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Corsica

Here’s Newsletter #85 ~ in case you did not receive it

March 29, 2021 by Patricia Sands Leave a Comment

Newsletter #85                                                          March 20, 2021
Bonjour!
Mea culpa ~ In response to many who asked, I did not write a February newsletter. My excuse is that it was a short month and I ran out of time. To be honest, I also had run out of inspiration … my Covid fatigue! Thanks for understanding … and for being so concerned. 
It’s official! Spring arrived today! The Vernal (Spring) Equinox apparently arrived in our part of southern Ontario at 5:37, March 20. And for our friends south of the Equator, that is of course the Autumnal (Fall) Equinox. Whichever it is for you, I hope you are happy to see the seasonal change. 
Grammar rules state emphatically that the seasons are common nouns and not capitalized, but that never feels quite right to me. They feel more important than that! Oh well … 

Even though I won’t be in France to enjoy this season again this year, I keep thinking of all the wisteria that will be in bloom throughout the country right about now. This month’s header photo is a sweet reminder of that.
And here are a few more wisteria memories from France … if you’ve seen them before, please enjoy again.

It will be a good few months before we see those blooms here. Do you have abundant wisteria where you live?
At the first house I ever owned in Toronto, there was a lovely vine that had been around a long time. I drive past that house from time to time and smile to see it is still healthy and beautiful.

Does it feel like spring in your neighbourhood? Here in The Blue Mountains of southern Ontario, it does feel like winter is on its way out. BUT … and that’s a big BUT … we’ve been known to have snowstorms as late as May, so I’m not counting more cold weather out at this point. The good news for skiers up here is that there is still plenty of snow on the hills and we are enjoying that after the hills were in lockdown until a few weeks ago!

 Have you been reading any books lately with intriguing  locations? Corsica has been on my mind recently. That’s partly because my novella, A Season of Surprises, is on sale until the end of the month. It’s Book Two in the Villa des Violettes series and in that story Kat and Philippe spend some time touring Corsica on Philippe’s vintage motorcycle. If you have not read it, now’s the time to grab a copy! $.99 US until the end of the month. Click here for the link.

My husband and I and some friends took the car ferry from Nice one summer and spent five days touring around that stunning island. I will never forget driving up vertiginous windy roads through well-forested hills and rounding a corner to suddenly see a change to a breathtaking rocky landscape. The island’s rugged beauty is as captivating as the food and culture one discovers there. Corsica is definitely well worth a visit.

And now to this month’s giveaways. It’s a pleasure to introduce you to two more of the six authors who joined me on the Pulpwood Queens panel I mentioned in my last newsletter. Bette Lee Crosby was the sixth author and we are waiting another month or two for her newest novel to be released. Then she will visit the newsletter with a giveaway. Stay tuned! If you have not read anything by these authors before, you are going to be thrilled to learn about them now. 
I am so grateful to all of my author friends who generously offer free books each month. To enter to win one of these books, you know the drill … send an email to patriciasandsauthor@gmail.com and, this month, mention the location of a story you have recently read. Good luck/bonne chance with the random draws for winners!
Giveaway #1 ~ Laura Kemp is offering 2 ebooks of her debut novel, Evening In The Yellow Wood. She is a teacher who loves to write about her home state of Michigan. She is not only a talented writer, but also a beautiful singer. You may have seen her perform with her Irish band during our St. Patrick’s Day Literary Parade on March 1th. Annie McDonnell’s The Write Review has links to all the videos of this entertaining day! When not writing, Laura enjoys musical theatre, hiking, swimming, reading and performing with her Celtic band- Si Bhaeg Si Mohr. She also enjoys spending time with her husband and children as well as her dog, two hamsters, two gerbils, ten chickens, two horses and eight (and counting) cats.

Connect with Laura here.
Here’s the blurb: Abandoned by an eccentric father on the eve of her twelfth birthday, Justine Cook has lived with her fair share of unanswered questions. Now, ten years later she leaves her life in southern Michigan and heads north to the mysterious town of Lantern Creek after seeing his picture in a local newspaper. Once there, she discovers her father had been leading a double life and meets the autistic brother she never knew—a young man who is mute but able to read her mind.

