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Patricia Sands

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new release

My recent newsletter ~ hiatus over!

August 20, 2022 by Patricia Sands Leave a Comment

NL #93 August 2, 2022

Bonjour

It’s been a while! I have been on a bit of a writing hiatus and am glad to be getting back into my regular schedule now.


How are you doing? I hope your summer is going well and that you are managing to stay cool in those areas where temperatures have been skyrocketing. Our thoughts are also with everyone impacted by other shocking forces of nature … fires, floods … life has not been easy for many people.


I find it’s often difficult to focus on the positive when such tragic circumstances abound. But, focus on the positive is exactly what I hope to do here with you. But before I go on, here is one way we can help those in need of assistance. Just click here.


Now, here’s my first bit of good news!


As I mentioned in my last newsletter, I was finishing up the final details in order to release my new novel, THE SECRETS WE HIDE. In fact … ta daaaaa … drum roll please … the cover reveal just happened. Only the front cover was revealed but I am sharing the complete cover here with all of you.


The book is ready for pre-order now and will be published August 25. I hope you are ready for a story that ultimately is about commitment, hope and second chances. Life isn’t always what we expect it to be but we should always be open to change. That is Kaito Tanaka’s lesson.


Here’s the pre-order link.

Moving on to my next good news which I’m sure you will all understand, since so many of you have been with me through a lot of years. In June, I finally was able to return to my beloved south of France. It was only for three weeks, but I was thankful to have that.


Apart from simply being thrilled to stroll the colorful streets of the Côte d’Azur again, I also had the pleasure of spending an afternoon in Nice at an author event that was a lot of fun with a full house and great question/book signing session afterward. Organized by the über-efficient Ella Dyer and M-C-ed by the effervescent Adrian Leeds, author, real estate expert extraordinaire and seen on House Hunters International.


There were seven authors in the lineup and I can’t wait to tell you about their books in my next few newsletters. This time I am highlighting Lisa Anselmo and Craig Carlson. In the meantime, feel free to find out more here: Debra Moffitt, Janet Hulstrand, Jeanne Oliver, Oliver Gee.

First, I’ll begin with these two dear friends. Read on:


Lisa Anselmo is an author, branding expert, speaker, and coach. She spent most of her professional career in magazine publishing in New York City, working on such iconic brands as Allure, InStyle, and People. In 2014, she left her “day job,” and now lives (mostly) in Paris where, when she’s not hanging out in cafés, she’s writing and coaching.

Her experiences inspired the fabulous memoir My (Part-Time) Paris Life: How Running Away Brought Me Home, (Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Press), a candid narrative of a woman searching for hope and healing in the city she loves after the death of her mother from breast cancer. Check out her blog and YouTube series and be amazed at this multi-talented special woman, who also happens to be an exceptional singer and tons of fun!


Lisa and her projects have been featured in New York magazine, Travel and Leisure, Bustle, House Hunters International, The Today Show, The Guardian, New York Times, LA Times, BBC, and CNN International, among others.

You can connect with her here ~ Website: LisaAnselmo.com

New York Times bestselling author (and super nice guy!) Craig Carlson first
came to France as an exchange student in 1985 and instantly fell in love with
the country. He never could have imagined that some thirty-five years later,
he’d be the owner of two American diners in Paris and be nicknamed “Le
Pancake Kid” by the French. With a background in journalism, Craig studied
cinema at the prestigious USC School of Cinematic Arts, using his experience
as a screenwriter to pen his debut memoir, Pancakes in Paris: Living the
American Dream in France
. It’s a great story!


Craig and his husband, Julien (also a super nice guy!), currently split their time
between Paris and Los Angeles. Well, at least they try to. With two busy diners
that can’t be left alone for too long, their lives lean heavily on the Paris side,
which, of course, is not such a bad thing, n’est-ce pas?


You can connect with Craig here ~ Website: Craig Carlson Author

After that first busy week in Nice, it was time to check into Hotel Villa Victoria,
hook up with my tour-host partner and BFF, Deborah Bine (aka Barefoot
Blogger) and excitedly await the arrival of fourteen fabulous women who would
tour with us for twelve-days. This tour was created exclusively for them! You
see, these ladies had all traveled with us previously and wanted to do it again.
And so we did. In style. We made new memories in wonderful places along the
Riviera and folicked in the lavender fields of Provence. You can see more
photos in my Instagram account @psands.stories. You may recall my original
account was hacked in the spring and I’ve had to begin all over. I hope you are
following me there.


