Patricia Sands

Author

friendship

New Cover Reveal!

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I’m excited to share this with you today! The ladies of The Bridge Club will be back in the Tenth Anniversary edition on December 7, 2020, including eight new bridge hands contributed by Canada’s own bridge guru, Audrey Grant.

The story is about a lifetime of friendship … the good, the bad and the totally unexpected … and the bonds that kept these women together. If you are a bridge player, bonus!

This edition includes the original story with revisions and the addition of a completely new Epilogue. I’ll post the new Amazon link when the book is live.

I love this new cover and hope you do too! I’m grateful to the talented Sharon Clare of Clarity Book Cover Designs for the thoughtful, artistic result of her efforts!

Unlike my popular books set in France, this story is completely Canadian … from the Eastern Townships of Quebec to the mountains of Whistler, British Columbia. {Um … there might be a little bit of France to be found in the new Epilogue. 🙂 }

Bon weekend tout le monde! Wishing everyone a happy and safe weekend. Stay home, read some good books and keep each other safe!

5 print copies ~ Goodreads giveaway!

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Happy May! What better time to celebrate with a giveaway on Goodreads?

Click right here to enter your name to win one of five (5) print copies of my latest novel.

Here’s the blurb …

The author of the Love in Provence series returns to the South of France with a poignant portrait of a woman who must learn how to create a new life for herself…

Sixty-two-year-old Arianna arrives in the South of France for a two-week artists’ workshop full of anticipation but burdened by guilt. Back home in Toronto, she has been living with the devastating diagnosis of her husband’s dementia and the heartbreak of watching the man she has loved for decades slip away before her eyes. What does her future hold without Ben? Before her is a blank canvas.

Encouraged by her family to take some time for herself, she has traveled to Arles to set up her easel in the same fields of poppies and sunflowers that inspired Van Gogh. Gradually, she rediscovers the inner artist she abandoned long ago. Drawing strength from the warm companionship and gentle wisdom of her fellow artists at the retreat—as well as the vitality of guest lecturer Jacques de Villeneuve, an artist and a cowboy—Arianna searches her heart for permission to embrace the life in front of her and, like the sunflowers, once again face the light.

With over 90% 4 and 5-star reviews, readers are loving this story as much as I loved writing it. *Tissue alert* 

Sharing the love …

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If it’s Friday, it must be France …

Bonjour everyone! It’s been a busy few weeks for me since Drawing Lessons was published on October 1st! How’s November going for you?

In fact, Saturday was here before I realized Friday was gone, so please excuse this post being a day late. There’s always a lot to do once a new novel is published and most of it includes writing blog posts to share on other websites. We all try to help each other passing along the good news!

If you have some time this weekend, you might want to pop over to my dear friend Steena Holmes‘ blog. This photo was taken at the NINC writers’ conference we attended in Florida last month. It was SO good to spend time together in person. Steena’s home is in Calgary.

It’s always a pleasure to visit on her blog and fun to share a few secrets … that’s one of her specialities! She consistently manages to tease a few tidbits from the friends she invites over …  just one reason she’s known as Sweet Steena! There’s also a giveaway for a print copy of Drawing Lessons, so don’t forget to leave a comment there to have your name entered! Click right here and Good luck ~ Bonne chance!

Be sure to investigate the great novels Steena has written and subscribe to her site so you receive all of her news. You’ll notice a lot of chocolate featured there too! Another passion we share …

Now, here’s some more love for you ~ a post written by another dear friend, Deborah Bine aka The Barefoot Blogger.

This photo, to the left, is from Deb’s visit with us in Antibes last summer. We were on our way home from the market that day. The house my husband and I were renting is just behind us with the blue shutters. We loved it! And the rooftop terrace … what a treat that was …

Deb’s visits to us on the Côte d’Azur, with her fab friends, Paula and Rich, have become a happy tradition.

Always a deliciously good time!

Deb lives in Uzès and gets around France more than most people I know. Then she writes great articles about her travels. This post of hers about the ancient and enticing walled town of Aigues-Mortes in the Camargue, ties into the story from Drawing Lessons and really tells you everything you would like to know about the history and the charm of the area.

I hope you will take a few minutes to linger there and feel like you’ve truly had a visit! Then you’ll understand why Arianna, the main character in my novel, was so smitten with the town and … well, I’ll let you read the novel to discover the answer to the rest of that sentence.

Click right here to read Deb’s article and enjoy Aigues-Mortes! In fact, it would be a good idea to subscribe to her site so you don’t miss all the other travels she shares.

This is a photo I took inside the walls of Aigues-Mortes when I was doing research for Drawing Lessons. Click this link to hear how to pronounce the town’s name. It’s easier than it looks!

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to post a review for Drawing Lessons. I’m delighted you’ve enjoyed the story so much it has a 4.6 stars rating. Every time a review is written, it’s like sharing the love for an author … and it is most appreciated.

 

 

 

What’s $.99 among friends?

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It’s time to celebrate friendship! TBC ~ new coverWell, actually, every day is time to celebrate friendship, isn’t it? We’re so fortunate to have it in our life.

With summer finally here and having just spent time with  my ‘real’ Bridge Club, this felt like a good time to do something special with this book that was my debut novel.

If you haven’t read THE BRIDGE CLUB, now’s your chance to pick up the ebook for $.99.  Send some copies to your friends while you’re at it!

The Bridge Club will be the Book Of The Day on Ereader News Today on Friday, June 10th and the sale will continue for several days thereafter. ENT is a fabulous site to discover ebooks that are free or discounted for a limited time. You might want to subscribe and get the news from them!

576517c4b4c01103a04ba04867f005afHere’s what one Amazon reader had to say about The Bridge Club:  “This book was a wonderful surprise. From the cover I thought it was another fluffy little comedy about a group of zany ladies. Let me assure you it is not – rather it is a guide book for every woman who faces the problems of womanhood as these characters. Yes they are a bit zany, but they define what friendship is all about. They meet each hardship together ,United in their efforts to always be there for one another. While the ending is sad and thought provoking you come away with a sense of joy and peace. Every woman should read this book !!”

Hop on over here to read 100 more reviews on Amazon.

As well as Amazon, The Bridge Club633c6b2eb2442522e39fbe6b6271262d is also available on iTunes , Nook, and Kobo. It was only recently uploaded on the latter three sites, so has no reviews there. If you have time to leave one, I hope you know that’s always appreciated.

If it hadn’t been for the lifetime of friendship I’ve shared with this special group, I might never have begun a career as an author. And they’ve been my biggest cheerleaders from day one … just another reason to add to the many of why I love this collection of smart, sensitive, fun, strong women, who all have their own special stories to tell. But then don’t we all?

Find a few moments in your day to tell the special people in your life how much they mean to you. Celebrate those friendships!

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