When a local girl who looks like Justine is mysteriously murdered, she joins forces with sheriff’s deputy Dylan Locke to capture the killer. But the more they dig for clues to the past, the closer they come to discovering a secret someone will kill to protect. Justine begins to show signs of supernatural power and eventually must stop an immortal enemy that has hunted her family for generations. 

Giveaway #2 ~ Diane Zinn is offering two ebooks of her debut novel, The All-Night Sun. Diane is originally from Long Island, New York. She formerly worked at AWP, the Association of Writers & Writing Programs and also created the Writer to Writer Mentorship Program, helping to match more than six hundred writers. She helped develop the #WritersServe project, which spotlights free writing workshops happening in settings such as hospitals, prisons, and shelters. Diane also taught creative writing for ten years at colleges in the Washington, DC area. She lives in Fairfax, Virginia, with her husband and daughter.

Connect with Diane here. 
Here’s the blurb:  Lauren Cress teaches writing at a small college outside of Washington, DC. In the classroom, she is poised, smart, and kind, well liked by her students and colleagues. But in her personal life, Lauren is troubled and isolated, still grappling with the sudden death of her parents ten years earlier. She seems to exist at a remove from everyone around her until a new student joins her class: charming, magnetic Siri, who appears to be everything Lauren wishes she could be. They fall headlong into an all-consuming friendship that makes Lauren feel as though she is reclaiming her lost adolescence.

When Siri invites her on a trip home to Sweden for the summer, Lauren impulsively accepts, intrigued by how Siri describes it: green, fresh, and new, everything just thawing out. But once there, Lauren finds herself drawn to Siri’s enigmatic, brooding brother, Magnus. Siri is resentful, and Lauren starts to see a new side of her friend: selfish, reckless, self-destructive, even cruel. On their last night together, Lauren accompanies Siri and her friends on a seaside camping trip to celebrate Midsommar’s Eve, a night when no one sleeps, boundaries blur, and under the light of the unsetting sun, things take a dark turn. 

Ultimately, Lauren must acknowledge the truth of what happened with Siri and come to terms with her own tragic past in this gorgeously written, deeply felt debut about the transformative relationships that often come to us when things feel darkest.

Good luck/Bonne chance! As always, 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. Write a short review, thanks! The best way to hear about a good book is by word of mouth from dedicated readers like you. And if you take a minute to thank an author when you win a free book or post a photo on Facebook, trust me, we all appreciate that more than you know.

Congratulations to last month’s winners: Sharon Haan, Laurie Nelson, Lisa Hudson, Sharon Person, Patricia Ratcliff, Peggy Clark.

Have you joined the Blue Sky Book Chat facebook group? If not, I hope you will click on that link and become part of our book-loving community. There’s nothing for you to do except enjoy the camaraderie and great information about books and authors.

One of the entertaining things you will find on Blue Sky are great author chats and this Sunday evening is not exception. Two weeks ago Bette Lee Crosby and Kay Bratt went viral!

Now here’s what we have going this Sunday (21st) ~ check out this graphic! I know! How exciting is this? The Chicken Sisters was a recent Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick and we’re excited to have K.J. Dell’Antonia dropping by! I hope you will join us. Mark your calendar and be sure to say hello. Here’s the link.

Speaking of sales, THE BRIDGE CLUB TENTH ANNIVERSARY EDITION remains on sale until the end of March. $.99 US.
With Mother’s Day coming up this is a great gift for mothers and grandmothers and bridge players too! Bridge is not a big part of the story, but at the end of eight chapters there is an in-depth bridge hand + advice for playing contributed by Canada’s bridge expert, Audry Grant. A real bonus for those who love the game!

I was lurking on Janine Marsh’s fabulous The Good Life France page and notice she had posted her recipe for Pain Perdu / French toast. Do you follow this site? If you don’t, you really should. There’s no other better place to find everything you want to know about France. I know I have shared another recipe for this before, but I trust everything Janine does. Here’s the recipe she shared! I’m going to make it tomorrow morning! Bon appétit.

I think we are all beginning to breathe a little easier as vaccinations roll out. But there’s still a lot we don’t know about Covid, so please continue to take care of each other and listen to the experts. We aren’t out of the woods yet but hopefully we are getting there.

My heart goes out to those suffering loss in so many ways.My gratitude and admiration to all those people that I see doing such thoughtful acts of kindness, day in and day out. Let’s keep believing that we will get through this by continuing to help each other
I will keep sharing this graphic until the day comes when we can all do our part again. No matter what, we will never stop saying thank you to all who keep life going for the rest of us.

