• Christmas or Holiday

    Writing Tips: Tickle Your Nose @VickiBatman #RLFblog #authortips

    Great Fruitcake Bake Off 
    Welcome Vicki
    Batman back to Romance Lives Forever for a few writing tips.
    In church this past winter-almost-spring,
    I sat behind a couple with granddaughters. The woman removed her fur scarf and set
    it around a blonde cutie’s neck. The little one gathered the ends and rubbed them
    across her face and pressed them to her nose.
    I wanted to do that. I wanted to buy
    a fur collar and do what she’d done in the worst way. Just by watching her, I could
    feel the softness brushing my mouth and the scent of Chanel No. 5.
    I like to buy vintage handbags, and
    recently when I opened up one, a whiff of perfume teased my nose. Something old
    and special. Remember when ladies put scent on their hankies and stowed it in their
    bags? Remember peeking through Grandmother’s bath cupboard and seeing the cobalt
    blue perfume bottle with a silver label inscribed Evening in Paris?
    My cat is twenty years old and doesn’t
    venture outside much. But when she does on a bright summer day, she will park herself
    in a corner outside my window. I’m so afraid I’ll forget and leave her there; so
    after a while, I retrieve her. I always kiss the top of her head, feeling the velvet
    of her fur against my mouth. And she smells fresh, as if she had absorbed sunshine.
    Evening in Paris 
    My malti-poos on the other hand have
    silky hair which grows into riotous ringlets. When freshly laundered, they are incredibly
    soft and the hint of apricot from the shampoo lingers. But after a couple of weeks,
    they cease being adorable and become plain ol’ smelly dogs. Dirt-stained paws, gooky
    eyes, sour scent.
    On Sunday, I took the dogs for a long
    walk. As we turned the last block toward home, I noticed the green pecans on the
    asphalt from the squirrels’ munching. Even lines from gnawing were visible on the
    hull. The leaves from water-starved trees littered the pavement. Some shaped into
    long beige cocoons. Others in various stages of disintegration. The tink-tink of
    the doggies’ badges clinking as they marched onward by my side.

    When we write, are we taking the time to engage all our senses? Do we really
    feel? Do we really smell? Do we hear?

    Green Pecans 
    What does our hero’s hair feel like?
    Long is different from short. What does their skin feel like? Most men have hair
    on their arms, legs and chest, and that intriguing line which runs below their waistband.
    And don’t forget the scruffy beard and the adorable twinkle in their eye which makes
    a gal want to twinkle right back and move right into the sexy dance… Whoa. Too
    much romance writing. LOL
    We can enhance our power of sense
    by observation. Stop rushing through the day. Sit. Listen. Take a lengthy look.
    A deep inhale and a cleansing exhale. What does the raindrop plopping on the tin
    roof of a boathouse actually sound like? What kind of caw does a parrot make when
    he flies overhead? What does gravel crunch like when we walk down a path?
    It’s hard to put sights, sounds, tastes,
    and smells into words; yet when we get it right, we transport our readers further
    into our story and giving them an intimate experience.
    Sometimes, we over rely on ourselves
    to create the sights and sounds.
    When I posted a blog about watching
    rain one morning, several people described the sound of rain. Lesson learned–ask
    friends what they hear, see, taste, smell. Everyone’s experience is a little different
    from our own, and maybe, just maybe, they might describe it better and the words
    to take my work to the next level will come to me.
    How do you enhance your senses for
    your writing? What do you recall from reading a good book where the author
    brought out the senses?

    Buy Links

    About the Author

    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,
    and Museitup Publishing. 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??

    Find
    Me Here

  • Christmas or Holiday

    Christmas Recipe: Tomato Cake w/Cream Cheese Frosting @VickiBatman #RLFblog

     Great Fruitcake Bake Off
    Welcome Vicki Batman to the blog with a wonderful cake recipe that has a secret ingredient (tomato soup).
    When I grew up, my mom and her family baked and crafted special
    things at Christmas time. Mom and our neighbor spent a whole day making divinity,
    and yes, it was divine. My sisters and I did Wrap-a-thon. My grandmother was known
    for her special dessert: Tomato Cake.
    Before you get all weirdly freaked out, know this: I am/was a
    picky eater and I loved this cake. It does have tomato soup in it, but you know
    what? If you didn’t know that was an ingredient, you’d love it too. There are spices,
    nuts, raisins, and a decadent cream cheese frosting.
    This year, I wrote a hilarious holiday story entitled “The
    Great Fruitcake Bake-off.” I do like fruitcake. There are lots of varieties,
    some of which don’t have the candied fruit we’ve come to associate with the treat.
    Care to be daring and try a variation on Grandmother’s holiday
    cake?

    Tomato Cake

    From Campbells
    Soup: http://www.campbellskitchen.com/recipes/tomato-soup-spice-cake-24354
    2 cups all-purpose flour
    1 1/3 cups sugar
    4 teaspoons baking powder
    1 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
    1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell’s®
    Condensed Tomato Soup
    1/2 cup vegetable shortening
    2 eggs
    1/4 cup water
    Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 13×9-inch baking pan. Stir the
    flour, sugar, baking powder, allspice, baking soda, cinnamon and cloves in a large
    bowl. Add the soup, shortening, eggs and water. Beat with an electric mixer on low
    speed just until blended. Increase the speed to high and beat for 4 minutes. Pour
    the batter into the pan. Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the
    center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes.
    Frost with:

    Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting:

    ½ C crushed pineapple with juice
    2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
    1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
    2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    2 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
    Beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract in a medium
    bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed for 2 minutes or until the mixture
    is smooth and creamy. Beat in the confectioners’ sugar. Add the pineapple and juice,
    1 tablespoon at a time, until the frosting is the desired consistency. Fill and
    frost the cake.
    This version is a tad different from Grandmother’s as it uses
    eggs and my sissie likes the Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting. Grandmother added
    raisins and chopped dates too.
    And just to keep you hungry, here’s a fun excerpt from
    “The Great Fruitcake Bake-off.” Happy Holidays to you and yours!

    Buy Links

    And other e-retailers on December 6.

    About the Author

    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, and Museitup Publishing. 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??”

    Find Me Here