Patricia Sands

Author

Author Promotion

Lights, Camera, Action!

by

Do you love movies? I do! My husband and I go out to the movies at least once a week and watch several more a week at home. Okay, full disclosure – if the weather is really bad, we’ve been known to do a triple-feature . I’m not necessarily proud of that but it is kind of fun when there’s a winter storm raging on the other side of the windows!

There’s one couple though that I believe has watched more movies than anyone else around in the past couple of years. Susan Winlaw and Alexander Law have recently published three terrific books for movie buffs.

Movies About Weddings – A guide to 700+ movies with weddings

Movies About Christmas – Naughty or Nice? (400+)

Movies About Women – Reel women share stories of life and love (500+)

Can you imagine how much popcorn they  must have consumed? I can’t watch a movie without it! Seriously, the amount of time and effort put into these books is phenomenal. They would make wonderful gifts for a wedding shower, birthday or Christmas for anyone you know who loves to watch movies. One-stop shopping right here! Take a look!

I recently had a great chat with Susan.

What was your primary inspiration for publishing books about movies?

 Alex (my husband and co-author) and I have always been interested in movies and we’ve shared our favourite films with friends over the years. This project is an extension of that sharing to a wider audience.

Basically, we wanted to help women find movies they’d like to watch and saw there was nothing like this out there. Sure there are huge books that come out every year from famous movie critics but they are enormous. We started with 3 areas that interest many women. We wanted to bring forward some excellent movies that have been forgotten or are completely unknown and shine a light on them.

  So far you have covered movies about Weddings, Christmas, and now Women. Which was your favourite book to put together?

 Each one had special moments, particularly when I’d watch to review a film that moved me. The more I got into the rich mosaic of Women, the more I enjoyed that theme. We’re working on volume 2 of Movies About Women  and are asking all of our contacts for suggestions. So far there are enough to fill that volume and continue into number 3.

 The books contain an incredible amount of information! What sort of a process do you use and how long does each one take?

The process continues to evolve. Basically we are watching movies all the time from many different sources (in theatres, on TV, through Netflix, from Rogers DVD mailing service, from the Toronto Public Library, etc). We’ll either do a review right then or mark it for a future book theme. This also makes it impossible to answer how much time each book takes, as we’re always working on more than one book at the same time. But our first book in the series took us about 18 months of research and writing to get it to the press copies.

It’s important to know that each one of the films covered in our books has been watched by either Alex or myself and often both of us.

Now for the technical side, I had to learn Adobe’s InDesign to do a professional assembly for our printer in Oshawa and that was quite the challenge. Our first book (Car Advice for Women, And Smart Men) was a slightly smaller format than the movie guide books and we decided to make the Movies About… series a bit larger but no thicker. We wanted them to feel good in the hand. I didn’t know much about the program then, but I’ve learned more with each book, so it is a bit easier now – especially for indexing and categorizing of the movies. Categorizing involves our own personal categories and adding the basic ones that are inside the International Movie Database (IMDB). These categories help readers find the movies that appeal to them.

We have kept the number of pages to a maximum so the book fits into the letterbox and has a one price mailing cost in Canada and the US. We felt that was important and also simpler for us to handle. We also thought it was important that our Canadian purchasers did not have to pay more than our American buyers.

Was there anything that came as a great surprise to you in the journey from the spark of an idea to the final product?

 Yes. There are so many different pieces to put in place to produce the book and the amount of time it takes is staggering. Each piece takes a lot longer than you expect. Crosschecking the spelling of names that you know from seeing them a million times on the screen takes a very detailed hand and has to be done continually. The editing and proofreading is no simple matter and even after 10 times through, you still miss a few things. There are some parts of the publishing process that are outside my grasp, but I am trying to make the contacts to learn what I need and want to be able to share this with other authors who wish to publish their own works.

There is very little written in sufficient detail for the author/publisher who is in Canada who wishes to publish physical books for the North American audience, let alone publishing to sell to a global audience.

 How do you market and promote these editions? It strikes me they would be very good gift ideas!

 Right now our marketing and promotion is through all of the social media sites (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, GoodReads, etc) and with our websites and Press Releases that are sent out to all levels of media in both Canada and the US.

I also participate in shows where our audience would go – Word on the Street, Women’s Expo events, women’s networking events and anything that is reasonably priced. I’ve done a few author signings at local coffee shops and Chapters (Bayview Village in Toronto). And I’ve been invited to participate in internet radio/TV shows both here and in the US.