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. 
Spring is here and with it vaccinations and forward movement to better things. Keep believing!

If you have enjoyed this newsletter, please share it!

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Filed Under: Blog, France, Photo blogs, Social issues, Uncategorized, Writing Tagged With: A Season of Surprises, A Season of Surprises at the Villa Des Violettes, Corsica, Covid19, newsletter, Patricia Sands, reading, The Bridge Club Tenth Anniversary Edition

June Newsletter

July 8, 2019 by Patricia Sands 1 Comment

Coucou! That’s yoohoo in French … and I like it! If you did not receive my June newsletter, here’s a chance to read it. For anyone who would like to subscribe, just add your email address in the column on the right, where indicated. I’d love to have you join us. You’re welcome!

Newsletter #69                                                                   
Bonjour,

Happy summer solstice! There’s a shocking heat wave in some parts of Europe right now … a canicule, is the word for it in France. We hope wherever you are, you are managing to keep cool and hydrated.

The header photo this month is from Corsica, also known as the “beautiful island” and the “scented island”. We visited this captivating part of France a few years ago and I enjoyed sending my characters, Kat and Philippe, on a motorcycle trip there in my latest release. A Season of Surprises, Book Two in the Villa des Violettes series, became available on June 20th. It’s always a thrill to publish a new story and I want to thank all the readers who have already written some wonderful reviews. I’m working on Book Three and hope to have it ready for you in November.

Enjoy a few moments on the island of Corsica …

While I’m on the topic of enticing destinations, let me share this information about a dream trip put together by my good friend, author Jacquie Gauthier. Jacquie makes her home in South Africa now and her Soul Safari is the stuff dreams are made of. In her words: 

What is a Soul Safari?    It’s a 10-day journey of introspection and exploration. An opportunity to connect with nature in the African Bushveld, and to connect with yourself.   

Our home is Ngama Tented Safari Camp, located on a private game reserve just outside of Kruger National Park.  This charming, intimate camp is the perfect place for yoga, meditation, and Zen bush walks among the zebras and giraffes. 

(No yoga experience is necessary; I teach an African flavoured yoga that is suitable for all levels.)     

Ngama is also ideally located to allow us to go out and explore; Big 5 game drives, rugged mountains, the world’s largest living canyon and Kruger National Park.       

We also get to enjoy the colour, culture and cuisine of South Africa. The next Soul Safari is November 17 to 26th, but we are now also taking bookings for 2020.      

Put together your own group (minimum of 8 required to have exclusive use of the camp) or meet new friends on one of the open tours. 

For more information contact Jacquie at jaxisclever@hotmail.com or send her a message on the “Soul Safari with Jacquie Gauthier ” page on FB.

I’ve got more exciting news, so will just get right on with this month’s great giveaways. Two of my sister authors from our #BlueSkyBookChat group are offering great reads for you. 

Giveaway #1 – Alison Ragsdale is offering two ebooks of her brand new release, The Art of Remembering, which will be out July 16th.  A proud Scots lass, Alison was born in Edinburgh and the connection to her homeland has never left her. Her novels are set in the stunning Highlands and islands of Scotland. A former professional dancer, and marketing executive, Alison now lives near Washington DC with her husband and dog.

Here’s the blurb:  Professional ballerina, Ailsa MacIntyre, is at the peak of her career when her world is shattered by a shocking diagnosis. Life-saving surgery leaves her with a fractured memory, little recollection of her husband, Evan, and none of her career as a principal dancer.

While recuperating at home, Ailsa hears beautiful music coming from the apartment upstairs, and the sound of the grand piano at the hands of a talented new neighbor sparks her muscle memory. As her recovery progresses, the broken pieces of her past gradually re-emerge, a picture not quite as idyllic as Evan would have her remember. Ailsa must navigate the conflicting visions of her past, and potential future, as they collide. 

