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Paris

April in Paris … come on along

April 25, 2015 by Patricia Sands

If it’s Friday, it must be France …1.DSC07107

I’ve been off the radar a bit, attempting to catch up on everything  in my writing life, after the fabulous Indie ReCon 2015 last week. I hope you had a chance to drop by some of the sessions and any you missed can still be accessed. Congratulations to ALLi (the Alliance of Independent Authors) and everyone involved all around the globe for a job well done!

Once again the worldwide community of indie authors demonstrated that contagious spirit of collegiality and information sharing that defines them!

But now I have to admit there’s only one thing on my mind!

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Tomorrow my husband and I leave for our annual stay in the south of France.  We’ll kick it off with a few days in Paris and a road trip to some places we’ve wanted to visit for ages. Ask me if we’re excited!

I’ll be researching and taking photos and writing and savouring every moment. So come on along with me! I’m hoping to post a special image every day on Instagram and Facebook, if I don’t totally mess up the technology. Unlocking my phone this week was a challenge!

This week has involved a lot of family time for goodbye hugs along with organizing, packing, and taking care of all those details we all have when we’re about to go on a trip. That was all squeezed in whenever I was able to tear myself away from working on my Love In Provence Book #3 (okay, we’ll have a title contest in the next newsletter like we did for #2 ~ get ready!)… all I want to do right now is write! Some of our stops on this trip will be part of the story, but I’ll tell you more about that on the road. It’s going to be magnifique having you along!

Do you subscribe to my monthly newsletter? If you haven’t yet, you can do so by clicking right here or over in the column to the right .  If you are one of the enormously supportive and enthusiastic subscribers (who inspire me every day!), I wish you good luck with this month’s giveaway of a box set of 7 novels … yes, SEVEN  !

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The talented writers of Triskele Books generously offered this for my April giveaway. Here are the details … and, may I say, each of these books is an excellent literary experience,  spiriting readers to exotic locations and capturing imaginations with unique story lines.

Crimson Shore by Gillian Hamer
Rats by JW Hicks.
Behind Closed Doors by JJ Marsh.
Wolfsangel by Liza Perrat.
Delirium: The Rimbaud Delusion by Barbara Scott-Emmett.
The Rise of Zenobia by Jane Dixon-Smith.
Ghost Town by Catriona Troth.

Pop on over to their website for more information. Details of the draw are in my April newsletter. Bonne chance!

unnamedI’ll end this post (because I really should be sleeping …) with the surprise news I received last week. I had forgotten The Promise of Provence was entered in the eLit Book Awards 2015, and was pleased to discover a Silver Award in Popular Fiction and a Gold Award in the category of Travel-Essay! It’s always satisfying to have your work recognized! Congratulations to all the prize recipients and also to everyone who entered! If you’ve published a book, you’re already a champion! Write on!

We’re still having the odd snow shower in Toronto! How’s April in your part of the world? I hope you’ll join me for a few days of April in Paris! On y va!

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Filed Under: Author Promotion, Blog, France, General Travel, If it is France..., News, Photo blogs, Uncategorized, Writing Tagged With: A Time And A Place, ALLi, April in Paris, eLit Awards 2015, France, IndieReCon2015, Paris, photography, The Promise of Provence, travel, Triskele Books

Spring has sprung! Honest!

March 20, 2015 by Patricia Sands

If it’s Friday, it must be France …

Happy first day of the Spring Equinox … even though March 20 is being referred to as Freaky Friday by some! In spite of some unusual occurrences including a solar eclipse and a supermoon, there is no denying it IS the first day of Spring.

Photo from Pinterest
Photo from Pinterest

Oh! It’s snowing where you are? Again? Désolée!

Just keep thinking Spring … I’ll keep thinking that for you too! It really is here, but I’ve heard the news is a little slow arriving in some places.

I’m celebrating the arrival of the end of winter by beginning my countdown to arriving in France for our annual stay on April 26.

I’m sorry, but I just can’t wait … 37 more sleeps …

Here’s our first stop and I’ll be taking all of you along with me. No packing. No waiting in lines. You are invited to simply sit back, relax and take a vacation in your most comfy spot! It’s going to be magnifique!

