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Patricia Sands

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France Book Tours

Spring Flings!

April 12, 2014 by Patricia Sands 20 Comments

If it’s Friday, it must be France …

Friday seems to come around more quickly these days! I think it has something do with Spring, don’t you? The days are getting longer. The sun feels warmer and the air fresher. There’s a kind of a-new-lease-on-life vibe going on in my world and it’s SO energizing!

When I want to have a little escape from writing, without actually going anywhere, I disappear into my photo files for a while. I love to wander into this garden, close my eyes, listen to the cicadas, breathe in the sweet fragrance of fresh blooms, and generally chill for a while.. Wouldn’t you? I can feel Spring in the air here.

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Since the change in seasons has finally arrived (… for most of us anyway, and I hope that includes you …) I used this shot for the header on my Newsletter #7 yesterday .  In the previous newsletter I had a giveaway contest for two signed copies of Ted Jones’ book,The French Riviera: A Literary Guide for Travellers. One of my favourites! 

The lucky winners are Margaret Elkins and Donna Bazan! Congratulations! I’m waiting for your postal info and then the books will be on their way to you.

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There are more Spring flings going on!

Who doesn’t love to win a free book? My friend Emma who organizes the fabulous France Book Tours is also hosting a giveaway over the next week or two to celebrate the first anniversary of her highly successful blog tours. A copy of The Promise of Provence is one of many great prizes. Click here to go the page and bonne chance!

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To add to the excitement of spring in the air, BookRhythm on Facebook is hosting an April Kindle Giveaway, loaded with novels offered by 19 authors. This weekend they are ramping up the fun factor by having flash giveaways of books. Click right  here and join in the fun. Good luck!

And now I’m heading back into my writing cave … almost done!

When was the last time you won a free book and what was the title? If you haven’t signed up to receive my monthly newsletter yet, there’s a widget in the right column here that takes you where you need to go. Come on and join us! We’re waiting for you!

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Filed Under: Blog, Contests, France, If it is France... Tagged With: April Kindle Giveaway, Book Rhythm, France Book Tours, giveaways, Patricia Sands, The Promise of Provence, writing

France Book Tours – My Wish List

March 21, 2014 by Patricia Sands 29 Comments

My Wish List banner

If it’s Friday, it must be France …

Oh, this has been SO much fun for me!

Once I’m on the homestretch with a manuscript I’m writing, there’s barely enough time to read my own work let alone other books. That’s the case at the moment as I complete the first draft of my next novel, a sequel to The Promise of Provence, in response to tremendous reader response.

When my online friend Emma, who organizes the exceptional France Book Tours, approached me about participating in this blog tour, she knew I was deep in my own writing cave. She also knew this was a book I would love to read … and not simply because it is set in France. She was right!

My review is going to be short and sweet as I would not want to give away anything more than is included in the synopsis. I’m so glad I took the time to read this delightful novel (really a novella length) and I hope you will read it too. Well-written and fast-paced, you will fall in love with unassuming Jocelyne Guerbette from the beginning of the book. Not only does the story contain well-developed characters and unexpected twists, it also encourages us to examine our values and consider what truly matters in life. Not a literary tour de force, this is a compelling and quick read and I could not put it down!

The author has offered to give away a print or ebook to residents in the US and Canada. If you would like to try and be the winner (it’s our own little lottery draw!), simply leave a comment below. All the names will go into random.org selection software and I’ll announce the lucky winner on my blog next Friday, March 29th. Good luck!

SYNOPSIS

 A cathartic, charmingly tender, assuredly irresistible novel, MY WISH LIST imagines one answer to the question: If you won the lottery, would you trade your life for the life of your dreams? With sales of more than half a million copies in France alone, rights sold in twenty-five countries, and a major motion picture in development, this slim yet spirited tale has sewn up the interest of the literary world.

