Happy Friday, everyone! Happy Release Day to my friend Vicki Batman who’s just launched her latest in her “Temporary” series. If anybody can bring a smile to my face, it’s Vicki–especially when I’m reading one of her books. Please welcome Vicki as she shares a bit about her latest, Temporary Out of Luck! ~ Donnell
Author Vicki Batman
Good morning! And thank you, Donnell, for hosting me today. I miss seeing you.
Definition.
When I asked Donnell what topic I should tackle, she said something about temporary. Temporary could mean a lot of things. LOL. By definition, temporary is:
a) lasting for only a limited period of time.
b) someone who works on a short-term basis.
For a limited time.
Is temporary a few minutes, hours, days, years?
For almost a year, we have faced a health crisis. When it began, temporary was tossed around a lot, which was what we hoped for. However, this crisis has been a tough one lasting many more months than we expected.
Have you rented a car temporarily just until yours is repaired? *raising hand*
Or the plumber scratches his bristly jaw and says, “Just temporarily until the part comes in.”
Working stiff.
I worked in ride operations at an amusement park. Most employees were considered “seasonal,” which meant not paid minimum wage but better than babysitting (and hot guys abounded). Employees went through a rehiring process if they wanted to return—tons of fun working there.
Later in the “mom management” phase of life, I worked temporarily at a children’s bookstore, taking inventory and helping at special events. For a couple of years, a friend who ran a showroom at the Apparel Mart hired me. I had fun working with store owners placing merchandise orders for their businesses.
The main character in my romantic comedy mysteries, Hattie Cooks, has lost her beloved buying job at Tucker’s Department Store and is desperately wanting another like it. Only in the small town where she lives, not many of those are around–not even at the hardware store. So, her friends suggest Hattie take temporary jobs to create some cash flow. Otherwise, she might have to move home–er, no. Possibly, she would acquire new skills, too.
Technically, I haven’t worked temporary jobs like Hattie–an assistant at an insurance firm, an assistant at an accounting firm, a clerk at a stationery company, a clerk at a wedding salon, and as a highway flagger.
I also haven’t been involved in any murders. ?
Have you worked temporary jobs?
Excerpt of Temporarily Out of Luck:
Sometimes, I felt like a small white mouse housed in a cage with lots of small white mice, whose playground activities involved eating, sleeping, and continually revolving on the exercise wheel. Just like one rodent friend—who I named Mr. Happy-Go-Lucky, having a field day back-flipping from the top of the spinning wheel—something happened. Unexpectedly, I found myself airborne.
Not hurt, a sense of disappointment overcame me, plus a bit of confusion, and a whole lot of colorful adjectives too numerous to list. I, mostly known as Hattie Cooks, shook off the pine shavings and joined the rat race. Sometimes, life sucked.
But wallowing? Not a good solution.
Being positive? A better one.
In most cases, a pitstop was a good idea, and I found comfort in my chocolate stockpile. And in most cases, I found empty shelves, for I had little dough to supply my habit due to the loss of my adored job as an assistant buyer at Sommerville’s top-class department store, Tucker’s, and the subsequent low-paying temporary ones I reluctantly took in the interim. Due to the expenses of rent, food, utilities, budgeting became my new compadré. However, for my recent birthday, Mom suggested friends and family provide me with treats. They were generous—gifting lots and lots of my favorite M&Ms in vast colors and flavors.
Mom’s idea totally rocked as the best birthday gift ever.
From outside my door, I heard Allan Wellborn smack the doorframe.
“You know how to find me.”
I roused from my ruminations and banged my forehead against the wall.
About the book: Great job. What man? And murder. Newly employed at Wedding Wonderland, Hattie Cooks is learning the industry from a woman she greatly admires. When her former brother-in-law is found dead in his luxury SUV, all fingers point to Hattie’s sister, who is planning her own I Dos.
Detective Allan Wellborn is caught between a rock and a hard place—Hattie’s family and investigating the murder of a well-connected Sommerville resident, the same loser who was once married to Hattie’s sister. Determining who’s the bad guy—or gal—isn’t going to be easy and sure to piss off someone.
Can Hattie beat the clock to find out who murdered Tracey’s ex before she is charged with the crime and her wedding is ruined?
Find your fun read at: https://www.amazon.com/Temporarily-Luck-Hattie-Cooks-Mystery-ebook/dp/B08T7YSSRJ/
About the Author: Funny, sweet, and quirky, Vicki Batman’s stories are full of her hallmark humor, romance, and will delight all readers. She has sold many award-winning, and bestselling romantic comedy works to magazines and most recently, three humorous romantic mysteries. An avid Jazzerciser. Handbag lover. Mahjong player. Yoga practitioner. Movie fan. Book devourer. Cat fancier. Best Mom ever. And adores Handsome Hubby.