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To help get all of us in the mood for France, I’m giving away two books by the talented and much-loved Kristin Espinasse, to two of my newsletter subscribers. You haven’t joined us yet? Well, this month I will let you see what you’re missing! Click right here, enjoy the newsletter, and enter the giveaway! There’s a link to subscribe right here ====> in the column, if you don’t want to wait!

Let me know if you are making Spring getaway plans too. You know I love to hear all about your travel experiences! If you’re going to France and have questions, don’t hesitate to ask me. If I don’t know the answer, I’ll know someone who does!

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Thanks for joining me today. If you like today’s post, please use the share buttons below. It all helps!

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Filed Under: Author Promotion, Blog, Contests, France, General Travel, If it is France..., Photo blogs, Writing Tagged With: France, Kristin Espinasse, newsletter, Paris, Patricia Sands, solar eclipse, Spring, Supermoon, travel

Gifts for everyone!

December 19, 2014 by Patricia Sands

If it’s Friday, it must be France …

Félicitations! Kimberly V, you are the winner 41J9slR82iL._AA160_of a copy of Margo Lestz’s new release French Holidays and Traditions (Curious Histories Book 1).

There’s so much information in the book about how the French celebrate all year round, I know you will love it! Margo will be in touch with you to confirm the details.

Visitors won’t spend much time here on my page today. Instead, I’m giving you some super links that will keep you entertained for as long as you like.

First, I’m proposing you slip on over to my very favourite THE GOOD LIFE FRANCE where you can begin your reading pleasure with CHRISTMAS IN PARIS FROM YOUR ARMCHAIR! A nice pot of tea, a double expresso, or a glass of your favourite wine might be just the thing to go with this. Turn up some festive tunes, make yourself comfortable, put your feet up and let yourself be transported. Of course, as we know with TGLF, there’s no end to the enticing articles and photographs. I like to think of it as the gift that keeps on giving!

To set the mood, here are a couple of photos a friend sent me from Paris at Christmas two years ago.

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Next, you won’t want to miss this clever French Food Alphabet Advent Calendar series 15.IMG_9116Jacqueline Brown has going on The French Village Diaries.

For each day of Advent she is posting about different aspects of French regional specialities or her own favourites, including some great recipes.

Jacqui includes all sorts of interesting details and … you may be hearing it first right here, right now … I predict a book will come out of these posts! I sure hope so!

Last but not least,  a terrific new website about all things provençal can be found by clicking over to Perfectly Provence. They have some wonderful articles about Christmas in Provence. Don’t miss the excerpt from Taking Root in Provence, a wonderful book I often speak about here, written by Ann-Marie Simons.

Now this has nothing to do with the holidays but, also on Perfectly Provence … ta daaaa … they’ve posted an article about some of my experiences in France and how my love affair with Provence began! I hope you don’t mind me sharing it with you. There are all sorts of other good articles and I’ve already made Ginger & Nutmeg’s website a favourite of mine!

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Are you getting caught up in the spirit of the season? My warmest wishes to those who are celebrating Hanukkah this week.

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Filed Under: Author Promotion, Blog, Contests, France, General Travel, If it is France..., Writing Tagged With: Christmas, French Holidays and Traditions, French Village Diaries, Ginger & Nutmeg, Hanukkah, Jacqueline Brown, Margo Lestz, Paris, Patricia Sands, Perfectly Provence, The Good Life France, The Promise of Provence

Patrick Modiano ~ Nobel Prize for Literature

October 10, 2014 by Patricia Sands

If it’s Friday, it must be France …

Congratulations to France’s Patrick Modiano, the 111th recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature. 

“Modiano’s works centre on topics such as memory, oblivion, identity and guilt. The city of Paris is often present in the text and can almost be considered a creative participant in the works. Rather often his tales are built on an autobiographical foundation, or on events that took place during the German occupation.” Click here to read more at NobelPrize.org.

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What better excuse do I need to post a couple of photos in celebration of his hometown?

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Have you read any of Patrick Modiano’s work? This morning his novel, Missing Person, was #76,199 on Amazon’s best seller list. Now it is #3! I just ordered my copy.

 

Filed Under: Blog, France, General Travel, If it is France..., News, Writing Tagged With: Huff Post, literature, Missing Person, Nobel Prize, Nobel Prize for Literature, Paris, Patricia Sands, Patrick Modiano, photography

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