Jocelyne Guerbette is a forty-seven year old who runs a modest fabric shop in a nondescript provincial French town. Her husband—instead of dreaming of her—wants nothing more in life than a flat-screen TV and the complete James Bond DVD box set. And to Jocelyne’s two grown-up children, who live far from home, she’s become nothing but an obligatory phone call. Perpetually wondering what has happened to all the dreams she had when she was younger, Jocelyne finally comes to terms with the series of ordinary defeats and small lies that seem to make up her life.

But then Jocelyne wins the lottery: $25,500,000! And suddenly she finds the world at her fingertips. But before cashing the check, before telling a soul, she starts making a list of all the things she could do with the money. While evaluating the small pleasures in life—her friendship with  the twins who manage the hairdresser next door, her holidays away, her sewing blog that’s gaining popularity—she begins to think that the everyday ordinary may not be so bad. Does she really want her life to change?

My Wish List cover

MY WISH LIST is an essential reminder of the often-overlooked joys of everyday life and a celebration of the daily rituals, serendipities, and small acts of love that make life quietly wonderful. (Provided by the publisher –  Penguin  ISBN: 9780143124658  $15.00)

***

Release date: March 25, 2014
at Viking and Penguin Books ISBN-13: 978-0143124658
176 pages

CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR COPY OF THE WISH LIST
CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE OTHER STOPS ON THE BLOG TOUR.
PRAISE FOR MY WISH LIST

“A runaway bestseller that looks set to follow the success of The Elegance of the Hedgehog.” — Elle (France)

 “Delacourt has hit the jackpot… [He has a] knack for finding exactly the right words and for evoking feeling” — Le Nouvel Observateur

 “Delacourt has a keen eye for everyday life and for the extraordinary challenges that ordinary people face” — Le Parisien

***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Grégoire Delacourt was born in Valenciennes, France, in 1960. His first Grégoire Delacourtnovel,L’Écrivain de la Famille, was published in 2011 and won five literary prizes. MY WISH LIST has been a runaway number-one bestseller in France; publication rights have been sold in more than twenty-five countries. Delacourt lives in Paris, where he runs an advertising agency with his wife.

See more on his French website: Grégoire Delacourt
Follow him on Facebook  | Goodreads
I am SO glad Emma asked me to read this entertaining and thought-provoking story. I mean … let’s be honest … who among us has not fantasized at one time or another about winning a lottery … I know I have!  I urge you to read My Wish List. You will be glad you did! 

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Filed Under: Blog, Contests, France, If it is France... Tagged With: France, France Book Tours, Grégoire Delacourt, lottery, My Wish List, Patricia Sands, The Promise of Provence

Le tour de France and My tour de France

July 2, 2013 by Patricia Sands 22 Comments

Okay, I  know it isn’t Friday, which is the day to celebrate France on my blog but I have a few France-related matters I want to share.

First, in case you didn’t know … but really, how could you not … you DO follow le tour don’t you? Even without Lance … and we won’t go there right now …

The 100th Tour de France began last Saturday and currentlymap_home the riders are passing through my favourite part of France. They were in Nice today and will be heading along the coast, past Antibes and up into the hills near Grasse, heading for Marseilles in this next stage.

FRIDAY UPDATE- My friend, Claire McAlpine, told me about the day the Tour passed through Aix. All the children had the day off school so they would not miss the excitement. I like that!

Today, the ride is from Montpelier to Albi.

Click here to go to the official site for videos and all the information you could possible want on this extraordinary sport. (I’m not mentioning the skin tight cycling outfits … but … if for no other reason …)

And now I want to mention MY tour de France. The fabulous Emma at Words And Peace now organizes excellent FRANCE BOOK TOURS that allow authors to share their work through the fine bloggers she contacts, according to the genre.

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If you have time, please go to her site or any of the sites below to join in the tour, try for a giveaway, or just say hello to me. The main purpose of these tours is to allow author’s to reach new readership by being featured on different blogs. It’s a wonderful way to get in touch with readers and I want every blogger involved to know how much their involvement and support is appreciated. Book bloggers rock! Merci!

VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR SCHEDULE
Monday, July 1
Giveaway at Vvb32 Reads

Tuesday, July 2
Review + Giveaway at Chocolate & Croissants

Wednesday, July 3
Review + Giveaway at The French Village Diaries
Interview + Giveaway at An Accidental Blog

Thursday, July 4
Review at The Most Happy Reader

Friday, July 5
Interview at The French Village Diaries

Saturday, July 6
Excerpt posted by Helena Fairfax

Sunday, July 7
Review at Walkie Talkie Book Club

Monday, July 8
Review at Vvb32 Reads
Review + Giveaway at Words And Peace

Tuesday, July 9
Review at Faith Hope & Cherrytea
Giveaway at Walkie Talkie Book Club

Wednesday, July 10
Review at Impressions In Ink
Review + Giveaway at Queen Of All She Reads
Review + Giveaway at The Redlady’s Reading Room

***

Patricia will be co-leading an 11-day tour of 14 women
to Nice and the countryside of Provence in June 2014.
Come join in the magic!
http://womenstravelnetwork.ca/promenade-en-provence/

I’m dashing out now to go watch our 5-year-old grandson’s (The Adorable Jack) soccer game! If any of these links aren’t live right now, I will fix them later tonight. First things first, right? 

What are your priorities these days? Is your plate overflowing or do you have everything under control? How do you find the balance?

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Filed Under: Blog, France Tagged With: France, France Book Tours, Le Tour De France, Nice, The Promise of Provence, Words And Peace

Paulita Kincer’s Book Tour …

June 18, 2013 by Patricia Sands Leave a Comment

mailSay bonjour to writer and blogger Paulita Kincer, another woman who shares my love of France.  She has traveled there many times and still finds more to lure her back.

Paulita has an M.A. in journalism from American University and currently teaches college English  in Columbus, Ohio, where she lives with her three teenagers, two cats and one husband.

Her novel, The Summer of France, was recently published and Paulita is traveling about on a blog tour organized by … drum roll please … ta daaaa …

France Book Tours!

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It’s our good fortune she found time to drop by for a chat. I’ve set out some lightly chilled white wine and rosé along with a selection of delicious temptations from the local patisserie.

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France-PSandsPhotos

Please help yourself  … don’t be shy, take two … and join us!

P.S. ~ Rosé or Pastis – which do you prefer?
P.K. ~ Pastis is always a fiery surprise which I enjoy on occasion, but I’m mostly a sweet wine drinker, so you’d likely find rosé in my hands before dinner.

P.S. ~ When did your connection to France begin and how often do you return?
P.K. ~ I took French in high school and college and then did a student tour between my junior and senior years of college. But France and I had a rocky start when I desperately needed a bathroom near Notre Dame and found only a Turkish toilet – you know, those toilets that have two places for feet to go and a drain in the bottom. However, I got a second chance with France a few years later when I went over as an au pair for three months. I haven’t lost my love for all things French since then.
With two kids in college, I don’t get a chance to travel to France as often as I’d like, but they will graduate some day, and I’m already planning my next trip. I want to try barging on the canals in Burgundy and another bicycle trip in Provence.

P.S. ~ When did writing first become a serious focus for you?
P.K. ~ I’ve been a serious writer since I can remember. I have dozens of notebooks filled with my childhood writing; During summer vacations, I would take my notebook and a peanut butter sandwich and scour the neighborhood for adventures I could write about. I majored in journalism in college so I could earn a living as a writer, and eventually I started writing novels.

P.S. ~  Are you a plotter or a pantser? What works for you?
P.K. ~ I’m definitely a pantser, which means, I don’t employ any discipline! I start off with an idea and characters and set them on their way. Most of the time they head in directions I don’t even expect. The Summer of France started off as a novel about a bed and breakfast in Mackinac Island, Michigan. What it turned out to be was a novel about family running a bed and breakfast in the south of France and discovering secrets about each other.

