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My November/December Newsletter ~ warmest wishes to all

December 16, 2020 by Patricia Sands

Newsletter #83

Whoooosh! And there went November! Sadly, the virus did not disappear with the month but instead became more pervasive and deadly. I SO long to be able to begin my newsletter with happy news like the good old days. So far it simply is not happening and my heart goes out to all who are suffering. I know there is very little joy in our days right now, but my wish is that it will soon return for everyone.

For those who have had the good fortune to remain healthy, in the United States, I hope your Thanksgiving was celebrated safely and with someone you love. If we dig down deep, we can be reminded that there is much for which to be grateful and we need to hold on to that. Our Canadian Thanksgiving occurs in October, so there were no big turkey feasts for us this month.

I’ve been so busy with the release of the Tenth Anniversary edition of The Bridge Club, that I found myself behind with other things … like this newsletter. So this is going to be a combined November/December mailing.

The new book launch went well and I’m happy to have it out to readers now. Thank you to those who have already posted reviews. We’re excited about the beautiful new cover. Full credit for the cover goes to the talented Sharon Clare of Clarity Book Cover Designs.

This is still the original story with a few small revisions and then a completely new epilogue that brings the women together in 2020.

Here’s the announcement:
It’s release day for THE BRIDGE CLUB TENTH ANNIVERSARY EDITION IN PRINT AND EBOOK! For every woman who believes in lifelong friendship! This is a great gift to yourself or for your BFF (hint – holiday shopping!) and if you are a bridge player, BONUS, as there is a new bridge hand at the end of each of eight chapters, contributed by Canada’s international bridge expert (and wonderful friend!), Audrey Grant.

HERE’S THE LINK FOR YOUR COPY ~ https://amzn.to/3lPG7d2

There have been so many great graphics created for this edition of The Bridge Club and this is one of my favourites.

As I mentioned, for you and those bridge players in your life, this new edition contains eight original bridge hands by Canada’s international bridge expert, Audrey Grant. For more information about Audrey, check out her website BetterBridge.com with the very cool logo.

I hope you have been discovering ways to bring new diversions into your life as we all deal with lockdowns and more confinement at home. As I’ve mentioned previously, going through photos is one way I escape. I hope you continue to find some pleasure from these photos, as I do. The beauty of photography is how memories are captured and retain their magic in our hearts.

I took this first photo from the roof terrace of a sweet, restored fisherman’s cottage that we rented in Antibes a few years ago. The view takes us across the azure water of the Mediterranean to Cap d’Antibes. Fans of my Love in Provence trilogy will be able to imagine Kate and Philippe’s Villa des Violettes set on the hillside, shaded by the magnificent Umbrella and Aleppo pine trees.

I hope some of you have been getting a lot more reading done during this past year.

I am so grateful to all of my author friends who generously offer free books each month. To enter to win one of these books, you know the drill … send an email to patriciasandsauthor@gmail.com and, this month, mention your favourite holiday food. Further down this letter you will discover mine. Good luck/bonne chance with the random draws for winners!

Giveaway #1 ~ My dear friend, Heather Burch, is offering two ebooks of her newly-released novel, Whispering Beach. Heather is an international bestselling author of contemporary fiction, romance and angsty teen urban fantasy. After years in sunny Florida, she recently moved back to her hometown in Ozark Mountain country where any nearby coffee shop may become her office for the day. Connect with Heather here.

Here’s the blurb: But Angela’s journey is also one of self-reinvention as she navigates life free from the bonds of her controlling ex-husband. With her handsome neighbor and new friend, mystery novelist Ryan North by her side, Angela embarks on a voyage of discovery but the trail quickly runs cold until she’s whisked away to the romantic streets of Paris, France. She realizes the bonds of love shared by her groundskeeper and the young woman run as deep as the brooding Atlantic Ocean.

Along with that love are dark secrets, long hidden, but with the power to threaten life as she knows it.

