How did you celebrate publishing your first book?
I emailed everyone!!! I texted. I danced with my kitty because she was the only
one at home. LOL
What is the most
important thing you do for your career now, as compared to when you first
started writing? Marketing. And more marketing. So much this fall that I
haven’t written much on my next book or story. Very frustrating.
How much of yourself is
hidden in the characters in the book? Probably too much! I might have
characters drive a Jeep, a heroine carry a handbag. Trade funny banter. Eat my
favorite foods. (If you love handbags, Vicki has the best post each week on different and interesting bags! Be sure to check it out!)
Of all your characters,
who’s your favorite, and why? Hattie Cooks from Temporarily Employed, my
romantic comedy mystery. I walked in her shoes: lost the job I loved and was
betrayed by a man.
Covers. Ever get one you wish you could change?
Oh my yes! San Diego or Bust is just too blue.
Give one advice tip to an aspiring author. Write
and write more. Keep persevering.
Have you ever used an incident from
your real life into one of your books? All the time. As they say, truth can be
stranger than fiction. In a Valentine story, I put in the Dear John letter I received on Valentine’s Day. I’ve used things my
men have said or done, too.
Any part
of a book that drives you crazy as you write: beginning, middle, or end? The
middle. I have to make sure that the incidents ratchet things up.
Out of your entire backlist, which book
has the best opening line? What's the line?
From
“Drive My Car”, a True Love short story: Officer
Webber Whitlock, whom I secretly referred to as Witless Whitlock, slid in
beside me.
How many
stories are swirling around in your head? Do you keep a mental list, a computer
file, or a spiral notebook filled with the ideas? I usually put something in a
word doc and revisit occasionally.
Now onto the Fun Stuff....
What is
your favorite holiday and why? April Fool’s Day. Handsome proposed on that day.
lol
What are
two things people might be surprised to know about you? I was Miss Oak Lawn
Moped. At age 9, I missed a month of school due to a bad spell with pneumonia.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? A teacher.
Favorite food. Cake!
Favorite happy memory. While pausing for a hike with
Handsome, he turned to me and unexpectedly said, “Thank you for bringing me
here.”
Favorite drink. Champagne.
Hot summer days or chilly winter nights? Hot summer days.
What is the top thing on your bucket list? Machu Pichu
If you could have a super power, what
would it be? Give us all good health.
And now onto Vicki's latest release...
Temporarily Employed, romantic comedy
mystery
New Job. New Love. And
Murder. Hattie Cook's dream job is down the toilet and her new
SUV violated. Desperate for cash to cover the basic necessities of rent
and food, she takes a temporary job at Buy Rite Insurance Company where she
uncovers an embezzling scam tied to the death of a former employee--the
very one she replaced.
Detective Allan Charles Wellborn has secretly adored Hattie all
his life. When the police determine there's more to the death of
a former Buy Rite employee, he steps in to lead the investigation. Overly
dedicated, always perfect, he puts his job first, even if doing so ultimately
hurts the one he loves.
Can the killer be found before Hattie's time is up?
Excerpt:
“Yuck.”
Pretty much
covered the whole freakin’ day.
A blinding
red-white, red-white strobe, reflected in my brand new Wrangler’s rearview
mirror, seized my attention. The police. I tossed my hands skyward, ready to
surrender. I shouldn’t have been too surprised. Like I'd commented this a.m. to
my roommate, Jenny, “Today, anything’s possible.”
My Bad Day
checklist included:
- Crappy job
interview, one which might have provided desperately needed income.
- Wore
gut-busting panty hose on a hot day which had now worked past my waist and
strangled my diaphragm.
- A barely
blowing air conditioner indicated something had malfunctioned in my new, fun car.
I stole
another glance in the mirror, and with great reluctance, flipped the right turn
indicator. My vehicle coasted to a stop on the shoulder of Boston Avenue in my
hometown of Sommerville, a nice suburb located between two large cities. Four
lanes of cars and trucks zipped by as I sat there where every single one of my
family, friends, friends’ friends, and their friends—including Rat Fink Suzanne—would
see a police vehicle positioned right behind mine. Gleefully, drivers would
chant the “Ha-ha, got you, not me” ditty.
How embarrassing.
After killing
the engine, I flopped back in the seat. Shooting the morons the finger was an
idea. Nah. I'm too exhausted to care.
A litany
of: "No, not hiring."
"Just filled the position." "You're over qualified."
"You're under qualified…" tornadoed through my head. Coupled with the
intense job search through various outlets like the internet and completing
numerous online employment applications, no wonder my body had been depleted of
all life force.
Not even a
breeze blew to take the edge off the unbearable summertime heat. Tangled wild
trees and dry scrubby bushes banked the roadside. The grass had taken on a
scorched look. Rolling down the driver’s window, I surveyed my surroundings.
Nothing great. Nothing new.
I stole a
glance in the side mirror at the policeman who strode purposefully along the
shoulder. The gravel crunched under his boots. He looked huge, probably because
his uniform, which appeared to be bulked with a bullet-proof vest, made him
resemble a buffed-up superhero in size. Exceedingly intimidating.
Sigh. When things went wrong, they were really wrong.
Buy links for Temporarily Employed
Amazon
paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Temporarily-Employed-Vicki-Batman/dp/1628304979/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1412359358&sr=1-2&keywords=temporarily+employed
The Wild
Rose Press paperback: http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/maincatalog_v151/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=191&products_id=5896
Finally...tell us where to find you: website(s), publisher’s
page(s), blog(s), Facebook page(s), etc. List them all!
Anything else you’d like to add?
I love to write romantic comedy and if you like to
read it, please give my work a try! And I’d love to hear from you, too.
Thank you Vicki for stopping by and best of luck with Temporarily Employed!
