Patricia Sands

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La Fête des Rois today ~ Cabin Fever Event on Saturday ~ two great reasons to celebrate!

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If you are in France, it’s again time to celebrate  … oui …  bien sûr … more food! Don’t you love it? This time it’s all about a rich, almond cream (frangipane) enveloped by layers of light, flaky pastry (feuilleté).

Another joyful opportunity to bring friends and family around the table to share La Galette des Rois/The Kings’ Cake, takes place on the first Sunday of January or January 6th and recognizes Epiphany, the arrival of the three wise men (Magis). This special pastry’s history can be  traced to Roman times.

During the French Revolution, the name was replaced with ‘Gâteau de l’Égalité’ (equality cake), as the word ‘king’ was a little out of fashion!

It’s so popular, many patisseries make the scrumptious cake through the entire month of January.

The cake is cut in the specific number of slices for the people present, with one extra symbolic slice for the first poor person passing by. The youngest child  (or the most innocent adult, if no children are present, which can result in great hilarity) goes under the table and calls out who will receive each slice to ensure fair distribution. The greatest excitement comes when one person discovers la fève (a lucky charm) hidden in a single slice.

Bon appétit!

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Click here to read an excellent account of the history and traditions of this special fête by my friend, Margo Lestz.

If you are celebrating this day anywhere else in the world where there are French-speakers and Francophiles…. Quebec? N’Awlins? and want to experience this tradition for yourself, check your local bakery for une galette or consider ordering online at websites like this one ~ The French Delights.

You’ll find all the beloved characters of my Love in Provence series enjoying their Galette des Rois today … and all three ebooks are on sale for .99 ( I know!) through January. If you haven’t immersed yourself in this series, now is the time! Or gift them to your friends! This link to The Promise of Provence will take you to all three bestselling novels! Happy reading too!

Join us in Blue Sky Book Chat (Facebook) on Saturday, January 8th, ALL DAY for our Cabin Fever event. Over 50 guest authors from all genres will be with our author team to offer fabulous giveaways …books, swag, chat! Connect with some favourites and meet new authors to you. It’s a party! Apart from entering for individual prizes, one Grand Prize will be randomly awarded from commenters. Check out the graphic below and see which prize you would choose! See you there! On y va! Bonne chance!

Hello December!

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The wonder and magic of December begins early this year and the first thing I want to do is send warm wishes for light, love and happiness to everyone who is celebrating Hanukkah. Candles lit daily. Faith renewed. Tradition preserved.

Hanukkah Sameach!

A big part of the writing community at this time of year are the special book/reader events that take place. The spirit of giving is alive and well.

So be sure to mark your calendars for this! On Sunday, December 5th, I’m excited to be one of many invited authors to join my friends at My Book Friends for another BIG BOOKAPALOOZA! This is an all-day extravaganza where you can chat with your favourite authors, meet new ones and enter to win an amazing array of books and other prizes.

Here’s the official promotion:

CALLING ALL BOOK LOVERS! JOIN THE FUN with DOZENS OF AUTHOR GIVEAWAYS on December 5th as THIRTY-SIX invited authors (Including me!), and the founding authors, host the Season of Giving Bookapalooza! Don’t forget to join us in My Book Friends. https://www.facebook.com/groups/yourbookfriends/ GIVEAWAYS ALL DAY! FREE BOOKS, I SAY! TELL YOUR READER FRIENDS! And YOU are invited! #MBFBookapalooza (¯`•.•´¯)¸•´¯`☆ .`•.¸¸.•´•• Be sure and click over to the group, answer the easy questions, and you’re in. You won’t want to miss this event on this Sunday, so join us TODAY.

I hope to see you there!

I’ll be giving away some signed print copies of some of my novels on Sunday, but if you want to pick up a wonderful stocking stuffer right now ~ THE FIRST NOEL AT THE VILLA DES VIOLETTES is on sale for just $1.99 until December 15th. Just click here to order!

See you soon!

Canadian author Dorothy McIntosh is here!

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One of the best aspects of being involved in writing is the opportunity to meet and often become friends with other authors. It’s my distinct pleasure to have my friend, author Dorothy McIntosh (DJ McIntosh) visit here today.

When Dorothy is not at home in Toronto, she can be found at her beloved cottage in the wilds of the Bruce Peninsula, keeping company with her trusty companion, Bruin.

Okay, let’s chat!

