Black Friday is here and we’re discussing the season with Jennifer Estep’s Black Friday Memories with Daphne and Gwen from Kiss of Frost.
At Mythos Academy, teen warriors in the making train to take up their roles protecting humankind. With her snarky, self-deprecating voice and strange gift of psychometry – the ability to know an object’s history just by touching it – Gwen Frost is an outsider both to the students of the Academy and the rest of the world. But now that she’s taking private tutoring with the Academy’s most notorious young Spartan, and has Nike’s own sword to protect her, she’s ready to make mark…
Make sure you stick around to the end. We’ll be giving away a copy of Touch of Frost or Kiss of Frost – winners choice.
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Greetings and salutations! First of all, I want to say thanks to Jackie for having me on the blog again today. Thanks so much, Jackie!
So the holiday shopping season is here, and Jackie asked me to talk a little bit about Black Friday. I know that many folks go all out for Black Friday, scouring sales circulars and more for deals, getting up early to go to the store, and getting all their holiday shopping done at one time.
Me? I don’t really have any Black Friday traditions. Sometimes, I go shopping on Black Friday. Sometimes, I don’t. I never get up and go early, though. Usually, my mom and I will wait until at least mid-morning before we head out. I think that’s a good time to go, because some of the early shoppers are already done and the afternoon shoppers haven’t come out to the stores yet. Plus, most of the stores have good deals all day long.
One of my favorite Black Friday memories took place a few years ago. My mom and I decided to go shopping, and we packed a cooler full of turkey sandwiches, sodas, and more. After a couple of hours in town, going from store to store, we went back to the car, opened the cooler, and chowed down, enjoying the peace and quiet. I still remember how good those turkey sandwiches tasted that day.
Now, as far as characters in my new young adult book, Kiss of Frost go, I can see Daphne Cruz, a Valkyrie, being totally into Black Friday. Daphne would be at her favorite store before it opened with a list of everything she wanted to buy, and she’d probably drag Gwen Frost, the heroine of the Mythos Academy series, along with her.
Gwen would grumble about getting up so early, and she’d complain a little about the cold, crowds, and noise, but Gwen would go because she’d want to spend the day hanging out with her best friend. To me, that’s one of the best parts of Black Friday—hanging out with my mom, whether we go shopping or not.
Well, that and the turkey sandwiches.
What about you guys? Do you have any Black Friday or holiday shopping traditions?
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Meet Jennifer Estep!
Jennifer writes the Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series for Pocket Books. The books focus on Gin Blanco, an assassin code named the Spider who can control the elements of Ice and Stone. When she’s not busy killing people and righting wrongs, Gin runs a bar be cue restaurant called the Pork Pit in the fictional Southern metropolis of Ash land. The city is also home to giants, dwarves, vampires, and elementals – Air, Fire, Ice, and Stone.
Jennifer also writes the Mythos Academy young adult urban fantasy series for Kensington. The books focus on Gwen Frost, a 17-year-old Gypsy girl who has the gift of psychometry, or the ability to know an object’s history just by touching it. After a serious freak-out with her magic, Gwen is shipped off to Mythos Academy, a school for the descendants of ancient warriors like Spartans, Valkyries, Amazons, and more.
Contact Info
Website: www.jenniferestep.com
Blog: www.jenniferestep.com/blog/
Social Media: Facebook | Twitter
Want to purchase Jennifer’s novel?
Bigtime
- Karma Girl at Amazon or the Book Depository
- Hot Mama at Amazon or the Book Depository
- Jinx at Amazon or the Book Depository
Elemental Assassin
- Spider’s Bite at Amazon or the Book Depository
- Web of Lies at Amazon or the Book Depository
- Venom at Amazon or the Book Depository
- Tangled Threads at Amazon or the Book Depository
- Spider’s Revenge at Amazon or the Book Depository
- By a Thread at Amazon or the Book Depository (February 28, 2012)
- Widows Web at Amazon or the Book Depository (August 21, 2012)
Mythos Academy
- Touch of Frost at Amazon or the Book Depository
- First Frost at Amazon or the Book Depository
- Kiss of Frost at Amazon or the Book Depository
- Dark Frost at Amazon or the Book Depository (May 29, 2012)
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Contest Time!
Thank you Jennifer for taking part in Literary Escapism’s Black Friday!
Contest Time! Jennifer is giving away a copy of Touch of Frost or Kiss of Frost – winners choice. To enter, all you have to do is answer this one question: Do you have any Black Friday or holiday shopping traditions? Remember, you must answer the question in order to be entered.
Even though I’m not giving the additional entries any more, you can still help support the author by sharing their article, and this contest, on your blog, Twitter, Facebook, or anywhere you can. After all, the more people who are aware of this fabulous author ensures we get more fabulous stories.
