blog, page 49

Would you buy a green handbag? Handbag & Book with @VickiBatman #accessories #romanticcomedymystery #Rssos #TWRP

Handbag & Book withVickiI want a kitty. LOL.  A year has passed since beloved Scootie and I am missing her. She was a good girl, my writing companion. The only kitty my #2 son has known all his life. But a kitty wouldn't fit in my life right now. And so I settled for a handbag.
Then there is my youngest sister. She is executor of my parents' estate. The other day she let me know some information and I was hit with I should get my sister a thank you gift. A handbag. So I did!
But you know me. I had to look around too. And I found this: The green color is outstanding! I especially like the two pouches on one side and the small tote handles. I wouldn't have bought it if the handles had been the larger tote ones. And then there's the cross body strap. I have to confess, I probably did something most of you wouldn't do to a Kate Spade bag. I modified it. The strap didn't come off. And there are times for a strap and times for handles. I went to my local shoe shop and he put "D" rings on the sides and added toggles. Much more practical. Which leaves me scratching my head, wondering why didn't Kate Spade put on a detachable strap? I did the toggle thing before on my turquoise bag.
The big question is: Did I ruin the bag?
And the second question is: Do you like the green?
Bad Job. Wrong love. And murder. She's baaccck. Hattie Cooks takes a new temporary job--we all saw this coming, right? And Detective Allan Wellborn is along side as they discover who is knocking off auditors at the accounting firm. Preorder the e-book at: The Wild Rose Press

Craftmaster - Finding old stuff in the parent's home #SOS #RB4U #MFRWorg #amcrafting

While cleaning out my parents’ garage with family, a brother in law unearthed a picture wrapped in white paper, rectanglular in shape. Passed to me to determine if giveaway or have siblings look at, I folded back the paper and squealed. My sisters came running. We found the crushed rock and gravel picture my mom had made.
This picture hung above the china cabinet in the dining room for many, many years. Then Mom replaced it with a homey scene. I guess I didn’t notice it was gone for a long while and when I did, thought she’d donated it (along with the horse head lamps).
Here’s what we found: 

The scene is Oriental, a pagoda and tree. This one is unique because the leaves are tiles as are parts of the pagoda. A braided piece was glued and pinned, then specifically marked gravel was put in the section. 
Fun—right?
I did some online research and found these craft kits were made by Mosette in the fifties and sixties. The subject matter of the gravel ones crossed the span of popular television characters, animals, the Last Supper, to exotic dancers. Craft Master manufactured paint by number kits as well. Most were sold through hobby and five and dime stores. Over the last ten plus years, I’ve seen many finished pictures at flea and antique malls. One even had tiny lights in it.
Kits came in many shapes and subject matter. Here’s a link on:  eBay
When I took this picture home, I had no idea what I’d do with it. Then something went boing! And I knew I had to put it in my son’s old room with the new bedding. The coral and pink are exactly what the room needed to pop. I’m thrilled my mom’s picture found a home.
Were you a paint by number fan? Do you dig the mosaic pictures?


Coming soon-Temporarily Insane? Yup, Hattie Cooks is in another hot mess and Allan is tangled up too. It's a Bad Job. Wrong love. And murder. Releases on September 9, but available for preorder at: TWRP


What are you waiting for? LOL

What is a girl's best friend? Ask Kryssie Fortune #Rssos #RB4U #accessories #diamond

Diamonds are a girl’s best friend, or so Marilyn Monroe sang. However, some are best left well alone—the Hope Diamond among them. It’s early history is veiled in mystery.
[image error]
Legend states that in 1642 Jean Baptiste Tavernier travelled to India and stole an enormous diamond from the statue of the Hindu Goddess, Sita. He returned to France where Louis XlV—the Sun King—bought the diamond. Later, on a trip to Russia Tavernier was torn apart by wild dogs.
The Sun King ordered the diamond recut to show off its brilliance. It became part of the French crown jewels and was known as the Blue Diamond of the Crown. 78 years later, Louis VX had it recut to make a decoration for the Order of the Golden Fleece. During the French revolution, both he and his wife, Marie Antoinette were beheaded and looters stole the French crown jewels.
Some believe King George lV – formerly known as the Prince Regent—bought the gem. He was so heavily in debt when he died that the gem was sold to help pay his bills.
 