PS ~ Your award-winning novel, The Witch of Babylon, published in 2012, was a Canadian best seller and the first in The Mesopotamian Trilogy.  There was obviously a great deal of research that went into this thrilling read, as well as The Book of Stolen Tales and The Angel of Eden. What inspired you to undertake this tremendous project?

DJM ~ I wanted to write about age old stories that were familiar to everyone and give them a new twist, so I thought:  why not start at the beginning with the stories of  Genesis?  After researching the bible’s first book, I learned a number of the Genesis stories were based on Mesopotamian myths written long before the Old Testament. This started me on my journey to research      Mesopotamia and I fell in   love with their history and culture. At the same time I embarked on this journey, the Iraq war broke out. I watched, dazed, as the famous Baghdad Museum was looted, precious objects destroyed and stolen. It seemed as if thousands of years had come full circle because I’d been studying the sacking and burning of the ancient Mesopotamian cities. Out of that synergy, The Witch of Babylon was born.

PS ~ There are fascinating, some even exotic, locations in those stories. Would you describe some of the literary pilgrimages you took in order to write the trilogy and any particular experiences that stand out as most significant?

DJM ~ My second novel, The Book Of Stolen Tales, featured some of our best    known fairy tales told in a new way. I learned that the first fairy tale anthology, called The Tale Of Tales, was written by a fascinating Neapolitan poet and courtier, Giambattista Basile. So off to Naples I went. My friends gave me dark warnings about muggings and mad drivers but I encountered none of that and really loved the city. Spanish style buildings and churches abounded, their beauty shining through even though the city had little   money for upkeep. The National Library where I held an original copy of Basile’s book in my hands. The ruins of Pompei where you could even see an ancient fast food café. Walking   gingerly on top of a volcano. And the best food anywhere. But what left the most lasting  impression was to stand on the harbour promenade and gaze across at green sloped Vesuvius, sitting innocently in a gentle purple haze and knowing it has lost none of its  power.

PS ~ When did you begin writing and what inspired the direction you have chosen with your novels to this point?

DJM ~ I began writing in earnest around 2003; my first novel was published in 2011. I’ve    always loved learning about culture and history in books I read and so was drawn to write historical thrillers.

PS ~ Does writing energize or exhaust you?

DJM ~ For me, writing the first draft is pure torture, but I revel in the re-writing and editing stages because that’s when you can shape the book and really let loose on narrative and language.

PS ~ How many hours a day do you write and do you have a routine?

DJM ~ I envy those authors who rise early, sit down with their coffee and bang out a couple of thousand wordsof marvellous prose. As to my ‘routine’ it is most definitely not recommended, lol! I don’t write every day, rather months might go by and then I’ll write seven days a week for many more months. As a night owl, I usually don’t start until late afternoon and carry on until midnight (the time Ialways feel most energetic).

PS ~ I feel privileged to know your current project and am excited for you to share it here.

DJM ~ Thanks so much Patricia. I’m really excited about my new novel because  it’s a subject that’s really close to my heart. It’s a departure from my previous historical thrillers; the working title is The White Wolf.  It’s the story of a rare white wolf stalked through             the Adirondacks by three trophy hunters. Raised in captivity, the wolf must learn to wild  again to survive. Here’s a brief blurb:

Unable to make ends meet, Jade Wentworth is forced to sell her family farm. When a local hunter asks her to foster a newborn white wolf, she  reluctantly agrees. She names the pup Niko. As time goes on, the wolf and the woman form a close bond and Jade realizes that caring for the little wolf has turned into a gift, making her life brighter. But for the wolf, that unnatural alliance with humans threatens to become a curse.

PS ~ Do you have a list of long-term writing plans?

DJM ~ I’d like to continue with canine themed novels and hope to start a new  one this summer and would also like to write a screen treatment for my most recent book.

PS ~ Some writers work on several projects simultaneously. Do you or do you find you focus on your current work before you move on?

DJM ~ For me, it would be too distracting to juggle several works at once.

PS ~ Who are your favourite writers for your own reading enjoyment?

DJM ~ That question always throws me into a tizzy because there are so many writers I love, it’s difficult to choose! Wuthering Heights remains one of my all-time favourites. Cormac        McCarthy’s Border Trilogy is always at the top of my list. I go back to it again and again just to marvel at his writing. These days I’m drawn to adventure thrillers especially those related to mountaineering and adore Jeff Long’s The Wall and Ronald Malfi’s The Ascent. And some older magnificent novels:  Belle De Jourby Joseph Kessel, James Dickey’s Deliverance, Cornell Woolrich’s The Night Has A Thousand Eyes and James M Cain’s The Postman Always Rings Twice.Those books combine maximum suspense with stunningly good writing.