The winner must post a review of the novel someplace. Whether it is on their own blog, Amazon, GoodReads, LibraryThing or wherever, it doesn’t matter. Just help get the word out.
All Black Friday contests will remain open until December 31st at which time I’ll determine the winner with help from the snazzy new plug-in I have. Have you checked out the other Black Friday contests yet? Check out the Master List to see all the Black Friday giveaways
I have not been contacting winners, so you will need to check back to see if you’ve won.
My biggest tradition is to stay as far away from the stores both online and physical on that day.
Cheryl — I don’t like fighting the crowds either.
I stay as far from stores as possible on Black Friday
When it comes to big sales day I like to stay indoors and avoid the crowds. However, I do like to research the deals (just in case) and plan on what I want in the event I do venture out into the wild.
Black Friday I stay inside and hide from all the insanity, I tend to get my holiday shopping done during the week while most people are at work.
I don’t have any Black Friday traditions. I do something different every year.
I usually shop online for Black Friday deals. I also go through credit card shopping malls for extra cash back.
when you are 4’8″ it is advisable to avoid crushing crowds to prevent bodily injury, it got worse with i went to cane and then crutches and walker as they often get kicked out from under one. with a wheelchair, you would think it would be easier….no, no! elbows will still give you a black eye! so i go searching about on the net to see if there is really something i cannot live without!
i just became familiar with this author’s spider series (one reviewed, one waiting for review). dh and i listed to them from audible.com and really enjoyed them! i want to get at least one of this series to see if they are as good as,
For holiday shopping I just plan out what I want.I make a list and stick to it.I don’t like the crowds so I get it done as quickly as possible.I really need to do more online shopping.lol.
Happy Holidays
Sandy — I don’t go shopping early on Black Friday.
Na — That sounds like a good plan.
Danielle — That’s a good way to avoid the crowds.
Caitlin — What I do for Black Friday varies from year to year too.
Amy — I look for deals and bargains too.
Hodgepodgespv — Thanks! Glad you are enjoying the audiobooks of the Elemental Assassin series.
I have a job where I don’t get Black Friday off, so I’m usually working that day. It’s nice and quiet downtown though, since everyone else is out shopping. Loved Touch of Frost and am looking forward to Kiss of Frost.
I also don’t have any Black Friday traditions. I mostly shop online.
Not really. We look at the ads on Thanksgiving and see if theres anything good that year. Then decide to brave the crowds or not.
Jen — Thanks! Glad you liked TOUCH OF FROST, and I hope you enjoy KISS OF FROST too.
Stephanie — I try to do that too.
Donna — I try to look at the ads too.
lol we get up early and got to Wallyworld. It a madhouse but fun all the same. When you have two 6ft boys folks tend to get out of their way not that they are rude or pushy or anything. They are just big.
scrtsbal at yahoo dot com
Pam — Early shopping seems to be a fun tradition for a lot of folks.
I avoid black friday I always get run over so I shop online now!
Thanks for the great giveaway! Happy Holidays to you!
tishajean@ charter.net
i tend to avoid stores like the plague on holidays.. had the majority of christmas shopping done by october.. sad i know.. in canada we have boxing day sales.. day after christmas.. i went once.. it was horrible! lol
My black Friday tradition is to get a nice bottle of win and my laptop and do all of my shopping in my pjs
teressaoliver at gmail dot com
My Black Friday tradition…. eating leftovers of some sort. :) I’ve done the ‘out at 5 am to get a cheap Blu Ray player’ once, but it’s not something I’ll be likely to do again. I know there are some bargains that are too good to be true.
I have actually strayed from my black Friday shopping traditions the last 2 years. Last year I ended up just shopping on line. This year my DH and I celebrated our 10th anniversary by going to Jamaica. I was able to do some online shopping on Black Friday while in Jamaica. I think I may have just started a new tradition. I may just shop online from now on.
Happy New Year!
beckerjo at verizon dot net
I do not have any black friday traditions because the last black friday was the first black friday I ever did. It was cool the deals were amazing and the crowd was not really that bad.
I’m not particularly fond of crowded shopping places. And I only seem to enjoy spending money if it’s on books or games!
We start shoppin on Thanksgiving after we eat and go straight through till sat. morning :)
Since I live in the very very very North of Canada we don’t have a Black Friday, however I did experience a Boxing Day sale in Pennsylvania one year at Macy’s. A woman, no younger than 75, stomped on my foot to make me drop a jacket and then promptly grabbed it up and walked off while I nursed my sore toes.
My American friends told me I should grab it back but I was laughing so hard I couldn’t do it. I was in my own live sitcom!