Giveaway #2 ~ Here are two lovely seasonal reads! Christmas Sisters and Christmas Kisses are the first books in this exciting new series, that my sister Blue Sky Book Chat author Judith Keim introduces to you here. Judith writes heart-warming novels about women who face unexpected challenges, meet them with strength, and find love and happiness along the way. She enjoyed her childhood and young-adult years in Elmira, New York, and now makes her home in Boise, Idaho, with her husband and their two dachshunds, Winston and Wally, and other members of her family. Connect with Judith here.

The first book is FREE, SO EVERYONE CAN DOWNLOAD. YAY!CHRISTMAS SISTERS – the first book of six books in the Soul Sisters at Cedar Mountain Lodge series and is an introduction to the characters in the series and is FREE. Here’s the blurb: Random circumstances brought them together. Love made them family.
When a terrible accident takes Madeline Kirby’s husband and only child, the school guidance counselor is sure she can’t go on. Left behind with nothing but her work and an empty heart, she vows to survive Christmas by reaching out to comfort someone else who knows similar pain.

Fostering four motherless children for the holidays is supposed to be temporary, but as Maddie tends to defensive Stevie, distrustful Jo, delicate Alissa, and frightened little Hailey, the ache in her own heart slowly becomes bearable. And before the season of giving comes to an end, it becomes clear that life intended for them to find each other. Judith’s story: CHRISTMAS KISSES comes next and is the story of the youngest, fifteen years later. Hailey Kirby plans to spend a wonderful Christmas holiday at the Cedar Mountain Lodge with her family, celebrating her sister’s wedding as Maid of Honor. Things go awry when the wedding is called off. Hoping to comfort her sister, her mother and three sisters decide to go ahead with their winter vacation plans at the Lodge.

Hailey works in town as the children’s librarian, and under the pen name of Lee Merriweather is secretly the author and illustrator of picture books. Young children adore the stories of Charlie and his dog, Zeke, including Regan, the niece of Nick Hensley, a rock star musician who’s recently moved back to Granite Ridge. When he reaches out to the author to seek permission to write songs to go with the stories, Hailey is forced to confess who she is and the painful reason why she’s been hiding behind a pseudonym.

As Hailey and Nick put their creative minds together, they form a friendship that quickly grows to much more. Hailey learns to trust and discovers some chances in life are worth taking.

Giveaway #3 ~ Now here’s a treat! The exceptional Laura Bradbury, author of the delightful Grape series, has just published a fabulous cookbook with her friend, Rebecca Wellman. Rebecca is a talented photographer as well as an author. They are truly a dynamic duo! Laura’s giveaway is a wonderful gift for you or a special person on your list, one hardcover edition of Bisous & Brioche.Connect with Laura here.

Here’s the blurb: A book of recipes from the author of the Grape Series memoirs that will transport you to a rustic French cottage surrounded by vineyards, no matter where in the world your kitchen might be.

For years readers of Laura Bradbury’s bestselling Grape Series memoirs have been clamouring for the secrets behind all the mouth-watering meals described in the stories about her life in Beaune, Burgundy. Together with her friend, photographer and cookbook author Rebecca Wellman, Laura shares recipes that have been handed down through her husband Franck’s family or passed on by French friends and neighbours, and that now feature regularly on the menu at her house.

Bisous & Brioche features classics like vinaigrettes, madeleines, crêpes, crème fraîche, tarts, cassoulet, coq au vin—dishes whose names alone will warm the heart of any Francophile. The recipes are served up with anecdotes about their arrival in Laura’s life and are accompanied by Rebecca’s sun-soaked photos of market visits, meal prep, and lazy lunches in the vineyard.

Giveaway #4 ~ Every year I produce a calendar with some of my photos from France. I have two to give away! Please try and email soon so we can mail them off to you before the end of the year.

Good luck/Bonne chance! As always, I hope you enjoy meeting authors who might be new to you and connecting with those you already follow. Savour their books, find out more about the writers and pass along their information to your friends. Write a short review, thanks! The best way to hear about a good book is by word of mouth from dedicated readers like you. And if you take a minute to thank an author when you win a free book or post a photo on Facebook, trust me, we all appreciate that more than you know.

Congratulations to last month’s winners: Sandy Pochapin, Joyce White, Jackie Peters, Sandy Fields, and Jan Tomalis.
My December gift to readers is the $.99 price for The First Noël at the Villa des Violettes. Click right here for your copy or to gift the book to someone.

