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Patricia Sands

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cover reveal

Happy Summer ~ celebrating with a Cover Reveal!

July 29, 2022 by Patricia Sands 6 Comments

Hi there! It’s been a while and I hope you all have been safe this summer. I took a hiatus from my blog and newsletter to go back to the south of France in June after almost three long years (Yes, it was magnifique! More on that later.) and to get organized with writing projects.

The first of which has been to prepare for the roll out of my new novel, THE SECRETS WE HIDE. I’m excited to finally be able to share the cover, the publishing date of August 25 and some details of the story.

Here’s the back cover copy to give you an idea of the story.
“The deep traditions and values of Kaito Tanaka’s Japanese heritage are severely tested when he returns home to Honolulu from duty in Vietnam to find his wife, Hana, in the grip of progressive mental health challenges.
As Hana’s condition worsens, Kaito’s life becomes absorbed in protecting and caring for her and their daughter, Kiana. Hana becomes increasingly reclusive while their daughter Kiana grows troubled and rebellious.

A friend’s mysterious death followed by Kiana’s sudden disappearance
cut deeply into Kaito’s soul. Meditation is Kaito’s drug of choice. Secrecy hides the truth from others but Kaito’s commitment to Hana is unwavering. As years go by, Kaito begins to make an annual pilgrimage to a Buddhist retreat in Koyasan that
renews his spirit. In the end, a serendipitous coincidence there opens the door to happiness – if he can allow himself to accept it.”


“Set against lush backdrops in Hawaii, Japan, Corsica, and the south of France, this beautiful story of resilience perfectly balances the heartbreak and destruction of mental illness with the compassion and serenity of an unforgettable hero.”
~ Barbara Claypole White, bestselling author of The Perfect Son and The Promise Between Us

This story contains more serious subject matter than my previous novels, but rest assured you will find yourself in France at some point. My research was extensive and I learned a great deal as I wrote the story. I also had excellent support and guidance and am so grateful to all those who shared their expertise with me. My thanks to them is in the Acknowledgements in the back matter of the novel. This is all part of what makes the writing experience so fulfilling.

My hope is that readers find this story brings strong feelings of love, commitment, hope and inspiration. Life doesn’t always bring what we expect but we should always be open to change. Hmmm – does that sound familiar? This story may not begin like one of my past novels but I’m pretty sure you will agree that it ends like them.

And for your eyes only at this point … the full cover will be posted in my next newsletter. The novel is now available for pre-order. Just click here to have it in your mailbox on August 25th.

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Filed Under: Blog, News, Uncategorized, Writing Tagged With: August 25/22, cover reveal, indie author, new release, Patricia Sands, The Secrets We Hide

Bonne fête de Pâques ~ Warm greetings for Passover and Easter (and an April 1st update)

April 11, 2020 by Patricia Sands 7 Comments

This is a special holy weekend around the world and I send warm wishes to those celebrating Easter or Passover ~ Chag Sameach. Of course, in these days of the CoronaVirus or Covid-19, all observances will be unlike ever before for everyone around the globe. I hope you are finding ways to connect with family and friends. Thank goodness for Zoom, Skype and FaceTime. At least we can see each other.

As I was doing some reading this week, I came across an article that spoke volumes to me about a meaningful message for both Passover and Easter.  It had to do with hope, something so important to us even more so now.

I want to share it with you here.

 This week in Prime Minister Trudeau’s daily address to the nation, he suggested children draw colourful pictures of Easter eggs and put them in the windows of their home. This was to remind the Easter Bunny to leave extra treats for healthcare workers and people performing essential services to help us through the current crisis. We owe them our gratitude in so many ways and I thought it was a lovely way to encourage children to think of these people. It’s such a hard time for youngsters and difficult to understand how their world has changed for the moment.

