`Tis the Season to...Shop? by Brenda Whiteside #booksale #holidaydeals

I'm not a very good shopper. When I was young and Mom wanted a companion for shopping, she always chose my sister. Walking the mall was a boring detail to tackle. As an adult, I'm still not a good mall shopper, but I discovered catalogs. For awhile, I was a catalog junkie. FDW would often find me sitting in the floor of our walk-in closet perusing my stack of catalogs.

Then came online shopping. Now, I go through my morning emails of store after store, some brick and mortar, but many are strictly online establishments. Most of the year, I delete 99% of them without reading. This time of year I tend to go slowly and open the ones that might lead me to that one special Christmas present. I come from a small family. My mom loves to give EVERYONE something. Being raised by her gave me the fever for giving at Christmas, even in lean years. Those times are almost as enjoyable because you really have to hunt to find something personal but inexpensive.

Books are the perfect gift. You knew I'd get to that...right? And in this day and age, you can even gift someone with an eBook which is really affordable and personal. Finding that book that suits the recipient's tastes can be rewarding. I have one of the Love and Murder series books on sale for five more days for $.99. FYI, it's available on Nook also.

CLICK FOR AMAZON
CLICK FOR BARNES AND NOBLE
And even when not on sale, they're a good buy. The books in the Love and Murder Series are award nominated and five star reads, so enjoy. Maybe treat yourself, too!

Read the first chapter of all of my books on my web site: https://brendawhiteside.com/

Happy shopping season!

Life Is Expensive...Books Aren't by Jannine Gallant

Life is expensive. Just getting through the month in the black can sometimes be a challenge. For that reason, we all gravitate toward sales and feel like we've scored a victory when we get a great deal. I, for one, am a deal shopper in everything from clothes to groceries. Or maybe I'm just cheap...

Let's take a look at the price of life. It certainly varies from location to location. Homes are a prime example. In the United States, the median cost of a home is $217,000 (I looked it up in case you were wondering). In Tahoe City, the median price is $720,00. No wonder my husband says we have to move if we ever want to retire! Our gas prices here are also ridiculous. Currently, $4.29 per gallon for the cheap stuff. If you live in the South, you pay $2.55 per gallon. I can't even imagine such a windfall at the pump! But, average wages are higher in CA than in a lot of other places. In Tahoe, there is very little unemployment, although work tends to be seasonal. We all have our own set of challenges.

BUT, people everywhere seem to be willing to shell out $3 to $4 for a cup of coffee at Starbucks without batting an eye. And how about greeting cards. I spend 20 minutes scrounging through the shelves for a card that costs $3.50 because I REFUSE to spend $6 on a freaking birthday card!

Then there are books. No matter where you live, books cost the same. And, in general, they're a damn sight cheaper than a birthday card! I honestly get why no one is going to pay $15 for a Print On Demand book by an unknown author. But they'll pay $15 for a digital book by Nora Roberts! FIFTEEN DOLLARS!! I just checked and nearly fainted when I saw the price. And that book, her latest, is currently ranked #18 in romance! But when we price our digital books at $3.99, readers think they're too expensive. FOUR DOLLARS for hours of enjoyment!! A price they routinely shell out for a cup of coffee that will last fifteen minutes, or a birthday card someone will look at for fifteen seconds and then throw away. Yet the book, which will probably take a reader 6ish hours to finish, is too expensive? I just don't get it.

However, I'm game when my publisher puts one of my books on sale. Because if you can't spend 99 cents on a book, you're even cheaper than I am! All my BORN TO BE WILDE books are on sale for the entire month of October for only 99 CENTS!! If you haven't read this series, now is the time to start. Here is the link on AMAZON. Or pull up the links on my WEBSITE to purchase from other retailers. Happy reading!