BLACK FRIDAY BLOG HOP

It's great to be part of the Black Friday Blog Hop! Thanks so much to Carrie Ann Ryan for organizing this wonderful event! I hope that all of your shopping ventures were successful today. Be sure to enter my Rafflecopter giveaway for an Avon Foot Works Pomegranate Chocolate Collection Gift Set so that you can pamper your tired tootsies this holiday season and leave a comment below so that you'll have a chance to win one of the three Black Friday Blog Hop Grand Prizes!

I've been thinking about Pilar Alvarez, the heroine of my Chick Lit novel In Need of Therapy, and wondering how she'd handle the craziest shopping day of the year. Pilar's a psychologist, so she's got a lot of patience and is used to dealing with people in a heightened state of emotion, so I don't think she'd be daunted by the Black Friday crowds at Dolphin Mall, the largest shopping mecca in Miami. In fact, she'd probably end up mediating fights between overzealous bargain hunters at the sales display tables in Bloomie's! Pilar's the type of person who'd put a lot of thought into getting the perfect gift for everyone on her list, but what would her nearest and dearest buy her for Christmas?

Ana Alvarez Castaneira - Ana is Pilar's older sister. She's a frazzled mom of three who's married to a lawyer, so she's a bit conservative and will only buy the priciest name-brand items as befits a woman of her status. She'd purchase a chic, yet practical, gift for Pilar, something her sister could use every day, like the Embossed Croc Skinny Wallet by Coach (in a sensible, neutral color, of course.)

Luisa Alvarez aka Mamá - Like all good Cuban mothers, Luisa's one goal in life is to see her daughters married off to attractive, prosperous men. Ana's already taken care of, so now Luisa is focused on getting her middle child down the aisle. To that end, she would call her travel agent and have him book Pilar a ticket on the Carnival New Year's Bash Singles Cruise. If Pilar was trapped on a boat with hundreds of eligible men for a week, surely she could find one who'd be willing to marry her, right?

Sara Reade - Sara has been Pilar's BFF since college, and no one knows her better. A bathing suit designer by trade, Ms. Reade likes to get creative with her gifts, plus use all of her contacts in the fashion world to snag designer goodies at cost. Since Sara is always encouraging Pilar to have some fun, she'd put together a Girls' Night Out gift basket for her bestie, which would include a sexy pair of shoes for dancing at the clubs (Louboutin's No Privé 120 slingback pumps in playful pink), a bottle of Oh, Lola - the flirty fragrance by Marc Jacobs, a limo service voucher (No drinking and driving!), a bottle of good red wine, some wine goblets that have "Sexy and Single" emblazoned on them, lipsticks by MAC in sassy shades like Lady Danger and Love Goddess, and last but most certainly not least, a hottie alert whistle (Every girl should have one!)

   

  

Jonathan Fordham aka Ford - Pilar's colleague, sounding board, and sometime lunch sharer. It wouldn't be appropriate for him to give her anything too personal as they haven't known each other that long, but he'd want to acknowledge their friendship. So, he'd give Pilar something humorous and work-related, like a Tickle Me Freud that she could sit on her desk and squeeze whenever she needed a laugh (Shrinks get stressed out, too!)

Victor Liscano - Pilar's obnoxiously persistent ex-boyfriend, who keeps trying to win her back with over-the-top displays of his affection, would consider the holidays to be the perfect opportunity to impress Pilar with his generosity and thoughtfulness. She'd wake on Christmas morning to find a brand new convertible BMW in her driveway (in red, of course, the color of passion.) Just for kicks, she might take it for a joy ride around the block, but then she'd return it to Victor and tell him that she can't be bought. A sentiment that Pilar's freeloading younger sister, Izzy, would not agree with. Finders, keepers, right?

If you're looking for a fun, romantic read this holiday season or a gift for someone who enjoys Chick Lit, I invite you to pick up a copy of In Need of Therapy. It's now available in e-book and paperback.

Thanks so much for stopping by Books by Banister for the Black Friday Blog Hop! Don't forget to visit all of the other wonderful sites participating in the hop. There are over 200, and you can enter to win prizes at each stop on the hop! Go here for the full list of participating blogs.

To celebrate the Black Friday Blog Hop, I'm giving away an Avon Foot Works Pomegranate Chocolate Collection Gift Set in holiday packaging, which includes:  Soothing Foot Soak, Smoothing Foot Scrub, Moisturizing Foot Cream, and Candy-Striped Slipper Socks. Please enter using the Rafflecopter widget below.

·  Giveaway will run one day only - until 11:59PM on Friday, November 23rd.

·  Must be at least 18 years of age to enter.      

·  Contest is open to residents of the U.S. only. Winner must have shipping address in the U.S.

·  The winner will be announced here and notified by e-mail. 

·  Winner has 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen.

Everyone who leaves a comment on this blog hop post, answering the question "What's Your Favorite Thing About the Holidays?" will be automatically entered in the Black Friday Grand Prize giveaway (Leaving a comment is one of the ways you can enter to win my Footworks Collection giveaway, as well. So, you might win TWO prizes, just for leaving one comment!) Please do NOT forget to leave your e-mail address along with your comment so that Carrie Ann can contact you if you win.  Here are the three Grand 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!

Book blurb (In Need of Therapy):  Lending a sympathetic ear and dispensing sage words of advice is all part of the job for psychologist Pilar Alvarez, and she’s everything a good therapist should be:  warm, compassionate, supportive.  She listens, she cares, and she has all the answers, but how’s the woman everyone turns to in their hour of need supposed to cope when her own life starts to fall apart?

While working hard to make a success of her recently-opened practice in trendy South Beach, Pilar must also find time to cater to the demands of her boisterous Cuban family, which includes younger sister Izzy, an unemployed, navel-pierced wild child who can't stay out of trouble, and their mother, a beauty queen turned drama queen who’s equally obsessed with her fading looks and getting Pilar married before it’s “too late.”  Although she’d like to oblige her mother and make a permanent love connection, Pilar’s romantic prospects look grim.  Her cheating ex, who swears that he’s reformed, is stalking her.  A hunky, but strictly off-limits, patient with bad-boy appeal and intimacy issues is making passes.  And the sexy shrink in the suite across the hall has a gold band on his left ring finger.

When a series of personal and professional disasters lead Pilar into the arms of one of her unsuitable suitors, she's left shaken, confused, and full of self-doubt.  With time running out, she must make sense of her feelings and learn to trust herself again so that she can save her business, her family, and most importantly, her heart. 

Purchase In Need of Therapy:

Amazon E-book

Amazon Paperback

Barnes & Noble E-book

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