I hope you will mark your calendar for December 21^st, when I will be chatting with readers about The Bridge Club Tenth Anniversary Edition at our Blue Sky Book Chat book club evening. 7 p.m. Eastern. It would be great to see you there! I haven’t got a graphic for it yet … things have been a bit busy promoting the release and this just reminded me I better get that done!

As I mentioned, the holidays this month are going to be very different than ever before. Most of us will not be out in stores shopping, but don’t forget how easy it is to buy books online from your favourite book seller. Independent bookstores have provided amazing service through this pandemic with easy online browsing and they either deliver books or have curbside pick up. Let’s continue to support them when possible!

Do you pass along holiday baking recipes in your family? One of my favourite traditions of the season is baking shortbread, just as my grandmother and mother did with me and my children. For many years now this has been a special day with our grandchildren.

Here’s my Gram’s shortbread recipe. Give it a try! It’s simple and delicious!

1. 1 lb. salted butter – softened overnight

2. 1-1/2 cups golden yellow (brown) sugar (no substitution, Gram insisted)

3. 4 cups enriched white flour

In a glass or ceramic bowl, mix #1 and #2 thoroughly by hand (this is important) and then gradually add #3, again mixing by hand, until dough does not stick to bowl.

Flatten with your hand and cut cookie shapes. Add sprinkles if you like. Bake at 300 F for 15 to 20 minutes (depending on oven) on ungreased cookie sheet.

When cookies begin to look golden brown, they are done.
You can decide how dark you like them. Enjoy plain (our favorite) or add sprinkles before baking or icing when cool.

WARNING: these cookies are extremely addictive! Let me know if you try them.
Thank you all for another year of connecting. It has certainly been unusual and we can only hope that 2021 will being a vaccine to everyone and a return to some sort of normal. In the meantime, I’m repeating myself here from my past letters, but these thoughts are on my mind constantly.

If your health or that of someone you know has been affected, I hope the road to recovery is in sight. If there has been a tragic loss, please know everyone mourns with you.

So many of you are working from home and at the same time trying to take care of your family. Some of you are home schooling children and doing your best to keep your world and theirs revolving in some kind of “normal”. Families and friends are talking to each other more than ever before. Let’s keep that going.

So many of you have had your employment seriously impacted and are being forced to rethink how the rest of your life looks. You have strengths. Keep believing in yourself.
So many of you are taking risks every day and leaving the safety of your home to take care of the rest of us in a multitude of different ways.

There are not enough words to express our gratitude and admiration to all of you, and also to all those people around that I see doing such thoughtful acts of kindness, day in and day out. Let’s keep believing that we will get through this by continuing to help each other.

I will keep sharing this graphic until the day comes when we can all do our part. No matter what, we will never stop saying thank you to all who keep life going for the rest of us.

Stay well, my friends, be kind to one another, read a lot and appreciate every single day. Profitez de tous les jours! I’m reminded on a regular basis that the best part of being an author is hearing from readers. I value the messages I receive from you. Thanks also for sharing my books with your friends and for the reviews you write. It’s all most appreciated and inspiring.

Let’s follow guidelines, wear a mask outside and in crowds, and continue to be kind and helpful to each other. Treasure the memories of past holidays and believe those times will return. Stay safe.

See you next year! 2020 be gone!

Bonne fête de Pâques ~ Warm greetings for Passover and Easter (and an April 1st update)

April 11, 2020 by Patricia Sands

This is a special holy weekend around the world and I send warm wishes to those celebrating Easter or Passover ~ Chag Sameach. Of course, in these days of the CoronaVirus or Covid-19, all observances will be unlike ever before for everyone around the globe. I hope you are finding ways to connect with family and friends. Thank goodness for Zoom, Skype and FaceTime. At least we can see each other.

As I was doing some reading this week, I came across an article that spoke volumes to me about a meaningful message for both Passover and Easter. It had to do with hope, something so important to us even more so now.

I want to share it with you here.

