Patricia Sands

Author

Patricia Sands

EReader News Today ~ the latest in book deals!

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ENT ~ EREADER NEWS TODAY is an extraordinary site for readers. Authors love to share their book deals on this excellent website so readers can learn about sales and special promotions.

Highly rated free and bargain ebook deals have been delivered to avid readers since 2010. Many of these ebooks are from New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors. Click here to subscribe!

I encourage you to sign up for their FREE announcements. It’s a great way to discover new discounts for the best books to add to your TBR … and no more worry about running out of bookshelf space!

For several years now I have been reading practically all books on the Kindle app on my phone. As an author, I felt a little strange admitting this when I realized I had transitioned to ebooks entirely. But the joy of having my entire library with me wherever I go has helped me over that hurdle. I am an avid fan of ebooks and receiving the latest book sale info from EReaderNewsToday.com has helped save a lot of $$. Give them a try!

Happy reading everyone ~ stay safe and cozy with a good book!

Love in February

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Happy February!

Staying with a literary theme for the moment, these words are a gift from  Victor Hugo, my favourite French writer from the Romantic Movement: “What a grand thing, to be loved! What a grander thing still, to love!” Feel free to use this quote, share it, and to remind us all to feel and show love in so many simple ways. Let’s all work on it.

I’m sharing the love found at the Villa des Violettes for all of February ~ A Season of Surprises is on sale! Be whisked away to a surprise trip for Kat to the stunning Isle of Beauty … Corsica! Here’s a blurb to entice you:

There are sweet-smelling blossoms, buds bursting into bloom, explosions of golden mimosa, dazzling sunshine, a shimmering sea … and a worrying disappearance!

A hidden past is uncovered and shocking truths are revealed.

At the same time Kat and Philippe welcome their first B&B guest to the Villa and continue to be busy with other demands, all the while keeping hope alive as police search for their friend.

A special request from Simone and an unexpected appearance turn a planned motorcycle trip in Corsica into so much more.

Springtime at the Villa des Violettes is filled with secrets and surprises.

Click here for your copy.

But wait! There’s more good book news ~ a sweet February giveaway from me and 13 author friends!
What could possibly be better than books AND chocolate?? Well, maybe books and wine, but wine is hard to ship.

FOURTEEN DELECTABLE READS. A BOX OF DELICIOUS CHOCOLATE. It could all be yours!

It takes 5 seconds to enter for a chance to win at the link below:

Books and Chocolate

bit.ly/booksandchocolate

Your odds of winning increase with every person you refer. Spread the word! Good luck.

And now for a message I feel is important to share every year at this time. I hope you agree and share it yourself. 

Of course there’s always a place for hearts and flowers and chocolate and mushy love songs, but there are many girls and women around the world who receive none of those. Not on February 14th. Not ever.

Have you raised your voice? “Every February, we rise – in countries across the world – to show our local communities and the world what one billion looks like and shine a light on the rampant impunity and injustice that survivors most often face. We rise through dance to express joy and community and celebrate the fact that we have not been defeated by this violence. We rise to show we are determined to create a new kind of consciousness – one where violence will be resisted until it is unthinkable.”

Once again, One Billion Rising is set to escalate RISINGS against all forms of violence against women and will continue to highlight where all these issues interconnect.

“ONE BILLION RISING announces the 2023 theme and campaign: RISE For Freedom & to Create the New Culture. The campaign addresses the devastating consequences of the ongoing vicious systems of patriarchy, imperialism, capitalism and racism in the world today and the destructive battle for power fought over women’s bodies and the body of the earth.

Created by a community of 47 One Billion Rising coordinators located across the globe, this year’s campaign will celebrate 10 years of OBR and urge communities worldwide to utilize art and activism, creative resistance events and gatherings, both online and offline, to demand an end to violence against women, girls and the planet and to shine a light on the rampant impunity and injustice that survivors most often face.”

Here’s a song we should all add to our repertoire. This infectious anthem shares a message that is universal. Share it everywhere you can. Help break the chain of violence towards women and girls.

 BREAK THE CHAIN https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fL5N8rSy4CU

Click here to see V-day events happening around the world today.

“Like” the Facebook page.  Follow V-day on Twitter. Let’s all do our part …

January 6th ~ Epiphany ~ la fête des rois in France

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Happy New Year … now Eat cake like a king!

If you are in France (or Louisiana, hello N’awlins!), it’s again time to celebrate  … oui …  bien sûr … more food! Don’t you love it? This time it’s all about a rich, almond cream (frangipane) enveloped by layers of light, flaky pastry (feuilleté).

Another joyful opportunity to bring friends and family around the table to share La Galette des Rois/The Kings’ Cake, takes place on the first Sunday of January or January 6th and recognizes Epiphany, the arrival of the three wise men (Magis). The history of this special pastry can be  traced to Roman times.

If you read my Love in Provence series, Kat first finds out about the tradition in Book #2, Promises to Keep. 

During the French Revolution, the name was replaced with ‘Gâteau de l’Égalité’ (equality cake), as the word ‘king’ was a little out of fashion!

It’s so popular, many patisseries make the scrumptious cake through the entire month of January.

The cake is cut in the specific number of slices for the people present, with one extra symbolic slice for the first poor person passing by. The youngest child  (or the most innocent adult, if no children are present, which can result in great hilarity) goes under the table and calls out who will receive each slice to ensure fair distribution. The greatest excitement comes when one person discovers la fève (a lucky charm) hidden in a single slice. Just don’t accidentally bit down on it … they’re usually a small porcelain or plastic trinket!

Bon appétit!

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Click here to read an excellent account of the history and traditions of this special fête by my friend, Margo Lestz.

On another topic, I’m excited to let you know that our Sail Away series has launched! The prequel book Welcome Aboard is FREE and contains the prologue to each of the eight stories to follow! All the books are available to preorder! Just click here.

