#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

#SaturdaySpotlight is on Uschi Nagel & From Loss to Love!

Good Morning!

We're taking advantage of the warmer temps here and brought the camper out for the weekend. Although windy, lots of sunshine is wonderful and makes sitting outside not thinking about anything important a welcomed reprieve from daily tasks.

My guest today is an Australian Counselor and Author and her book is one we can all benefit from, so please welcome Uschi Nagel and From Loss to Love!

"A beautiful gift book for someone grieving a beloved pet. Loving, gentle and kind.

All too many of us experience the tragic passing of a furry companion and commonly find ourselves unable to cope with what has happened.

What if you turned inward to the grief about losing your beloved pet? Instead of pushing feelings of loss aside to move on, what would happen if you honored this tragic loss with reverence and self-compassion?

What if grieving was honoring the life your pet lived?

Allow yourself to feel these emotions, because they are neither good nor bad, they just are.

This book provides comfort and practical coping strategies to navigate the grief process. It has been created to gently support and assist you on your journey from Loss to Love."

Excerpt: "We all feel it.

The bond with our pet is unique and strong.

Some say it is because the Love from an animal is unconditional.

You treasure the precious life experiences you've shared with friends and family.

Adventures with your beloved pet are no different.

After all, they often experience the ordinary and extraordinary moments of life with us before other people do.

They're there in times of tragedy,

and in times of joy.

For birthdays.

For promotions.

For life milestones.

For loss. And birth.

And rain storms. And days with the flu.

They are by our side for the moments that make up life."

Uschi Nagel, a qualified Counselor and undercover crazy cat lady with a passion for all four-legged fur friends and their humans.

Many people experience the tragic passing of an animal companion and commonly find themselves struggling to cope with what has happened. Uschi understands the complexity of dealing with this challenge and focuses on supporting people after losing a beloved pet.

After the sudden death of her dog Sunny, Uschi wrote her first book “From Loss to Love”, which gives comfort and practical support to assist on the painful journey after pet loss.

Uschi lives in Australia with her family and one pompous black cat, she loves the beach and adores Batman.  You can find her on the web at www.uschinagel.com

Get your copy of From Loss to Love at Amazon, B&N and Indibound.org!

Sounds like a lovely work, Uschi. Thank you for sharing with us today! We certainly wish you the best of luck and God's blessings in your endeavors.

That's it for today, Friends. See you next week for Wednesday Words with Friends and Saturday Spotlight!

PamT

#SaturdaySpotlight RaffleCopter giveaway & blog tour for The Inheritance (2nd edition)

Good Morning Friends,

I am SO excited to share with you that the new edition of The Inheritance is available now! I mentioned back in June the book would be coming soon and shared with you the new cover, but today I'd like to tell you about the upcoming blog tour and Rafflecopter Giveaway for The Inheritance.

Beginning Monday (25th) through October 25th you'll have multiple chances to win one of 5 pdf copies of The Inheritance. Details Below:

9/25 Clare Revell https://telscha.blogspot.com/2017/09/the-inheritance-pamela-thibodeaux.html

9/28 Alicia Dean https://aliciadean.com/alicias-blog/

9/30 Krissie Fortune http://kryssiefortune.blogspot.co.uk

10/3 Alina K Field http://alinakfield.com/spotlight-on-the-inheritance-by-pamela-thibodeaux-and-a-giveaway/

10/6 Christina Lorenzen http://christinalorenzen.com/thereisnoplacelikehome/

10/9 Vicki Batman https://vickibatman.blogspot.com/2017/10/handbag-and-book-w-pamela-thibodeaux.html

10/11 Connie Bretes http://www.constancebretes.com/connies-blog

10/13 Diana Rubino http://dianarubinoauthor.blogspot.com/

10/16 Patricia Kiyono https://fourfoxesonehound.wordpress.com/2017/10/16/guest-author-pamela-s-thibodeaux  

AND https://creative-hodgepodge.blogspot.com/2017/10/blog-tour-inheritance-by-pamela-s.html

10/18 Joy Dent https://joygriffindent.wordpress.com/?p=2694

10/20 Paula Mowery http://paulamowery.blogspot.com/

10/23 Kathryn Bain https://kathrynjbain.com/

10/25 Veronica Lynch www.WildWomenAuthorsx2.blogspot.com

After her husband’s death she discovers a future she never expected and a family she never imagined.

Blurb: Widowed at age thirty-nine and suffering from empty nest syndrome, Rebecca Sinclair is overshadowed by grief and loneliness.  Her husband has been deceased for a year, her oldest child has moved to New York in pursuit of an acting career and her youngest child is attending college in France. Having spent over half of her life as a wife and mother, she has no idea what God has in store for her now.  Will an unexpected inheritance in the wine country of New York bring meaning and purpose to her life and give her the courage to love again? 

US Postal worker Raymond Jacobey has been in love with the little widow since he first set eyes on her.  A wanderer searching for the ever-illusive soul mate, Ray has never stayed in one place too long. Raised by self-centered, high-power executives, he’s longed for the idyllic life of residing in a cozy house in a small town with the love of his life. Will he gain the heart of the lovely widow or will he lose her to the wine country of New York?   

Hope you'll join the fun and visit the different blogs and that you'll drop by here, each week for Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight!

Until next time take care and God Bless.
PamT