Patricia Sands

Author

News

On to the next event …

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We’ve exchanged whines for wine in our home today! Woohooooo!  I’ve climbed out the trench that has been my workplace for the past few weeks as I worked on the developmental edit of my new novel, The Promise of Provence. My long-suffering husband is discovering I am capable of more than muted one-syllable responses and I might even finish the book I began reading weeks ago. At least for this evening anyway …

Tomorrow is another day. Oh, yeah! Susan Sommers and I will drive to London in the afternoon  (an easy 1-1/2 hour drive from Toronto) to prepare for our presentation at the Power Of The Purse one-day women’s conference on Thursday. We’re looking forward to having dinner with the other speakers tomorrow evening and enjoying a schmoozefest with these dynamic women. Thursday is going to be an exciting and energizing day! If you are coming to the conference be sure to find us and stop for a chat!

Never a dull moment!

 

Coming up for air …

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While I’ve been working on the revisions for my next novel, I’ve also been preparing for an exciting speaking event coming up soon. No wonder my e-mail box is overflowing and I’m waaaay behind on all the blogs I love to follow. Sorry, gang, I’ll get caught up … sometime …

The fourth annual Power Of The Purse one-day women’s conference will be held on Thursday, September 27th in London, Ontario, not far from Toronto.

This high-energy and enjoyable day celebrates all women including those making an impact in the corporate world, women as creative forces in the arts world, as researchers and healers in healthcare and as generous philanthropists helping those in need.

A local non-profit charity is supported through this event and the important work of Anago’s Parkhill Therapeutic Residence is being spotlighted this year. Anago serves complex needs girls requiring protection, youth at risk with the law, and individuals with developmental challenges who may also be medically fragile. Kudos to them for all they do to make the community a better place to live!

I’m honoured to be among the dynamic … oh yes, we all are, honest! …  presenters for the day along with my fabulous friend and speaking partner,  Susan Sommers, co-author of the ‘must-have’ fitness book Power Source For Women.

Although Susan and I write in very different genres, our messages are based on the same philosophy.  We focus on women’s stories and  celebrate how they empower and support each other through the connections they make.

Our presentation reaches women of all ages with a message about fitness, friendship and the potential and possibilities change can offer at every stage in life.  Be a possibilitarian (thank you Amber West!) and make life the very best it can be!

The best part for us is having the opportunity to hear the incredible stories of other women. They inspire and motivate us every single time we are asked to speak! We love it!

Later in the day the Conference Centre is transformed into the popular Vendor Networking Marketplace showcasing local entrepreneurs and their products and services.  It is a terrific chance to connect, support and learn who is doing what in your community … okay … and to indulge in a little retail therapy too!

If you live in the area, we hope we’ll see you there. It’s going to be a blast!

Have you attended a conference like this? What was the most important part of the day … and not just those fabulous earrings you couldn’t resist!

Feeling slightly homicidal …

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I’m attempting to resist distractions like golf, grandchildren, and fabulous friends who are too interesting and/or too much fun to ignore. The reason? REVISIONS! As Stephen King would say, “kill your darlings, kill your darlings, even when it breaks your egocentric little scribbler’s heart, kill your darlings.” His “On Writing:A Memoir Of The Craft” is one of my bibles.

Oh the pain, the agony! It gets messy at times! Trust me folks, it’s not easy deleting and reworking characters and scenes I thought were brilliantly, wonderfully, and abso-frickin’-lutely vital to the story. But that was just me …

I want to have my next novel published by the end of October *palpitations starting … body heat increasing … urge to eat chocolate almost overpowering* so I absolutely have to stay focused. I know all of this murderous behaviour wil only make the story better.

I have a talented, experienced, editor whose opinion I trust and respect. We worked together on the content edit of The Bridge Club  and his guidance is stellar … often difficult to force myself to follow … but stellar! And, yes, I did say “he”… half my age, devoted father of a toddler, who somehow gets what I like to write. I feel very fortunate that he is also available to meet or discuss a point as I know that’s an option not always easy to find.

Okay … I could go on … but my point is this. I MUST stick to my plan today. My Tuesday golf game was rained out and my dinner tonight with my bestie rescheduled. My husband is out of the country for ten days with our youngest son. I have no excuse but to have at least a week of super-productive writing and that means shutting down the social media to a minimum … or I’m in trouble, as it’s the biggest time-suck going!

I’m going to send you instead to Jenny Hansen’s blog which has one of THE most amazing collections of links about writing I’ve seen in a very long time. If writing is a topic that doesn’t call to you at the moment, there are other fab options. So do it … please … click right here and start visiting or bookmarking.

One of the awesome posts Jenny includes is August McLachlan’s “Plotting, Pantser, or Plantser:Finding What Makes You Tick”. I’ve always admitted I’m heavy on the pantser side of things but August, brilliant as usual, offers a compromise. Where do you fit?

Oh, and be sure to check out the always-entertaining Tameri Etherton’s post on self-hosting your own blog which also includes terrific links.

If you are a travel junkie like I am and have been following my posts about Drew and Christine Gilbert‘s documentary The Wireless Generation, take a few minutes to read this recent interview with Christine. All the links are also there for other information you might want to see about this creative, adventurous couple and the choices many people are making about taking their work with them as they travel the globe. As a senior *gulp*, I totally embrace the possibility. Would you?

Natalie Hartford, besides keeping her readers in stitches about topics most of us wouldn’t dare touch, is one of the most vocal advocates for the campaign against drinking and driving. Her family’s personal experience will touch your heart and hopefully encourage you to spread the word.

See what I mean? I could be on here all day just pointing you to other great spots to stop. As always, the blog roll down the side of my page here offers a wealth of fine reading. Alright … I’m outa here … see you Friday!

Thank you/Merci beaucoup!

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I’m dashing out the door to meet with my editor but want to say an enormous

THANK YOU

to all the readers and supporters who responded to The Bridge Club as Book Of The Day yesterday on eReaderNews. 

The Bridge Club shot up to #4 on Amazon’s Movers and Shakers/Digital Text! Woohoo! Thanks a million, everyone!