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Patricia Sands

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Writing

Girlfriendology – what friendship is all about!

April 13, 2011 by Patricia Sands

Here’s another great website. Girlfriendology celebrates the meaningful friendships women share. Their posts are informative, entertaining, and important, supported by relevant links. The interaction of their thousands of followers speaks to the popularity of Girlfriendology. They have just begun a Wednesday page where women can send in photos of their girlfriend groups and I’m sharing the wonderful women of my “bridge club” this week. Rock on, ladies!

Read below or click here to go directly to the page.

Wordless Wednesday: Patricia’s Bridge Club / Girlfriend Group

Well, it’s not completely WORDLESS Wednesday, but it is a great reason to feature the beauty of girlfriends!
We’re started a new feature on Girlfriendology on Wednesdays to feature YOU and YOUR GIRLFRIENDS. Every Wednesday we’ll share a photo of a girlfriend group and tell you a little about them. We’re hoping it inspires you to spend some beautiful moments with your girlfriends and to share with Girlfriendology. (To submit your girlfriend photo, check out Wordless Wednesday/Girlfriendology.)

Author, PATRICIA SANDS shared this about her girlfriend group:

This is my “bridge club” during a one-week reunion on Vancouver Island last September. Friends for over 45 years! My recently published novel, The Bridge Club, is based on this amazing friendship that has never faltered. Friends forever is our motto.

Here’s what Amazon has to say about her friendship novel:

Where can you find a story about friendship, laughter and the good things in life that also touches on alcoholism, infidelity, porn addiction, terminal illness and grief? For most women, it’s often within their own circle of friends. Patricia Sands reminds us of the complexities of women’s friendships in The Bridge Club, a moving tale of eight women whose lives intersect once a month initially to play the game of bridge. What began as one night turns into four decades that span the segments of a woman’s journey from youthful optimism to embracing the challenges and opportunities presented in life’s later years.
For more than forty years, the mantra of these women has been “one for all and all for one.” Beginning their monthly soiree in the psychedelic Sixties, unpredicted twists of fate weave through the good times and strong friendship they share as the years pass. The constant from one decade to the next is loyal and nonjudgmental support, even when agreeing to disagree is the final solution. From the exhilarating cultural changes of their early times together through the “zoomer” years, their connection never falters. As they celebrate turning sixty at a group birthday weekend, each woman recalls a time in her life when the Bridge Club came to the rescue. After tossing around ideas mixed with a generous helping of common sense and a large dose of laughter they decide to refer to that time as their “SOS”. Eight chapters document each one’s story.
Everything is put into perspective and the strength of their friendship is tested when one of these women faces a life-altering decision. Her choice profoundly affects all of the group, pushing the limits of their beliefs and values. The unique alliance they share is confronted with an unimaginable crisis.

Based loosely on her own bridge club, Sands weaves the reader through a maze of life’s inevitable scenarios as the club bears the death of a member’s spouse, one woman’s meeting with her biological mother, the inevitable marital and health issues, and another’s final chance at freedom from the painful addiction to alcohol through rehab.

Although she has taken liberties with the actual events and it is truly a work of fiction, most issues faced by the characters in the book were experienced in her own bridge club. The bottom line of the story is a testament to friendship and hope.

Filed Under: Author Promotion, Blog, Writing Tagged With: adoption issues, alcohol rehab. Alzheimer’s, breast cancer support, coping with grief, cosmetic surgery, divorce, facing problems, follow your dreams, friendship, honesty between friends, The Bridge Club, the game of bridge, the power of friendship, women's support group

Get to know author Patricia Caviglia

April 2, 2011 by Patricia Sands

 

Patricia Caviglia is a bright new voice on the roster of Canadian writers. An exotic mix of Brazilian, Italian and French cultures influence the personality of this young woman in her mid-thirties. After growing up in Montreal and tasting life abroad with a six-month stay in Italy in her twenties, she moved to Toronto 5 years ago. Somehow she manages to juggle a full-time career, raising a three-year-old daughter, and a dedication to writing. Her first published work, Masks, is a novella that has a message for all ages but is primarily directed to the YA readers.
What was your primary inspiration for your novella Masks?
In 2008, I was at a crossroads in my life. I had become a new mom and realized I was my daughter’s first and most important example of a woman. I felt that I could only teach her to pursue her dreams by pursuing my own – even if, in the end I failed. I hadn’t written in years, but it had always been my dream to be a published author. I went for it.

How do you initially develop your characters and do you find they begin to take on a life of their own as the story progresses?
I don’t think I develop my characters at all. Something will trigger their existence in my mind. With Masks, a movie [Tout est parfait (Everything Is fine)] about a clique of suicidal boys reminded me so much of being a teenager that I couldn’t shake off the feeling. A few days after seeing the movie, Rebecca, the main character in Masks, appeared in my mind.
My characters always have a life of their own. They have their interests, likes, dislikes, thoughts, pasts, dreams, bad habits, etc. Although they may only exist in my mind, they are fully formed people. If I want to know something about them, I ask them. I don’t debate whether something fits their life or not.
This sounds a little crazy but I’m sure a few fiction writers would say the same.

