Black Friday Shopping – NEVER

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I’m giving away a $5 Starbucks card to one lucky commentor and a paperback copy of Tame A Wild Bride to another. In order to qualify for the Grand Prizes listed below you must leave your EMAIL ADDRESS IN THE COMMENT.

I know people who get up at Midnight to hit those first Black Friday sales. That’s INSANE. What in the world is worth that? Are the deals and the attitudes you encounter worth that? Not to this person. Maybe I’ve never wanted anything that badly.

I hear the horror stories not only from the nightly news but from friends and family who brave the wilds of the shopping malls or Walmart, to save $50 on an iPod or something. I suppose $50 off an iPod would be a really BIG discount but is it worth standing in line, in the cold with a bunch of cranky strangers?

Not to this girl.

How about you? Do you shop on Black Friday? Why?

We have THREE grand prizes. You as a reader can go to EACH blog and comment with your email address and be entered to win. Yep, you can enter over 200 times! Don’t forget that in order to enter for these prizes you must LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IN THE COMMENT.

Now what are those prizes?

1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet
2nd Grand Prize: A $75 Amazon or B&N Gift Card
3rd Grand Prize: A Swag Pack that contains paperbacks, ebooks, 50+ bookmarks, cover flats, magnets, pens, coffee cozies, and more!

Here is a short excerpt from my latest book TAME A WILD BRIDE. I hope you all have a great time today, whatever you choose to do.

EXCERPT
Rosemary Stanton stood patiently on the train platform, sweat rolling down her back and between her ample breasts. Waiting. Sweating because it was an unusually hot day in late April. Waiting for her husband. A husband she wouldn’t recognize if he were standing right next to her.

She’d been desperate when she answered the advertisement for a mail order bride. Wanted: Single woman to cook, clean, and care for children on a cattle ranch in southwestern Colorado. Will marry upon arrival.

Well, she was twenty-six with no prospects. Her brother just got married and his new wife, Beatrice, didn’t want Rosie around. She could answer the advertisement or become a governess. Help someone else’s children grow up into adults. Live in someone else’s house. For the rest of her life, she’d have nothing she could call her own.

Rosie wanted a home. Her own home. She wanted a husband and children. All the things she’d never have if she stayed in Philadelphia. When she’d seen the ad in the morning paper, she’d nearly shouted with glee. However, she managed to restrain herself until she retired to her room before she giggled with delight as she pressed her back against the door. The advertisement was tailor-made for her needs. It got her away from Beatrice and got her her own home all in one fell swoop.

Her brother, Robert, though was not happy with the idea of his baby sister traveling across the country to marry a stranger. He grudgingly agreed to give her her dowry to take with her. Five thousand dollars. She’d take the draft to the bank as soon as she arrived in Creede, Colorado, and married Mr. Thomas Harris. Cattle rancher. It was her “in case it doesn’t work out” money. Though she supposed it would belong to her husband once she married. Perhaps she just wouldn’t tell him about it.

Her conscience spoke up. That’s no way to start a marriage. With lies and secrets. Oh, all right. She’d tell him and have him take her to the bank. But not until after she’d taken his measure. She could tell by how he treated his animals what kind of man he was. A man who was cruel to his horses would also be cruel to his wife. If he was a cruel man, she would leave and she sure as heck wouldn’t tell him about her money.

Even the substantial size of her dowry couldn’t seem to provide marriage prospects for Rosie back in Philadelphia. She wasn’t pretty in the conventional sense. She thought her face with its big brown eyes and full lips was pleasing enough, but men apparently hadn’t. Her one beau told her that her eyes were the color of warm brandy. That was before he left her to marry another more suitable woman. More suitable, hah! Richer was more like it.

He’d had expensive tastes and had married a rabbit-faced girl, heir to a substantial fortune to which he’d have access. Well, good luck and good riddance.

She hoped her new husband wouldn’t be as snootish as Paul had been. As a cattle rancher she didn’t know what to expect but the idea of a more earthy, less frivoless man appealed to her.

Rosie did have one extraordinary feature. Her hair. Waist length, wavy and a clear, golden blonde. Right now, standing on the train platform in Creede it was bound up in a loose bun on top of her head under her hat. It, like the rest of her, was covered in white dirt and a nasty grayish soot from the train. Her suit would never be the same again.

