Patricia Sands

Author

Photo blogs

April in Paris … come on along

by

If it’s Friday, it must be France …1.DSC07107

I’ve been off the radar a bit, attempting to catch up on everything  in my writing life, after the fabulous Indie ReCon 2015 last week. I hope you had a chance to drop by some of the sessions and any you missed can still be accessed. Congratulations to ALLi (the Alliance of Independent Authors) and everyone involved all around the globe for a job well done!

Once again the worldwide community of indie authors demonstrated that contagious spirit of collegiality and information sharing that defines them!

But now I have to admit there’s only one thing on my mind!

tumblr_n52bb2HDdA1rrqsx6o1_500

Tomorrow my husband and I leave for our annual stay in the south of France.  We’ll kick it off with a few days in Paris and a road trip to some places we’ve wanted to visit for ages. Ask me if we’re excited!

I’ll be researching and taking photos and writing and savouring every moment. So come on along with me! I’m hoping to post a special image every day on Instagram and Facebook, if I don’t totally mess up the technology. Unlocking my phone this week was a challenge!

This week has involved a lot of family time for goodbye hugs along with organizing, packing, and taking care of all those details we all have when we’re about to go on a trip. That was all squeezed in whenever I was able to tear myself away from working on my Love In Provence Book #3 (okay, we’ll have a title contest in the next newsletter like we did for #2 ~ get ready!)… all I want to do right now is write! Some of our stops on this trip will be part of the story, but I’ll tell you more about that on the road. It’s going to be magnifique having you along!

Do you subscribe to my monthly newsletter? If you haven’t yet, you can do so by clicking right here or over in the column to the right .  If you are one of the enormously supportive and enthusiastic subscribers (who inspire me every day!), I wish you good luck with this month’s giveaway of a box set of 7 novels … yes, SEVEN  !

p.txt

 

The talented writers of Triskele Books generously offered this for my April giveaway. Here are the details … and, may I say, each of these books is an excellent literary experience,  spiriting readers to exotic locations and capturing imaginations with unique story lines.

Crimson Shore by Gillian Hamer
Rats by JW Hicks.
Behind Closed Doors by JJ Marsh.
Wolfsangel by Liza Perrat.
Delirium: The Rimbaud Delusion by Barbara Scott-Emmett.
The Rise of Zenobia by Jane Dixon-Smith.
Ghost Town by Catriona Troth.

Pop on over to their website for more information. Details of the draw are in my April newsletter. Bonne chance!

unnamedI’ll end this post (because I really should be sleeping …) with the surprise news I received last week. I had forgotten The Promise of Provence was entered in the eLit Book Awards 2015, and was pleased to discover a Silver Award in Popular Fiction and a Gold Award in the category of Travel-Essay! It’s always satisfying to have your work recognized! Congratulations to all the prize recipients and also to everyone who entered! If you’ve published a book, you’re already a champion! Write on!

We’re still having the odd snow shower in Toronto! How’s April in your part of the world? I hope you’ll join me for a few days of April in Paris! On y va!

1.Paris - 2009

 

 

 

 

Spring has sprung! Honest!

by

If it’s Friday, it must be France …

Happy first day of the Spring Equinox … even though March 20 is being referred to as Freaky Friday by some! In spite of some unusual occurrences including a solar eclipse and a supermoon, there is no denying it IS the first day of Spring.

Photo from Pinterest
Photo from Pinterest

Oh! It’s snowing where you are? Again? Désolée!

Just keep thinking Spring … I’ll keep thinking that for you too! It really is here, but I’ve heard the news is a little slow arriving in some places.

I’m celebrating the arrival of the end of winter by beginning my countdown to arriving in France for our annual stay on April 26.