Enjoy a few moments from our trip:

More good news! Here are the winners from Newsletter #92. The authors will be
in touch with you. Felicitation! Anne Hardy, Kathi Banholzer, Pat Schelling and
Marlene Gagnon.

This month I have a very special giveaway for two lucky readers. Please note: This giveaway is for Newsletter subscribers only.

My dear friend, Lisa Barr … you may well know her now as a Woman on Fire! Her must-read novel WOMAN ON FIRE has been seen everywhere on all the bestselling book lists and in the news, as actor Sharon Stone will be producing and starring in the movie of this story! How exciting is that?


I have two copies of this book that come with a bookplate signed by Lisa. I
purchased the books at Lisa’s book signing at Books And Books in Coral Gables,
FL, last March. What a pleasure that was! But the lineup for signing was too long … no surprise there … and we had to drive back to Naples, so Lisa sent me the signed book plates.


You know the drill. Send an email to patriciasandsauthor@gmail.com and tell me why you would love to own this book. Trust me, Lisa’s writing is exquisite, exciting and engaging.


Here’s a blurb: From the author of the award-winning Fugitive Colors and The Unbreakables, a gripping tale of a young, ambitious journalist embroiled in an international art scandal centered around a Nazilooted masterpiece—forcing the ultimate showdown between passion and possession, lovers and liars, history and truth.

I hope you have enjoyed getting caught up with me here. I would love to hear how you are doing, so never hesitate to drop me a line.


My recipe for you today is an apéro I fell in love with all over again at the fabulous Bistro du Paradou on the last night of our June tour. We had the most wonderful ending to our tour there with the tremendous combination of joie de vivre and always delicious food!

Enjoy this Lillet Spritz ~ mine was made with Lillet Rosé but I understand Lillet Blanc is much the same. My garnish was mint and lemon but a strawberry sounds good too! (Book Club question ~ who remembers in which book Philippe first introduced Kat to Lillet? There might be a prize for the person who gets the answer right! In fact, there WILL be a prize.)


Here are a couple of shots from our farewell dinner. What a fine time! And I hope somehow you are all managing to have fine moments as we work our way through this summer. I trust you have many good books bringing you escape and wonder and great enjoyment.

Stay well, my friends, be kind to one another, read a lot and appreciate every single day. Profitez de tous les jours! I’m reminded on a regular basis that the best part of being an author is hearing from readers. I value the messages I receive from you. Thanks also for sharing my books with your friends and for the reviews you write. It’s all most appreciated and inspiring.

See you next month!

Note from me today August 20th: I’m working on my next Newsletter right now!

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Filed Under: Author Promotion, Blog, France, General Travel, Photo blogs, Writing Tagged With: Adrian Leeds, Author event in Nice, Cote d'Azur, craig carlson, Deborah Bine, Debra Moffitt, Ella Dyer, Hotel Belle Rives, Janet Hulstrand, Jeanne Oliver, lavender fields in Provence, Les Pastras, Lillet, lisa anselmo, Lisa Barr, new release, Oliver Gee, Patricia Sands, Provence, South of France Reunion Tour, The Secrets We Hide, Woman on Fire

How your pre-order can help …

August 18, 2022 by Patricia Sands Leave a Comment

One week to go to release day! And the ‘to-do’ list doesn’t seem to be shrinking.

If you are considering ordering The Secrets We Hide, how about placing a pre-order now? That way you are assured the ebook will be sitting in your mailbox on publishing day and your print copy should arrive then too. For some reason, some print copies are being sent out already … the publishing world works in mysterious ways.

The more pre-orders you place for me, the better the chances of The Secrets We Hide making a best seller list. I thank you in advance!

Pre-order on Amazon

Pre-order on Kobo

Pre-order on Barnes & Noble

Have you seen the trailer for The Secrets We Hide? Feel free to share it from YouTube.

Here’s a reminder that the Goodreads giveaway is open now and ten ebooks are up for grabs. Here’s the link for that. Good luck and thank you to everyone for all of your support.

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Filed Under: Author Promotion, Blog, News, Uncategorized, Writing Tagged With: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, France, Hawaii, Japan, Kobo, literary fiction, new release, Patricia Sands, pre-order, The Secrets We Hide, trip fiction

Happy Summer ~ celebrating with a Cover Reveal!