She’d discovered on the second day of her trip, she could minimize the grime by sitting in the front of the car with the window closed. But sooner or later the heat and mugginess of the car would force her to open the window. The air came rushing in, cooling her, but bringing with it the dirt and ash from the train’s boilers and whatever the wind picked up along the way.

On the long trip, she’d told herself again and again she’d made the right decision. She was right to make the difficult trip. This was her life and she had to take her future into her own hands.

“Excuse me. Miss Stanton?”

Rosie shaded her eyes from the late afternoon sun and looked up at a tall man with dark hair. His hat was pulled low, hiding his eyes. He had a strong jaw covered with a shadow of whiskers.

“Yes. I’m Rosemary Stanton.”

He took off his hat and held out his hand. “I’m Tom Harris.”

Rosie took his hand. It engulfed hers with a shock of warmth. Her pale skin stood in stark contrast to his tanned one. Calluses rubbed against her soft palm though the touch was not unpleasant. She looked from their clasped hands up into the bluest eyes she’d ever seen.

“Pleased to meet you, Mr. Harris.”

“Tom. Call me, Tom.”

“And I’m Rosie.”

“Where are your trunks, Rosie?”

“Oh, I don’t have any trunks. I only brought what I thought I would need out here.”
He picked up the two valises at her feet. “Doesn’t seem like much for an Eastern woman. I’m glad to see you’re practical.”

Rosie felt the heat in her cheeks and knew she blushed at his praise, undeserving as it was. “Well, I didn’t think you’d have any balls.”

He cocked an eyebrow.

Purchase Links

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Smashwords

Apple

67 thoughts on “Black Friday Shopping – NEVER”

  1. I haven’t shopped on Black Friday for years. I’ve looked at the circulars for today and I’ve easily rationalized why I shouldn’t buy anything today. Shopping tomorrow is a possibility.
    bituin76 at hotmail dot com

    Reply

  2. Generally not, no. I’ve done BF twice. The first time was for the experience (and so I could finally say yes, I did it, and I still have nightmares about the inhumanity I saw at Walmart). I waited for Old Navy to open last night because they were giving away copies of the new Mario Bros. game for Wii U, and we’re giving our boy the Wii U for Christmas. I got some stuff for everyone, plus the game. And I had fun talking in line with this gay guy and a high school student.

    Reply

  3. I hate the crowds so I’m thankful for this blog hop! Thanks for joining and for the chance to win!

    ehaney578 at aol dot com

    Reply

  8. I don’t think I’ve ever shopped on Black Friday. I just can’t face it. However, my husband has done it. He likes to get a bargain much more than I do. And the technology “toys” he likes to buy seem to be featured on this day. But he didn’t go out today. And he would never go at midnight. And I do NOT like the practice of starting now on Thanksgiving and I’m happy to stay home and hope (for the sake of employees) that this practice doesn’t succeed. But, I will be shopping on Sat. lol I have to go while my kids are available and this is a no-homework weekend.

    Reply

  9. I always go out but it’s usually late in the afternoon. I don’t know why I do it, but I guess it’s for the same reason folks slow down when they pass an accident

    linda @ lindaandrews Dot net

    Reply

  10. I sent the husband this year, what I had to work. We really didn’t have much of a list so it only took him about 2 hours to do it all with checking out and parking. I am glad to have found you on the blog hop. I look forward to reading your work. Kim86004(at)gmail(dot)com

    Reply

  11. I’m in Canada. Our Black Friday is Boxing Day and it’s right after Christmas.

    Sure, there will be sales before December 25th to entice us to spend our dollars, but on Boxing Day, retailers give super discounts on all the holiday ornaments and winter stock to make room for the spring items. Some folks do all their Christmas shopping for the following year on Boxing Day.

    Me? I stay home. I don’t need anything badly enough to face the crowds. Besides, Boxing Day has turned into Boxing Week, so there’s plenty of time to pick up anything you crave.