I’m sorry, but I just can’t wait … 37 more sleeps …

Here’s our first stop and I’ll be taking all of you along with me. No packing. No waiting in lines. You are invited to simply sit back, relax and take a vacation in your most comfy spot! It’s going to be magnifique!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

 

To help get all of us in the mood for France, I’m giving away two books by the talented and much-loved Kristin Espinasse, to two of my newsletter subscribers. You haven’t joined us yet? Well, this month I will let you see what you’re missing! Click right here, enjoy the newsletter, and enter the giveaway! There’s a link to subscribe right here ====> in the column, if you don’t want to wait!

Let me know if you are making Spring getaway plans too. You know I love to hear all about your travel experiences! If you’re going to France and have questions, don’t hesitate to ask me. If I don’t know the answer, I’ll know someone who does!

~~~~~

Thanks for joining me today. If you like today’s post, please use the share buttons below. It all helps!

PatriciaSignature200

Back into the cave …

by

If it’s Friday, it must be France …

There is such joy in having children and grandchildren visit for their March break holiday. I wouldn’t trade it for the world! After the final wave goodbye, accompanied by a sniffle or two,  there is the absolute necessity to clamber back into my writing cave and attempt to get caught up. Ha! As if that ever really happens …

However, this cave is not a bad place to be when I’m writing about the Côte d’Azur and Provence. Photos, memories, and words carry me into my fantasies. The characters begin to take charge. Writing fiction is always an adventure.

8.IMG_6969

This is a view of Antibes taken from the top of the 500-year-old Fort Carré that sits overlooking the harbour. Beyond the old town, sits the forested Cap d’Antibes. If you follow my Love In Provence series, this is where Kat and Philippe have been investing time and energy restoring a long-neglected property with the hope of of a bright future.

I wonder what’s happened to them in the week I’ve left them to their own devices? I know there will be a surprise or two in store for me … and, eventually, you!

I was reminded of this quote from William Styron: 

“A great book should leave you with many experiences, and slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading.”

He might have added “as does the author while writing!”

Bon weekend, tout le monde!

 

 

~~~~~

Thanks for joining me today. If you like today’s post, please use the share buttons below. It all helps!

PatriciaSignature200

Nikos’ niche

by

If it’s Friday, it must be France …

Greek writer and philosopher Nikos Kazatzakis (18 February 1883 – 26 October 1957) and his wife settled in Antibes in 1948. The beauty here reminded him of Greece and inspired him to write his most famous novels including Zorba The Greek and The Last Temptation of Christ.

1.IMG_7046

I do share a lot of photos of Antibes on my blog (you know how that breathtaking town inspires me too …), but this is one of my favourites. I climbed up on the ramparts to include the palm in the foreground. Nikos’ house is just a few minutes walk from this point.

2.IMG_6546

Coming upon this simple memorial to him, just outside their former home, is both touching and inspirational. I think he would be pleased. Don’t you?

I’m spending a lot of time in my own “writing cave” at the moment. The deadline for my current manuscript is June 1. I think I can …  I think I can …

It’s easy to be motivated in Antibes as the ghosts of artists come to you in the narrow streets lined with shuttered houses, many hundreds of years old. As early back as 1500 BC, writers left their work in caves in the area. In the last few centuries a long list of influential authors, beside Kazatzakis, found inspiration here, including Dickens, Louisa May Alcott, DeMaupassant, Edith Wharton, Somerset Maugham, Graham Green, James Joyce, Nabakov, Gertrude Stein, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Pound, Sylvia Plath.  No doubt, I’ve missed some names. Van Gogh, Monet, Matisse, Renoir, Chagall, Picasso, Bracque, Miro are just a few of another equally long list of painters and sculptors who found the special light and air of the south of France irresistibly inspiring.

In June, I’ll be back in Antibes for a refill of the kind of inspiration Nikos and other writers treasured there. I’ll spend some moments sitting on that bench. When it’s not possible for me to be there, I lose myself in my photos. Is there a significant place where you find inspiration? Can you physically go there or is your special niche something spiritual? What works for you?

~~~~~

Thanks for joining me today. If you like today’s post, please use the share buttons below. It all helps!

PatriciaSignature200