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Patricia Sands

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Kate MacNicol

Getting back on track …

June 6, 2012 by Patricia Sands Leave a Comment

Full disclosure: I have to admit taking a week to breathe, away from writing and social media, was truly a gift. I’m so glad I gave it to myself.

Having finally written the ending to my next novel … even though we all know novels are never really *finished* … it was time to re-focus on all those other parts of my life that I felt had been just a tad neglected recently.

I spent a lot of time having leisurely chats and lunches with friends and family, golfing, hosting a dinner party, catching up on blogs, watching fabulous tennis from the ATP tour (the French Open, from Paris, is on right now, OF COURSE, I’m watching!!!) taking in the spring concert and amazing art exhibit at the school our 11 and 13-year-old granddaughters attend, and spending the weekend with The Adorables (our two youngest grandchildren, ages 3 and 4) while their parents had a wee break. My “Huh … ???” moment on the weekend was when Kate, only recently turned 3, asked, “Nana, am I your BFF?”  I didn’t think Dora The Explorer talked about stuff like that!

I also went to see “Cavalia’s ODYSSEO” with my DH, one of our wonderful daughters and her equally wonderful husband and our granddaughters mentioned above. It was spectacular! Cirque Du Soleil with horses and remarkable special effects! Take a look at the video in this link. If the show comes to your area, be sure to catch it.

AND I READ! Talk about joy and bliss! Books, magazines, newspapers, words written by other people. It was wonderful to read without feeling pressed to get back to my writing. In the past six months, it has become increasingly difficult to focus on anything but my own words … self-absorbed would be an apt description. *hanging head at the memory*

Writers do what they do for the love of it, there is no simpler explanation. Unfortunately, along with meeting our writing goals come challenges, research, deadlines and before long the task takes over our life. The additional demands of social media … well, let’s not even get into that here … Kate MacNicol recently shared a fabulous post about that issue.

It’s often difficult to find the balance between your writing/professional/day-job life, whatever it is you do,  and everything else. The good news is that most of us recognize this and do take steps to make amends at some point. If you feel your life has been unbalanced lately, take a tip from me and give yourself the same gift I did. Take a week to breathe … you’ll be glad you did.

Before I dive back into editing, revising, getting published and also working on a new exciting project with fellow author Susan Sommers (more on that coming soon…), I also have a couple of overdue *thank you* words to mention.

Thank you to Indie Reader Discovery Awards 2012 for making The Bridge Club a Finalist in the General Fiction category and to the National Indie Excellence Awards for 2012 where The Bridge Club was a Finalist in the Women’s Issues category.

Several weeks ago, writer/blogger Emmie Mears very kindly bestowed upon me The Beautiful Blogger award and I kept putting off acknowledging this honour because I was waiting until I had enough time to fill out the requirements. I’m supposed to tell you seven things you don’t already know about me … and I will … just not now. I do want to thank Emmie and encourage you to read her always thought-provoking, informative and entertaining blog. She is young, talented, hard-working, and full of hopes and dreams which I know she is going to make come true. I have a lot of time for Emmie.

I’m also sending a belated thank you to writer/blogger Lesann Berry  who awarded me the Smart Cookie Biscuit designation. I’m not sure how she knew but I suspect this award has something to do with the number of cookies I’d been eating while I was writing! So thanks, Lesann, and I want you to know I have now cut sugar out of my diet. Honest! Don’t miss her posts. Check out this poster from her blog. This will tell you precisely the type of person she is. Awesome.

The list I could give you of amazing bloggers simply boggles my mind and I’m determined to make more of an effort to share those names each week. Watch for them and feel free to share your own links. Many of them are on my Blog Roll in the left column here, just a click away!

Do you ever give yourself the gift of a break from your job, routines, and demands? What works for you? You know we all want to hear about it and you might just encourage someone else to do the same.

