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Patricia Sands

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Amazon Publishing

Spend some time with Christine Nolfi!

June 22, 2016 by Patricia Sands 13 Comments

Many of you are accustomed to seeing me involved in writing events and projects with Christine Nolfi.Nolfi-Photo-150x150 Collaboration is just one of the many rich and satisfying aspects of a writer’s world. Christine has also now been signed by Lake Union Publishing so we have even more opportunities to interact.

Hi Christine! It’s great fun to have you stop by for a chat!

Patricia, many thanks for the opportunity to stop by your blog! For those readers who are unaware, Patricia and I have been friends for quite a long time. She’s one of the first authors I had the luck of meeting when I began publishing.

Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions and give us a glimpse into your writing world.

PS ~ Have you always been drawn to writing? Was there a particular time in your life when you knew you simply had a story to share with the world?

CN ~ Like many novelists, I can’t recall a time when I wasn’t writing stories! In childhood, I had the other kids on the street convinced fairies had hidden treasures we’d find if we searched hard enough, and in high school, the literary magazine gave my stories front page billing. For many years I worked in public relations. When my children were in elementary school, I finally put storytelling front and center—the Liberty Series was the result.

PS ~ Your stories are described as 51vnQT3UNaL._UY250_“heartwarming and inspirational”, and they certainly are! Do you draw from past experiences in your own life when you develop an idea?

CN ~ Absolutely. I’ve had the luck of an interesting life, meeting an abundance of unusual people over the years. Many of my plots begin with a memory or an idea drawn from those past experiences. For example, the underlying story of Birdie finding her roots in Treasure Me is drawn from my personal history: my French ancestors were among the first families to settle in Charleston, South Carolina in the 1680s.

PS ~ When you begin a story, do you have an outline or do you have a particular writing style?

CN ~ I can’t begin work until a general outline becomes clear, and I’m certain of the main characters’ deep motivations and desires. The plot evolves and often changes as the characters come to life on the page.

PS ~ Is there a particular novel of yours that is your favorite? Why that one?

CN ~ Although I’ve fallen in love with characters of each novel I’ve written, THE TREE OF EVERLASTING KNOWLEDGE holds a special place in my heart. The themes underpinning the story were drawn directly from my experiences as an adoptive mother. In fact, several of the scenes in the novel were inspired by actual events. Like the book’s heroine, I underwent a personal transformation while helping my children put the nightmare of an abusive early childhood behind them.

PS ~ You create strong, engaging characters in all of your stories. Are any of those personalities based on people you have actually met?

CN ~ I suspect my characters represent an amalgam of personalities I’ve met over the years. I never begin work with the notion of representing an actual person in one of my novels.

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PS ~ Your new Wheaten Terrier pup, Lucy, looks like such fun and I’m sure she offers great diversion to your day. What else do you like to do when you aren’t writing?

CN ~ We adore Lucy! Barry and I moved to Charleston five years ago; in many ways, we’re still in tourist mode. We love strolling the beach, visiting the historical sites—Charleston is one of the oldest cities in the U.S., a distinctive the city shares with Boston. Lately I’ve begun researching my Postell ancestry—two weeks ago, I visited the oldest French Huguenot church, appropriately located on Church Street, and discovered the man hosting the tours was a distant cousin. The next thirty minutes were spent in astonishment as he described our ancestral connection to many of the founding families of Charleston.

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PS ~ Congratulations on recently signing a contract with Amazon Publishing’s Lake Union, the women’s fiction imprint. Can you give us a sneak peek at what you will be writing for them and a publication date?

CN ~ Like the Liberty Series, the new series for Lake Union will feature a small town with a cast of quirky characters. I’ve had too much fun writing the debut to call this work! The first book will release in February 2017. The second book will release in July 2017. I hope readers enjoy these new books—I’d love to write ten or more installments for the new series!

Christine’s bio ~ 

Some writers are gifted with an unusual life and I’m certainly one of those.SCG 180x240.jgp I’ve lived in Ohio, Virginia, California, Utah and now South Carolina. In college I was featured on the front page of the Houston Post for a lark that erased all my debt. I met my four adopted children for the first time in the sweltering heat of the tropics. I helped build several companies and was lucky enough to earn a living doing what I love best–writing–in a PR firm I owned.

In 2004 I made the wisest and most irrational decision of my life–I began writing fiction full-time. All those years of hard work pay off daily in sweet notes and comments by readers. Please continue the mail, tweets and comments on FaceBook, GoodReads and other sites. I cherish your support and love chatting with readers.

Visit Christine at her website by clicking right here or on Facebook.

Discover more information about Christine’s books on her Amazon Author Page.

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Filed Under: Author Promotion, Blog, Uncategorized, Writing Tagged With: Amazon Publishing, author, Charleston SC, Christine Nolfi, Heavenscribe, Lake Union Publishing, Liberty Series

Mark the dates and come celebrate!

May 13, 2016 by Patricia Sands 6 Comments

If it’s Friday, it must be France …

Bonjour tout le monde! This is a celebratory week for me

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… and I hope for you too! On Tuesday, May 17th, I PROMISE YOU THIS ~ Book #3 in the Love in Provence trilogy will be released by Amazon’s Lake Union Publishing!

