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Patricia Sands

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Christine Nolfi

Work In Progress

March 12, 2015 by Patricia Sands

Author Anneli Purchase lives on beautiful Vancouver Island and sets her anneli7novels in stunning locations. She is a talented writer and copy editor and always so supportive of her peers. I couldn’t resist when she asked me to take part in this “Work In Progress Blog Tour”.

Here’s how it works. First I link back to Anneli‘s website, since she invited me to join. She has posted about her new work in progress and then given us a peek at the first few lines of Chapters 1, 2 and 3. It’s a sequel to her fine novel, The Wind Weeps, which is described in this way, “The Wind Weeps is a pure Canadian tale of love, betrayal, and triumph, told with gusto, humour, and bold insight.” Click here to see more on Amazon.

the-wind-weeps

Now I’m supposed to do the same with my WIP. My newsletter subscribers TPOPFinalistShadedall know I am hard at work on Book #3 in my Love In Provence series. It’s still untitled as my characters and I develop the storyline and of course I’ll be taking you to some inviting new villages in the south of France. But first we have to spend a bit of time in Toronto …

I assure you Katherine and Philippe have already delivered some great surprises for me as their story progresses. Writing fiction is never dull!

Chapter 1 ~ Rain pelted down. Sheets of water created a continuous, almost impenetrable, curtain across the windshield. The car crawled along in a clog of traffic and the rhythmic ‘wap, wap’ of the windshield wipers was all that broke the silence much of the time.

Philippe knew Kat was struggling to keep her composure. He kept conversation light and brief. “Now you know why I never take a taxi into Paris from the airport. At least with a hired car, I don’t have to watch the meter skyrocket if we get caught like this.”

 Kat nodded and smiled weakly, looking straight ahead. She thought it ironic that the weather was as gloomy and dark as the feelings she was fighting.

Chapter 2 ~ Without a sound sleep the night before, Katherine dozed her way through a couple of  in-flight movies. Her napping had been interrupted by thoughts about Philippe, memories of her mother, as well as shattering images of Molly’s accident.

This would be the first time in almost six months, since she left for Antibes, that Katherine was back to Toronto. Back to the house she had shared with her mother for a few months, after James had walked out on her. She suspected the memories of that special time before Elisabeth died, might be overwhelming at first. It might not be an easy homecoming.

Chapter 3 ~They were back at the hospital by 10:00 a.m., with a detour on the way via the drive-through for Katherine’s café mocha.

“It didn’t take long for you to slip back into that habit,” Terrence teased.

There’s much to discover in this continuing story. Will Molly recover from her dreadful accident? What happens when Katherine, as Molly’s only legal and personal support person, parts from Philippe to return to Canada and help her? And then there’s Nick, who appears back on the scene … and just who is Simone and what is her connection to the story …?

Speaking of which, I’ve got to get back to writing this book.

Before I do, I would like to leave you with links to a few of my good friends who are releasing new novels in the near future. Take a look at what’s going on with Bette Lee Crosby, Christine Nolfi , Diane Capri, Steena Holmes and D.J. McIntosh.

Here’s a brilliant quote from Robin Sharma. Who are you having your conversation with these days?

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~~~~~

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

PatriciaSignature200

Filed Under: Author Promotion, Blog, Writing Tagged With: Anneli Purchase, bette lee crosby, Christine Nolfi, D.J. McIntosh, Diane Capri, Love In Provence, Patricia Sands, Steena Holmes, The Wind Weeps, WIP, work in progress, writing fiction

PubSmart Conference and a repeat meander …

April 17, 2014 by Patricia Sands

Bonjour! I am in Charleston, South Carolina, attending the 3-day PubSmart Conference and I can tell you there has been a lot of excellent information to absorb.

 

PubSmart_logo_290

Here’s a quick explanation: “PubSmart is about introducing new models that lead to smart decisions about how to seize opportunities in today’s transformed book marketplace”.

The keynote speakers, Jane Friedman,  Hugh Howey, and CJ Lyons were superb and the coolest, most down-to-earth people to chat with.

BONUS! I have a fabulous new free app especially for readers that I will share with you next week and I’m very excited about that!

Making this conference even more special was the opportunity to spend quality time with my friends and fellow authors Steena Holmes, Christine Nolfi, Leona Bodie, Bette Lee Crosby and of course, Bette’s charming husband and publisher, Dick. As always, when the literati gather, there were opportunities for wonderful connections to be made and new friendships established. The fact that PubSmart was limited to 200 attendees offered unique opportunities to mingle and chat with everyone! Truly a very special time!

This stop in Charleston fit in nicely with our trek back to Toronto from south Florida, but tomorrow afternoon we will hit the road again and be home by Saturday evening. Hopefully there will be no snow to greet us!

If it’s Friday, it must be France

Entrevaux-PSandsPhotos
Entrevaux-PSandsPhotos

Along with attending the writer’s conference … which has been exciting, innovative and energizing … I have also been tweaking the final details in my MS so I can send it off to my editor this weekend. One of the chapters involves Katherine and Philippe visiting with some friends in this intriguing village of Entrevaux. I had such a good time writing about it, I decided to share my post from last November with you again. There is a slideshow of a walk through the narrow passageways and, as I wrote, I kept those photos on my screen to remind me exactly how it felt in that ancient and mysterious, semi-abandoned village. I hope my husband and I will have time to return there this summer.

I hope you enjoy your return visit! Click here to take another Medieval Meander.

Next week I will have my act together again and bring you a new post. Thanks for your patience!

Bon weekend, tout le monde!