    Reply

  12. We don’t celebrate Thanksgiving here I live, so no Black Friday for me either. But it must be fun to go shopping 🙂

    verusbognar (at) gmail (dot) com

    Reply

  13. I do not like crowds so BF shopping is not for me! I will be spending my day hopping and then snuggled up reading! Well that is after I decide on what new book I have just added to my to be read list! It gets longer every hop! Thanks!

    grapeapril75(at)gmail.com

    Reply

  15. I’m not a Black Friday shopper. I don’t believe that shopping should ever be a full contact sport. I spend the day baking cookies with my kiddos instead.
    planterofhope(at)aol(dot)com

    Reply

  16. We don`t have Black Friday sales here (I`m an international reader), so I`m just attending giveaways like this one,lol.
    Fingers crossed for the paperback.
    Thanks! 🙂

    dita(dot)skarste(at)gmail(dot)com

    Reply

  18. I usually do. I like the thrill of the hunt and really just shopping in general. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving. angelacisco79(at)yahoo(dot)com

    Reply

  31. Hi! Happy Holidays to you! No, im not a shopper on black friday. I hate crowds. I like to stay home, spend time with my family and eat leftovers. 🙂 Thanks for the awesome hop and giveaway! Best wishes and many blessings to you!
    shadowluvs2read(at)gmail(dot)com

    Reply

  35. I do Black Friday shopping. My reasons for Black Friday shopping is the best deals on clothes and shoes happen on this day. I am tall and normal which means I have to fight others for the same sizes. It is nice to be able to get them at a cheaper price. I do shop for others too. 🙂 jenceyg at gmail dot com

    Reply

  40. I no longer go Black Friday shopping. Too many crazy people out there. I don’t have the patience I had when I was younger, LOL. So today I am staying in and blog hopping, instead of shopping! angadair@nwcable.net Thanks for the hop!

    Reply

  42. I love Black Friday shopping, (I live in a small town and people are pretty friendly, no blood or bruising) but this year they started at 8pm on thursday so I decided to stay at home and read. I went out about 11:30, when the stores were almost empty and still got all the specials that I wanted.

    proudarmymom32(at)yahoo(dot)com

    Reply

  43. I’m not a big fan of Black Friday, but we did go out this morning for a couple of specific things and got them…and NO LINES!
    catherinelee100 at gmail dot com

    Reply

  44. HA! You said midnight??? Last night they started at eight at night! That isn’t even FRIDAY yet! What are people thinking? I wouldn’t even have known they started that early but my boyfriends crazy family were plotting their strategies after dinner. Stay home all day in my pajamas while others battle each other? Yes, Please!

    Thanks so much for being a part of the hop and for the giveaway.

    Happy Holidays,
    Marlena
    charmedpoms(at)yahoo(dot)com

    Reply

  46. I hide inside my house. Shopping shouldn’t be a contact sport unless we get to place bets.

    krankimom[at]comcast[dot]net

    Reply

  49. I don’t do Black Friday — the week before Thanksgiving usually marks the LAST time I deal with retail until after the New Year!

    Thanks for the amazing giveaway!
    elizabeth @ bookattict . com

    Reply

  52. Thank you for the lovely giveaway~ I love BF shopping on and offline! I hear a lot of people say bad things about it but… I’ve never had any of those experiences and those people are usually ones who’ve never actually gone out and done it themselves so maybe they only hear the horror stories, lol. Got all my big ticket items out of the way last night and this morning so now it’s time to just relax and hop! Thanks again~<3

    MostlyMisha [at] gmail [dot] com

    Reply

  56. Instead of shopping, I’m hopping! I prefer to do my shopping online.
    Happy Black Friday.
    mel
    bournmelissa at hotmail dot com

    Reply

  57. I have never done black friday shopping, and I probably never will. May participate in the online sales next year. Enjoyed the excerpt. Thanks for your giveaway!
    oddball2003 at hotmail dot com

    Reply

  58. I only shop online on BF. I’d rather do this anyway! Love all of the variety of genres you write in but Romantic Westerns are my favorites. 🙂

    Thanks for participating in this!

    3girlzmama at gmail.com

    Reply

  60. Happy Holidays and thank you for the opportunity to win some great prizes. I can’t do Black Friday shopping (unless it’s online) – I don’t have the patience or the stamina for the lines and the crowds. cfierstein@cox.net

    Reply

  64. I shop from home, I have a hard time dealing with rude people and lines. Makes me what to start drop kicking people (just the rude ones). Thx for the hop stop.

    blinkysthebest at aol dot com

    Reply

  66. Thanks for participating in the blog hop! Hope you have happy holidays. I stayed home this year for black friday because its a bit frightening in stores, I prefer shopping at home LOL! 😉

    swtlilangel4jc at yahoo dot com

    Reply

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