Patricia Sands

Author

Thanksgiving

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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Happy Canadian Thanksgiving

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Happy Thanksgiving in Canada! I’m back from Spain and deep in my editing cave working to a deadline for I Promise You This (Book 3 in the Love in Provence series). The good news is that it is joyful work … particularly because it makes me feel like I’m back in the south of France. You know how I love taking you there with me!

I know I promised photos from my travels in Spain last month (and, of course, I took a bazillion) and I feel badly I haven’t gotten to that! I will. I will! And now … seemingly all of a sudden … it’s Thanksgiving weekend. My favourite time of the year.

I hope you won’t mind if I post the same message as last year. It’s the message I want to share at this time every year … every day, really …

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Thanksgiving. No shopping for anything but dinner ingredients. No lists of gifts. Bags of food being filled for the Food Banks. Volunteers serving turkey dinners at homeless shelters. Quality time spent as families and friends gather to share memories, love and laughter. An attitude of gratitude prevails. I am so thankful for the life I have. I hope you feel the same about yours.

As we consider our individual blessings, let’s remember those who struggle with hunger, illness, poverty, war and a multitude of other challenges in our own backyards and around the globe. The refugee crisis is heartbreaking. Let’s try to make the sentiments of Thanksgiving a part of every single day.

What a good feeling to see the food donation bins overflowing today. If you can’t get out to help, here’s a way you can play a part without leaving home! Click right here.

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I’ve written about these sites before, but they are always worth mentioning from time to time.  All you have to do is go to TheHungerSite.com  once a day and click on the button — sponsors give free food. You are not put on any list or bombarded with spam. There are other links to click where sponsors donate for appropriate benefits: Breast Cancer ~ remember it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month; Child Health; Literacy; Rainforest; Animal Rescue and a few others. All of this has been verified as legit by Snopes years ago. I pop in every day. Why not?

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While we are at it, have you ever played FREERICE.COM? ~ This is a unique way to increase your vocabulary and donate rice to needy countries. Play it with your children as there are 60 levels. It’s a great place to learn new words for Words With Friends … ahem, my addiction when I need a few minutes off from writing. It’s such a fun way to keep connected with friends too.

One big personal thank you to the readers who take the time to contact me. I love hearing from you and appreciate every single message. Thanks for subscribing to my  newsletter and for sharing my books with your friends. You light up my life!

Canada has a federal election coming up on October 19th. Living in a countryUnknown-1 where we can freely express our political choices, and vote without fear of losing our lives, is truly another reason to feel thankful. Please exercise that privilege and GO OUT AND VOTE! IT’S FREE! IT MATTERS! LET’S ALL DO IT! FIND OUT ABOUT YOUR CANDIDATE AND THE ISSUES AND BE INFORMED! Click here for more information.

Oh, excuse me, I think that  might have seemed a bit loud. Sorry, but this is important for each and every Canadian. Take an active role in what happens in your country. Plan a party to watch the results on the 19th and, whatever the outcome, be proud you did your part. Let’s do it! We’re going to an advanced voting station this weekend. How about you?

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Canadians Give Thanks

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WARM WISHES TO ALL CANADIANS CELEBRATING THANKSGIVING!

The unique beauty of autumn adds to the magic of this special holiday.

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We are celebrating my favourite holiday in Canada this weekend – Thanksgiving. No shopping for anything but Thanksgiving dinner ingredients. No lists of gifts. Bags of food being filled for the Food Banks. Volunteers serving turkey dinners at homeless shelters. Quality time spent as families and friends gather to share memories, love and laughter. An attitude of gratitude prevails. I am so thankful for the life I have. I hope you feel the same about yours.

As we consider our individual blessings, let’s remember those who struggle with hunger, illness, poverty, war and a multitude of other challenges around the globe. Let’s try to make the sentiments of Thanksgiving a part of every single day.

What a good feeling to see the food donation bins overflowing today. If you can’t get out to help, here’s a way you can play a part without leaving home! Click right here.

logo-main

 

I’ve written about these sites before, but they are always worth mentioning from time to time.  All you have to do is go to TheHungerSite.com  once a day and click on the button — sponsors give free food. You are not put on any list or bombarded with spam. There are other links to click where sponsors donate for appropriate benefits: Breast Cancer ~ remember it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month; Child Health; Literacy; Rainforest; Animal Rescue and a few others. All of this has been verified as legit by Snopes years ago. I pop in every day. Why not?

While we are at it, have you ever played FREERICE.COM? ~ A great way to increase your vocabulary and donate rice. Play it with your children as there are 60 levels. It’s a great place to learn new words for Words With Friends … ahem, my addiction!

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I’m waiting for December …

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As many recover from Thanksgiving feasts, here are a few thoughts on the subject:

Courtesy of award-winning teacher Victoria Leon
Courtesy of award-winning teacher Victoria Leon

Let us remember that, as much has been given us, much will be expected from us, and that true homage comes from the heart as well as from the lips, and shows itself in deeds.  ~Theodore Roosevelt

Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare.  They are consumed in twelve minutes.  Half-times take twelve minutes.  This is not coincidence.  ~Erma Bombeck

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.  ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Thanks to everyone who took some time to help those less fortunate on this holiday that is meant for each and every one of us. 

Let’s take a minute to be thankful too for enterprising and creative teachers such as Victoria Leon who inspired this terrific poster. Click on it to enlarge and enjoy! You can also check out Victoria’s blog, Teacher Park, by clicking here! These are the kind of teachers we love to see!

I’m in the States at the moment and surrounded by all things Christmas even though it is just the day after Thanksgiving here. Traditionally, I’ve learned through the years, Thanksgiving is the kick-off for the “holidays” in this country whether it is Hanukkah or Christmas and I have certainly noticed this to be true.

For some reason, I have a mental block about thinking in the holiday mode until the calendar moves into December. So even though that means just one more day, I’m going to wait until Sunday to get festivities under way here.

HOWEVER, when I do kick it into gear, I have some exciting items to share. One will be the name of the  winner of the Santon giveaway that was posted in my newsletter and the other will be a fabulous free ebook about Christmas in France that will be available to everyone. I can’t wait to give you the link to that!

In the meantime I want to offer warmest wishes, Chag Shameach, to all those celebrating Hanukkah (also spelled Chanukah), the 8-day Jewish festival of lights celebrating religious freedom. This is certainly a special, and early, date this year as the first candle on the Menorah was lit the evening before  and the first day  of the holiday is on Thanksgiving Day. We’re told this precise coinciding won’t happen for another 70,000 years, so enjoy what will surely be special celebrations!

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How did you celebrate this week … and do you have your Christmas decorations up? I know one of our daughters has her tree and decorations all in place … and she doesn’t even live in the States!

See you on December 1 for my first festive posting! If it’s Friday, it must be France will return next week.