• RLF Gems

    Vicki Batman: A Gem of a Blogger @vickibatman #RLFblog

    In preparation for the move from Blogspot to WordPress, I’m sharing the RLF Gem Bloggers of this site. Each Saturday for the next few weeks, I’ll showcase a different author.

    2013 Star Blogger: Vicki Batman

    Vicki has appeared on the Romance Lives Forever blog 15 times since 2013 as an individual author and twice as part of an anthology. She has been an RLF Gem multiple times and in 2013 was the number one blogger twice. The position is chosen by the amount of visits the author’s post receives.

    I’m proud to present Vicki with the 2013 RLF Gem Award.

    Honorable mentions: Marilyn Baron (7 visits) and EM Lynley (5 visits)

    Others who won monthly top blogger awards in 2013 were Elle James, Delilah Devlin, John Steiner, Susan D Taylor, Boroughs Publishing, Liquid Silver Books, and JMS Books.

    About Vicki Batman

    Like some of her characters, award-winning author Vicki Batman has worked a wide variety of jobs including lifeguard, ride attendant at an amusement park; a hardware store, department store, book store, antique store clerk; administrative assistant in an international real estate firm; and a general “do anything gal” at a financial services firm–the list is endless.

    Writing for several years, she has completed three manuscripts, written essays, and sold many short stories to True Love, True Romance, True Confessions, Noble Romance Publishing, Long and Short Reviews, Museitup Publishing, and The Wild Rose Press. She is a member of RWA and several writing groups and chapters. In 2004, she joined DARA and has served in many capacities, including 2009 President. DARA awarded her the Robin Teer Memorial Service Award in 2010.

    Most days begin with her hands set to the keyboard and thinking “What if??”

    Website: http://vickibatman.blogspot.com/p/more-about-me.html
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/VickiBatman/
    Facebook: http://bit.ly/293iZIz
    Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/vickibatman/
    Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4814608.Vicki_Batman/
    Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/vickibatman

    Vicki Batman’s Latest Book

    Temporarily Insane, a romantic comedy mystery: Bad job. Wrong love. And Murder. Hattie Cooks is still searching for her dream job and one might be available…in the Big Apple, far from friends, family, and Allan Wellborn, the man who still makes her heart race. In the meantime, she finds temporary employment at an accounting firm where two auditor friends turn up dead.

    Detective Allan Wellborn dropped Hattie for Blonde Bimbo who, coincidentally, is employed at NLB where fishy things are taking place. When Allan interviews Hattie, he must determine why all signs point to her as a suspect.

    Can Hattie discover why Allan dumped her and who is murdering auditors before death strikes again?

    Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Temporarily-Insane-Hattie-Cooks-Mystery-ebook/dp/B01JBSHE0K/
    Amazon print https://www.amazon.com/Temporarily-Insane-Vicki-Batman/dp/1509209158/
    The Wild Rose Press http://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/all-titles/4520-temporarily-insane.html
    The Wild Rose Press print http://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/paperback-books/4576-temporarily-insane-paperback.html
    Barnes and Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/temporarily-insane-vicki-batman/1124273024?ean=2940157032470

    Coming next Saturday…Top Blogger for 2014. Come back and see who it is!

    Kayelle Allen

     

