#SaturdaySpotlight is on Vicki Batman @VickiBatman & Sommerville holidays too!

Good Morning,

Today is Bayou Writer's Group's annual Christmas party/meeting so I'm not going to take up too much of your time. Vicki Batman has been a guest here before but please welcome her back with her collection of short stories, Sommerville holidays too and a holiday recipe for Tomato Cake!

Oh, BEFORE I forget! My books are on sale 50% Off through Jan 1st @ Smashwords only! Click on the graphic in the sidebar to get copies for the readers on your Christmas list. Now on to Vicki's post....

Holiday Treats!

I am positive many of you are a baking fiend. Or a crafty fiend. Or Christmas everything fiend. LOL.

Friends and family come together over food. I especially crave my brother-in-law's snack mix. A friend gives me homemade treats. But what do I do?

I turn to fruitcake. Before you go all wonky over fruitcake, know I use the very best—Collin Street Bakery in Corsicana, Texas. I cut the cake into bite-sized chunks and set the pieces on wire racks. I melt chocolate and spoon it over the cake. Trust me, this tastes like candy. 

My grandmother baked a special cake for Thanksgiving and Christmas—Tomato Cake. I know, again, you are thinking I am off my rocker. Trust me. This cake does not taste like tomatoes. Tomato soup is the wet ingredient. It's filled with fruit and spices. My sister tops hers with a sugar glaze. 

So what does fruitcake have to do with anything? 

Because inspiration can be found in so many places, I found mine for a story in fruitcake. I researched many varieties. The story is funny and romantic. Here's a tagline and excerpt from "The Great Fruitcake Bake-off:"

When a five-time baking champion teams up with her new neighbor for The Great Fruitcake Bake-off, they discover baking a prize-winning entry is complicated, bad guys are plotting to take the crown, and first prize isn't just about a ribbon.

"I'm not entering this year." I pinned an unbreakable stare on Bethany, my co-worker and long-time friend, who lived in the same apartment complex as me. We arrived early for work and piddled over coffee in her cubical like we always did before diving into the nuts and bolts of company business. Standing firm, I crossed my arms. "Period." 

Bethany rolled her eyes in the "I'm so not believing this" fashion and tweaked the Santa garland decorating her cube's walls. "Why not, Samantha? You should be proud to be the five-time winner of The Great Fruitcake Bake-off. You're a-a"--her words trailed off as she searched the ceiling for the ultimate in descriptive--"legend." 

I twitched my black skirt in place, and then I tucked my shoulder-length hair behind my ear. I let loose a long exhale. "Is being a legend in the fruitcake world a good thing?"

Find "The Great Fruitcake Bake-off" in Sommerville holidays at: Amazon & Smashwords

More about Vicki Batman: Funny, sweet, and quirky, Vicki Batman's stories are full of her hallmark humor and romance and will delight all readers. She has sold many romantic comedy works to magazines, several publishers, and most recently, three humorous romantic mysteries. Along the way, she has picked up awards and bestsellers. Avid Jazzerciser. Handbag lover. Mahjong player. Yoga practitioner. Movie fan. Book devourer. Chocaholic. Best Mom ever. And adores Handsome Hubby.  

Find Vicki at the following locations:

Website & Newsletter: http://vickibatman.blogspot.com/p/more-about-me.html/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Vicki-Batman-sassy-writer-133506590074451/  

Twitter: https://twitter.com/VickiBatman/    

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/vickibatman/    

Author Central: https://www.amazon.com/author/vickibatman/    

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/vicki-batman/

Instagram: vickilbatman  

Check out Vicki's previous visite HERE.

Thanks for sharing your grandmother's recipe with us Vicki! Good luck and God's blessings with your new collection of short stories and Merry Christmas!

Hope you're enjoying these All Christmas thru Christmas posts friends and that you'll check back next week for more great Christmas books on Wednesday Words with Friends and Saturday Spotlight.

Until next time, take care and God bless.

PamT

#TuesdayTreasures with Vicki Batman

Good Morning and Welcome to another edition of Tuesday Treasures!

Today I'm excited to bring a brand new-to-me and our blog author to share treasures with us.

There are so many things and people in life I treasure. Handsome, the gifts he has given me like a great life together and sparkly pieces. My boys. The ruby ring which once belonged to my mom who passed almost two years ago.

When our children were young, we visited Handsome’s family. On the property was a mama cat with two kittens. Our big cat had crossed the bridge, and the boys were having a blast playing with the babies. “Can we have them, Mom? Please???” I looked at Handsome; he looked at me. We brought both home-a short hair gray, Romper, and a brown fluffy tabby, Scooter.

Once, I overheard a friend of the boys say “let’s play with the pretty one,” meaning Romper. I picked up Scoo and said, “You’re mine.” And she was for 23 years. After Romper passed at seventeen, I knew each day with Scoo would be a treasure.

She liked to be carried against a shoulder, would make a fussy face, would smack my cheek to wake me up, and when that didn’t work, would nibble my nose. She was sweet.

Sadly, she woke up one day and couldn’t move her back legs. At 23, we knew her time had come. Putting her to sleep gave me great anguish. We all miss her.....

Wow Vicki, I can definitely identify with your treasure as I'm sure many of us can. Thank you so much for sharing with us! Tell us a little about yourself and your writing.....

I write romantic comedy! And am so lucky to have my story, “Raving  Beauty” be a part of the Just You and Me boxed set. Here’s a fun blurb: 

What if the love of your life was in front of you all along?

It began innocently with a few margaritas… Kelly Stinson is persuaded to represent Yahoo! Ranch Steakhouse in the Chamber of Commerce’s beauty contest. After an unexpected swan dive off stage, her heart goes pitter patter over the orthopedic surgeon who repaired her ripped up ankle.

Daniel Ackerman has always had the hots for his twin sister’s best friend. Much to his dismay, her doctor has taken notice of the dark-haired beauty and invaded his territory. That’s about to change when he moves in to help Kelly recover physically and open her eyes to what’s been in front of her all along.

Preorder Just You and Me featuring “Raving Beauty” at:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XCZWL6N
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/just-you-and-me…/1125868014 
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/just-you-and-me
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1210908031 

Sounds like a great bunch of stories, doesn't it? Here's more about Vicki....

Award-winning and Amazon best-selling author, Vicki Batman, has sold many romantic comedy works to the True magazines, several publishers, and most recently, two romantic comedy mysteries to The Wild Rose Press. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and several writing groups. An avid Jazzerciser. Handbag lover. Mahjong player. Yoga practitioner. Movie fan. Book devourer. Chocaholic. Best Mom ever. And adores Handsome Hubby. Most days begin with her hands set to the keyboard and thinking "What if??"

Find Vicki at:
Website: http://vickibatman.blogspot.com/p/more-about-me.html
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Vicki-Batman-sassy-writer-of-sexy-and-funny-fiction-133506590074451/ 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/VickiBatman/ 
Author Central: https://www.amazon.com/author/vickibatman
Email: vlmbatman@hotmail.com

Thank you so much for joining Vicki and me today. I hope you'll stop by each week for Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight!

Until next time, take care and God Bless.
PamT