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Wilhelm Fals was a Dutch jeweler who recut the diamond again. His son ended up murdering him and then killing himself.
Greek merchant Simon Maoncharides owned the diamond for a while. He drove his car over a cliff and killed himself, his wife, and his child.
 After Evalyn Walsh McLean, wore the diamond, her mother-in-law died, her son died at the age of nine, her husband left her for another woman and Evalyn later died in a mental hospital. Her daughter died of a drug overdose at 25 and she eventually had to sell her newspaper the Washington Post - and died owing huge debts.


Her surviving family sold the diamond to Harry Winston. Nine years later, in 1958 he mailed the gem to the Smithsonian for $2.44 in postage and $155 insurance.


[image error]James Todd, the mailman who delivered the diamond to the Smithsonian, apparently had his leg crushed in a truck accident shortly thereafter. He also suffered a head injury in a separate accident. Add in that his house burned down and you have to wonder if the Hindu Goddess, Sita, the diamond once belonged to is out for revenge.

So, what’s my interest in diamonds?

My next book, Dominated By The Dragon, revolves around a dragon shifter and the heiress to a diamond company. And guess what? She’s called Hope.

Please note, the book isn’t available until Thursday 28th July.[image error] A former super soldier turned dragon demon must choose between his soul mate and saving the world from a nuclear winter. 
The British army’s nuclear testing bonded a dragon into Flynn Hemsworth’s soul. Military scientists vivisected and tortured him until he escaped two years later. Although he’s never aged, he’s been alone and on the run for almost six decades. When he prevents a naked woman from being the prize lot in a coven’s slave auction, he realizes she has an unexplored submissive streak.



Hope Mathews—a sassy blonde with killer keyboard skills—is a strong independent woman. When Flynn prevents her being sold to a demon, she discovers she enjoys spankings and light bondage. 


Together Hope and Flynn must shut down a coven of black magicians, rescue kidnapped demons, and stop a black ops nuclear missile hitting the UK. Even if they manage all that, Hope’s the granddaughter of a billionaire while Flynn’s still on the run from the military who want to dissect him again. Can they find common ground and build a life together? 

Reader Advisory: Contains explicit language, a virginal heroine who discovers she enjoys spanking and bondage. Add in some serious dragon demon loving, light the blue touch paper, stand back, and watch the sparks fly. 

PUBLISHER NOTE: Paranormal BDSM Romance – 63,094 words. BDSM, Exhibitionism, Orgies and Spanking.





