Patricia Sands

Author

The Promise of Provence

Let truffle season begin!

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If it’s Friday, it must be France …

In France, for certain enthusiasts, the celebration this week will be all about musky-smelling, subterranean fungi … truffles.

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On November 15, the historic walled town of Richerenches, will open its famous market for black truffles, the largest in France, with the proclamation of le Ban des Truffes. This official opening of the market by members of the Brotherhood of Black Diamond and Gastronomy, begins the truffle season which lasts until at least March. Foodies around the world rejoice!

Photo credit - Richerenches, Bureau de Tourisme
Photo credit – Richerenches, Bureau de Tourisme

Truffle sellers often work out of the back of their cars and vans around the corner from the regular market with sellers and buyers from restaurants and other agents, negotiating prices and making deals. If you know your truffles (often referred to as black diamonds), you are welcome to join in!

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My friend, author and journalist Anne-Marie Simons, has an excellent chapter on the subject in her book Taking Root in Provence.

Great examples of being possibilitarians (my favourite word, as you know). They retired to Aix-en-Provence in 1998 and were wonderful role models of how to begin a fabulous new chapter in life. Sadly, Oscar passed away last year. If you haven’t read Taking Root In Provence, I highly recommend it! 

Click here for the link! It’s also available in paperback.

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A few years ago I was delighted to hear from the owners of Les Pastras, who shared their story with me.

Johann and Lisa Pepin, are a Franco-American couple who left their corporate careers in Chicago to take over the Pepin family vineyard in the south of France in 2003. They wrote me about living their dream and I was instantly intrigued. Here’s a bit of information from their website and I think you will want to know more too.  At this time of year, truffle-hunting forays are the highlights.

“Our 11 hectares produce grapes, olives, apricots, cherries, plums, apples, pears, pomegranates, figs, almonds, hazelnuts and black winter truffles. We offer truffle-hunting tours of the property when in season. Tours include a sampling of fresh truffle hors d’oeuvres, Champagne and a taste of our organic Les Pastras olive and truffle oil.

Fine food enthusiasts can adopt a tree at Les Pastras and receive a yearly shipment of olive oil or truffles. The perfect gift! Visitors can even choose their own tree during their truffle-hunting tour.

And for every tree adopted, Les Pastras buys a fruit tree for the One Family orphanage in Haiti.”

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How cool is that? With the gift-giving holidays just around the corner, how about an olive tree for the person on your list who has everything? My late father-in-law gave us this as a gift a few years ago and it was so much fun to receive our delivery of oil, we kept adopting for several years!

There is an excellent article about Johann and Lisa in The Good Life France along with all their important links. Go on over there and read it, you’ll be glad you did!

How do you feel about truffles? Have you ever tasted them? Are you a fan? Would you adopt an olive tree or give one as a gift?

Amazon Marketing surprised me with a $.99 sale of THE PROMISE OF PROVENCE ebook in a special sale this week only. There are just a few days left to pick up a copy or gift some to friends! Here’s the link. Happy shopping!

If it’s Friday, it must be France …

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Plage de la Gravette, Antibes

It may be September but in the south of France summer is still in full swing. I love posting this photo for a few reasons. Firstly, because I know who is sitting in those chairs and that fills my heart every single time I see the image. Secondly, it reminds me of a time when some of our family was visiting with my husband and me in Antibes one summer. Different family members (have I mentioned we have seven ‘kids’ … and now some of the grandkids are old enough to visit on their own too!)and friends often came to stay for a while during our summers there and we loved every minute.

I posted this quote on Instagram the other day and am happy to share it here with you. “There is nothing that can equal the treasure of so many shared memories.” ~ Antoine De Saint-Exupery, author of Le Petit Prince.

So true, is it not? Hold onto that thought, dear friends. Go back and linger in some of your photo albums and treasure the memories.

I’m dropping in here today to remind everyone that the three Love in Provence ebooks are on sale for September for .99 US each. Thanks to Amazon! I love it when they put my books on sale.

So if you have not begun the series yet … or never got around to finishing it … what? You definitely should! Or gift some copies to friends … easily done on the Amazon page. Let me know if you don’t know how. I will be happy to help!

Have you read all three novels? (Did you know that the Villa des Violettes series carries on the stories of the same beloved characters?)

