Friday, 23 November 2012

Black Friday Blog Hop - Grand Prizes & Giveaways

Well, it's Friday, but it's not only Friday, it's Black Friday and that means


I'll explain Black Friday in a minute, but first of all, just to let you know that there are over 200 authors and blogs participating (link at the end of this post).


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!

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!
(please note the Swag Pack is only open to US entrants)

For my part, I will be giving away, for the first time, a copy of The Dating Game and a copy of Sign of the Times to one lucky winner. So if you like competitions or just winning stuff, this is definitely the place for you today! BUT, you only have today, it's only on Nov 23rd, so get entering!


Now I'm going to explain Black Friday for the benefit of those not in the US. My understanding of Black Friday is it’s the Friday after Thanksgiving when all the sales start in the shops. So , if you will, a bit like our January Sales or even Boxing Day sales  here in the UK.

Today’s topic is shopping. I am rubbish at shopping, don’t particularly enjoy it and try to order as many of my Christmas presents as possible online.  It didn’t help two years ago, though, when we had all that snow, when three weeks after ordering all my gifts, and only five days before Christmas, I had no presents! The only kind of shopping I actively enjoy is for books. I have to be dragged out of bookshops, charity shops or anywhere where a book is to be sold.


 

So I thought we’d ask Lisa and Debbie from The Dating Game to talk you through their shopping experiences instead. Enjoy!

Lisa: Well, as you know,  I’m a bit of a shopaholic. It’s just as well I’m single, as I couldn’t take any man telling me to cut back on my retail spending.’

Debbie: Can’t imagine anyone doing that with you, Lise. Why don’t we tell them about Barcelona, first?  That was amazing.

Lisa: Yeah, the shops there are to die for, even the ones in the airport. It was a lovely airport, wasn’t it?

Debbie (laughs): Yes, I specifically remember Gill steering you away from the shops, once that glazed look appeared in your eyes. You’re worse than me - it’s like tunnel vision when you see shops.

Lisa: Anyway, Barcelona, I LOVE Zara.

Debbie: Yes, but there’s a Zara at The Fort in Glasgow. Why don’t we tell them about the stores which were a bit different?

Lisa: OK, but first of all, we found this shopping centre on the Sunday and I was seriously annoyed as the shops didn’t open again until Tue and I had seen the most fabulous pair of cowgirl boots. What a total pain.

Debbie: Yes, that was a pity, but we’d spent a fortune by then already.

Lisa: Yes, we’d been on Passeig de Gracia, at Dolce and Gabbana Versace and Prada,  and to be honest, we’d been pretty good. I’d only bought a top in Dolce and Gabbana, although it was a fortune. It’s actually cheaper to buy designer in Glasgow. Who would have thought.

Debbie: Yes, but then we went to Custo, just off the Ramblas. We’d never heard of Custo before, but Lisa was reading a bit of Angela’s guidebook and it’s Catalonia’s answer to Versace -two brothers started it apparently.  So Barcelona’s homegrown designer label. 

Lisa: Well, actually, you spent more than me in Custo. You got those black trousers that looked like they had been painted on you and then when the girl told you that you just had to have the backless white top which matched them, with the frills around the sleeves, you lapped it up.

Debbie: Yes, but it does look good! And quite frankly if it’s good enough for Natalie Portman to wear,  it’s good enough for me.

Lisa: Bet you’re really glad I spotted that in the gossip columns.

Debbie: Well, I did google it when I got home to check. So which shop would you say was your favourite?

Lisa: Too tough a call, although we did even pick up some bargains in El Corte Ingles, the department store.

Debbie: Don’t tell Angela that, she will laugh her head off.

Lisa: Well, (Lisa’s body language becomes more defensive)it’s her loss she’s  not into fashion.

Debbie: (changes subject) The shops down at Porta del’Angel were pretty cool, too. A bit cheaper, and more affordable.

Lisa: Yes, some of the boutiques were nice.

Debbie: How much do you think we spent?

Lisa: I worked it out when I got home. Almost £1000.

Debbie: Geez , Lisa, I thought I was bad at £600. I told Gerry £400. Oh, I forgot about that bag I bought in Massimo Dutti, that was another hundred quid.

