Patricia Sands

Author

iUniverse

La Grande Nomade …

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If it’s Friday, it must be France …

Yes … I’m still hard at the WIP … so since I can’t get away from it, I thought I would bring you into the story with me for a moment. Oh come on! No eye rolls! It’s just for a moment …

By way of introduction – This sculpture was installed at the end of the ramparts in Antibes in 2007. It was taken into a private collection at one point and the outcry was so loud when it was gone that it was replaced. We overlooked it from our terrace last summer. Magic … day or night … just magic …

The setting for this scene in my story is at night. Of course in the WIP there are no photos … only the images created by my own letters …

Patricia Sands Photography

At the end of the ramparts, they stepped inside the white stainless steel sculpture that faced the sea and dominated the harbor of Port Vauban. Lit from the bottom in the unfolding darkness, there was a sense of a shimmering diaphanous embrace.

“I’ve been mesmerized by this from my terrace,” Katherine murmured. “It’s as if  he’s a guardian …  almost like a mirage from a distance.”

“This part of the ramparts is Bastion Saint-Jaume. Originally constructed in the 1700’s, it was blown up by the Germans when they retreated in 1944 and rebuilt according to the original plans,” Nick said, ever the historian.

Photo by http://www.casa-infos.fr/node/54

“It’s so unusual …  almost magical … ” Katherine studied the outline of a person squatting, arms around knees, constructed entirely of letters.

 “La Grande Nomade … but tourists refer to it as the Man of Letters … for obvious reasons,” Nick continued. “Oddly, the Spanish sculptor’s name is Jaume Plensa …”

 Katherine smiled at the coincidence.

Nick’s voice softened, reflecting the intimacy he craved. “His philosophy behind the work is that letters are like bricks. They help us to construct our thoughts. I read an interview where he expressed his feeling that our skin is permanently and invisibly tattooed with the text of our life experiences and then someone comes along … a friend, a lover … who is able to decipher these tattoos.”

 Biting her lip, Kat looked out over the calm sea. “The text of this year of my life would call for quite the tattoo.”

Photo by http://yaellecaplan.blogspot.ca/2011/08/la-grande-nomade.html
Patricia Sands Photography

Are you able to get a good enough sense of La Grande Nomade from these photos? What do you think of Plensa’s philosophy about letters?

It’s a long weekend in Canada and the weather is beautiful in Toronto – Victoria Day on Monday or, as it’s ‘fondly’ referred to up here “May two-four”. I’m taking tomorrow off from writing. Woohoo!  We’re going to Mosport with some of our children and grandchildren to watch our son, Sasha, compete in his auto racing division. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I wish you all a Bon Weekend!

2011 BookExpo America – what’s new and what’s next!

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There’s a lot of book buzz in The Big Apple this week! The largest annual book fair in the United States is being held May 23 to 26 in New York City. Commonly referred to as BEA, BookExpo America is the book industry’s premier trade show in the USA. Locations sometimes vary but each spring booksellers from across the country are provided with an opportunity to preview publishers’ upcoming titles, as well as take part in education and information sessions, author breakfasts and lunches, and other special events. Networking rules! In addition, authors, editors, librarians, buyers for book retailers, and the literati in general get to immerse themselves in a three-day bookfest visiting booths and exhibits and socializing with colleagues. Somewhere in that mix and amongst thousands of other books, The Bridge Club is being exhibited on a bookshelf and in catalogues. It’s a thrill and an honour! Perhaps one of these years I’ll actually get to be there as well. It never hurts to dream!
Click here to read about all of the exciting events.

2011 Next Generation Indie Book Awards

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Well, this was a great start to my day! I opened my e-mail to discover the following message from Indie Book Awards.

“Congratulations! Your book has been named a Finalist in the First Novel (over 80,000 words) category of the 2011 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. Congratulations! Your achievement will be published at www.IndieBookAwards.com along with the other Finalists and Winners in the next few weeks. Also, we will be sending out a press release within the next month announcing the Grand Prize Winners and advising media and others where they can see a complete list of Winners and Finalists.

Additionally, The Bridge Club will be listed as a Finalist in the 2011 Next Generation Indie Book Awards catalog which will be distributed at Book Expo America (“BEA”) in New York later this month to thousands of attendees including book buyers, library representatives, media, industry professionals, and others. Our intention is to promote the Winners and Finalists to as many people as possible.”