To celebrate the launch of the series, we have a fabulous giveaway. I hope you will join in the fun and wish you good luck! Here’s the link to enter.

Before I say au revoir for now, here’s more good news to start the year off right! Amazon let me know they have placed The Promise of Provence on sale for $1.99 for the month of January! If you already have your copy, now is a great time to pick up some for friends! Happy shopping!

Happy New Year! Bonne Année! I hope 2023 is off to a good start for you. Our hearts are with people struggling in so many places around the world either through war or weather. We hope for better days for all. At all times donations may be made to the Red Cross. Every little bit helps so we can all do our share.

The holiday season is here!

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So much to celebrate this year … I say hopefully … it’s obvious that we still need to be cautious with the lingering infections still affecting so many. But with that in mind we may celebrate with family and friends after such a long time. Whether your traditions are for Hanukkah, Christmas, or Kwanzaa, or even if you simply celebrate each day as it comes, I hope you find joy in special moments.

One thing that remains constant through good times and bad is the magic of story and the love we all share for books. Books capture our hearts, souls and minds. No matter what genre, they transport us into different worlds that inspire, encourage and often challenge us. They carry us away.

Here’s a quote from the beloved author, Nora Ephron. I’ve shared it before and I’m sure will do so again. I can see you all nodding agreement as you read it.

“Reading is everything. Reading makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something, learned something, become a better person. Reading makes me smarter. Reading gives me something to talk about later on. Reading is the unbelievably healthy way my attention deficit disorder medicates itself. Reading is escape, and the opposite of escape; it’s a way to make contact with reality after a day of making things up, and it’s a way of making contact with someone else’s imagination after a day that’s all too real. Reading is grist. Reading is bliss.”

I love this illustration! I think it says it all, don’t you? Libraries are the heartbeat of communities and the place where children in particular can learn to love reading and exploring every dream. I hope you support your local library and visit often.

And speaking of books, I’m happy to share with you this great giveaway that begins on Monday, December 19th. Click on this link (but not before Monday) to join … good luck!

More book news ~ The First Noël at the Villa des Violettes, is on sale for $2.99 until the end of December. This series was written thanks to all of you! After so many requests from readers of my Provence trilogy to write more about all the characters, this Villa des Violettes mini-series evolved and this is Book #1.

Here’s the blurb: THE LOVE IN PROVENCE CHARACTERS ARE BACK …

Everything was going so well in Kat and Philippe’s life together. Then suddenly it wasn’t.

Roman ruins delayed the work on the Villa des Violettes. The Russian drug gang might be back in the neighbourhood. On top of that, Kat had worked herself into what Molly classified as a full blown “Christmas conundrum.” Kat wanted the holidays to work perfectly as she blended a Canadian Christmas with a Provençal Fête de Noêl for the first time in their new home. Now she’d lost her confidence and, with it, the holiday spirit.

Philippe hoped a weekend trip to the famous Christmas markets of Strasbourg would solve everything.

As it happened, things were about to get worse.

I loved writing all of these books and in this first one I particularly had fun when I had Philippe take Kat to the famous Christmas markets in Strasbourg. Make yourself a mug of mulled win or hot chocolate and sink into the festive surroundings. CLICK HERE FOR YOUR COPY

My next bit of book news … there’s so much to share this month! … is that Book One in the Sail Away series that I mentioned a few months ago, will be available on January 1. Advance readers are sending in reviews now and we are delighted with the response. I really enjoyed writing Lost At Sea, which is Book #8. It won’t be published until March, but you can read the prologue to it in Welcome Aboard.

We’ve got some fabulous giveaways planned with the publishing of each book. I’ll post the details of the first one here in two more weeks. Here’s what the complete series looks like. Great fun!

Did you know December is The Bridge Club Tenth Anniversary Edition’s second book anniversary (bookiversary)? Did the time fly by or what?

Fans of this story know it is the perfect gift for your BFFs! Especially friends who love the game of bridge because included in the book are eight excellent bridge lessons contributed by Canada’s bridge guru, Audrey Grant. It’s a real BONUS for those friends, but you don’t need to play bridge to want to read this story. It’s about the friendship of these women from age twenty onward and the game of bridge is simply a side issue.

Did you read how easy it is to gift an ebook that I share earlier in this letter? In case you missed the instructions, I repeat ~ On Amazon, simply click the link below the words “buy now”, where it says “buy for others.” Here’s the link.

“A deeply touching story about the bonds of friendship, about finding our way, and the ability to dig deep to navigate the most challenging turning points in life. Patricia Sands captures readers from the atmospheric outset, drawing us in to this group of strong women. A poignant tale that left me truly grateful for my friends.” —Alison Ragsdale, bestselling author of Dignity and Grace.

I know this is a longer post than usual but I felt I had so much to catch up on. Here’s a gift for everyone ~ my Gram’s shortbread recipe. Give it a try! It’s simple and delicious!

  1. 1 lb. salted butter – softened overnight

  2. 1-1/2 cups golden yellow (brown) sugar (no substitution, Gram insisted)

  3. 4 cups enriched white flour



In a glass or ceramic bowl, mix #1 and #2 thoroughly by hand (this is important) and then gradually add #3, again mixing by hand, until dough does not stick to bowl.

Flatten with your hand and cut cookie shapes. Add sprinkles if you like. Bake at 330 F for 10 to 12 minutes (depending on oven) on ungreased cookie sheets.
When cookies begin to look golden brown, they are done.
You can decide how dark you like them. Enjoy plain (our favorite) or add sprinkles before baking or icing when cool.
WARNING: these cookies are extremely addictive! Let me know if you try them.

Warmest wishes to everyone no matter what you celebrate. See you in January!