July 29, 2022 by Patricia Sands 6 Comments

Hi there! It’s been a while and I hope you all have been safe this summer. I took a hiatus from my blog and newsletter to go back to the south of France in June after almost three long years (Yes, it was magnifique! More on that later.) and to get organized with writing projects.

The first of which has been to prepare for the roll out of my new novel, THE SECRETS WE HIDE. I’m excited to finally be able to share the cover, the publishing date of August 25 and some details of the story.

Here’s the back cover copy to give you an idea of the story.
“The deep traditions and values of Kaito Tanaka’s Japanese heritage are severely tested when he returns home to Honolulu from duty in Vietnam to find his wife, Hana, in the grip of progressive mental health challenges.
As Hana’s condition worsens, Kaito’s life becomes absorbed in protecting and caring for her and their daughter, Kiana. Hana becomes increasingly reclusive while their daughter Kiana grows troubled and rebellious.

A friend’s mysterious death followed by Kiana’s sudden disappearance
cut deeply into Kaito’s soul. Meditation is Kaito’s drug of choice. Secrecy hides the truth from others but Kaito’s commitment to Hana is unwavering. As years go by, Kaito begins to make an annual pilgrimage to a Buddhist retreat in Koyasan that
renews his spirit. In the end, a serendipitous coincidence there opens the door to happiness – if he can allow himself to accept it.”


“Set against lush backdrops in Hawaii, Japan, Corsica, and the south of France, this beautiful story of resilience perfectly balances the heartbreak and destruction of mental illness with the compassion and serenity of an unforgettable hero.”
~ Barbara Claypole White, bestselling author of The Perfect Son and The Promise Between Us

This story contains more serious subject matter than my previous novels, but rest assured you will find yourself in France at some point. My research was extensive and I learned a great deal as I wrote the story. I also had excellent support and guidance and am so grateful to all those who shared their expertise with me. My thanks to them is in the Acknowledgements in the back matter of the novel. This is all part of what makes the writing experience so fulfilling.

My hope is that readers find this story brings strong feelings of love, commitment, hope and inspiration. Life doesn’t always bring what we expect but we should always be open to change. Hmmm – does that sound familiar? This story may not begin like one of my past novels but I’m pretty sure you will agree that it ends like them.

And for your eyes only at this point … the full cover will be posted in my next newsletter. The novel is now available for pre-order. Just click here to have it in your mailbox on August 25th.

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Filed Under: Blog, News, Uncategorized, Writing Tagged With: August 25/22, cover reveal, indie author, new release, Patricia Sands, The Secrets We Hide

IT’S RELEASE DAY!

December 8, 2020 by Patricia Sands Leave a Comment

It’s release day for THE BRIDGE CLUB TENTH ANNIVERSARY EDITION IN PRINT AND EBOOK! For every woman who believes in lifelong friendship! This is a great gift to yourself or for your BFF (hint – holiday shopping!) and if you are a bridge player, BONUS, as there is a new bridge hand at the end of eight chapters, contributed by Canada’s international bridge expert (and wonderful friend!), Audrey Grant.

A re-release with added content to celebrate the tenth anniversary of The Bridge Club! 
*2010 Foreword Reviews Book Of The Year (General Fiction)*
*2011 Next Generation Indie Book Awards (First Novel)*
*2012 Indie Excellence Book Awards (Womens Fiction)*
What starts as a monthly card game, turns into forty years that span a woman’s journey from youthful optimism to the challenges and opportunities presented as the years pass. The complexities of women’s friendships are played out through a maze of inevitable scenarios. Laughter and tears lead to a crisis that challenges principles and proves the power of friendship. The Bridge Club is a story for anyone who cares about friendship. Not simply the “Hi, how are you?” type, but the kind that weathers all storms, unselfishly celebrates triumphs, and hums along year after year with never an unkind word. It does exist.If you already share a friendship like this, you will relate to the women of The Bridge Club. If you don’t, perhaps the story will inspire you to find it.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER (Amazon.com)

CLICK HERE TO ORDER (Amazon.ca)

OR ASK YOUR FAVOURITE INDIE BOOKSTORE TO ORDER IT. #SUPPORTLOCAL

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Filed Under: Author Promotion, Blog, News, Writing Tagged With: Audrey Grant, bridge, new release, Patricia Sands, The Bridge Club, The Bridge Club Tenth Anniversary Edition, womens fiction

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