A few weeks ago I was part of a morning show on Rogers local cable in my home town of Woodstock, then did a signing at the Tim Horton’s close by, followed by a visit to Merrifield’s Book Shop.

The books are great gift ideas – especially when packaged together with a big bowl, some popcorn, a DVD and a card that promises the recipient that the movie will be watched together. You have a gift that keeps on giving (as the books let you find many more movies to see for years to come) and the gift of time with that person and that’s PRICELESS.

What future projects do you have in mind and when might we expect to see the next book from Bam Press?

 We have over 30 themes that we’re working on at all times, and there will be 2 books coming next year. We formed BAM Press to do these projects and we know that down the road we’ll be publishing movie guide books in themes that are not of a particular interest to us that will be written by other authors using our format.

 What advice would you give to someone who is considering publishing a similar type of book for the first time?

 Have a lot of money set aside well in advance. Plan your social media as you are working on the books so that you have a large following well before the book comes out. Take all of your time estimates and triple them and have a lot of supportive friends around to keep you going when the going gets tough.

You’ll also need space to store the books when they come off the printing press before you ship them to your readers.

Join writers groups both in your local area and on line and take on line courses to help with the book writing/editing and marketing.

Plan for a good editor as well as good proof readers and do not assume they will catch all the errors. You must also proof it yourself. Take time selecting your printer/binder from at least 6 companies and make on site visits so you can see their operation first hand and get a feel for the people you will be dealing with.

And connect with me as I will share our experiences to save you some time and perhaps some money. You can find me on Facebook and LinkedIn and through our web site http://bampress.com

Susan Winlaw – President BAM Press

Author/Speaker/Publisher/Editor

Movies About Women – Reel Women Share Stories of Live and Love – Pre Press copies are available now.

http://moviesaboutwomen.com

Movies About Weddings – A Guide to 700+ Movies With Weddings

http://moviesaboutweddings.com

Movies About Christmas – Naughty or Nice? A Guide to over 400 Movies With Christmas

http://bampress.com

and in the safety line…..

Car Advice For Women (and Smart Men)

http://www.caradviceforwomen.com

Coming Soon…………Safety Advice For Women

One Yonge Street, Suite 1801,

Toronto, ON, Canada, M5E 1W7      VMail & FAX 416-981-3404

Are you a movie buff? What type of movies do you most enjoy?

While I’m on this topic, I want to suggest that you visit Jillian Dodd’s entertaining blog where she reviews movies on Fridays. Last Friday she reviewed The Ides of March which we just happened to see today. Her comments are spot on! She’s good and she is hilarious!

Guest post – Marcia Richards

by

I’m delighted to welcome Marcia Richards to do a guest post today. Please leave a comment and make her feel welcome!

A veteran blogger and author of Marcia Richards’ Blog…Sexy. Smart. From The Heart, Marcia writes about Sexy, Sweet Obsessions, 20th Century American Historical moments and people, and the path to realizing your dreams. She also has a Historical Trilogy in progress and is the author of a collection of Short and Flash Fiction stories. When she’s not writing, you can find her playing with the grandkids, traveling or turning old furniture into works of art. She believes there is always something new to learn.

Marcia shares insights here into how she found her “path” in life. Everything doesn’t work for everyone, as we know, and Fate has a way of intervening when we least expect it. As a result of her own experience, research and reflection, Marcia has a strong voice with which to offer words we might all put to good use. Thanks so much, Marcia for sharing this with us now.

Create Your Own Experience

Posted on September 16, 2011 by Marcia|

choosing the right path

Life is akin to one of those Choose-Your-Own-Adventure stories, don’t you think? For example, your decision to turn this corner alters the outcome in the chapter. If you hadn’t made that turn, who knows what might have happened instead? Would it have been a better story, or not?

I’ve long been one to study self-help books and learn more about myself and the people I associate with. I spent all my adult years with loved ones, friends and coworkers/employers who were afflicted with generalized anxiety disorder, an unhealthy ego and a need to control and manipulate each and every situation, or a victim mentality. We grow to be what we know.

It’s no secret that we have the power to change ourselves and our life circumstances, if we so choose. I sought to do that, as well as to understand those around me better. There are three behaviors that I adopted many years ago (many thanks to Dr. Phil McGraw).