PS ~ Dorothy, thanks so much for taking the time to chat here. You always bring so much good ‘book talk’ to the table!

Click here to connect with Dorothy on her Amazon authors page and please remember to click on “Following” there. This is a big help to authors and most appreciated. You aren’t signing up for anything, but you are letting Amazon know you like the author’s work. We love to have Amazon hear this!

Click here for Dorothy’s website.

Dear readers, if you have not read Dorothy’s Mesopotamian Trilogy, and you enjoy historical thrillers, I strongly suggest you do! 

 

 

 

 

 

November’s news ~ #51

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Bon weekend, everyone! In case you haven’t read my November newsletter, it’s posted here for your convenience. Enjoy! Enter the giveaways! Bonne chance!
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Newsletter #51                            November 24, 2017

Bonjour Patricia

This letter will probably arrive as the long American Thanksgiving weekend is drawing to a close. Is everyone resting today?  I trust you all enjoyed a memorable time ~ either with family, friends and fine food or quietly at home in your comfy clothes or perhaps serving a meal at a homeless shelter. In whatever way you spent your Thanksgiving, I hope that it was a good day with an attitude of gratitude prevailing.

Our Thanksgiving in Canada is celebrated in October and it’s my favourite holiday. When we asked the question of you last month, it seemed that Thanksgiving was the winning response there too.

With December on our doorstep, we all know what’s coming next. I’m not sure I’m ready, are you? I see a lot of decorations up already!

But one thing I am ready to do is send off my 2018 calendars. All the orders have been placed. We should have signed calendars ready to mail in two weeks’ time, to those who ordered them.

As usual, I’m also offering a chance for five people to win a calendar. If you would like your name entered in the giveaway, follow our usual procedure and send an email to patriciasandsauthor@gmail.com with the words “Calendar Giveaway”. Good luck!

I’ve been working on a new photo essay of Nice which means I’ve been spending many happy hours (in between writing) sifting through my albums. I thought I would share a few shots in this letter.  The header photo is of the rooftops of Vieux Nice. As much as I love to take photos of doors (see today’s post on my blog) and windows in France, I also have a thing about rooftops. Do you?

This entrance to an apartment building is on a street in Nice I often walk down. It’s on my way from the train station to the Promenade and it makes me smile.  It’s a perfect entrance for a writer, don’t you think?

And here are a few more random shots in Nice. It’s the perfect town for strolling and photo ops are endless.

Okay, enough dreaming for me. Back to the letter!

Congratulations to the October giveaway winners of print and ebooks:  Kay Simmons,  Tanya Grygaski, Kathleen O’Donnell, Debbie Scarpari,  Carol Luciano, and Petrina Bennett.

Betty Apsley is the winner of the French market gift box! Félicitations!

Amy Cooper, my indispensable right hand, is always on top of things so I’m certain you have all heard from her by now. If not, please let us know.

Here are the tempting giveaways for this month. Good luck everyone!

#1 ~ Ho! Ho! Ho! Women’s fiction author, Judith Keim is kicking off the holiday season in our giveaways this month with two signed copies of Christmas at the Beach House Hotel. A hybrid author who both has a publisher and who self-publishes, Judith writes heart-warming stories of strong women who face challenges and find love and happiness along the way.

Originally from Elmira, New York, Judith now makes her home in Idaho with her husband, their long-haired dachshund, Winston, and other members of her family. Connect with Judith here.

A brief synopsis: Ann and Rhonda are fed up with the way the new, majority owners are changing The Beach House Hotel from the small, elegant hotel they once owned and operated into a tacky, South Beach wannabe property. What’s their only recourse? Buy back the property to save it from getting even worse. And with the new management ruining Ann’s daughter’s plans for a Christmas Eve wedding, they have to get to work right away to regain control of the hotel. Facing a number of challenges along the way, including rumors of Vaughn’s dalliance with Ann’s old nemesis, Lily Dorio, Ann and Rhonda work to make it the best-ever Christmas at The Beach House Hotel.

Amazon review: “I could not put this book down… as a matter of fact I read it in one day.”

#2 ~ To keep up with the holiday spirit, Andrea Hurst is offering two ebooks of her delightful new release Christmas on Madrona Island.