  • RLF Gems

    RLF Gems: Blog Stats for Jan 2013 #RLFblog

    RLF Gems

    January on Romance Lives Forever had two ties, one for third
    place and a three-way tie in fourth. We had 1 model interview, 16 author
    interviews, 4 character interviews, 3 book releases, and 2 articles, and one new
    feature article for 28 posts in a 31 day month.
    We introduced a new feature this month: Cover Love. This is a short intro to
    a book and includes only a blurb, buy links, and social media contacts for the
    author. We use it if one of our scheduled authors is unable to appear, and no
    other material is on hand. If you would like to submit your book for this
    feature, see the FAQ page for more information.
    The top posts are all interviews this month. Here are the top five posts (judging
    by page hits).
    Of special notice: In the history of the blog, only eight
    other people had more hits than our first place winner, John Steiner.
    1. John Steiner
    2. Charley Descoteaux
    3. Patricia Yager Delagrange 
    3. EmKay Connor
    4. Synithia Williams
    4. Gemma K Murray
    4. John Quinlan (fitness model)
    5. Tara Lain
    John Quinlan
    Authors who guest with us are promoted on Facebook, via
    Triberr to over 549k potential readers, are featured front page in the daily Romance Lives Forever Paper.li ezine,
    and the blog has its own hashtag (#rlfblog) on Twitter. This year, we also
    created the Booklover’s Guide to Romance
    Lives Forever
    with links to guest authors’ books and social media. It is
    110 pages crammed full of who to follow and what to read. The FAQ page provides
    updated downloads of optional interview questions, and a guide to the blog. You
    can also grab our button to promote your visit.
    My thanks to all who took part this month. You made Romance
    Lives Forever a great place to discover new books and new authors.
    Other participants this month in alphabetical order by first
    name are:
    Angela Plowman, Cheryl
    Rhodes, Ciar Cullen, Coleen Kwan, Selena Illyria, Danica Winters,
    Manisha Kumar, Elisabeth Silvers, Jane Wakely, Jerome Brooke, Kate
    Hill, Kissa Starling, Kristina Knight, Krystal Shannan, Lillian Grant, Rosanna
    Leo, Toni Noel, Xavier Axelson
  • Vampire

    Paranormal: Snowflake Girl Squad V #rlfblog

    John Steiner, welcome to Romance Lives Forever. Let’s talk about
    your book, Snowflake Girl: book two of the Squad V series.
    Genre: Paranormal, vampire, action, horror, intrigue, romance
    Publisher: Mélange Books
    Cover artist: Mae Powers
    Length: 114,000
    Heat rating: 3
    Tagline:
    Blurb: Life is tough for a single woman in a new city. Find an apartment,
    pay bills, hunt for a job and dodge paramilitary vampire hunters. Cecilia Freeland
    didn’t ask for vampirism. All she did was fight to survive. But her life is forever
    changed. Alienated from society and the law Cecilia has to stay ahead of Squad Five.
    What are your main characters’ names, ages, and occupations?
    Cecilia Freeland: 29 years old, exotic dancer/modern dance.
    Lawrence
    Duran: 29 years old, Squad V combat operator, former U.S. Marine.
    Tafua Kalfaolu: 41 years old (est.), Squad V combat operator,
    former U.S. Army Delta Force
    Bertrand Wolfgang Heydrick (Squad V designate, Victor Four, Niner,
    Seven, Two): 530 years old (est.), Knight, Teutonic Order, Jeweler, White Smith
    Russell Stearns: age subject to reader interpretation, Gym Club
    employee, former history and archeology grad student and collegiate weight lifting
    team.
    Reverend Graves: 90 years old (minimum), Christian minister (indeterminate
    sect.)
    Reverend Wescott: 70 years old (minimum), Christian minister
    (indeterminate sect.)
    Reverend Newman: 50 years old (minimum), Christian minister (indeterminate
    sect.)
    Buy links:
    Lulu PDF ebook purchase link: https://www.payloadz.com/cart/default.asp
    Barns & Noble purchase link: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/snowflake-girl-joh-steiner/1111121157?ean=9781612354194

