Patricia Sands

Author

Women

Terry Fallis, Lisa Genova – what a week!

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I have been so fortunate this week to meet and speak with two outstanding authors, both of whom were very inspirational to me when I was writing The Bridge Club. I have followed the careers of these two novelists with great interest.

Today I attended Podcamp at Ryerson University with my friend and fellow author Patricia Caviglia. Walking out of the building, we had the lovely surprise of meeting Canada Reads winner, Terry Fallis, on his way in. With absolutely no one else around we introduced ourselves, congratulated him, and chatted for ten minutes about the wonderful success of his novel, The Best Laid Plans, and the writing world in general. He is as charming and friendly in person as he appears in the media and it was a thrill to have that time with him.

Last Thursday I attended an author event at the Chapters/Indigo flagship store at Bay and Bloor. There I had an opportunity to speak with Lisa Genova who wrote the amazing Still Alice and has just published Left Neglected. Also speaking at the event were Jeannette Walls and Elena Gorokhova It was interesting to hear them compare their experiences and habits as writers and discuss their motivations for writing these best-selling novels. This event was presented by Chapters/Indigo and hosted by CEO Heather Reisman who has probably done more for encouraging reading over the past few years than any other Canadian with her “Heather’s Picks” and support of literacy programs in schools.

Guest post on Rachel Howzell Hall’s site

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Rachel, thanks so much for inviting me to post on your blog. Writing is such an individual undertaking, it’s always interesting to hear how others make it happen and using your blog as a platform for this is a great idea. Click here to see my post and check out Rachel’s blog and website. Rachel is the author of A Quiet Storm and The View From Here, both available as e-books.

Let’s begin 2011 by answering some questions

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Ok – the decorations have all been carefully put away for another year. The suitcases have been unpacked. The last of the shortbread has mysteriously vanished. It was a wonderful holiday season and now it’s time to get back to business.

THANK YOU TO ALL THE READERS WHO TAKE THE TIME TO WRITE TO ME. I CAN’T TELL YOU HOW REWARDING IT IS AND HOW MUCH I VALUE YOUR FEEDBACK AND YOUR STORIES ABOUT YOUR OWN GROUP OF FRIENDS.

I’ve decided the first challenge I’m going to tackle in 2011, from a very long list, is to answer some of the questions I’m receiving from readers about different characters in The Bridge Club. Today let’s talk about Cass!

Yes, her character in real life did in fact live on a sailboat on the other side of the Atlantic for eight years with the man in her life at that time. Her experience was very much as described in the novel and she and I spent many long hours talking and reminiscing as I developed the chapter. She did indeed make tapes and send them to us from time to time which we then returned to her. It was a fantastic way to stay connected and of course long before the days of computers. If only  we had been able to Skype! The journey came to an end as described and she did meet her current employer a few years later when she worked as a cook on his yacht. Even though she made some very unconventional choices in her life, everything somehow worked out. Her relationship with her son is strong and he is a fine young man. To the rest of our group, in her real life the model for Cass really does exemplify the saying to “dance as if no one is watching”. She is proof that for some women, thinking outside the box is the way to go. It has certainly worked for her! If you have a dream, pursue it.

Thanks again Dan!

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In the blink of an eye we are back in Toronto. The nine wonderful days in Whistler flew by. Christmas with some of our family out there was a very special time and Mother Nature co-operated by providing a magical winter wonderland. Ski conditions were fabulous even though the upper mountains were closed because they had TOO MUCH SNOW! Oh for that problem at our southern Ontario ski areas! Thanks once again to Dan and his very helpful staff at Armchair Books in Whistler Village for hosting a book-signing for The Bridge Club. It was a most enjoyable afternoon full of friendly, interesting people – locals and tourists alike. Great fun! More and more book clubs are discovering The Bridge Club and its many points for discussion. Thanks for letting me know!