Thank you to all the readers who have been patiently waiting and sending me lovely messages in the meantime. I can’t wait to hear how you enjoy the next part of Kat’s journey.

There’s still time to enter the print copy giveaway that Amazon is hosting until May 17th, on Goodreads. Just click here to enter.

On Thursday, May 19, as you can see here. I’m having an online launch party, hosted by the fabulous ladies of BookRhythm ~ a topnotch author services group.  Simply go to this link to join us.

These parties are always fun … although a little crazy to follow sometimes … REMEMBER TO KEEP REFRESHING YOUR PAGE TO FOLLOW ALL THE THREADS! It took me a while to learn that.

Some of my best writing friends are joining the celebration and there will be lots of great chat and tons of giveaways! Look at this lineup (in alphabetical order) ~ Bette Lee Crosby, Jillian Dodd, Jacquie Gauthier, Linn B. Halton,  Steena Holmes, Suzanne Kelman, Toby Neal, Christine Nolfi, Liza Perrat. Definitely a good time group! We’ll be talking about a lot of new releases from these fine authors too! See you there!

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Just to get us in the mood … and because we all know we love photos like these, here are a few old favourites for your viewing pleasure.

Bon weekend everyone and I hope I will see you next week to join in the fun!

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À bientôt ~ see you next week!

 

xxxx

 

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Filed Under: Author Promotion, Blog, France, If it is France..., News, Writing Tagged With: Amazon Publishing, book launch party, BookRhythm, Goodreads, I Promise You This, Lake Union Publishing, Love In Provence series, new release, Patricia Sands

Marvellous Madeleine

August 7, 2015 by Patricia Sands 6 Comments

If it’s Friday it must be France …

Madeleines have been on my mind quite a bit recently. In my latest novel, I Promise You This (Book 3 of the Love In Provence series), the character Simone Garnier has quite a connection to them. I couldn’t resist the urge to enjoy more than I should have … um, a few … while I was writing.

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These classic, tiny perfect French butter cakes make my heart beat a little faster when I savour one (or two or three) straight off the cooling rack!

Often thought of as cookies by North Americans, madeleines are a delicious accompaniment to your favourite cuppa … whether it’s tea or java or simply a nice cold glass of milk. They even have a classy literary history as Marcel Proust‘s muse in his famous epic 7-v0lume À La Recherche du Temps Perdu (Remembrance of Things Past).  Although they sound a little finicky to make, let me just say this: our granddaughter Meg made them when she was 13, on one of our cookie baking days. They tasted divine! Click here for the recipe.

I guess I should add that many Starbucks cafés often sell them  … just not straight out of the oven!

Speaking of I Promise You This, I’m busy working on edits with Danielle Marshall, my awesome Lake Union editor. We also have just seen the first draft of the cover art, which I loved!

Lake Union Publishing will relaunch The Promise of Provence and Promises To Keep in early October. Here are the revised covers which have a beautiful matte finish. I Promise You This will follow in 2016.

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You may              want to munch on a madeleine or two while you are reading. Do you get hungry while you read? Here’s a list of the best and worst choices to snack on while reading, in case you’re searching for some advice on the subject. 

Bon weekend everyone!

 

 

 

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Filed Under: Blog, France, If it is France..., News, Uncategorized, Writing Tagged With: Amazon Publishing, Danielle Marshall, I Promise You This, Lake Union Publishing, Love In Provence, madeleines, Marcel Proust, Patricia Sands, Promises To Keep, recipe, The Promise of Provence

Sharing my exciting news!

January 14, 2015 by Patricia Sands 79 Comments

Who doesn’t love a good surprise? That’s definitely what was waiting for me when I opened my gmail one day in December … and now I’m happy to share it with you.

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Just before Christmas I received a message, out of the blue ( … and nearly fainted!) from a Senior Acquisitions Editor for Amazon Publishing, saying she had read my work and would like to talk to me. To make a long story short … I have now signed a contract with Amazon’s Lake Union Imprint for the three books in my Love in Provence series (the two I have already published and the third I am working on). They will work with me to re-edit and re-release the first two in October. With Amazon Publishing’s expertise, the stories won’t change but will shine even more.

The third Love in Provence title will conclude this series, but I will have a new series next year featuring more adventures in Provence, so you won’t miss a thing!

I’m still in shock.

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Lake Union Publishing header

It’s a tremendous opportunity for me and I feel so pleased Amazon Publishing sought me out. I’m proud of being an indie author and even prouder now to be affiliated in this way with Lake Union.

So thanks for all the support and encouragement you have offered me through the years. Thanks to my fabulous fellow writers, the supportive bloggers, editors, designers, tech and social media advisors, and others who play such vital roles in our vast writing community.

Thanks, also, to my amazing friends and family for believing, supporting, encouraging.

Most of all, thank you to the readers. Thanks for reading my books, writing reviews and telling others about the stories.

I feel every success is very much a team effort and I am so appreciative of my connection with all of you. I’m so pleased you are on this journey with me!

On we go!

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~~~~~

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

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Filed Under: Author Promotion, Blog, France, News, Writing Tagged With: Amazon Publishing, Lake Union imprint, Love In Provence, Patricia Sands, publishing contract, readers

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