Find Dominated by the Dragon at: Luminosity  Amazon US All Romance
 

Getting to know Tina Donahue #Newbook #giveaway #MFRWorg #RB4U

Let’s Get to Know...Tina Donahue
is an Amazon and international bestselling novelist in erotic, paranormal, contemporary and historical romance for traditional publishers and indie. Booklist, Publisher’s Weekly, Romantic Times and numerous online sites have praised her work. Three of her erotic novels (Freeing the Beast, Come and Get Your Love, and Wicked Takeover) were Readers' Choice Award winners. Another three (Adored, Lush Velvet Nights, and Deep, Dark, Delicious) were named finalists in the EPIC competition. Sensual Stranger, her erotic contemporary romance, was chosen Book of the Year at the French review site Blue Moon reviews. The Golden Nib Award at Miz Love Loves Books was created specifically for her erotic romance Lush Velvet Nights. Two of her titles (The Yearning and Deep, Dark, Delicious) received an Award of Merit in the RWA Holt Medallion competition. Take Me Away and Adored both won second place in the NEC RWA contest (different years). Tina is featured in the Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market. Before penning romances, she worked at a major Hollywood production company in Story Direction.
Is their passion strong enough to break her chains?Andalucía Spain, 1489: Innocent Beatriz is desperate to escape the threat of a miserable marriage to a cruel Marquis. Forced into the betrothal by her ruthless merchant papá, her only hope is to conceal her identity and become a servant in a nearby castle—a life drastically different from her comfortable upbringing. Tomás doesn’t know what to make of his well-spoken new servant girl. Her beauty and charm captivates the military hero; her mysterious nature intrigues him. And the desire she ignites burns brighter with each glance, as does his longing to claim her for his own.  Beatriz can’t resist Tomás’ passion nor deny the heat of her own. But neither the lush countryside nor the walls of the opulent Moorish castle can entirely protect her—and if he were to discover her secret, she could be torn away from him forever. Yet how can she sustain his love if she’s living a lie?
The laughter Beatriz had shared earlier seemed a distant memory already. Doom clung to her, tightening her chest, moistening her palms. She paced like a caged animal, knowing she should leave the castle to give Tomás a chance at happiness with another woman.Her legs went watery, not allowing her to flee. Dizzy, she leaned against the cabinet and breathed hard, trying to think of a solution.She kept failing.“Señorita Beatriz,” Yolanda called out.Beatriz raised her face. “What?”“Señora Doña Isabella has something she needs you to see.”Hopefully not another trunk the servants had left in the hall with more gowns and other jewels. She didn’t want to try on anything else but couldn’t stomach being rude, given Isabella’s dear support. Beatriz pinched her cheeks and bit her lips to give herself color. Looking like a corpse wouldn’t solve anything.Outside the chamber, she reminded herself to smile. What she produced felt more like a grimace.Yolanda stood on the far side of the landing, gesturing for Beatriz to join her.The moment she reached the landing, Yolanda motioned for Beatriz to stop, then pointed to the stairs.She looked down.The world faded away, tension draining from her shoulders, warmth replacing worry.Tomás stood at the bottom of the staircase, his arm on the railing, face lifted to hers. Candlelight turned his hair to gold. Respect, friendship, love sparkled in his eyes.She ran down the steps. Tomás took them two at a time to reach her. They met in the middle and held each other, their embrace more powerful than any spoken vow. Whatever happened in the future, he would always have her love.



Find Tina at: http://tinadonahuebooks.blogspot.com/


Find Passionate Pursuit at: Amazon













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Handbag & Book w Barbara White Daille - two treasures and #newbook #Rssos #MFRWorg #fashion

Handbag & Book with
Barbara White Daille Hi, everyone! I’m glad to be back for another visit. I have to admit, I never paid so much attention to my handbags until I discovered Vicki’s Handbag Monday. LOL.


I'm laughing, too, Barbara!


The bag you see here is made of a suede-like material in a very light color. Is it practical for everyday use?  No. But I bought it anyway because it’s lavender, which is one of my favorite colors. (Fingers crossed the photo and various browsers will do the color justice.)


The second photo is not a handbag, but I’m sharing it with you because it’s one of my most memorable accessory purchases ever.


This wallet has been well-used and well-loved and is now pretty much retired, a
keepsake more than a working accessory. I still hang onto it because from the moment I saw it, it made me happy. Yes, that might be a little “out there,” but it’s the truth. Even now, every time I look at the wallet, the color literally improves my mood.   
TIMING IS EVERYTHINGSingle mom Layne Slater thought she'd seen the last of Jason McAndry when he chose the rodeo over her and their unborn son. Now Jason's back in Cowboy Creek and just as handsome as ever. But Layne can't give in to those feelings again. She has to protect her children…and her heart.Jason wants to try to make up for the pain he caused when he left. The least he can do is help Layne while he's home. Before long, Jason realizes he's finally ready to be the husband, father and man his family deserves. But can Jason prove to Layne that this time, their love is forever?

Jason set the cup of juice on the table and looked at her. “If it’s not too early to run the washer, how about we throw in that load of clothes you talked about?”