Not only a successful women’s fiction author, Andrea is also a literary agent. When not visiting local farmers’ markets or indulging her love for chocolate, Andrea enjoys writing stories that take readers on a journey to another place and leave them with an unforgettable impression. Her books deal with friendship, family, and the power of love.

She lives with her little dog in the Pacific Northwest, on an island much like the fictional Madrona, with all of its natural beauty and small town charm. Connect with Andrea here.

Here’s a brief synopsis: With challenges mounting, will the true meaning of Christmas prevail and make this the merriest season of all?

 This holiday season, enjoy the most wonderful time of year with the residents of Madrona Island in this heartwarming novella from the Amazon Bestselling author of The Guestbook. This Christmas story takes place a few years after the end of the third book, Island Thyme Cafe, in the Madrona Island series. However, this book can be read as a standalone. 

Amazon review: “A heart-warming Christmas story about family (both 4 footed and 2), friends, giving, and the bustle of the holiday season. Take time in your schedule to read this and recharge yourself.”

#3 ~ Next, attention all foodies! Fellow women’s fiction writer, Peggy Lampman is offering an ebook of her delicious new release, The Welcome Home Diner , and a print copy of her first novel, The Promise Kitchen. Trust me, Peggy’s writing is equally as scrumptious as her recipes!

From Birmingham, Alabama, after graduating from the University of Michigan, Peggy moved to New York City, where she worked as a copywriter and photographer for Hill and Knowlton, a public relations firm. She moved back to Ann Arbor, her college town, and opened up a specialty foods store, The Back Alley Gourmet. After selling the store, she wrote under a weekly food byline in The Ann Arbor News and MLive. Connect with Peggy here.


Here’s a brief synopsis for The Welcome Home Diner: Betting on the city of Detroit’s eventual comeback, cousins Addie and Samantha decide to risk it all on an affordable new house and a culinary career that starts with renovating a vintage diner in a depressed area of town. There’s just one little snag in their vision.

Angus, a weary, beloved local, is strongly opposed to his neighborhood’s gentrification—and his concerns reflect the suspicion of the community. Shocked by their reception, Addie and Samantha begin to have second thoughts.

Will the neighborhood open their hearts to welcome them home?

Amazon Review for The Welcome Home Diner: “The first thing I have to say about THE WELCOME HOME DINER by Peggy Lampman is this story will make you so hungry!!!! With mouth-watering descriptions of food throughout, I could almost taste the rich pancakes drizzled in maple syrup, so my advice is make a cup of tea and have a lovely piece of cake to hand when you settle down to read this touching novel.”

Brief synopsis for The Promise Kitchen:

Shelby and Mallory couldn’t be more different. But through their shared passion for food, they form an unlikely friendship—a bond that just might be their salvation.

This heartwarming and lyrical tale reminds us that family isn’t necessarily whom you’re related to—it’s whom you invite to your table.

Amazon Review for The Promise Kitchen: “This is a wonderful book that has a uniquely southern voice and food is one of the main characters, as it is in many of our lives.”

As always, to have your name entered for the random draw for each giveaway, send an email to patriciasandsauthor@gmail.com. This month, please let us know the name of your favourite holiday story or song. Good luck with the draws! Bonne chance!

With the giveaways in my newsletter, 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. The best way to hear about a good book is by word of mouth from dedicated readers like you.

If you have time to write a short review on Amazon and Goodreads, even better, and always appreciated. Trust me … I didn’t realize this until I became a novelist. Before that I had never written a review. Now, it’s the first thing I do when I finish reading a story.

The holidays are a great time to give books as gifts, so I will be doing a Goodreads giveaway for five print copies of Drawing Lessons in December. As soon as we know the dates for this, I will send a quick announcement out to all of you. I wouldn’t want you to miss it!

While I was going through my Nice photo files, I kept coming upon photos of pan bagnat. This traditional Niçoise sandwich is often described as salade Niçoise in a bun … and that’s about right! We often pick one up from a boulangerie to have for lunch or go to the market for the ingredients and go home and make one. They are delicious! And apparently I enjoy taking photos of them too! So here’s one for you.

Here’s a good recipe for this easy to make meal. I’m pretty sure I’ve written about these tasty treats in an earlier newsletter, but I couldn’t resist it again when Nice is on my mind! Bon appétit!

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!

À bientôt!

If you have read Drawing Lessons and can find a minute to leave a short review on Amazon and Goodreads.  I thank you in advance.

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