     Interview

    Tell us about your latest book,
    including its genre. Does it cross over to other genres? If so, what are they?
    I wanted the main character, Cecilia
    Freeland to be defined as herself first and foremost, rather than half of a relationship.
    Her story effectively is a true one save for the exaggeration of vampires and related
    themes. That she was the victim of a physically penetrating attack and that body
    fluids are involved is intended to capture real life traumas as horrific as any
    mythical monster might inflict.
    While watching the news it occurred
    to me that certain rape victims were treated accordingly, and others handled as
    if they were the criminals. Often this came down to the victim’s personal history,
    income level and, often ethnicity. It struck me that many of these survivors are
    attacked for having come through alive much less willing to demand justice be done
    against the assailant. This novel is dedicated to them, who suffer in silence and
    are told to be quiet when speaking out.
    The Squad V series crisscrosses
    several genres, including vampire, science fiction, military action, paranormal.
    Snowflake Girl includes a side plot of romance, though its main theme is surviving
    assault and coping with re-victimization by society and the law.
    How do you come up with ideas?
    News stories or general social
    trends triggered much of what happens in the Squad V series. Also, I like to employ
    real scientific concepts that I find interesting, even amazing. There’s also the
    guilty pleasure of posing tough questions and challenging assumptions.
    What is the single most important
    part of writing for you?
    To see the scene or whole story
    in my head, and bring to readers what I think might be missing from a particular
    genre.
    What is the most important
    thing you do for your career?
    I let my mind wander and frequently.
    What do you enjoy most about
    writing?
    Much of my work includes thought
    experiments and the fusion of many ideas, including concepts people don’t normally
    associate with each other.
    What do you enjoy most about
    life?
    Just seeing how things in the
    world turn out, and absorbing the bigger picture played out.
    Where do you start when writing?
    Research, plotting, outline, or…?
    My research ranges from the scientific
    basics, cultures, myths, vernaculars, career paths, government or military procedures
    and real world social consequences. To lay out a plot I often have snapshots of
    the story, and gauge from there how much transition is needed between them. Sometimes
    I don’t have a planned ending until I get there in the written work.
    What did you learn from writing
    your first book?
    Never restrict your writing to
    a preconceived and rigid frame of what the story is. I often think of Schmendrick,
    the Magician in The Last Unicorn. He is best described by his one line for casting
    spells which is, “Magic, magic, do as you will.”
    I can’t force the story out, and
    so I’m subject to its timing, as if I’m just the universe’s stenographer.
    Would you consider self publishing?
    That struck me has being much
    more work than going through a publishing house. You are doing the jobs of a whole
    crew, including tasks that seemed to me requiring a lot of specialization. Marketing,
    editing, software management, distributor, etc. It’s a daunting list of job descriptions
    that make me appreciate what my publisher and her staff do.
    How many hours a day to you
    spend writing?
    It could be all day, or not for
    weeks on end. I’ve found that trying to stick to a fixed minimum of writing creates
    unsatisfying results and often comes out all wrong with heaping servings of frustration.
    If you could give the younger
    version of yourself advice what would it be?
    When I look back, I’m always glad
    not to be in my past. That’s because I see the personal evolutions that led me to
    being who I am, and some of the things I went through are best not repeated. I could
    never guarantee the same outcome from those trying experiences.
    Is your muse demanding?
    If she’s there the muse becomes
    the monkey on my back, sometimes thrusting a story onto me in a dream as I sleep.
    If I stopped writing today I know that more stories would come through my dreams
    and demand to be read by others.
    Are your stories driven by
    plot or character?
    I try to do both and more. Circumstances
    drive my characters until some take control of their situation. To me separating
    plot from character is as inconceivable as cause from effect, and it’s hard to say
    which is which.
    John Steiner
    How do you balance a life outside
    of writing with deadlines and writing muses?
    Like a boxing match. Everyone’s
    got a plan until they’ve been hit. I’ve felt enough shots to the ribs from life’s
    sucker punches that I pretty much expect something to come at me sideways when I’m
    least prepared… often in combination. So I have to knock problems down one at a
    time.
    What is the craziest thing
    you did as a kid, and would it ever end up in a book?