“I can take care of it later this afternoon.”

“I’m out of clean socks.”

“Oh.” If that was what he needed to be on his way, Layne would have run a load with a solitary pair of socks—because she needed him to be on his way, at least for a while. She needed time to think. “All right. We can start the machine now.”

While he went to the living room for his bag, she crossed the kitchen. That morning, she had deposited a half-filled basket of the kids’ clothes on the floor near the closet. After she finished loading detergent into the machine, she turned back for the basket—and nearly collided with Jason.

He stood bare-chested in front of her, the shirt he had been wearing dangling from his hand, a pile of other clothes held in one arm. A scattering of dark hair covered his chest. Below, hard abs and a narrow waist drew her gaze downward to the worn-soft waistband of his jeans. The sight left her heart pounding. A jolt of memory stole her breath.

“I just saw I’m out of T-shirts, too,” he said.

Find Cowboy in Charge at:  AmazonFind Barbara White Daille at: Website What do you think? Is this possible? Do you also find certain colors…in your wardrobe, in nature, or anywhere else…bring about a strong reaction in you?  



 

75 Years & Counting: My love for M&Ms #MFRWorg #chocolatecandy #RssosSisters #romantic comedy

Seventy-five years and Counting


Each Sunday after lunch, my family and I visited my grandparents. Our first stop was to my dad’s parent’s house, an old prairie-styled home on a street lined with others similar to it. While my parents chatted with my grandparents, my sisters and I climbed the trees in the parkway, jumped off the front porch railing, and sang songs. As we departed, my grandmother gave each of us a quarter and a package of M&Ms, sometimes plain, sometimes peanut.
And thus began my love for the coated chocolate candies with peanuts inside. This year, M&Ms celebrates 75 years. Here are some tidbits:1. Forrest Mars created his recipe during the Spanish Civil War, and patented in 1941.
2. M&Ms were first packaged in cardboard tubes
3. In 1954, peanut M&Ms were introduced
4. In 1954, the slogan "The milk chocolate melts in your mouth, not in your hand.”For more information, go to: Inventors M&MWhen my romantic comedy mystery, Temporarily Employed, launched a friend gave me this:

Why? Because my heroine loves M&Ms. Here’s an excerpt: about her chocolate obsession:


However, lately, my mind had been occupied with other significant matters, items like the necessities of life: Finding employment, paying overdue bills, and, more importantly, procuring much-coveted peanut M&Ms. Now, I was sure to get a stupid-stupid-stupid citation and missing taillights and bumper to add to the equation. At the rate things were headed, I’d have to ditch the chocolate and move in with Mom and Dad. My body shuddered.

Find Temporarily Employed at: Amazon


So Happy Birthday, M&Ms! Long may you reign and satisfy my chocolate needs.

What’s your favorite variety?

Handbag &Book When I thought I'd use it for one thing & was best used for another #RLFblog #Rssos #MFRWorg #travelingbyplane

Handbag & Book with Vicki


I've been fortunate to be able to travel. Many years ago, I bought two of everything-curling iron, hair dryer, umbrella, makeup and kept one in a special drawer all ready to go. I also include my Kindle, iPAD, Nano, a pashmina, and snacks in a bag for a snatch and grab and go.


But since the airlines have added baggage fees, more people carry on (a lot that's way too big) their luggage and store overhead in the bins. Since we are allowed one carry on and one for under the seats and I don't want to use the overhead, I had to find a special bag to fit under the seat which I can put my handbag in.


And there it was in my closet on a top shelf:
I bought this bag from L. L. Bean with the intent of using as a diaper bag when #1 son was born. That quickly changed because when loaded, it was heavy. The bag is made of canvas with two side pockets perfect for drinks and a smaller pocket inside. It has a lot of room for my stuff and yes, I can put my handbag inside and all will easily fit under the seat.


It doesn't zip or snap shut which means stuff could escape, especially on the security conveyor belt. But you know, nothing has!