I live by them and know that they have shaped all my decisions and helped me carve out the life I’m happy living. That’s not to say that I have been perfectly diligent in carrying them out every single day of my life. I don’t claim to be perfect at anything, but if my mistakes and learning curve can save you, or someone you love, a little angst then all my head-slapping moments were worthwhile.

1. You create your own experience ~ We create the results of our lives, whether they be happy or sad, successful or failed, good or bad, we made them that way. In a college class, my professor put it a different way, “If there is a problem here, I am the cause of it.” In other words, you are accountable for your life.

If you are overweight, unhappy, hate your job, always short of money, or distrusting of people, you’re accountable. Whatever your life circumstance is, it’s your responsibility and you’re accountable. If you think this doesn’t apply to you, trust me, it does. It applies to every one of us. You must acknowledge it, if you want to change your circumstance. The alternative is behaving like a victim. As long as you behave like a victim, your circumstance will remain the same. This is how the world works.

Be prepared to ask yourself the tough questions that will get at the crux of the problem. What is it you have to do or change to turn things around? The solution lies within you. Don’t be a victim. Take control and make the changes necessary.

2. We do what works ~ Do you know someone who has health problems but continues to do the thing that will make it worse? Do you see people in relationships push each other’s hot buttons even though they know the consequences? Knowing what we should do and doing it are two different things. The fact is that the undesirable behavior generates some level of satisfaction or value to us, or we would not do it.

We need to understand what the pay-off is for the undesirable behavior in order to eliminate it. Stopping for fast food is easier and faster than cooking at home. Pouting makes her husband feel badly for arguing with her. Reading emails is more comfortable than staring at that blank page that is your WIP. Find and control the pay-offs and you control the behavior.

3. We teach people how to treat us~ Eleanor Roosevelt said, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” When we allow a person in our life to treat us in an undesirable way, they learn that behavior is okay and continue forward in the same manner. Rather than complain about how others treat us, we need to look at what we are doing to get these results.

We must commit to change in the dynamics of the relationship in order to fix it. The other person will fight the change since he/she won’t be getting the same satisfaction from their behavior. Stay the course and don’t sell yourself short. You get what you give.

Choose your own life adventure…which road will you take or help someone else take? Interested in this philosophy? For more, read Dr.Phil’s book, Life Strategies. Public opinion about Dr. Phil is mixed, but I think he’s spot-on target in this book.

INTERVIEW:  I knew you would want to know more about Marcia. Enjoy her responses below!

We have all become writers through such different paths, how did you begin?

As a teenager, I wrote poems to soothe my angst over boys and rules, etc. I continued to write throughout my life – mostly job-related projects. In 2003, I began my first blog, Sage Seeds, which grew out of a difficult experience in my life. I wrote self-help topics, hoping to pass on what I had learned about relationships and myself. I blogged seven days a week, then burned out after a few years. In 2010, I began my current blog and followed one of my passions again – helping people with their life struggles. I soon realized I wanted to write books, specifically self-help and historical fiction. As an author, I learned I would need a platform from which to sell my books. My blog, Marcia Richards’ Blog…Sexy. Smart. From The Heart., has evolved to incorporate several passions, as readers will see when they visit.

What projects are you working on now?

I’m blogging 3-5 days per week. One day every other week is devoted to The Life List Club, which encourages readers to create their own life list and work toward their goals. We have some wonderful writers involved, and we all take turns guest posting on each other’s blogs. That gives readers a lot of fresh articles and many points of view.

I’m in the process of creating writing projects that will be free to subscribers on my blog. I am also 30% into my debut novel-the first of a trilogy, The Dance and The Dancer, set in a time of turmoil, it’s the story of a young woman fighting her way through early adulthood to become what she was told was not possible.

In addition, I am writing short stories based on my book’s characters, and flash fiction stories to compile in an anthology. I’m writing an inspirational self-help eBook, and I’m in the very early planning stages of a narrative non-fiction about overcoming life’s difficult moments.

What inspired you to write historical fiction?

My mother was born in 1924 and suffered a difficult childhood, then found her way to become a chorus line dancer. That career led her to my father and settling in New York State. Her story has always fascinated me and I felt I had to write about it. So, the 2nd book in my trilogy is loosely based on her life story. I’ve always loved history.

What advice do you have for writers building an author platform?

1.Realize an author is a professional and an entrepeneur. You are growing a business.

2.Seek out the “experts” for lessons in effectively marketing yourself and your work. Then filter out what doesn’t work for you.