The tradition of Easter chocolate in France is very different. On the Thursday night before Easter, all the church bells go silent for the weekend. The ringing of the bells throughout the country on Easter Sunday morning alerts children to wake and search for their chocolate treats … not delivered by a bunny! Click on this link and get the full story from my friend, author Margo Lestz, who knows all the details of this longstanding tradition. She has an excellent post here comparing the traditions of children and chocolate at Easter. You will be surprised how the legends differ.

Chocolate is not quite so important at Passover.  But the traditions and foods that go along with the special meal, the seder, are celebrated every year.

In many countries the month begins with April Fool’s Day, although again this year I think it was cancelled more than anything. But for those who haven’t heard before, you may be interested in knowing how April 1st is celebrated in an altogether unique way in France.

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Imagine my surprise the first time I saw children sticking paper fish on each other’s back, whispering and giggling, and then hollering, “Poisson d’Avril!”

Excusez-moi? Fish?

As Wikipedia explains: “In Italy, France and Belgium, children and adults traditionally tack paper fishes on each other’s back as a trick and shout “April fish!” in their local languages (pesce d’aprile!, poisson d’avril! and aprilvis! in Italian, French and Flemish, respectively). Such fish feature prominently on many late 19th- to early 20th-century French April Fools’ Day postcards.

April-Fools-vintage-Image-TheGraphicsFairy.com

April-Fools-vintage-Image-TheGraphicsFairy.com

I had no idea where the tradition began and, after a bit of searching, found this explanation on France Travel Guide.

“Although the origin of April Fools is obscure and debated, the most widely accepted explanation actually credits the “holiday” as starting in France. The most popular theory about the origin of April Fool’s Day involves the French calendar reform of the sixteenth century.

The theory goes like this: In 1564 King Charles XIV of France reformed the calendar, moving the start of the year from the end of March to January 1.

However, in a time without trains, a reliable post system or the internet, news often traveled slow and the uneducated, lower class people in rural France were the last to hear of and accept the new calendar. Those who failed to keep up with the change or who stubbornly clung to the old calendar system and continued to celebrate the New Year during the week that fell between March 25th and April 1st, had jokes played on them.

Pranksters would surreptitiously stick paper fish to their backs. The victims of this prank were thus called Poisson d’Avril, or April Fish—which, to this day, remains the French term for April Fools—and so the tradition was born.”

poisson d'avril

Poisson d’avril

Boulangeries and patisseries deliciously get into the spirit with fish-shaped goodies. Oh … and did I mention the chocolatiers? Schools of fish of all sizes fill shop windows, the larger ones often filled with smaller treats. To a chocoholic, fish never tasted so good!

Since Easter usually falls around the same time, fish feature predominantly in shop windows through that holiday as well.

On  The Good Life France   (amazing photography and articles ~ you know I’m a huge fan!), there’s another article by Margo Lestz about April 1st in France.  Margo writes perfectly-researched articles, as well as entertaining books about some of the quirky history and traditions of France.  Click here to visit her website!

I hope you find this post a bit of a diversion from more pressing issues. One positive aspect of these days of confinement is the opportunity to do a lot of reading, pursue other interests and stay connected with each other. It’s so important to stay home and stay safe.

My heart goes out to anyone who has been impacted by the virus, either directly or indirectly and I send heartfelt wishes for a full recovery to those who are sick and hope for the future to those whose jobs have been impacted. Sincere condolences to families who have lost loved ones. The selfless healthcare and essential workers around the world who are on the front lines are inspiring. We are so grateful to you.

Keep hope alive. Stay well.

Let these books take you on an adventure. Bon voyage!

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Filed Under: Blog, France, Social issues, Uncategorized, Writing Tagged With: books, corona virus, cover reveal, Easter, Fete de Pâques, Passover

The Wind Weeps cover reveal!

June 23, 2015 by Patricia Sands 4 Comments

Author Anneli Purchase went shopping, Anneli Purchase found a designer she liked, and bought a new outfit. Now she has a new image. It’s not for her, but for her novel, The Wind Weeps.

