Patricia Sands

Author

Luberon

Breathe in. Breathe out.

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Bonjour and hi there!

It’s great to be back on the blog! How’s your summer going? IMG_5911

The past 8 weeks have flown by for me. You know how I love to travel … but now it’s time to slow down, get caught up and just breathe for a while  …

It’s also time to get home and hug the grandkids, although I got to hug two of them here in Vienna for a few days and that was very special!

 

If it’s Friday, it must be France …

Well, it is Friday … but it’s Vienna for three more days  … (also a lovely place to be … )

Vienna

… and I’m on my way home from five weeks in France. During that time I was fortunate to co-lead two women’s tours of the south of France that were based upon the locations in The Promise of Provence.

What a pleasure to travel with two groups of interesting, enthusiastic women, along with my friends, author and marketing expert Susan Sommers and Womens Travel Network owner, Debbie Ross! It was magnifique!

Here’s a taste of where we were and what we did.

As you can see, we caught the sunflowers and lavender in bloom! (If the slideshow isn’t appearing right here, you might have to wait just a minute for it to load.)

Merci mille fois to each and every one of you on the tours for helping to make our adventures so memorable!

For more photos and details, just click right here on the Womens Travel Network blog! I’ll even wait while you do!

2015 is going to bring more exciting trips from WTN so stay tuned. It would be great to have you join one!

While I was away, as well as participating in some super giveaways, here are a few other items that kept us busy:

*we completed the new website you are visiting now ~ thanks to the talented tech knowledge of  Barb Drozdowich, who is also an author, book blogger and author consultant . Check out her site too! We hope you like the new look here and look forward to your comments!

*I wrapped up my edits (hopefully …) for Promises To Keep and am waiting for the final return from my editor … we’re edging closer to publication, honest!

*Instagram got stuck on “waiting”, whatever that means, and I wasn’t able to keep posting photos each day … I whined about that! Now I have to figure out how to unstick it.

*Amy Cooper, who handles all sorts of necessary social media for me, kept me afloat and stayed on top of things in her usual brilliantly organized fashion ~ A BIG THANK YOU to her and to everyone who participated in our super successful Goodreads Giveaway, Summer Splash Blog Hop and Book Rhythm Kindle Giveaways. Congratulations to all the winners of excellent books and cool prizes! These are such fun and great opportunities to connect with you!

*I feel so fortunate every single day of my travels to be in such beautiful surroundings and to have the priceless friends and support helping make it all possible … without  me falling down the writer’s rabbit hole! Thank you!

Note-taking, photographing and researching for future writing projects is a big part of these trips. Now to begin planning for 2015 … new book, new travels, and who knows what else! What’s on your agenda?

For some reason there’s no “like” button here, which I always use when I visit blogs and to leave a comment you have to scroll back up to the top of the post and click on the “Leave A Comment” link. Sigh … there’s always something!

A bit about Brie

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If it’s Friday, it must be France …

I’ve been in France all week … well, okay, in my mind … and I know that’s not the same as actually being there in person. But almost … really … I’ve been working on my next novel for several hours every day and my characters are in France so of course I’m right with them.

We’ve been driving the winding backroads of the Luberon region in Provence,

hiking the hills, inhaling the aromatic fragrances of lavender, rosemary,thyme,

exploring the enticing warrens of ancient laneways in picturesque villages,

drinking perfectly chilled rosé

and, of course, enjoying the most amazingly delicious gastronomic interludes (i.e. eating – but that word just doesn’t cut it in France).

My DH kept encouraging me to take a break but I simply didn’t want to leave France. When I finally did surface to acknowledge I have another life and do some grocery shopping this afternoon, I had only one thing on my mind. BRIE!

There happens to be, what my friend Natalie Hartford would describe as an AHHHsomely, überlicious, epicurean emporium in our neighbourhood called The Cheese Boutique. Don’t let the name fool you, this place is magic (and will be the subject of a later post). If you ever want to feel like you have stepped into a shop in France, it’s right here. After immersing myself in all things Français this week, I couldn’t stop thinking about having a perfect slice – or two – of Brie.

I was rewarded. The rosé is chilling and as soon as I finish this post, I’m actually going to have a conversation with my DH and we will eat Brie. I’ve been kind of *absent* this week.

Here are a few facts you might find interesting:

Legend has it that in the eighth century, French Emperor Charlemagne first tasted this cheese at a monastery in Reuil-en-Brie and fell instantly in love with its creamy, rich flavor. The favorites of kings eventually become favorites of the people. Louis XVI’s last and dying wish was supposedly to have a final taste of Brie. Hmm – well it makes for a good story.

This soft cow’s cheese was originally referred to as the “King’s Cheese” but after the French Revolution any reference to “the king” was a major non-non so Brie was called the “King of Cheeses”.

Legitimate Brie must be made in the Seine-et-Marne area south of Paris, but many countries now commercially manufacture a similar cheese which is sold as Brie. For the best taste, look for the French label.
Of the 400+ kinds of cheese made in France, Brie is considered the most popular. In fact, I mentioned in an earlier post that the fromagier extraordinaire we got to know in Antibes told us it was obigatory to serve Brie after a meal if you have French guests. Obligatoire!
Make sure you always serve Brie at least at room temperature. Here’s a website with more recipes for making appetizers with Brie than I ever imagined possible. Bon appetit!
Do you get totally caught up in projects and lose track of time and everything else? I’m betting every writer is raising his or her hand right now, shouting “Guilty!”  There are a lot of excellent blogs offering us good advice on the subject. Here’s a great article on Zenhabits.net that works for everyone.
For the finest in writing tips, drop in on Kristen Lamb, Jenny Hansen, Jane Friedman, for starters. As always, I highly recommend the blogs listed down the right side of this page for a wonderful variety of topics, insights and personalities!