Lisa: See, you’re not so far behind me then. Anyway, I say role on Boxing Day. I’ve been keeping an eye on some boots in Cruise, black, over the knee numbers. They’re too expensive at the minute, but come the sale, they have my name written all over them!

Debbie: I might be able to get away on Boxing Day for a few hours or the 27th at a push. Gerry usually gives me money at Christmas to buy myself something. 

Lisa: Well, we’re sorted then. Great, only six weeks to go. Don’t you wish we could just hop on a plane to New York and go to these Black Friday sales?

Debbie: Maybe next year. Still recovering after the expense of Barcelona...

Lisa: Tell you what, let me buy you a coffee and we can plan it out. Gill and Angela will come just to see NYC, if not for the shopping itself. 

And that’s it from two of the four friends from The Dating Game

 
 
Here's the blurb for The Dating Game, where you can meet up with Lisa and Debbie again and get to know the protagonist, Gill.
Workaholic recruitment consultant, Gill McFadden, is sick of her friends trying to match-make for her. Up until now her love life has been a disaster and she’s going through a drier spell than the Sahara desert.
She realises she has to act, as work keeps piling up and at this rate she will have retired before she has time for a relationship.
Seeing an ad on a bus one day, she decides to visit Happy Ever After dating agency. She quickly discovers men are like buses. They all come along at once. Unsure what her type is, Gill decides to keep her options open. Soon she has problems juggling her social life as well as her work diary. Will she ever strike the right balance?
Before long she is experiencing laughs, lust and… could it be love? But like everything in Gill’s life, nothing is straightforward and she ends up wondering exactly who she can trust.
You can buy a copy of The Dating Game via Amazon - http://amzn.to/RuSl7Y (UK) http://amzn.to/WZQtZK (US)
 and my first novel, Sign of the Times http://amzn.to/GKqZGd (UK) http://amzn.to/IYN0Fc (US)
To be in with a a chance to win the dual set of Kindle copies of The Dating Game and Sign of the Times and also to enter the Grand Prize Draw, simply leave a comment on the blog, with your email address (ultra-important, or we won't know how to contact you)  and register your entry using the Rafflecopter form - a Rafflecopter giveaway

To hop across to the other blogs and have a chance to win some of their 200+ amazing prizes, simply click here (I know I will be entering as many as I can!) - http://carrieannbloghops.blogspot.com/
Enjoy!
Sooz


47 comments:

  1. Entered a chance for the books..hope to win :) denni0918@aol.com

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  2. Thanks for participating!!
    glhince (at) gmail (dot) com

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  3. omg ,those shoppers, I seem to count every penny :D
    anyway, thanks :)
    swordlily_girl[at]yahoo[dot]com

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  4. Thank you for the post!
    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

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  5. Great post. This was a cute idea.
    I hate crowds so I'm staying inside and cuddling up with my laptop. Maybe I'll get lucky and win some of the prizes to make up for the deals I'm missing. :)
    danao.b7(at)gmail(dot)com

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  6. GREAT POST LOVED IT!


    parisfan_ca@yahoo.com

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  7. 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

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  8. Such a cute idea! Loved this stop! I'm not a black Friday shopper at all. I'm so thankful for this blog hop. It gives me something to do while in hiding from the crowds. lol.

    Thanks!

    jinni_james@yahoo.com

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  9. Great interview! I'm not a black Friday shopper. lisarayns at gmail dot com

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  10. We don`t have Black Friday sales here (I`m an international reader), so I`m just attending giveaways like this one,lol.
    Thanks! :)
    dita(dot)skarste(at)gmail(dot)com

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  11. I already did my Black Friday shopping since yesterday night, stores like Target and Wal-mart started at 8 and 9 PM, and this morning we went to more stores. We got pretty good things and since we did our shopping in Mesa, AZ it was very wasn't the chaos I'm used to in San Diego

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  12. Fab post, Susan! I want to go shopping with these girls! Hehe

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  13. I dont go black friday shopping. too many crazy ppl. id rather stay home and relax!

    beccaboo97200 (at) att (dot) net

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  14. i loved the interview! Oh i'm staying home this black friday!!! Nothing in the sale ads could make me go today. i do like to look them over and usually can find a better deal online.thanks you for joining the hop!
    miriam.whitewolf@gmail.com

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  15. I love Black Friday - I can sleep in, read and write!