Filed Under: Blog, News, Writing Tagged With: bette lee crosby, Charleston, Christine Nolfi, Entrevaux, Hugh Howey, Jane Friedman, Leona Bodie, Patricia Sands, publishing, PubSmartCon, Steena Holmes, The Promise of Provence, writing

Celebrate Bette’s new website + a BONUS giveaway

March 20, 2014 by Patricia Sands

My good friend, the talented Bette Lee Crosby has a new website.Bette Lee Crosby With all of the bestsellers Bette has written in the past couple of years, it was time to provide them with a new home. To celebrate the launch of this website, 5 of us are pleased to be joining  Bette in this fabulous giveaway which contains 12 bestselling books in all.

 

Here’s a taste of what awaits you:

A Dozen Reasons to Celebrate My Grand Opening

March 15, 2014  Bette Lee Crosby  News & Events  22

Take a look at all the paperbacks to win during this giveaway to celebrate my grand opening!

A Dozen Reasons To Celebrate My Grand Opening

“I’m so pleased that several of my author friends came together to help me celebrate the grand opening of my new website. Please take a look around, leave some comments, visit and read about the different authors involved (links to their posts are below). If you like what you see, why not connect with me through social media or sign up for my newsletter so you’ll be the first to know about events like this. The paperback giveaway will be open all week, and of course this is my new home and the door is always open so visit anytime!”

 Today is my day to be featured, so please stop by and leave Bette your good wishes. Then join in the fun. Click right here to take a look around Bette’s website and enter in the Rafflecopter options as often as you like. Good luck! 

If you are in search of more great reading material to get you through this long winter, visit the other participating authors’ websites and make a list! Christine Nolfi, Kathleen Valentine, Rachel Thompson, and Leona Bodie have an excellent selection of novels just waiting for you.

Filed Under: Blog, Contests Tagged With: bette lee crosby, Christine Nolfi, giveaway, Kathleen Valentine, Leona Bodie, Patricia Sands, Rachel Thompson

And then pass it on, thanks …

November 16, 2013 by Patricia Sands

If it’s Friday it must be France …

You  know how I loooove sharing all things about France, and I promise that next week I have a very intriguing village to explore with you  … here’s a taste …

Entrevaux-PSandsPhotos
Entrevaux-PSandsPhotos

 

Entrevaux-PSandsPhotos
Entrevaux-PSandsPhotos

But today I have other things on my mind …

Life is always a constant mix of good and bad. I prefer to share the former rather than the latter but this is something I really want to pass along to you today, not that you haven’t heard about it elsewhere. Hopefully if we all keep spreading the message and finding a few dollars here and there, we can help to make a difference.

It’s difficult to watch the news from the Philippines and not have your heart wrenched. Those of us living in parts of the world that are relatively safe from natural disasters and war are so blessed. Often we are personally affected by events in faraway places.

First this, from my good friend Christine Nolfi:  f162fb935c9a0ad8956edf.L._V180874930_SX200_

**Please forward this message to anyone concerned about the devastation in the Philippines after the typhoon**

As many of you know, I adopted my children from Children’s Shelter of Cebu. Please consider making a donation to CSC.You’ll see the red “give today” heart on the right-hand side of the site’s landing page. In the comment field beneath your donation, please write “Typhoon Relief.” No donation is too small, and your gift will help Filipinos in the Cebu area who have lost so much. Please give today. 
–Christine Nolfihttp://www.cscshelter.org/

Children’s Shelter of Cebu – Home
www.cscshelter.org
A Christian child caring agency in Cebu City, Philippines. We offer shelter, good food, medical care and hope to orphaned, abandoned and surrendered children.
amy-magic-seren-lo-res4And then from the best pet care blogger I know, Amy Shojai, who shared this from PawCurious.com:

You, right now, are needed.

By now we have all seen and heard about the devastation wrought in the Philippines by Typhoon Haiyan. The stories are almost too much to bear.

help

 

If you’re wondering why the media hasn’t been more active covering the story than they have been, it’s because everyone is still trying to get there. It is BAD. Bad, bad, awful, nightmarish. My heart goes out to those many souls and I will, as always, make a donation to the Red Cross to help the human victims.

The plight of the animals, domestic and wildlife, will almost certainly be overshadowed by the massive human suffering, but make no mistake, they are in dire need as well and even less likely to get it. I view animal welfare in a disaster as one more necessary component of disaster relief, not something to do later or when all the other needs are met, but in conjunction with other efforts. This is why there are veterinarians and animal welfare organizations who are trained for these sorts of situations. As always, World Vets has stepped up to help our friends across the world. After speaking with our contacts in the Philippines, World Vets is sending a team with requested immediate supplies and is on their way now. Once they have arrive, World Vets has committed to continuing support as the needs evolve. This will not be a short-term mission.

I am asking for you, you reading this, to do one thing. One act of love to support the animals whose lives and stories may never make CNN, but whose suffering, we know because our friends there are living it, is intense. Help the people, please, of course, and then do one thing for the animals. Just one. Please consider donating, it’s tax deductible and this fund is earmarked entirely for typhoon relief.

donate2-300x103

I am donating one: one day’s worth of salary. That will be my one. You may choose to donate one day’s Starbucks. Or one dog leash. One dollar. One thousand dollars. Or nothing, of course, but I hope you can find one act of love you are willing to put into action. World Vets can take a whole lotta ones and make ONE BIG IMPACT on the lives in the Philippines. I invite you all to be a part, and to make November 15th the day you commit to One Act of Love. What’s your One?

Please help me get the word out and do some good! I can’t do it without you!

ppp

 

A dollar here. A dollar there. Whatever can be spared will help. What can you do?

 

Filed Under: Blog, France, If it is France... Tagged With: Amy Shojai, Christine Nolfi, donate, Patricia Sands, PawsCurious, Philippines, Typhoon Haiyan, WorldVets

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