3.Create a blog that reflects you and your work. Your readers will appreciate your professionalism, but more than that, they’ll appreciate your openness, honesty and accessibility.

4.Do begin social networking. Make real friends. Writing is a solitary career. Only by enjoying the company of others can we hope to keep the creative juices flowing, as well as develop a community of support.

5.Naturally, a platform means nothing if you don’t have a product to sell. You must write and finish your WIP, but do take the time to develop your platform. Set your insecurities aside when it comes to being social, and do your best to balance writing, socializing, and home life. Persevere; it will get easier.

What is your workspace like?

I have an office on the second floor of my home adjoining my bedroom. My windows provide me with a gorgeous view the foothills of the Catskill Mountains. In that office, I’m surrounded by my favorite things: my books, collections, and music. Oh yeah, and my cat, Rocky, is always at my side – snoring.

What do you do when you aren’t writing?

My husband and I visit our family and friends, explore the quaint towns in our part of the state, and we try to make time to pursue our hobbies: for me, taking old furniture and painting it with personality; for him, restoring our 1885 Victorian home.

What is the one thing you know for sure?

We all have a deep, abiding strength. We may have to reach way down and yank it out, but it’s there. That strength gives us the power to overcome anything life throws in our way.

Marcia is one of an incredible group of writers who came together in a blogging class led by Kristen Lamb, Social Media Goddess extraordinaire. I hope to feature many more of them in the coming months.  Kristen is offering the course again. Hurry and sign up!

Come hang out with Marcia at: http://twitter.com/MarciaARichards or http://facebook.com/MarciaARichards .

Visit Marcia at: http://Marcia-Richards.com

Let’s talk home exchange …

by

Author Catch up with Patricia Sands – in my next life…

My name is Linn B Halton, I am one of the featured new Authors onloveahappyending.com and I’m also the Editor of:-

**Author Catch Up**

I will be talking to our new authors, finding out more about them and following the progress of their careers.  We are a wide ranging group by genre, age of author and geographical location.  That’s what makes this project so interesting and we hope you think so too!  From the soon-to-be published, to those authors with a couple of books already out there – each one is a different story and I hope to keep you up to date with every single one.   So don’t forget to pop back again!  If you would like to get to know our new authors and become an Associate Reader please get in touch!

 

Patricia Sands has boundless energy and just as well as she leads a very busy life!  We were having a little chat and I was quite surprised to learn about a side of Patricia of which I was totally unaware.  I’m sure she won’t mind if I share our conversation with you ……

I think in my next life I want to be a travel advisor … or a travel photographer … or a travel writer … or perhaps all of those. Ever since I first visited Europe at the age of 21 in 1967, I’ve had a love affair with that part of the world.

Some people  feel a bucket list is something you put together as your life is drawing to a close. Isn’t it more fun to keep these lists all our life and have them shift and change as we do? When one item is removed, another is added. Think of it as a wish list – a much more positive term – and there’s always something to plan, big or small!

In the process of preparing to leave for this trip, over coffee with friends I commented  how such an experience could be available to most people if they so desired. The simple answer is two words – home exchange.

The reactions ranged from horrified, “You’d let perfect strangers stay in your home?” to excited, “I’ve always wanted to do that!”.

During the last twelve years my husband and I have successfully enjoyed seven home exchange trips. In fact, they have all been quite wonderful and the truth of the matter is we have become friends with every one of our exchange families. Often we simply keep in touch from time to time but a connection certainly gets made and sometimes it goes beyond that. While we are here this summer, we will have a visit with a wonderful French  family with whom we exchanged ten years ago. We’ve had some great times together on three other trips to France as well.

One of our best exchanges was two months (September, October) in the middle of a private vineyard in the Var region of France. We were in the hills but just a half-hour from the coast and even got to help with the grape harvest (at our request). The others, all memorable,  were in Portugal, Italy, London, Vienna, a second in the south of France, and California.

Without getting into all the details, there are excellent home exchange websites that have been established companies since long before the internet. In those days they produced catalogues of their listed properties. With e-mail the ability to connect is simple and before you ever commit to an exchange you can get to know each other. Interior and exterior photos are exchanged as well so you can determine if the property is acceptable to you.

Obviously the cost of your trip becomes significantly lower when accommodation is free. We have never experienced one problem and have always returned to find our home just as we left it. What I love best about this is that it reaffirms my belief that most people are good and honest and just like you. You will hear these words from the many people on exchange sites who write about their experiences. Give it a try!