Find Vicki at: https://vickibatman.blogspot.com/p/more-about-me.html/
Find Vicki Batman at:
Website: https://vickibatman.blogspot.com/p/more-about-me.html/
Blog: https://www.vickibatman.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Vicki-Batman-sassy-writer-of-sexy-and-funny-fiction-133506590074451/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/VickiBatman/
Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/vickibatman/
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/vickibatman/
Email: vlmbatman@hotmail.com/
Vicki, well you certainly gave me the definition of Temporary 🙂 In answer to your question, yes, I’ve worked temporary. Many times during one of my husband’s career moves. I found working temporary led to some outstanding opportunities (and as a writer) it’s all material! I worked for a subsidiary contractor to NASA in Clear Lake, Texas and a government contractor in Tempe, Arizona. Both jobs led to permanent employment. Good luck (although I don’t think you’ll need it) with Temporarily Out of luck! xo
Hi, Donnell! And thank you for letting me show bits of my new book. I’m anxious to hear what others have done temporarily and how that went for them. Hugs!!!
I’ve done a few temp jobs, mostly secretarial, but the one I got fired from was taking inventory at supermarkets (this was before the days of computerized inventory). I wasn’t fast enough because I couldn’t bear to just estimate the number of cans or boxes in a display — I wanted to get an ACCURATE figure. They didn’t care about accuracy as long as it was close. One girl who worked permanently with that employer was so good at estimating that once the supermarket manager decided to check. They counted the stock of a particular display and she was 100% right!
Hattie sounds like a hoot! I love your sense of humor, Vicki. 🙂
Barbara Monajem! Figures, fired for being too conscientious 🙂
Between permanent jobs, after college, and whenever, I worked temporary jobs. My favorite job was as a hostess for tasting desert liquors at stores. Although, I couldn’t sample the wares, the two women that hired me said the stores liked me. I increased sales just by asking patrons if they wanted to try the product. Lol. Hence, Katelyn, my character in Fatal Flip has a temporary gig as a liquor store hostess.
Brilliant, M.E!
I worked one summer as a grocery checker before my oldest “child” went off to college that fall. We needed the money. Since I was normally a high school teacher, the store owner thought I had a special talent…i.e., I knew which kids trying to use fake IDs to buy liquor were under age. This was also the time just before scanners came in, so you had to keep a lot of product numbers in your head. Sadly, I wasn’t quite as good at that as some of the former students who were also checkers. It was definitely a temporary job!
Susan, thanks for stopping in. You know memorization is a lost art in my opinion. Our phones and computers are so instantaneous. I worry if I ever lose my phone and have to remember my children’s phone numbers. I’ll wager you used your grocery store experience and the emotions you felt in a book or two!
Barbara, what an interesting job. I did do inventory for a department store and they wanted very accurate counting. Taking jewelry inventory was not fun! LOL. I’m glad you like the humor. I say have some fun. Hugs, vb
M E Bakos: I would so love passing out dessert liquors. Talking to people is so much fun. And yes, sometimes, those real life experiences show up in our writing!
Hi, Susan: I am always amazed when checkers scan fruit or bagels and know the numbers to input. I guess after fifty or so times, they have the codes down. I did work at a hardware store. Tons of fun. I checked also. Fortunately, we inputted codes, etc., and that helped.
I could write a medium-length book on all my temp jobs. In one, I managed to bring down the entire computer system (as a secretary), cleaned restrooms in a tractor factory one summer, worked for a trucking business and was warned not to take a trip to Chicago with the boss, and lot of other bookkeeping and secretary jobs. I walked in to quit my telephone soliciting job, but got fired before I could say anything. I hadn’t made any sales. Then temp computer programming jobs, which were called “contracting.” Y2K was the most fun! We did the code for a bunch of different companies in a bunch of different coding languages, some of which I didn’t know. But none of my jobs came down 12/31/1999!
I took a part-time job once and it was supposed to be perfect. I’d have all morning to write (my preferred time!) and then in the afternoon, I could help visitors learn more about our fair town. I thought this was going to be the absolute best things since sliced bread. After the first day, I was so traumatized I couldn’t go back! I felt awful about letting those nice people down but the spatial arrangement of the room didn’t work for me. I was good at the meeting the public part and helping them get to where they wanted to go, but… This was a busy place with multiple staffers. In between visitors, I was supposed to help folks with files and mail and such, except they came up behind me and scared the living you-know-what out of me every time. I learned a lot that day: I need the wall behind my back in a populated room. I need one task and only one at a time. My face hurt after smiling for 4 hours and not wanting to. It is hard not to scream when a scream is coming out. I think they were happy I quit.
Hi, Kaye: Fascinating temporary history. I bet you have a bunch of stories up your sleeves. I had a boss who said he wanted to fire his assistant and have me take her place. EEK! I’m glad I didn’t directly report to him.
LOL, Maggie: And sometimes, when we work, we learn about ourselves. I can’t imagine being traumatized like you said. I like the busy part and love talking and helping people. Maybe that is the retail part of me. Or the nice hostess part. LOL.
I’m loving these stories 🙂 Kaye, I hope you never took a trip with the boss! Maggie, you have to be a reincarnated cop. Back to the wall, always!
Whoa! You mention several normla “clerk” jobs, then throw in “highway flagger.” Wait, what? My best temp job was teaching square dancing at a retirement home. Loved it, but only did it for one summer. Lots of jobs at girl scout camps, too. Lida
Hi, Lida! Yes, highway flagger. Poor heroine needed a job and the ad was in the paper. Teaching square dancing would be fun. I did volunteer work at camp fire day camp. Lots of volunteer jobs.