Author Archives: Patrice Wilton

About Patrice Wilton

Patrice Wilton knew from the age of twelve that she wanted to write books that would take the reader to faraway places. She was born in Vancouver, Canada, and had a great need to see the world that she had read about. Patrice became a flight attendant for seventeen years and traveled the world. At the age of forty she sat down to write her first book—in longhand! Her interests include tennis, golf, and writing stories for women of all ages. She is a mother of two, has four lovely grand-daughters, and a wonderful man at her side. They live in West Palm Beach, Florida, where he teaches her golf, and she teaches him patience. Her best selling books are the CANDY BAR series, SERENDIPITY FALLS series, and most recently PARADISE COVE and A CHRISTMAS COLLECTION series. She is a New York Times best selling author.  View website

CAMELOT THE MUSICAL by @PatriceWilton

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In 1967 the film adaptation of CAMELOT was brought to screen. Richard Burton and Julia Andrew had been in the original score on Broadway but they both declined their roles on screen.

Camelot

Harris and Redgrave

Richard Harris and Vanessa Redgrave stepped in for the leading roles and created the most compelling, romantic, and heartbreaking tale of all time—in my humble opinion. I had just graduated from high school that year and was a starry-eyed dreamer and a romantic at heart. This fantasy world of Camelot swept me away. The passion, the glory, and the sweetest, the most wonderful music I had ever heard.

The story of how King Author met Guinevere in the forest on the day they were to be married was beautifully written, poignant and endearing.  I fell in love with this beautiful, innocent couple immediately.

Franco Nero

Until the gorgeous Lancelot (Franco Nero) the most noble of knights, showed up to join King Author’s Round Table, everything was peachy keen, and a bed of roses. Guinevere disliked his arrogance at first, until she saw him bring a man back to life following a jousting match, and how humble and decent the man was.  Chaos and heartbreak destroyed King Author’s dream of the Round Table, where every man was considered equal. This beautiful musical stole my heart. And from the age of eighteen until now, Camelot has held me entranced. They’ll never be a place as wonderful as Camelot.

The play returned to the theater at the Lincoln Center in New York. Recently, I was able to see it with my daughter and her extremely talented actress young daughter.  Hopefully it will go on tour and delight a whole new audience of dreamers and music lovers. If you get the chance, go see it. Surround yourself with this classic tale of a man’s dream to create a new order. Where all men are considered equal. What a wonderful world it would be.

Summer Cooking #Recipes by Patrice Wilton

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The hot weather is in full force now and the idea of summer cooking in the kitchen has made way for barbeques and salads. What could be better than a tasty, chilled chicken salad with curry and grapes, or a strawberry and watermelon salad over crisp romaine lettuce and almonds?

Summer Cooking

Is your mouth watering yet? Mine sure is!  Here are a couple easy and delicious ways to prepare a summer salad or dress it up in a croissant or wrap, or bread of choice.

We’ll start with STRAWBERRY SPINACH SALAD which only takes 20 minutes to make. This delightful family favorite comes from Paula Deen.

STRAWBERRY SPINACH SALAD

INGREDIENTS—1 package of washed and dried baby spinach. 1/3 cup toasted sliced almonds. 1 quart of strawberries.  1 sliced and diced cucumber. ½ juiced lemon. 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar. 1/3 cup of sugar. 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and one tsp poppy seeds.

DIRECTIONS—Toss the spinach, almonds, and cucumber into a covered dish. Combine lemon juice, vinegar, sugar, oil and poppy seeds. Whisk the dressing in a glass bowl or jar. Dress the salad just before serving. ENJOY!!

Another popular dish is CURRIED CHICKEN SALAD and here is a recipe from a self-proclaimed young woman– “the best curry chicken salad recipe in the Land!

CURRIED CHICKEN SALAD

INGREDIENTS:  All you need is 1 ¼ pound cooked skinless, boneless chicken breast, celery, apples, mayo, curry, toasted pecans, celery, and raisins. If you prefer use cranberries instead of raisins.

DIRECTIONS: Chop chicken breast, a stalk of celery, ½ a red apple, ¼ cup toasted pecans, and have available ¼ cup of raisins, ¼ cup of mayonnaise, ¼ tsp of curry powder and ¼ tsp cayenne pepper and salt and pepper to taste.