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  16. I skipped Black Friday shopping this year. Hopping by.

    Jennifer Rote
    wildnmild4u at yahoo dot com

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  17. Thanks for the great post!
    A few of my friends do Black Friday, but it's not for me.
    Thanks for the chance to win!
    sqwalker2@hotmail.com

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  18. Hate crowded shopping but love to shop IF/WHEN I have the cash, which a very rare occassion.

    brbalwaysATyahooDOTcom

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  19. I hate shopping, but I could be persuaded to go on a shopping spree with Lisa and Debbie!

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  20. Thanks for the giveaway.

    kareninnc at gmail dot com

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  21. Nice interview...angadair@nwcable.net

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  22. Lisa and Debbie sound like my kind of girls. I cannot wait to read this and hear about the other two girls in the book.

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

    Happy Holidays,
    Marlena
    charmedpoms@yahoo.com

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  23. Sounds like a great read.I am glad to have found you on this blog hop and look forward to reading your works. Kim86004(at)gmail(dot)com

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  24. Sounds like a really fun read, and it totally made me miss Barcelona! Love that city!

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  25. These girls sound fun. They can do my shopping for me cause I don't go anywhere on Black Friday. Thanks for being a part of the hop.

    cmucha319@yahoo.com

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  26. 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

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  27. Happy Holidays and thank you for the opportunity to win some great prizes. Now shopping with Lisa and Debby could be fun but 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

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  28. 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

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  29. Great interview Happy Holidays
    crystaley73 at yahoo dot com

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  30. I'm avoiding those crowds and sticking to the web. ;) Thanks for the great giveaway!

    fancie @ live . com

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  31. I thought the interview was fun! Thank you for the great prizes!

    Julie K
    kornhsl@yahoo.com

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  32. I love it!!!
    Thanks for the awesome giveaway!
    cassandrahicks1989@yahoo.com

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  33. I'm staying home to read & discover some more authors thru the blog hop...
    No BF shopping for me.....ktyler13@yahoo.com

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  34. Thanks for the amazing interview and giveaway!
    elizabeth @ bookattict . com

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  35. I do my shopping online to avoid the crowds.
    Thanks for the giveaway!
    nerdswillruleoneday@yahoo.com

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  36. Lol ~ cute interview! Ah~ don't lose your budget while shopping! I always tell myself not to get carried away with deals and forget where that money is coming from! xD Thank you for the lovely giveaway~

    MostlyMisha [at] gmail [dot] com

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  37. I love the girls discussion. They seem fun!

    JYL22075 at gmail dot com

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  38. I wouldn't mind going shopping with these girls, though I would better have plenty of money to do so LOL.

    vampiremistress2010(at)gmail(dot)com

    Rafflecopter Name: Dawna Newman

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  39. 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

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  40. I hate shopping on normal days so I definitely won't be shopping on Black Friday. Thanks for the giveaways! sletten at paulbunyan dot net

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  41. I used to love Black friday shopping but people are soooo rude anymore that I can't stand it. I shop online now! brendem7@comcast.net

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  42. I don’t go out on Black Friday, but I do order online. Thanks for the giveaway.
    Marlene Breakfield
    marlenebreakfield(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  43. I do like to shop on Black Friday, but the last few years I have found better sales, No lines, No rude people, and free shipping on Cyber Monday.

    angelheart618@gmail.com

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  44. Rafflecopter isn't working :( I avoided the crowds at the mall today and went to the movies instead. Thanks for being in the hop!

    jochibi AT yahoo DOT com

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  45. Awesome interview.

    Morganlafey86(at)aol(dot)com

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  46. We don't have Black Friday in Australia so I'm home reading instead.
    Thanks for being part of this great blog hop.
    Suzi Love
    suzi at suzilove dot com

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  47. Thanks for the hop!

    bacchus76 at myself dot com

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