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Filed Under: Blog, News Tagged With: 2011 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Finalist, Emmie Mears, ForeWord 2010 Book Of The Year Finalist, Indie Reader Discovery Awards 2012, Kate MacNicol, Lesann Berry, National Indie Excellence Awards for 2012, Patricia Sands, Susan Sommers, The Bridge Club, Women, writing

Post-Thanksgiving Thankfulness

October 11, 2011 by Patricia Sands Leave a Comment

The Thanksgiving weekend weather in southern Ontario could not have been more perfect.  This holiday is my favourite.  I love it no matter what the weather but it’s even more fun counting your blessings when the sun is shining!

Taking time to be thankful every day is a habit I have long cultivated and the … ahem … older I get the more I think about it. We all have days when issues drag us down into negative territory. That’s life! I like to recognize each day for the gift it is, grab on to it and make it the best I can.

Before  I do anything more with this fine day, there are some friends I need to thank … in fact, I should have done this some time ago.

Thanks to Social Media Goddess and Mighty Fine Lady, Kristen Lamb, whose blogging course a number of people took a few months ago, a group of bloggers came together in quite an extraordinary way. A unique cyberbond was formed. (I need to interject here that Kristen is running the course again so if you haven’t signed up … do it! Go! Right now! I’ll wait for you to come back. Click here for the link.)

Now for the overdue thanks. Recently, Tameri Etherton(A Cup Of Tea and Sorcery) , Kate MacNicol (Hanging by A Moment), Carrie Spencer (Smartass Romance) and Natalie Hartford (Life Out Loud), talented bloggers all, on separate occasions honoured me with the Liebster Blog Award. I was thrilled. It’s always fun to receive awards. Thanks to all of you! For you readers, when you have time, click on those links. You will be glad you did!

However with everything else that’s been going on in the past few weeks I am only now getting around to passing on the award. The whole point of this is to pay it forward and build community. Liebster, by the way, is a German term of affection. Very sweet.

Ok, then, these are the *rules*: this award is meant to highlight newer blogs. So the blogger receiving the award links back to the blogger who awarded him/her, and tags 3-5 people. For those I am about to award, I should also point out there is no obligation to continue this award. If this is not your cup of tea, don’t worry.

Naomi Bulger, Messages In A Bottle, author of Airmail, a wonderful quick read that is quirky, magical and thought-inspiring … just like her unique blog. Don’t miss it!

Linn B. Halton, author of Touched By The Light and founder of the fabulous loveahappyending.com website which brings together writers, readers, reviewers and literati in general around the world.

Barbara Conelli, author of Chique Secrets of Dolce Vita, who writes about Italy in a way that makes you feel you are there!

Patricia Caviglia, author of Masks, and a young woman who speaks to the reality of juggling the demands of parenting, the day job, and being an author.

Congratulations ladies! Pick up the award and put it on your website. This award means you deserve to be recognized.
Do with it what you will!

Then – tadaaaaaa – last week this award arrived from my friend and fellow blogger, Angela Orlowski-Peart, who writes from the heart and has the best smile ever!

Here are the rules for this award:

1. Thank and link to the person who nominated me.
2. Share seven random facts about myself – which I did here.
3. Pass the award along to deserving blogging buddies.
4. Contact those buddies to congratulate them.
I’m passing this award on to Amy at Everything But The Kid, who puts more energy into every single thing she does than anyone else I know … and always with the cheeriest attitude.
Thanks again all of you, for your thoughtfulness, support, and enthusiasm. Blog on, my friends!

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Filed Under: Blog, France, If it is France... Tagged With: 2011 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Finalist, Angela Orlowski-Peart, BarbaraConelli, Carrie Spencer, ForeWord 2010 Book Of The Year Finalist, Kate MacNicol, Kristen Lamb, Liebster Award, Linn B. Halton, Naomi Bulger, Natalie Hartford, Non-mom, Patricia Caviglia, Patricia Sands, Tameri Etherton, The Bridge Club, the power of friendship

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