This week in Prime Minister Trudeau’s daily address to the nation, he suggested children draw colourful pictures of Easter eggs and put them in the windows of their home. This was to remind the Easter Bunny to leave extra treats for healthcare workers and people performing essential services to help us through the current crisis. We owe them our gratitude in so many ways and I thought it was a lovely way to encourage children to think of these people. It’s such a hard time for youngsters and difficult to understand how their world has changed for the moment.

The tradition of Easter chocolate in France is very different. On the Thursday night before Easter, all the church bells go silent for the weekend. The ringing of the bells throughout the country on Easter Sunday morning alerts children to wake and search for their chocolate treats … not delivered by a bunny! Click on this link and get the full story from my friend, author Margo Lestz, who knows all the details of this longstanding tradition. She has an excellent post here comparing the traditions of children and chocolate at Easter. You will be surprised how the legends differ.

Chocolate is not quite so important at Passover. But the traditions and foods that go along with the special meal, the seder, are celebrated every year.

In many countries the month begins with April Fool’s Day, although again this year I think it was cancelled more than anything. But for those who haven’t heard before, you may be interested in knowing how April 1st is celebrated in an altogether unique way in France.

Imagine my surprise the first time I saw children sticking paper fish on each other’s back, whispering and giggling, and then hollering, “Poisson d’Avril!”

Excusez-moi? Fish?

As Wikipedia explains: “In Italy, France and Belgium, children and adults traditionally tack paper fishes on each other’s back as a trick and shout “April fish!” in their local languages (pesce d’aprile!, poisson d’avril! and aprilvis! in Italian, French and Flemish, respectively). Such fish feature prominently on many late 19th- to early 20th-century French April Fools’ Day postcards.

April-Fools-vintage-Image-TheGraphicsFairy.com

I had no idea where the tradition began and, after a bit of searching, found this explanation on France Travel Guide.

“Although the origin of April Fools is obscure and debated, the most widely accepted explanation actually credits the “holiday” as starting in France. The most popular theory about the origin of April Fool’s Day involves the French calendar reform of the sixteenth century.

The theory goes like this: In 1564 King Charles XIV of France reformed the calendar, moving the start of the year from the end of March to January 1.

However, in a time without trains, a reliable post system or the internet, news often traveled slow and the uneducated, lower class people in rural France were the last to hear of and accept the new calendar. Those who failed to keep up with the change or who stubbornly clung to the old calendar system and continued to celebrate the New Year during the week that fell between March 25th and April 1st, had jokes played on them.

Pranksters would surreptitiously stick paper fish to their backs. The victims of this prank were thus called Poisson d’Avril, or April Fish—which, to this day, remains the French term for April Fools—and so the tradition was born.”

Poisson d’avril

Boulangeries and patisseries deliciously get into the spirit with fish-shaped goodies. Oh … and did I mention the chocolatiers? Schools of fish of all sizes fill shop windows, the larger ones often filled with smaller treats. To a chocoholic, fish never tasted so good!

Since Easter usually falls around the same time, fish feature predominantly in shop windows through that holiday as well.

On The Good Life France (amazing photography and articles ~ you know I’m a huge fan!), there’s another article by Margo Lestz about April 1st in France. Margo writes perfectly-researched articles, as well as entertaining books about some of the quirky history and traditions of France. Click here to visit her website!

I hope you find this post a bit of a diversion from more pressing issues. One positive aspect of these days of confinement is the opportunity to do a lot of reading, pursue other interests and stay connected with each other. It’s so important to stay home and stay safe.

My heart goes out to anyone who has been impacted by the virus, either directly or indirectly and I send heartfelt wishes for a full recovery to those who are sick and hope for the future to those whose jobs have been impacted. Sincere condolences to families who have lost loved ones. The selfless healthcare and essential workers around the world who are on the front lines are inspiring. We are so grateful to you.

Keep hope alive. Stay well.

Let these books take you on an adventure. Bon voyage!

Newsletter #76

April 6, 2020 by Patricia Sands

What can I say? Things have definitely changed since the last time I sat down to write to you. I was unsure what to write here… so much has been said by so many … and in many instances, so well.