Sometimes, I put things I buy in the bag for carry on and nothing has happened to it. I just LIKE the tote.


Do you have a specific tote you carry on the plane?






What? You haven't read the first in the series yet? Get thee to Amazon quickly because on September 9, the second, Temporarily Insane will be released!

I served. So what happened at jury duty? #spottingcelebrities #MFRWorg #RssosSisters #juryduty

Jury Duty with Troy Aikman
 
I mentioned a while back that I had been called for jury duty and not long ago, I did serve. I drove downtown and parked in a parking garage I’d never been to. I found a spot in the belly of the beast and had to memorize how I would get back to my car-down a flight of stairs, across bridge to access door, up escalator, and through security.
I found a seat in the back. Even past the 8:30 appointment time, people kept streaming in. We watched a how-to video narrated by local newscasters. Once done, we were told the process would begin in about thirty minutes.

Right on time, a clerk stood at the podium and called out a range of numbers. Each juror on this panel picked up a badge labeled “Juror” at her desk and exited through the same doors we’d entered. One guy in a green t-shirt and jeans approached the clerk and asked a question. She told him to “Pick up a badge and go to the court room.” The man turned and walked toward me. Troy Aikman. Even sports legends get to serve.

I sat on a bench with several other women and asked if they would like to go to lunch with me. They said yes and off we went to a local barbecue place. In the elevator, we picked up a nineteen year-old young man wearing a stylish blazer, jeans, blue and white gingham shirt, and Sperry’s. We all slid on sunglasses as we walked outside. And yes, everyone had spotted our celebrity.
I like meeting new people and getting to know about them. When asked, I told them I was a romance writer and they asked for information. I passed out cards. The young man told us about the ETSY business he wanted to start—customized blazers trimmed with gingham. Our group rounded out with a retired lady, a lady transitioning from finance to counseling, a hairdresser, and a teacher.
The teacher wanted to work on her grades; so she returned to the courthouse. About twenty minutes later, she showed and informed us our service had been done. Seems there was a settlement of some sort. The four of us returned to the courthouse to give back our badges, made our goodbyes, and headed home.
Like I’d said, most of us don’t want to be inconvenienced by jury duty. However, we do learn something from it, and I got to serve with Troy Aikman. LOLOL In TE, Hattie has dealings with the police and the court. Why not check out what happened to her at: Amazon
 

Handbag & Book with author Zara West: The Bag that Turned me into a Writer #TWRP #MFRWorg #Mondayblog

Handbag & Book withZara West



You can tell from this photo that this is not a “handbag” in the traditional sense. This is a Greek tagari, or what shepherds use to carry their lunch, water, and other necessities when they are herding their sheep on the mountainsides.  



The amazing thing about the bag in the picture is that I wove it from wool I hand-spun and dyed while studying Greek weaving in Greece. I actually wove two, but my anthropologist husband, despite the fact a tagari is designed to take heavy wear-and-tear, wore his out lugging books in it for thirty years. I only use mine for “special” occasions so it still retains its original shape and color. The main reason I wanted to share this bag today it is because of this bag is why I wrote my first magazine article for Shuttle, Spindle, & Dyepot and because of that article I became a writer.
Zara, I am super impressed!!!

For many years I wrote non-fiction, but recently I have turned to writing fiction: romantic suspense, in particular. On June 17th, my first novel Beneath the Skin, published by Wild Rose Press, will be released. 

 



Ex-Olympic wrestler and reclusive billionaire artist Aristides Stavros has one mission—to rescue his sister, a popular Williamsburg, Brooklyn tattoo artist from the old enemy who has kidnapped her. But at every turn he is confronted by anthropologist Melissa Dermot. Is she just an innocent girl in over her head or is she working for the international crime boss holding his sister? Only one thing is certain, when Ari holds the beautiful Asian-American in his arms questions of guilt and innocence fade against an undeniable fiery attraction. But can their wild passionate love survive the tangled web of long hidden secrets, intentional deceit, and murderous revenge that lie just beneath the surface?
 “You.” Aristides Stavros loomed over her. “What are you doing here?”