    In my neighborhood breaking from
    the accepted social and religious mode to discover who you are was crazy. I think
    surviving everything and developing a sense of stoicism without discarding passionate
    feelings about life’s injustices could drive one crazy if not properly balanced.
    Bits and pieces of that are in every one of my books.
    Crazy is my Tuesday morning.
    What are some jobs you’ve done
    that would end up in a book?
    The U.S. Army, Retail and my current
    job as a college tutor, albeit with a few tweaks to suit the characters I construct.
    If I was a first time reader
    of your books, which one would you recommend I start with and why?
    Tampered Tales best represents
    the spectrum of genres I enjoy most. Thirteen tales of science fiction, fantasy,
    horror, comedy and one true life adventure.
    What do you hope readers take
    with them after reading your work?
    I want them to be disturbed by
    realism, but also to see the world with new eyes. I feel that if I haven’t challenged
    a reader’s assumption or offend somebody then I haven’t done my job.
    List two authors we would find
    you reading when taking a break from your own writing.
    Michael Crichton and Jared Diamond.
    Michael Crichton researched his material so well a reader slips over from real history
    and proven science into fiction before they realize it. Jared Diamond laid out the
    strongest case for the determining factors in a society’s successes and failures.
    What do you most crave would
    come to fruition from fiction to reality?
    I have a serious jones for spaceflight.
    I’m not seeing enough of it in fiction or the news. The Curiosity Rover landing
    on Mars did it for a day or two. But in my mind I was screaming, “Hey man! That
    should be us up there, not some toaster! Reach for the stars, NASA, and teach us
    to dream again!”
    A biography has been written
    about you. What do you think the title would be in six words or less?
    All That and He’s Not Insane?
    If money were not an object,
    where would you most like to live?
    Sh’yeah! Let the other shoe drop
    and say there are no limits to our technology. I want my hot rod of the gods and
    travel to other worlds!
    What song would best describe
    your life?
    There’s more than one, but they’re
    all by the same artist. Bruce Hornsby’s music did more to influence the person I
    am today than just about any single experience I can imagine.
    If you were a tool, what would
    people use you to do?
    Exceed the speed of light.
    Picture yourself as a store.
    Considering your personality and lifestyle, what type of products would be sold
    there?
    A whole department would be dedicated
    to holding scientific instruments and books. Several isles would hold traditional
    martial arts equipment. Next in line would be more isles to carry props and books
    of mythology and philosophy. At least one or two isles for military surplus. There’s
    always the need for a dressing room of self-discovery and contemplation that is
    clearly visible but sound proof once inside. And, of course, the play area.
    As a child, what was your favorite
    thing about school?
    Teachers who, often outside their
    curriculum, made me think and see things in news ways.
    Do you play any online, board,
    or role-playing games? Which ones?
    Starcraft II, Diablo III and,
    on rare occasions, Warcraft III. However, I don’t often use their online playing
    options, because a lot of those people are way too uptight and some are downright
    nasty to new people.
    If you came with a warning
    label, what would it say?
    The subjects herein may offend
    some viewers. Contents include understanding the process of ancient and modern myth-making,
    scientific principles and the methods by which they are discovered as well as an
    attention to detail which immunizes one against political weasel-speak. Exhibits
    class beta wolf pack properties. Do not victimize children, the elderly, sick or
    the weak within sight or earshot of this item. Language is R-rated in homage to
    George Carlin, the Patron Saint of the Seven Deadly Words You Can’t Say on Television.
    Manufacturers of this product are not responsible for intellectual and philosophical
    impact on those exposed to said product.
    However… do break glass in case
    of emergencies.

    Please Fill in the Blanks

    I love pizza with at least three meat toppings… it’s a wolf
    thing
    .
    I’m always ready for whaddya got, to borrow from Marlon Brando.
    When I’m alone, I wander the universe in my head.
    You’d never be able to tell, but I’m romantic in my own way.
    If I had a halo it would be crooked,
    but stable in its place
    .
    If I could go anywhere I’d travel in person to the
    worlds my dreams flew me to
    .
    I can never go back to being religious because I’ve
    seen the matrix code that produced them from the minds of man
    .

    Previous Books

    John Steiner
    Squad V, Snowflake Girl, Tampered Tales

    Books Coming Soon

    Barer of the Ghost Nation, Fire Alive!, The Locust Effect, Bridging
    the Lotus, Flipspace short story series.

    Find Me Here