One thing of which we still can be certain: the sun will rise and set every day. And that’s a good thing to hold onto.

I would ask how you are doing but I know most of us have the same answer. We are just doing. Hanging in. Waiting. Hoping. Reassuring our children and grandchildren. My wish is that you and your loved ones are staying well. For those who sadly have to fight the virus, our hearts are with you. If you have lost your job, our governments are working to help you and let’s believe those jobs will be waiting for you when the virus is gone.

And some are doing so much more. People providing essential services are the true heroes of this crisis and we owe them more than we can express. From health care workers to first responders through a long list all the way through to truck drivers and people stocking the store shelves. So many people are going above and beyond what is normally asked.

If you are like me, there are moments when we want to say “Stop the world and let me off.” But we have to stay the course. And we will. All around the globe. We are all fighting this together and have strong and intelligent leaders in the scientific community who are informing and guiding the leaders of our countries. For this we are grateful.

What has inspired me the most is how people are reaching out … it seems everyone is, really … to family and friends and talking, connecting even more than before the crisis. Perhaps it is because we all have so much more time to do it. Since we can’t actually be together, we are finding ways to still feel we are not alone. In my family, we are saying thank goodness for FaceTime, Skype, Zoom and any other free program that allows us to get together virtually.

And thank goodness for books! I’ve been doing more reading than ever. Have you?

This quote of Nora Ephron’s says it all:

“Reading is everything. Reading makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something, learned something, become a better person. Reading makes me smarter. Reading gives me something to talk about later on. Reading is the unbelievably healthy way my attention deficit disorder medicates itself. Reading is escape, and the opposite of escape; it’s a way to make contact with reality after a day of making things up, and it’s a way of making contact with someone else’s imagination after a day that’s all too real. Reading is grist. Reading is bliss.”

Here are this month’s great giveaways. As always, to enter simply send your email to patriciasandsauthor@gmail.com. This month let us know where you live and what is helping you most to shelter in place. Please specify your choice of book. With it being difficult to get to the post office these days, we are offering ebooks exclusively. All winning names are randomly drawn. Good luck! Bonne chance!

Giveaway #1 ~ My good friend, Heather Burch, is offering two ebooks of her top fan favourite novel, One Lavender Ribbon. Heather has always been drawn to epic tales about love and loss. “If I can make you laugh, cry, feel something deeply, if you want to hug those you love … I’ve done my job.” She is a bestselling author of contemporary fiction. A quote from her novel, One Lavender Ribbon can be seen at the John’s Creek Veteran’s Memorial Walk near Atlanta where her words are required reading for those who enter the memorial park. Heather lives in Missouri with her husband and sweet dog, Cooper.

Blurb: Reeling from a bitter divorce, Adrienne Carter abandons Chicago and retreats to the sun, sand, and beauty of Southern Florida, throwing herself into the restoration of a dilapidated old Victorian beach house. Early into the renovations, she discovers a tin box hidden away in the attic that reveals the emotional letters from a WWII paratrooper to a young woman who lived in the house more than a half-century earlier.

The old letters—incredibly poetic and romantic—transcend time, and they arouse in Adrienne a curiosity that leads her to track down the writer of the letters. William “Pops” Bryant is now an old man living in a nearby town with his handsome but overprotective grandson, Will. As Adrienne begins to unravel the secrets of the letters (and the Bryants), she finds herself not yet willing to give up entirely on love.

Connect with Heather her

Giveaway #2 ~ Loretta Nyhan is offering two ebooks of her new release, The Other Family. Loretta is the newest member of the author team hosting the Blue Sky Book Club. THE OTHER FAMILY is her sixth novel. When she is not writing, she is knitting, baking, and doing all kinds of things her high school self would have found hilarious. Loretta’s great sense of humour is also hilarious! She lives with her “wonderfully blended, Brady-Bunch family” in the Chicago area.

Blurb: With a dissolving marriage, strained finances, and her life in flux, Ally Anderson longs for normal. Her greatest concerns, though, are the health problems of her young daughter, Kylie. Symptoms point to a compromised immune system, but every doctor they’ve seen has a different theory. Then comes hope for some clarity.