Being notified last month about The Bridge Club being a Finalist in the ForeWord 2010 Awards, this is more icing on the cake. I’m thrilled and delighted and wanted to share my good news! Thanks to all of you who continue to give me such great support and feedback for The Bridge Club. On we go!

Get to know author Patricia Caviglia

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Patricia Caviglia is a bright new voice on the roster of Canadian writers. An exotic mix of Brazilian, Italian and French cultures influence the personality of this young woman in her mid-thirties. After growing up in Montreal and tasting life abroad with a six-month stay in Italy in her twenties, she moved to Toronto 5 years ago. Somehow she manages to juggle a full-time career, raising a three-year-old daughter, and a dedication to writing. Her first published work, Masks, is a novella that has a message for all ages but is primarily directed to the YA readers.
What was your primary inspiration for your novella Masks?
In 2008, I was at a crossroads in my life. I had become a new mom and realized I was my daughter’s first and most important example of a woman. I felt that I could only teach her to pursue her dreams by pursuing my own – even if, in the end I failed. I hadn’t written in years, but it had always been my dream to be a published author. I went for it.

How do you initially develop your characters and do you find they begin to take on a life of their own as the story progresses?
I don’t think I develop my characters at all. Something will trigger their existence in my mind. With Masks, a movie [Tout est parfait (Everything Is fine)] about a clique of suicidal boys reminded me so much of being a teenager that I couldn’t shake off the feeling. A few days after seeing the movie, Rebecca, the main character in Masks, appeared in my mind.
My characters always have a life of their own. They have their interests, likes, dislikes, thoughts, pasts, dreams, bad habits, etc. Although they may only exist in my mind, they are fully formed people. If I want to know something about them, I ask them. I don’t debate whether something fits their life or not.
This sounds a little crazy but I’m sure a few fiction writers would say the same.

Are you drawn more to crafting short stories or is there a novel waiting to be unleashed?
I enjoy writing both. At times, I don’t feel like writing and have to push myself. Writing a short story can be just as hard as writing a novel. It all depends on the story. But with the short story, if I force myself to write, I know I will reach an ending fairly quickly. That makes it easier to motivate myself. With a novel, the page count alone leaves me a little ill. When I look at the bottom of the screen and see 235 words as the total word count, I think “Only 69 365 to go for a novel.” That’s scary!
Having said that, I love writing. Whether it’s a well crafted letter or e-mail, a blog post, a short story, song lyrics, or a novel, I enjoy it all.

As writers, we all have hopes as to what our readers will take away from a story. What were yours with Masks?
My stories don’t have any morals. I read because I enjoy a good story. I write because I enjoy writing. I hope my readers will enjoy my story. I hope that for a few hours, they will get lost in someone else’s life.

How does your writing reflect your personal view on life?
I like to dream about the possibilities, but I live with both feet firmly planted on the ground. I write stories that could be about anyone one of us. I’m sure there is a technical term but I don’t know what it is. I think of myself as a a real life fiction author.

You are such a busy woman. With a full-time career and a delightful three-year-old daughter, how do you find time to write?
I sleep little and mainly write after I get home from work around 10 PM for as long as I can. Last night, I was revising Masks for Kindle Publishing until three thirty.

Was there anything that came as a big surprise to you in your journey to become a published author?
I was surprised by how supportive my friends have been. They are proud of me for having finally published. They have always seen me as an author and were happy for me when I decided to pursue my passion.

What advice would you offer to writers who are considering publishing for the first time?
Start building your social media network when you decide publication is what you want. Blog, Tweet, Facebook. Do it all. If you don’t know it already, you will be hitting your head against the wall for weeks and months trying to figure all this stuff out. You need it to build an audience and promote your work. Get familiar with the sites.

I understand you are currently working on a couple of manuscripts. Are you willing to share anything about your next novel with us at this point?

One is a story about a rock star. I am debating how to publish it. It might be a serial of short stories. We’ll see.The other project is an offshoot of Masks. The main character is Diana Rainville, the awful best friend. It takes place a few years after high school and she’s still dealing with the consequences of her betrayal. I really like her. I hope readers will like her too. Lastly, I am currently revising Masks and releasing the new version as an e-book only on Amazon and Barnes & Noble on April 3.

To read samples of Patricia’s work and keep up with her latest projects, visit her website and leave your comments at http://www.patriciacaviglia.com