Patricia Sands

Author

Promises To Keep

Thanks!

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canstockphoto8136400This past month, with Canadian Thanksgiving and all the good things that are part of it, has  been one big festival of gratitude and today I’m adding this post to the celebration.

First of all, I’m thankful to every person  who purchased my novels and shared them with friends and those who took the time to write a review. Without your purchases and reviews, Amazon might not have become aware of what I was writing. There are a lot of authors to look at out there. In fact, statistics say there are between 600,000 and 1,000,000 books published yearly in North America alone. Yikes.

This month I’m grateful beyond words for Amazon’s relaunch of The Promise of Provence and Promises  To Keep. The story that turned into the Love in Provence series thanks to the enthusiastic support of so many readers and requests for more of Katherine’s ‘mid-life coming of age’ journey.

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Thanks to the amazing team at ‪#‎LakeUnionPublishing‬, led by Senior Acquisitions Editor, Danielle Marshall, for their priceless support and to all the avid readers who keep me inspired ! Book 3, I Promise You This, will be published Spring 2016. The last round of edits has been completed and I’m thankful for the guidance of my superb developmental  editor, Amara Holstein. Katherine’s journey continues!

As an indie author, I’ve been fortunate to reach a good number of readers Unknown-3 and they have proven to be inspiring and ardent. Thank you to each and every one of you. I keep repeating that hearing from readers is the best reward for a writer! I’m constantly surprised and amazed at the personal and meaningful messages I receive along with simple “I loved the story” emails. Each one is special and I know I speak for my fellow authors when I express this: Writers love hearing from readers.

The other side of being an indie author is the endless support and collegiality that writers offer each other. Self-publishing is hard work: researching and writing the book, working with professional editors and proofreaders,  and choosing cover designers is just the beginning. Books will not sell without marketing and promotion to spread the word. Did I mention it was hard work?

Thank goodness for the community of indie authors, professional editors, technical experts, virtual assistants, author service providers, book promoting websites, bloggers and reviewers who offer each other endless assistance and share information so openly.

Through Amazon I look forward to having my books in front of many more readers than I could ever hope to reach on my own. Thanks to Amazon’s amazing marketing people, I will have more time to write novels.

Yes, there is so much to be thankful for. I hope you feel the same with your life.

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A photo journal two-fer: part one

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I didn’t plan it this way, but as it happens I have two different photo journals/essays posted this week on two of my favourite sites: The Good Life France and the LAHE Lifestyle Magazine.

Put your feet up, take a break and go on a little armchair vacay with me.

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First, we’re going to the medieval village of Entrevaux, tucked on a rocky crag above the Var River, just an hour’s drive from Nice.

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After my husband and I visited this town two years ago, I knew I had to include it in the manuscript I was working on at the time. As a result, Entrevaux is featured in Promises To Keep (Book 2 of the Love In Provence series). In the story, you’ll have a chance to wander it’s narrow alleyways and discover its intriguing history along with meeting a couple of cool new characters.

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It’s not a picture perfect charming village such as the ones we love in the Luberon. Rather it is intriguing, mysterious and enigmatic, but beautiful in its own unique way. Discover Entrevaux by clicking right here.

Later this week I’ll post a visit to magical Venice, La Serenissima, so please make a note to come back. I promise you’ll be glad you did! As much as I adore France and spend all the time I possibly can there, I do love to travel for short periods to other places. Venice is one of those places. It is truly a visual feast.

Here’s a taste …

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I’ll post the Venice photo journal on Friday. See you then!

 

Marvellous Madeleine

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If it’s Friday it must be France …

Madeleines have been on my mind quite a bit recently. In my latest novel, I Promise You This (Book 3 of the Love In Provence series), the character Simone Garnier has quite a connection to them. I couldn’t resist the urge to enjoy more than I should have … um, a few … while I was writing.

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These classic, tiny perfect French butter cakes make my heart beat a little faster when I savour one (or two or three) straight off the cooling rack!

Often thought of as cookies by North Americans, madeleines are a delicious accompaniment to your favourite cuppa … whether it’s tea or java or simply a nice cold glass of milk. They even have a classy literary history as Marcel Proust‘s muse in his famous epic 7-v0lume À La Recherche du Temps Perdu (Remembrance of Things Past).  Although they sound a little finicky to make, let me just say this: our granddaughter Meg made them when she was 13, on one of our cookie baking days. They tasted divine! Click here for the recipe.

I guess I should add that many Starbucks cafés often sell them  … just not straight out of the oven!

Speaking of I Promise You This, I’m busy working on edits with Danielle Marshall, my awesome Lake Union editor. We also have just seen the first draft of the cover art, which I loved!

Lake Union Publishing will relaunch The Promise of Provence and Promises To Keep in early October. Here are the revised covers which have a beautiful matte finish. I Promise You This will follow in 2016.

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You may              want to munch on a madeleine or two while you are reading. Do you get hungry while you read? Here’s a list of the best and worst choices to snack on while reading, in case you’re searching for some advice on the subject. 

Bon weekend everyone!

 

 

 

Nikos’ niche

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If it’s Friday, it must be France …

Greek writer and philosopher Nikos Kazatzakis (18 February 1883 – 26 October 1957) and his wife settled in Antibes in 1948. The beauty here reminded him of Greece and inspired him to write his most famous novels including Zorba The Greek and The Last Temptation of Christ.

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I do share a lot of photos of Antibes on my blog (you know how that breathtaking town inspires me too …), but this is one of my favourites. I climbed up on the ramparts to include the palm in the foreground. Nikos’ house is just a few minutes walk from this point.

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Coming upon this simple memorial to him, just outside their former home, is both touching and inspirational. I think he would be pleased. Don’t you?

I’m spending a lot of time in my own “writing cave” at the moment. The deadline for my current manuscript is June 1. I think I can …  I think I can …

It’s easy to be motivated in Antibes as the ghosts of artists come to you in the narrow streets lined with shuttered houses, many hundreds of years old. As early back as 1500 BC, writers left their work in caves in the area. In the last few centuries a long list of influential authors, beside Kazatzakis, found inspiration here, including Dickens, Louisa May Alcott, DeMaupassant, Edith Wharton, Somerset Maugham, Graham Green, James Joyce, Nabakov, Gertrude Stein, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Pound, Sylvia Plath.  No doubt, I’ve missed some names. Van Gogh, Monet, Matisse, Renoir, Chagall, Picasso, Bracque, Miro are just a few of another equally long list of painters and sculptors who found the special light and air of the south of France irresistibly inspiring.

In June, I’ll be back in Antibes for a refill of the kind of inspiration Nikos and other writers treasured there. I’ll spend some moments sitting on that bench. When it’s not possible for me to be there, I lose myself in my photos. Is there a significant place where you find inspiration? Can you physically go there or is your special niche something spiritual? What works for you?

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