Are you drawn more to crafting short stories or is there a novel waiting to be unleashed?
I enjoy writing both. At times, I don’t feel like writing and have to push myself. Writing a short story can be just as hard as writing a novel. It all depends on the story. But with the short story, if I force myself to write, I know I will reach an ending fairly quickly. That makes it easier to motivate myself. With a novel, the page count alone leaves me a little ill. When I look at the bottom of the screen and see 235 words as the total word count, I think “Only 69 365 to go for a novel.” That’s scary!
Having said that, I love writing. Whether it’s a well crafted letter or e-mail, a blog post, a short story, song lyrics, or a novel, I enjoy it all.

As writers, we all have hopes as to what our readers will take away from a story. What were yours with Masks?
My stories don’t have any morals. I read because I enjoy a good story. I write because I enjoy writing. I hope my readers will enjoy my story. I hope that for a few hours, they will get lost in someone else’s life.

How does your writing reflect your personal view on life?
I like to dream about the possibilities, but I live with both feet firmly planted on the ground. I write stories that could be about anyone one of us. I’m sure there is a technical term but I don’t know what it is. I think of myself as a a real life fiction author.

You are such a busy woman. With a full-time career and a delightful three-year-old daughter, how do you find time to write?
I sleep little and mainly write after I get home from work around 10 PM for as long as I can. Last night, I was revising Masks for Kindle Publishing until three thirty.

Was there anything that came as a big surprise to you in your journey to become a published author?
I was surprised by how supportive my friends have been. They are proud of me for having finally published. They have always seen me as an author and were happy for me when I decided to pursue my passion.

What advice would you offer to writers who are considering publishing for the first time?
Start building your social media network when you decide publication is what you want. Blog, Tweet, Facebook. Do it all. If you don’t know it already, you will be hitting your head against the wall for weeks and months trying to figure all this stuff out. You need it to build an audience and promote your work. Get familiar with the sites.

I understand you are currently working on a couple of manuscripts. Are you willing to share anything about your next novel with us at this point?

One is a story about a rock star. I am debating how to publish it. It might be a serial of short stories. We’ll see.The other project is an offshoot of Masks. The main character is Diana Rainville, the awful best friend. It takes place a few years after high school and she’s still dealing with the consequences of her betrayal. I really like her. I hope readers will like her too. Lastly, I am currently revising Masks and releasing the new version as an e-book only on Amazon and Barnes & Noble on April 3.

To read samples of Patricia’s work and keep up with her latest projects, visit her website and leave your comments at http://www.patriciacaviglia.com

 

Filed Under: Author Promotion, Blog Tagged With: Editor's Choice, iUniverse, Masks, Patricia Caviglia, Patricia Sands, self-publish, Women, writing, Young Adult readers

The writing community as I see it

March 29, 2011 by Patricia Sands

One of the best parts of being involved with the writing community is meeting the engaging and dedicated people who participate in and contribute to it – both online and off.  Experienced or novice, young or not so young, every genre imaginable from steampunk to romance to whatever, everyone is in the mix. Honestly, the amount and variety of information-sharing is impossible to categorize or quantify. It is simply amazing. The same might be said for the people themselves. One thing I have found is that the great majority are good-humoured (downright zany, in some wonderful cases), bright, energetic, and interested in sharing experiences and knowledge. Information overload is a chronic condition of the writer while sorting, storing, and retrieving take time away from the precious moments we actually find to write. The learning curve is steep for those of us just beginning to test the waters. It’s a journey I wouldn’t want to have missed!

One example of the type of person to which I refer is Kathy Scott, creator of an impressive website. Click here to read the Q&A about The Bridge Club on Me and My 1000 Girlfriends, That’s Who!

Filed Under: Blog, Writing Tagged With: Kathy Scott, Me and My 1000 Girlfriends, Patricia Sands, self-publishing, The Bridge Club, writing

ForeWord 2010 Book Of The Year finalist

March 21, 2011 by Patricia Sands

Last week I was honoured to receive the following news:

iUniverse would like to congratulate you on a job well done.  ForeWord has announced the 2010 Book of the Year Award Finalists.  There were more than 1,400 books entered into 56 different categories. These finalists represent some of the best work coming from today’s independent press community.  So once again, Congratulations!

For more information on the Foreword Book of the Year Awards, please see the e-mail below.

2010 Book of the Year Award Finalist – General Fiction – The Bridge Club, Patricia Sands

http://spiritualityhealth.magazinemanager.com/intranet/ClientFiles/Client762/Images/foreword-reviews-banner.png

Announcing the 2010 Book of the Year Award Finalists!
ForeWord Reviews is pleased to announce the 2010 Book of the Year Awards list of finalists. Representing more than 350 publishers, the finalists were selected from 1400 entries in 56 categories. These books are examples of independent publishing at its finest!

For a full list of the finalists, searchable by genre, visit: http://www.bookoftheyearawards.com/finalists/2010/

Winners will be determined by a panel of librarians and booksellers selected from our readership. Gold, Silver, and Bronze winners, as well as Editor’s Choice Prizes for Fiction and Nonfiction will be announced at a special program at the ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans this June. The winners of the two Editor’s Choice Prizes will be awarded $1,500 each and ForeWord’s Independent Publisher of the Year will also be announced. The ceremony is open to all ALA attendees and exhibiting publishers.

ForeWord‘s Book of the Year Awards program was created to spotlight distinctive books from independent publishers. What sets the awards apart from others is that final selections are made by real judges–working librarians and booksellers–based on their experiences with patrons and customers.

Filed Under: Blog, Writing Tagged With: ForeWord 2010 Book Of The Year Finalist, self-publishing, The Bridge Club, women's friendship

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