I’m happy to answer questions about home exchanges if anyone has them. I’m going to be writing a bit about that whole experience in my next novel. Part of the story is set in the south of France and I’m thankful to be able to gather my research information firsthand while we are here.

The most difficult part of this trip is missing our six grandchildren – especially the youngest who, at ages 2 and 3, still love having their grandparents come to spend time with them. Thank goodness for Skype!

Have you ever tried a home exchange? As you can see, I enjoy talking about it and am happy to share my information with you. I would love to hear your experiences or answer your questions.
We have always used Homelink which is a long-established international organization. Click here to enter the Visitor’s Welcome page for the Canadian website and read about other members’ experiences.
This post is part of an interview I had a short while ago. Love A Happy Ending is a great author/reader website whose members are from many parts of the world and it’s a pleasure to be a part of this positive, upbeat global group.

Chocolate anyone?

by

A few weeks ago I posted a recipe here for a super-scrumptious chocolate cake.( It was a lovely surprise for my launch party last November from cake-artiste-extraordinaire Nicole Lachapelle.)   I’ve had some great e-mails from several of you who took the time to make the cake. It was so much fun to hear you enjoyed it as much as we did … and yes, I agree, the icing bowl hardly needs to be washed when you are through with it!

I may have confessed before, but I’ll repeat it again: I am a lover of all things chocolate and rarely a day goes by that I don’t have a taste of it one way or the other.

My friend Barbara Conelli is the author of  Chique Secrets Of La Dolce Vita. It’s a great read at any time but if you are planning a trip to Italy it is a MUST READ. No question about it. A few weeks ago she had a most delicious post on her blog. I could almost taste the chocolate! I’m sharing it with you today so you can at least indulge yourself in a virtual way. Buon appetito!
A Chocolate Kiss From Tuscany
 I bought my very first box of Amadei chocolates a couple of years ago at Rinascente, the most famous department store in Milan. Rinascente means “newborn”, and on that day, I was truly newborn, in a very chocolate way.

Amadei Chocolate

The motto of Amadei is: “Amadei is a dream which takes the shape of chocolate,” and these words reflect the nature of this heavenly creation perfectly. Cecilia and Alessio Tessieri founded the company in 1990 in Tuscany, turning their love for chocolate into a magical masterpiece. These master chocolatiers know their chocolate, and they know how to ingeniously play with subtle flavors.

Cecilia says: “When a maitre chocolatier succeeds in making people smile by eating chocolate, he or she has reached the goal. Tasting means being carried away by sensations“.

Amadei Chocolate

Each Amadei chocolate is the result of a fascinating and skilled game which combines creativity and fantasy, tastes and flavors, to give you the real pleasure of chocolate. When you taste this Tuscan delight, you know for sure that Amadei chocolate is created with enthusiasm, curiosity, and a great passion and love for chocolate.

This is what the Tessieri’s say about indulging in the taste of chocolate, and let me borrow their words here, because no one could say it better than them: “Tasting chocolate is a global experience, a pleasure that involves all senses. Sweet like a caress, as soft as a hug in which the embraced one remains. A shiver that is born, then little by little becomes a waterfall, then carries you away without any possibilities of escape. The chocolate slowly melts between the lips, exhaling the aromas that stimulate memories…”

Amadei Chocolate

 I’m a passionate chocoholic and although I love all Amadei creations, these are my favorites:Desiderio (Desire) with pistachios and marzipan, Delizioso (Delicious) with hazelnut cream, Passione(Passion) with rum, and Solare (Solar) that tastes like zabaione, a famous Italian dessert. Yes, every piece of Amadei chocolate has a name that evokes its unique taste and flavor.

A friend of mine says that chocolate is a food group, and I agree with all my Chique heart. Let a piece of chocolate melt in your mouth right now, even if it’s not Amadei. Enjoy its smell, its texture and its flavor. Allow yourself to indulge in this heavenly treat with all your senses. And when you go to Tuscany, don’t forget to stop in Pontedera to discover the sweet secrets of Amadei.

Have a very dolce weekend 🙂

Take some time to enjoy the rest of Barbara’s always entertaining website. When it comes to the joys of Italy and la dolce vita, Barbara is definitely your go-to Bella Italiana! Click here to go to her website.

Are you a lover of chocolate or does a different sweet or savoury indulgence call to you? Leave a comment below and share it with us. Thanks!