These salads are perfect for summer cooking. Enjoy!

Keeping Children Entertained This Summer by @PatriceWilton

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Hello to all the families out there. Spring has sprung. Mother’s Day has passed, and Father’s Day is looming. Speaking of looming–how about the schools closing for the summer and releasing all the school-aged children for the long hot days of summer? Are you prepared? Summer plans in order? Whether you stay home, visit loved ones, or take a road trip to the spectacular National Parks, having this family time is your chance to make memories for a lifetime. There is no need to be extravagant. Happiness can be yours in your own back yard, at a beach, or water-skiing on a lake. Be creative. Turn your backyard into a pretty oasis by hanging playful lights in the trees, a water slide or sprinkler which could entertain the kids for hours with a group of good friends. How about challenging your family to a fun game of croquet or badminton right in your own back yard?

Children

Take up a new hobby or sport that will be fun and challenging such as kayaking, swimming lessons, pickleball, or golf on a par 3 course? Parks and outdoor day trips can be a win-win, too. What child, no matter their age, doesn’t enjoy a visit to a zoo? Or a museum with dinosaurs or something new? Aquariums are another inexpensive way to captivate your entire family for many hours. How about a game of charades with neighbors or a well-planned scavenger hunt?

Children Love Diverse Experiences!

Other inexpensive ways to entertain the kids could be as simple as a night out watching a local baseball game in the park—the scent of hot dogs, popcorn, and even a few dogs barking can create a feel-good atmosphere. If baseball is not your thing, so much else is available. Learning and experimenting can be inspiring. If one of your children loves to read, challenge them to write the opening of a book. Love art projects? There are plenty of free or inexpensive craft shops that host and teach fun crafts.

Creativity can be discovered in so many ways and at any age and bring joy for a lifetime.

On a personal note, I fell in love with reading and decided at the age of twelve that if I had one talent it would be to write and give back the joy and pleasure of books. It opens new worlds, new adventures and new experiences that can open your mind to what is possible.

I had a family and children. Then, in my forties, I sat down to write my first book.

My journey into publication has not been an easy one. Fifteen years of rejections and heartache which could have destroyed me, instead it made me more determined to succeed. I kept at it because I’m stubborn and loved what I was doing, and of course I was getting better at it.

Serendipity Falls 3 bk set

I created novels that gave people hope, to open their hearts to trust and love again. I’m eternally grateful for not giving up. I’m sending out positive vibes for each one of you to follow your dreams and make it happen.

ABB, Authors’ Billboard has a great many stories to heal your heart and take you on a world of adventure.  Enjoy the ride!

WAYS TO CUT DOWN THE COST OF GROCERIES

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  1. Make a thorough menu plan each week and stick to it. This will reduce your temptation to impulse buy. If you’re an impulsive person, you might want to order your groceries on-line. Do a pick-up rather than wander the aisles and test your resolve. Groceries
  2. If you shop at a Publix or a store where they do BOGO, buy one get one free, then take advantage of it! Freeze the second item for another day. If you don’t want what’s on sale, buy only what you do. Time to check your grocery list to see if the items are on it first.
  3. If you have small independent grocery stores near you, like we have in Florida, you will find the prices are nearly cut in half, especially for vegetables and fruit—not to mention the price of Wine. Trust me, by the end of the week you’ll be ready for a bottle or two.
  4. Next is going generic. No more high end food for you unless you spend a dollar to buy a lottery ticket and win big, like over twenty dollars or so!
  5. When creating your list each week be sure to add your children’s and husband’s favorite treats. We all can’t just live on love, and believe the Beatles that love is all we need.
  6. It would be a good idea to make the planned food for six days. Then, order in pizza or Chinese dinner on the seventh.
  7. Have you ever had a veggie smoothie? They are delicious and don’t taste like carrots and celery at all. Yummy, creamy, I thought I was drinking fruit through a straw.

You’re all probably rolling your eyes right now. So I’ll send you to Allrecipes who has more than 160 vegetable smoothie recipes with reviews and tips!

Ladies, one more tip. As you wait for your children to come home from school, sample a few delicious smoothies and read a good book. The Authors’ Billboard (ABB) has over thirty boxsets with multiple books from NYTimes and USAT today bestselling authors—for only $.99!!

And now that’s a bargain!