Giveaway #2 – Sandi Kahn Shelton, who also writes as Maddie Dawson, is offering two ebooks of her bestselling novel, Matchmaking for Beginners.  Her bio is long and hilarious. The short story is that she grew up in the South, born into a family of outrageous storytellers–the kind of storytellers who would sit on the dock by the lake in the evening and claim that everything they say is THE absolute truth, like, stack-of-Bibles true. The more outlandish the story, the more it likely it was to be true. Or so they said. Today she lives in Connecticut and turned out pretty normal: married, children, dishes in the sink, deadlines, laundry, sleep deprivation, toothpaste cap lost, cashmere sweater in the dryer by accident. The full catastrophe, as Jack Kornfeld put it.

Here’s the blurb: Marnie MacGraw wants an ordinary life—a husband, kids, and a minivan in the suburbs. Now that she’s marrying the man of her dreams, she’s sure this is the life she’ll get. Then Marnie meets Blix Holliday, her fiancé’s irascible matchmaking great-aunt who’s dying, and everything changes—just as Blix told her it would.When her marriage ends after two miserable weeks, Marnie is understandably shocked. She’s even more astonished to find that she’s inherited Blix’s Brooklyn brownstone along with all of Blix’s unfinished “projects”: the heartbroken, oddball friends and neighbors running from happiness. Marnie doesn’t believe she’s anything special, but Blix somehow knew she was the perfect person to follow in her matchmaker footsteps.And Blix was also right about some things Marnie must learn the hard way: love is hard to recognize, and the ones who push love away often are the ones who need it most. You can connect with her by clicking this link.

Giveaway #3 ~ is from me! I’m happy to offer two ebooks of A Season of Surprises.

Here’s the blurb: The Love in Provence characters are celebrating a glorious spring on the Côte d’Azur. There are sweet-smelling blossoms, buds bursting into bloom, explosions of golden mimosa, dazzling sunshine, a shimmering sea … and a worrying disappearance! A hidden past is uncovered and shocking truths are revealed. But life goes on. Kat and Philippe welcome their first B&B guests to the Villa and continue to be busy with other demands, all the while keeping hope alive as police search for their friend. A special request from Simone and an unexpected appearance turn a planned motorcycle trip in Corsica into so much more. Springtime at the Villa des Violettes is filled with secrets and surprises. Congratulations to last month’s winners:

Valerie Hildebrand, Faith Creech, Alyson Widen, Rina Horenian, Tcelia Klosowicz 

As always, send your entry for these giveaways to patriciasandsauthor@gmail.com. Names will be chosen randomly using random.org. This month please tell us your favourite summer beverage for keeping cool!  Good luck with the draws! Bonne chance! 

It’s a pleasure to offer these giveaways from my writing friends. Thanks for the great response each month. I’m glad you appreciate the opportunities and are so keen to enter. In case you wonder, we read every single one of your entries and appreciate them! I hope you enjoy meeting authors who might be new to you, and connecting with those you already follow. Savor 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, even better, and always appreciated.

And now … TA DAAAAA … here’s SOME RED HOT NEWS…BLUE SKY BOOK CHAT IS NOW BRINGING YOU MORE FUN THAN EVER WITH AN EXCITING NEW LIVE, ONLINE BOOK CLUB!

We are thrilled to announce the Blue Sky Book Chat group will now be hosting an online Book Club, with Live Author Chats, Q & A, and open discussions each month.Our first FACEBOOK LIVE book discussion will take place on Sunday, August 4th, at 7:30 pm (EST).

Our first book selection will be “Emily, Gone” by our own Bette Lee Crosby. Already an award-winner, this novel is the tale of an unthinkable act that sets the lives of three mothers on a collision course. It is a novel that has been hailed as powerful and compelling and one that promises a stimulating discussion.

On the first of each month, we will announce our selection for the following month, so you will have plenty of time to buy or borrow the book and finish reading. The book discussion will be hosted by the author of that month’s book and in addition to providing those juicy little behind the scenes tidbits, the author will have an open Q & A discussion. We are currently working on a format which may enable us to invite some of the members in attendance to join us online to participate in the discussion.All in all, we believe these monthly book club meetings will be fun events where we can all share in the joy of reading and the fun of friendship.

All members of Blue Sky Book Chat on Facebook are welcome to join the fun–listen in, post your questions and discuss. Now there’s (should that be “here’s”?) a book club that you don’t have to leave home to attend, and you can come in your jammies!Here is where you can download a free sample or purchase your copy of “Emily, Gone” – https://amzn.to/2TM2fuA Doesn’t that sound like fun? Have you joined us yet? Click right here and get in on the fun! 

