.Old Guys Always Comment on My Ride by Vicki Batman

Old Guys always comment on my ride- 
Please welcome Vicki Batman to my blog today. She's sharing a story and a great book with you! Take it away Vicki...

Long ago, a bad-ass Honda motorcycle showed in my garage. It was so big, the engine was a car engine. Handsome had decided he needed it. I was pissed. I called his office, politely asked for him, and when he answered, I hung up very hard and loudly. He came home pronto.

We hashed all out and finally, he asked. “If you could buy the car you really want, what would it be?” I said with no hesitation, “A Jeep Wrangler.”

When I was a young newly graduated college girl, my dad and I went car shopping. He’d asked me what I wanted, I said a Jeep, and he said that was impractical. My dad was pretty savvy about all things engine driven—cars, helicopters, and airplanes; so with a busted balloon in my chest, I listened to him and bought a practical Ford sedan.

All those years, I yearned for a Wrangler. I came close when I had #1 son. We bought a Jeep Cherokee and oh how I loved that car.

To me, Jeeps are utilitarian. There isn’t anything else like them. Just the styling alone is cool. Cross-over vehicles nowadays look like they are trying to be a Jeep and a mini-van.

Handsome got out of the doghouse by buying me a beautiful white Wrangler with tons of chrome. I drove it, my boys drove it. Twelve years later, we bought a Jeep Patriot. It has a cool front end, not so much chrome, much better brakes, and four doors. There’s a nice area to haul stuff around, a hitch, and roof rack. I love it.

So about the old guys always commenting on my ride? When I drove the Wrangler and bought gas, men would say something about my great little car. I’d laugh and tell them how old it was, which they said they didn’t believe because it looked impeccable.

As for the Patriot? Yeah, no comments from old guys on this one, probably because it doesn’t look so bad-ass. But that’s okay by me.

My heroine in Temporarily Employed drives a Wrangler--big surprise! Here’s a bit about her fun car:

“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.

What is your dream car?

Temporarily Employed, romantic comedy mystery

Release Date: October 17, 2014
Author: Vicki Batman
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Word Count: 75,850
Page Count: 314
ISBN: 978-1-62830-497-8 / paperback
ISBN: 978-1-62830-498-5 / digital


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. The last thing she wants is to clash with By-the-Book Detective Wellborn, no matter how much he makes her heart pound.
 
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?


Buy links for Temporarily Employed

Amazon ebook: http://www.amazon.com/Temporarily-Employed-Vicki-Batman-ebook/dp/B00N4J5FDQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1410893535&sr=1-1&keywords=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 ebook: http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/maincatalog_v151/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=5829

The Wild Rose Press paperback: http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/maincatalog_v151/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=191&products_id=5896

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About Vicki: 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, giving her plenty of material for her writing.

Writing for several years, she has completed three manuscripts, written essays, and sold many short stories. 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 Vicki at:
Website: http://vickibatman.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1ipdLkv
Twitter: https://twitter.com/VickiBatman
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/vickibatman
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4814608.Vicki_Batman  
Author Central: https://www.amazon.com/author/vickibatman
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=116288777&trk=hb_tab_pro_top
Google+: bit.ly/1zUggDF
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/vickibatman
Plotting Princesses: http://plottingprincesses.blogspot.com
Shelfari: http://www.shelfari.com/o1515093723
Email: vlmbatman@hotmail.com

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