Here’s Anneli herself to tell you more about this exciting change!

The Wind Weeps has so many tangible elements that I could have focused on any number of them for a cover image. The story involves boats, the BC coast, commercial fishing, handsome men, beautiful women, and the isolation of the coast. But my designer, Anita B. Carroll of http://race-point.com , suggested that since the book has so much emotion in it, why not go with a cover that reflects it.

Remember the terror Julia Roberts felt in the movie Sleeping with the Enemy? That’s the kind of terror Andrea feels about her husband, Robert. But in her case it isn’t so easy to escape him. He has taken her to live in a remote cabin on the coast, all communication unavailable to her.

We have love, anticipation, happiness, hope, desperation, indecision, ambivalence, frustration, fear and joy, just to name a few of the emotions found in The Wind Weeps.

Andrea once loved orchids, but Robert has turned them into a symbol of his control over her. The orchid on the cover seems to be weeping. The sky is blood red, the sea is dark and rough. And yet Andrea is determined to survive and get back to the man she wishes she had married, the one who has never stopped loving her.

For more than just a romance, why not click on the link to download The Wind Weeps. You won’t sleep until you finish it.

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Amazon.com

Or if you are in the UK:

Amazon.co.uk

For those with e-readers other than Kindle, go to Smashwords.com

AUTHOR BIO

Anneli Purchase is an author and freelance copy-editor. She writes for the Loveahappyending Lifestyle Magazine, which she also helps to edit. Anneli lives on her little acre of paradise on Vancouver Island with her husband and two spaniels. She has published three novels and is working on her fourth.

 

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Filed Under: Author Promotion, Blog, News, Uncategorized, Writing Tagged With: Anita B. Carroll, Anneli Purchase, cover reveal, Julia Roberts, orchids, Patricia Sands, race-point, Sleeping With The Enemy, The Wind Weeps

Taking Root in Provence

August 23, 2014 by Patricia Sands 15 Comments

If it’s Friday, it must be France …

9.window Aix-en-Provence

Just over a year ago, Anne-Marie Simons and her husband, Oscar, were featured on my blog.  Hop on over there to learn more about this charming couple and read an excerpt from Taking Root in Provence.

Anne-Marie is, among other things writerly, the author

book-cover-small of Taking Root in Provence, a delightful non-fiction book about life in France. If you haven’t read it and you love France as much as I do, you will enjoy the vignettes. They are charming, informative and often hilarious! True snapshots of Provençal culture acquired since Anne-Marie and Oscar settled in Aix-en-Provence in 1998.

Anne-Marie is also a journalist and her blog, Provence Today, keeps readers up to date on the latest news in France with her keen, unbiased observations.

Since I returned from France in July, I’ve shared a few posts about other writers in France you might like to follow. You can click right here to go to links to Claire McAlpine, Margo Lestz and Kristin Espinasse.

One of the aspects of travel that I love is the opportunity to meet people in person after knowing them only online. After our plans to meet in 2013 didn’t work out, Anne-Marie and I finally had a chance to sit down together at Le Grillon in Aix-en-Provence on June 30 this year. It was great fun and just too short a time! Hopefully we’ll be able to do it again next summer!

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Summer is flying by! What are your special plans? Meeting up with friends? Take some time and just do it …

Come and join me on Facebook on Monday, August 25th for the COVER REVEAL  of my new novel, Promises To Keep. Just click right here. Release day is coming up too on August 29th! More on that next week. 

In case you haven’t heard, The Promise of Provence is specially priced at $.99 this week. Really! Click right here today. We want to make sure everyone has a chance to read it before Promises To Keep is published. Kat’s adventure in the south of France continues!

Bon weekend, tout le monde! 

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Filed Under: Blog, France, General Travel, If it is France..., Writing Tagged With: Aix-En-Provence, Anne-Marie Simons, cover reveal, Patricia Sands, Promises To Keep, Taking Root In Provence

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