I hope your weekend is filled with fun, family and friends! The coming days are full of celebration on both sides of the border here. Happy Canada Day on July 1st and Happy Fourth of July in the USA!

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!

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Filed Under: Blog, France, Uncategorized, Writing Tagged With: Corsica, giveaways, monthly newsletter, Patricia Sands

World Oceans Day … oops, I forgot to click publish!

June 9, 2012 by Patricia Sands 14 Comments

I was caught up in a wonderful graduation day yesterday (Friday) for the daughter of dear friends. She received combined MBA/Law degrees plus an award for top marks in both. It was indeed a day to celebrate! Beginning with a beautiful ceremony at Convocation Hall, in the magnificent grounds of the University of Toronto, we lunched while awards were presented, then rushed home to shower, change and drive back downtown to the terrace of The Fifth for dinner and party-time!

In fact I was having such a great time celebrating, I forgot to move this post out of draft by hitting “Publish”. So here we are … a day late. But, never mind, let’s celebrate World Oceans Day every day and do our part as best we can.

If it’s Friday, it must be France …

The Mediterranean is a sea. A beautiful, historical body of water that has a unique magical aura. In fact, connected to the Atlantic Ocean through the Strait of Gibraltor, the Med (as it is affectionately known) is defined as a sea because it is mainly surrounded by land.

June 8th is World Oceans Day so please click this link take a minute to visit their website. I should have been talking about this weeks ago but, to be honest, in my state of *finish the MS total self-absorption*, I wasn’t aware of it.

In fact, it was my friend Tele Aadsen’s blog that gave me the reminder. As well as a writer, she fishes commercially in Alaska and no one in my world  is in a better  position to speak on this topic than Tele. She also has a video in this post that she shot as five whales accompanied them on one of their outings. If you haven’t already visited her blog, do it now. You’ll be very glad you did.

Tele also introduces us to Roz Savage whose memoir, Rowing The Atlantic, describes her 500 days at sea in a 23-foot rowboat. CAN YOU IMAGINE? I am always fascinated by individuals who take up such challenges and can’t wait to read about it.

Fellow writer/blogger Nancy J. Nicholson and her husband live on their sailboat and are cruising the Caribbean at the moment. Needless to say, they have a strong commitment to doing all they can to support the ongoing work of preserving our oceans. You can find her here.

In Toronto, we live on Lake Ontario and last weekend saw the annual lakeside clean-up by everyone who cares to give a day and help take care of the lake shore. An annual event, the turnout is always impressive – rain or shine!

Late afternoon view from our balcony in Toronto

Last summer we lived in Antibes on the shore of the Mediterranean for almost five months. Living with that awesome view of the Med and the hills and mountains beyond was a very special experience, we’ll never forget.

The view from our terrace in Antibes.

We never tired of the view or of spending as much time as we possibly could hiking the coastal trails, enjoying the catch of the day, or doing beach-time. Here are a few of my favourite Med shots.

Hiking the Cap D’Antibes

Secluded cove – hiking Cap D’Antibes

Overlooking St.-Jean-Cap-Ferrat from Eze Village

Sailing class in Antibes

The Med – driving through the hills of Corsica

Breathtaking Corsican landscape

Corsica – Marine Preserve – can it get any more blue than this?

Plage Beau Rivage – our favourite beach in Nice

A calanque near Marseille

Calanques – between Marseille and Cassis

Overlooking Cassis from La Route Des Cretes

Sanary-Sur-Mer

Sanary-Sur-Mer – fishing boats

Plage Des Graniers – St. Tropez

A gem – Plage Mala, Cap D’Ail

Okay, okay … I’ll stop. I had a great time sorting through my photos for those and could go on and on …

How far do you live from the sea or an ocean or any body of water? Let’s make a commitment to do all we can to conserve and protect our rivers, lakes and oceans today and every day.

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Filed Under: Blog, Social issues Tagged With: 2011 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Finalist, Antibes, Calanques, Corsica, Cote D'Azur, follow your dreams, ForeWord 2010 Book Of The Year Finalist, France, French Riviera, living in the south of France, Mediterranean, Nancy J Nicholson, Patricia Sands, Plage Beau Rivage, Plage Mala, south of France, St. Tropez, Tele Aadsen, The Bridge Club, World Ocean Day, writing

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