Here we go again, my friends, another year to fill with lasting memories!

If you happen to check in on my blog (thanks if you do ~ please say hello), you’ll know I’m repeating the wish I shared there in my first post of this year. It’s what I hope for everyone.

Each New Year brings with it fresh hope and gives us renewed confidence and courage for a fresh start. 2016 has arrived filled with opportunities and promise.

Keep the good memories of years past, learn from loss and mistakes, and move forward, always hoping people everywhere may live with the peace and respect we all deserve.

My wish for each of us is this:

We didn’t have any snow in Toronto for Christmas this year and I missed it. Particularly after last year’s great abundance of the fluffy white stuff! But today the city is turning white. Yay! I hope the ski areas in Ontario are getting snow as the season got off to a dismal start here, unlike Whistler and western Canada. How was the weather during the holidays in your neighbourhood?

January has brought some good news.

Who doesn’t love a good deal? Amazon has included The Promise of Provence and Promises To Keep in the January Kindle Holiday Store Deal. Until the end of this month the books are on sale for $1.40 U.S. ~ almost free for heaven’s sake. If you don’t have your copies, now is a good time to pick one up or gift a few to your friends!

I’m also excited to let you know that I Promise You This, Book 3 in the Love in Provence series, is available for pre-order. That means you can order your copy now from Amazon and be assured of receiving it the moment the book is published by Lake Union on May 17^th. Just click on this link to pre-order AND read a synopsis.  You’ll be the first to know when I have permission to disclose the new cover.

January also brings us the next great edition of The Good Life France digital magazine. Remember, it’s free and fabulous! Filled with excellent photography and articles, click right here for your copy.

I’m in Toronto at the moment and the falling Canadian dollar, along with the state of the economy, is an ongoing concern. In an attempt to maintain a sense of humour through it all, I want to share this cartoon sent to me by a reader this week. Thanks, Terry! I thought it was hilarious and I hope it gives you a chuckle too.

All the more reason to keep writing stories that people enjoy and that offer an opportunity to escape into our imaginations from time to time. That’s why I’ve begun writing the first book of the next trilogy that continues to follow Kat and Philippe along with your favourite characters and a number of intriguing newcomers.

I’ll be back in the south of France in June and July to do research, take photos and enjoy sharing it with you. I promise you that! Once again, we have arranged two excellent home exchanges for our stays in France. Most you know by now that my husband and I are fans of this travel option. I’m often asked how we arrange our exchanges, so I want to include the following links for anyone who might be interested.

First of all, here’s a link to an article about home exchange for which I, along with a few others, shared information and experiences for the January 2015 Living France magazine.

These are the exchange websites we recommend:

Homelink.org              HomeExchange.com             HomeBaseHolidays

I’ll be honest: I’ve already begun counting the days to our departure!

Beautiful Arles in the Bouches-du-Rhône departement will be our first stop for a few weeks. We have visited there before but are eager to have a longer stay to explore and learn more about the distinct culture of this region.

And then we will be in Antibes/Juan-les-Pins for the month of July. You know how I feel about that! It’s like going home. And now I have all the Love In Provence characters keeping me company wherever I go. Seriously!

Speaking about travel is a good segue to the next part of this newsletter. This month we have a change in our giveaways from fiction with two memoirs. I love hearing personal stories others have to tell! One hilariously follows a reunion of three long-time friends as they explore colourful, exotic, India … oh, and they eat a lot of delicious food. The other takes us on a bittersweet personal journey from Canada to Africa.

Barb Taub began, “in a former life before children”, as a humor columnist for several Midwest newspapers. Now she lives in Scotland where she reads, reviews, blogs, writes and collaborates with her daughter, Hannah, on the Null City series. She has just publishedDo Not Wash Hands in Plates along with some of her besties, Jayalakshmi Ayyer and Janine Smith.

Barb tells us, “Basically, this is the story of three women eating our way across India in search of adventure, elephants, temples, palaces, western toilets, monkeys, the perfect paratha…and the kindness of Indian strangers.”

Jacquie Gauthier’s memoir, The Gift of an Elephant,  is a story about faith, change, struggle and, ultimately, love. In her native Canada, Jacquie was a local radio and television personality, a playwright and producer, and for a short time, a politician. Then a foreign aid trip to South Sudan changed everything. As well as writing this memoir, Jacquie is the co-founder of and image co-creator at Two Girls and an Elephant, a company combining stunning photography, art and elephant conservation.

There are two ebooks of each title for giveaway this month. Send an email topatriciasandsauthor@gmail.com and mention the most exotic place you’ve visited … even if it’s your back yard! Good luck/bonne chance!

Congratulations to last month’s winners of Promises To Keep, Karla Nodorft Heller and Nancy Jones, and to Jackie MacKinnon and Andrea (I’m sorry I don’t have your last name on file), who will hear from Christine Nolfi about their book from her. Thanks so much for all the entries! Your enthusiasm is inspiring!

If you are hunkering down with cold winter weather swirling around, as I am in Toronto today, this recipe will warm you up.  Best served with fresh baguette! Potage aux Legumesis described as Green Vegetable Soup (even though it does have carrots) and as the ingredients indicate, it’s a healthy, hearty meal in itself.

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!

Bon appétit et à bientôt!

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