It’s possible that Kylie’s illness is genetic, but Ally is adopted. A DNA test opens up an entirely new path. And where it leads is a surprise: to an aunt Ally never knew existed. She’s a little wild, very welcoming, and ready to share more of the family history than Ally ever imagined.

Coping with a skeptical soon-to-be-ex husband, weathering the cautions of her own resistant mother, and getting maddeningly close to the healing Kylie needs, Ally is determined to regain control of her life. This is her chance to embrace uncertainty and the beauty of family—both the one she was born into and the one she chose.

Connect with Loretta here.

Giveaway #3 ~ Barbara Davis, also a sister Blue Sky Book Chat author, is offering two ebooks of The Wishing Tide. After twelve years in the jewelry industry, Barbara surrendered to the muse, leaving the corporate world in order to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a writer. When not writing she’s an avid reader, foodie, and lover of music, a rabid football fan, and a devoted Florida Gator. Her joyful enthusiasm for life is catching! Barbara lives with her husband and cat in Dover, New Hampshire.

Blurb: Five years ago, Lane Kramer moved to Starry Point, North Carolina, certain the quaint island village was the place to start anew. Now the owner of a charming seaside inn, she’s set aside her dreams of being a novelist and of finding love again. When English professor Michael Forrester appears on Lane’s doorstep in the middle of a storm, he claims he’s only seeking a quiet place to write his book. Yet he seems eerily familiar with the island, leaving Lane wondering if he is quite what he appears.
Meanwhile, Mary Quinn has become a common sight, appearing each morning on the dunes behind the inn, to stare wistfully out to sea. Lane is surprised to find a friendship developing with the older woman, who possesses a unique brand of wisdom, despite her tenuous grip on reality.
As Lane slowly unravels Mary’s story and a fragile relationship between Lane and Michael blooms, Lane realizes the three share a common bond. But when a decades-old secret suddenly casts its shadow over them, Lane must choose between protecting her heart and fighting for the life—and the love—she wants.

Connect with Barbara here

I hope you enjoy meeting authors who might be new to you and connecting with those you already follow. Savour their books, find out more about the writers and pass along their information to your friends. Write a short review, thanks! The best way to hear about a good book is by word of mouth from dedicated readers like you. And trust me, we all appreciate that more than you know.

Congratulations to last month’s winners! It was SO much fun to offer the lovefest of books that were all about France!

Lori Moon

Yoly Diaz

Alisa Simpson

Sharon Haan

Nancy Peterson

Audrey Wick Maarja

Paris Rose Shepperd

Lura Dillard

Joy Isley, Lisa Harness, Clare O’Beara, Bonnie Karoly, Marlene Gagnon

Usually at this time of year, I’m preparing to leave for France and always excited about it. Like so many other people who have had to cancel or postpone plans and special events, I won’t be going anywhere overseas in the near future. We’ve had to postpone our women’s tours to 2021 and look forward to doing them then. The only thing I, and so many of you, want now is to be with our kids and grandkids. My husband and I are on Day 10 of our 14-day quarantine after returning from Florida. And even when finished this weekend, we will be staying home like everyone else until we are assured the coast is clear. Who knows when that will be.

Let’s flatten the curve!

And now, just because … here are a few photos that I hope will give you some pleasure. How could I not post some photos of France, no matter what is going on? We must keep dreaming!

Rather than share a recipe this month, here’s a photo of our grandpup, Georgia. We miss being able to walk with her and give her hugs. She makes us smile and feel happy whenever we see her. I hope she does the same for you. For those of you sheltering at home with pets, you are so fortunate! Hug them often! And if you do not have a pet at home with you, feel free to print out this photo (like my SIL does! 🙂 ) and let Georgia bring you a smile any time.

Keep informed. Follow instructions. Stay well. Keep reading! Know you are cared for.

Stay well, my friends, be kind to one another, read a lot and appreciate every single day. Profitez de tous les jours! I’m reminded on a regular basis that the best part of being an author is hearing from readers. I value the messages i receive from you. Thanks also for sharing my books with your friends and for the reviews you write. It’s all most appreciated and inspiring. See you next month!

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