 She peered up at the artist’s twisted face and backed further down the steps. A doorknob poked her in the back. Panicked, she twisted it open and dashed into an unlit basement storeroom. 


 She stumbled forward into the dark, tripped over a metallic cylindrical object, and landed on her stomach. All the air whooshed out of her. Rectangular objects with sharp corners tumbled around her, jabbing her in the arms and neck. Rough cloth scrapped her skin.


 On the staircase above her, the beast hovered in the doorway like a predator scenting his prey. For a second, he hesitated, then he dashed down the steps and moved toward her, huffing as he shoved objects out of the way. She pushed herself up on hands and knees and scuttled further into the dark.

 “Sto diavólo. Where are you? If you destroy any of these paintings, I will have your hide or at least my lawyer will.” He came closer. “Busy man, my lawyer, and to think I almost didn’t hire one.” 


 She scrabbled back and touched torn canvas. Heavens, these were his paintings—the ones that sold for thousands of dollars. 


 She was in deep, deep trouble. 


Pre-Order Beneath the Skin at: Amazon

For more information, visit her at Website




So lovely to have you today, Zara!

Recipe & Book with #author Chrys Fey & Seismic Crimes #RssosSisters #MFRWorg #romanticsuspense

Recipe & Book with Chrys Fey




Snow Ball Cookies
Ingredients: 1 Cup Soft Butter, 1/3 Cup Sugar, 1 Tablespoon Water, 1 Teaspoon Vanilla, 2 ¼ Cup Flour, ½ Cup Chopped Pecans
Steps:
1. Combine all wet ingredients with the sugar.
2. Add flour and pecans. Mix Well.
3. Form 1-inch big balls and place on a cookie sheet. Note: Dough is thick.
4, Bake for 10-15 minutes at 325 degrees.
5. Cool then roll in powdered sugar.
An Internal Affairs Investigator was murdered and his brother, Donovan Goldwyn, was framed. Now Donovan is desperate to prove his innocence. And the one person who can do that is the woman who saved him from a deadly hurricane—Beth Kennedy. From the moment their fates intertwined, passion consumed him. He wants her in his arms. More, he wants her by his side in his darkest moments. Beth Kennedy may not know everything about Donovan, but she can’t deny what she feels for him. It’s her love for him that pushes her to do whatever she has to do to help him get justice, including putting herself in a criminal’s crosshairs. When a tip reveals the killer's location, they travel to California, but then an earthquake of catastrophic proportions separates them. As aftershocks roll the land, Beth and Donovan have to endure dangerous conditions while trying to find their way back to one another. Will they reunite and find the killer, or will they lose everything?


Warmth spread through him as he watched Beth exchange hugs with them.
“Oh, Beth, we’re so happy you came,” his mom said. “I brought cookies. They’re in the car.”
“I can never pass up cookies,” Beth said.
In the backseat of his mom’s van, she cracked open a red and gold tin canister. The aroma of the snowball cookies Donovan grew up eating wafted out and touched his nose. Beth selected a cookie on top, bit into it, and let out a content moan. “These cookies are delicious.”
“I’ll have to give you the recipe. They’re easy to make,” his mom said.
“That would be great. Thank you.”
Grandma turned in her seat and held out a thermos.
“Don’t forget the hot chocolate. It’s the real stuff, too, none of that instant crap from a package.”
Donovan took the thermos, unscrewed the cap, and gave it to Beth. She took a sip.
“Wow. Can I take the two of you home with me?”
Laughter filled the van.
Seeing Beth getting along so well with the two other women he loved brought up a surge of emotions he couldn’t tamp down. Didn’t want to tamp down. As it consumed him, he had the urge to show her how much she meant to him. And he didn’t care who saw it either.
Find Seismic Crimes at: Amazon US


Find Chrys Fey at: www.ChrysFey.com




HURRICANE CRIMES 99¢ SALE at: Amazon US





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