It’s so satisfying creating graphics using my photography and this shot of Tourrettes sur Loup is dear to my heart! It’s a view that is suddenly in your face when drive round a corner on the winding road from Grasse to Saint Paul de Vence. I can’t tell you the number of times we’ve stopped so I can capture this image … it is irresistible to me!

In fact, our September #southofFrancememories tour is specially planned so we make this same stop. Then our group stays to have lunch and explore this enchanting village.

In The Promise of Provence, Kat first has this same experience from the back of Philippe’s vintage motorcycle! Quelle surprise!

Here’s a link that will lead you to all three books … or you can find the book links here on my website.

If you are free an hour from now at 8 Eastern, Friday, join me and nine author friends as we have some fun on The Write Review helping to celebrate Kerry Anne King’s fabulous new book, Other People’s Things! It’s a great read. Come and party with us! Here’s how to play!

Bon weekend and bonne lecture tout le monde. Stay safe this weekend and enjoy a good book! Perhaps one of these!

À très bientôt! See you soon!

Happy Valentine’s Day ~ Joyeuse Saint Valentin

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Happy Valentine’s Day! Treat yourself or your sweetheart to a heartwarming story about love and be transported to the south of France. No packing, no passport, pure pleasure!
Click here to order https://amzn.to/2THbVp6

Reviews, sales, gratitude …

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Every book review is of value to an author and always appreciated. There are times when thoughts are expressed that go straight to an author’s heart. They provide inspiration and motivation … encouragement to keep writing.

Since all my books set in France are on sale for one more week (thank you, Amazon!), I wanted to share two recent reviews with you: one for The Promise of Provence and another for Drawing Lessons.

Thank you so much, Denise Birt of Novels & Latte Book Club for this first one.

BOOK REVIEW:
The Promise of Provence by Patricia Sands
As an avid reader, I have enjoyed so many wonderful books, in just this year alone…..but once in awhile a story comes too us that leaves such an impression that it becomes part of us. This is a story so rich and wonderful and a must read for any woman who feels she has seen and felt hurt, abandonment, a sense of not belonging – life’s sting of failed relationships, loss and her own restraints which hold her from moving forward.
Looking at the cover of Patricia Sand’s, The Promise of Provence, which is delightful in its own right, you might think it to be a cozy romance or even a sweet little story of sugarey-delight….but this story holds much more than you would expect.
Patricia writes of strength, new beginnings, new experiences, family and it’s history, strong friendships along with the insertion of the most beautifully described scenery and old-world charm that will make you actually feel it’s presence.
The writing is fluid and impeccably executed. The characters are written as real and believable.
I am not one to write reviews too include spoilers and with this particular story, I feel it imperative to hold true to that.
The Promise of Provence will make you feel and experience all emotions. It is smart, funny, sassy, sad, superbly researched and of course, a most gratifying and meaningful read. A scenic stroll through life itself.
I feel this story exudes the very meaning of being true to one’s self. It wasn’t just a book I read, it was an experience.
The Promise of Provence; Book one in the Love in Provence series
5 Stars ☕☕☕☕☕
#PatriciaSands #ThePromiseofProvence
Novels N Latte Book Blog
Novels & Latte Book Club

And the same gratitude to Lynn Olsson for this heartfelt review of Drawing Lessons.

‎Lynn Olsson‎ to Patricia Sands
October 19 at 6:05 PM ·
I was lucky enough to win a copy of Drawing Lessons from Patricia Sands and I thought I would share my thoughts with you on finishing the book. Usually I race through a book to get to the end. But with Drawing Lessons I found myself almost rationing the number of pages I read each night. I didn’t want the fun to end. This is a heartwarming story of a woman faced with the tragedy of living with her huband’s dementia and who finds a way back to reconnect with her own self. Before she was a wife and mother, she was an artist. And this is her journey in rediscovering the artist she thought she’d lost. A beautiful story. Treat yourself to this one.

5*****

TO THE END OF OCTOBER:

THE PROMISE OF PROVENCE, PROMISES TO KEEP, I PROMISE YOU THIS ~ ebooks are $1.99   paperbacks are half price 🙂

DRAWING LESSONS ~ ebook $1.99   paperback $6.95