P.S. ~  Is The Summer of France your first novel?
P.K. ~ The Summer of France is my first published novel. I’ve written two other novels that aren’t in print yet.

P.S. ~  What inspired the story?
P.K. ~ I started with the idea of running a bed and breakfast, and I wondered how I could make that work in France. I came up with the uncle who had fought in World War II then never returned to the U.S. because he married a French woman. A story on NPR alerted me to the missing art from World War II and led to the complicated secrets that Uncle Martin hid from his wife and family. That story twist helped flesh out the other characters who were searching for the art, including the delicious Christophe.

P.S. ~ What future writing projects are you planning?
P.K. ~ I hope to publish I See London, I See France later this summer. When Annie’s husband walks out in a snit, she sells her minivan and takes her three kids to Europe in search of the Frenchman who got away. She wants to figure out if she chose the right guy or should be living a different life.
I’m also working on a sequel to The Summer of France.

P.S. ~  What, along with writing, are your primary interests, hobbies, sports, family activities?
P.K. ~ I run most mornings. It’s not like I love it that much, but I try to stay healthy. I also have some friends I run with on Saturday mornings. We call it our group therapy on the trail. My husband and I enjoy bicycling and take ballroom dancing classes.
I have three kids, two in college, so I’m lavishing attention on that final kid at home.
I teach college English and the students give me a lot of energy.
I love to watch college football and Toddlers and Tiaras. I know those shows are diametrically opposed, but there you have it.

P.S. ~ You are one busy lady and life sounds very good! I wish you continued success with your writing and I know we’ll have lots of opportunities in the future to swap stories about France. À bientôt!

P.K. ~ Thanks for the opportunity to share my passion for writing with you all.

The Summer of France Synopsis

When Fia Jennings loses her job at the local newspaper,mail-1 she dreams of bonding with her teenage twins. As she realizes she may be too late to pull her family closer, her husband Grayson pressures her to find another job to pay the increasing bills. Relief comes with a phone call from Fia’s great Uncle Martin who runs a bed and breakfast in Provence. Uncle Martin wants Fia to venture to France to run the B&B so he and his wife Lucie can travel. He doesn’t tell Fia about the secret he hid in the house after fighting in World War II, and he doesn’t mention the people who are tapping his phone and following him, hoping to find the secret.

After much cajoling, Fia whisks her family to France and is stunned when Uncle Martin and Aunt Lucie leave the same day for a Greek cruise. She’s thrown into the minutiae of a running the B&B without the benefit of speaking the language. Her dreams of family bonding time fade as her teenagers make French friends. Fia’s husband Grayson begins touring the countryside with a sophisticated French woman, and Fia resists the distractions of Christophe, a fetching French man. Why the whirlwind of French welcome, Fia wonders after she comes home from a day at the beach in Nice to find someone has ransacked the B&B.

Fia analyzes Uncle Martin’s obscure phone calls, trying to figure out this WW II hero’s secret. Can she uncover the secret and relieve Uncle Martin’s guilt while building the family she’s always dreamed of?

(No violence. No graphic sex, some sexual situations.)

Publication Date: October 2012

230 pages, Oblique Presse, available on Lulu.com , ISBN-10: 1300257334, ISBN-13: 978-1300257332

Available in ebook for $3.99 and paperback for $14 at Amazon.com and in paperback for $14 at Lulu.com

Visit her website www.paulitakincer.com or her blog at www.paulita-ponderings.blogspot.com or like her on Facebook at facebook.com/PaulitaKincerWriter

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Filed Under: Author Promotion, Blog Tagged With: Aix-En-Provence, France Book Tours, Patricia Sands, Paulita Kincer, Provence, The Summer of France, Words And Peace

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