Pamela Q. Fernandes's Blog, page 21

My Sweet Fall Romance “STARTING OVER” is out now!

Finally, after long and patient weeks “STARTING OVER” is live on a number of sites. I’m still waiting for a few more booksellers to have it up and I’ll bring it to my home page!

You must have noticed the falling leaves and all the little hints I’ve been dropping about the book. So it’s finally here and has some awesome reviews. It will be up on netgalley, too on the 1st of November!

Here’s the book cover!

STARTING OVER

Here’s the book trailer of STARTING OVER!

The best news of all for all of my readers, is that I’ve made this book free. You heard it!

Here’s the book blurb

Cara Wallace is stunned to find Nathan Reynolds back in Henderson County. His sudden arrival brings to the fore unresolved questions of what might have been.

How could she unwrite the past?

How could she undo the mistakes?

How could she unlove him?

Nathan Reynolds can’t understand why Cara chose to stay in this small town. How could she sacrifice her career, her future and their love for a small run-down cottage in the middle of nowheresville?

Whatever her reasons, Nathan intends to find out and start over again!

STARTING OVER IS FREE ON ALL SITES

STARTING OVER

I guess this is my way of saying thank you to my readers. Painting Kuwait Violet has had such amazing reviews! Therefore, I wanted to say thank you to all the people who read and review my books!

In my previous post, I did talk about what happened with Starting Over and how the publishing company that took it on closed down. Consequently, somehow the stars aligned, my gorgeous cover came into being through Les and the wonderful video through Lumen5 happened. 

All in all, I’m so grateful to Roane Publishing and Terri Rochenski for taking me on. I would have never written Starting over if it weren’t for their competition.  Yet, despite the ups and downs, now that the book is out, I’m really excited to hear what you readers have to say about STARTING OVER!

GET YOUR FREE COPY NOW!

ITUNES BARNES & NOBLES KOBO SCRIBD 24S PLAYSTER ANGUS & ROBERTSON AMAZON BIBLIOTHECA OVERDRIVE

Don’t forget to read and review my book on any of these sites and Goodreads.

Additionally, let me know what you think about the book, the cover and trailer. I loved writing STARTING OVER. It’s a second chance romance that made me cry while I wrote it. It’s about fall and love. Autumn is my favorite season and so this book is like my homage to the season I love!

In particular, I will dedicate all of November to how I wrote STARTING OVER. Additionally, I’ll share a few sneak peeks of reviews and other things that will happen. I’m hosting a few giveaways and so there’s going to be love in the air this fall!

In the meantime, download the book (IT’S FREE) and if you want more free books sign up. Most of my subscribers know that I give away free books all the time.

Look forward to hearing from you!

Cheers!

The post My Sweet Fall Romance “STARTING OVER” is out now! appeared first on PAMELA Q. FERNANDES.

Q 25 How Can Doctors Become More Right-Brained & Creative?

“How can  a doctor become more  right-brained and creative?”

 Doctors can be right-brained!

Doctors are often considered people who use their left brain more than their right brain. The left brain is associated with logical and analytical thinking. However, the right brain is associated with artistic and creative abilities.

I’ve talked about having hobbies and having a work-life balance in many of my previous posts. Often, I’ve recommended not just doctors but people in 9-to-5 jobs to use their creativity. This is especially for those people who use little to no creativity at work.

Ask doctors to create a PPT on the same topic and you see a variety of colors, ideas and styles. It’s so evident that they’re all talented and have a creative side to them. I feel engaging the creative right brain is cathartic, especially if you’ve had a trying day at work.

THE EVIDENCE FOR RIGHT BRAINED DOCTORS

Dr. Caroline Wellbery and Dr. Rebecca McAteer of the Georgetown University School of Medicine published an essay in the journal Academic Medicine.

They proposed a curriculum for an eight-week “arts observation seminar” which encompassed poetry, photography, and descriptive writing,.

I say we don’t need any research. Take a look at Tess Gerritsen. She’s the author of the famous Rizzoli & Isles books and is a pathologist. Other authors like Ilene Wong, a surgeon and anesthesiologist, Carol Casella, have taken to writing books. Like me!

Then there’s Scott Carle, an occupational physician who paints and you can even watch him paint one of his masterpieces live. Another painter is Dr C Michael Gibson, an interventional cardiologist, who finds time to crate beautiful artwork. I follow him on Twitter and he’s such a talented and passionate physician who’s funny and smart.

Chip Thomas, a physician, has been an exceptional photographer. His photographs of the Navajo nation are deep and arresting. Victor Wahby is a musician and Founder & Maestro of the Medical Musical Group Orchestra. Dr Mark Seraly sculpts and his pieces are very sought after in the art world. These are just a few example of people who are creative and practicing doctors.

So how can you engage your right brain?

Doctors and the right brain

FIND WHAT YOU LOVE

Before you start thinking what you should take up. Look back at your own life. An art class, or photographs, something that you loved. All of us took minor classes during our junior years in school or college. It could have been a sport. Don’t think what can make me more money. Think what is it that I love to do and go for it. This is something you could do everyday without ever getting bored of it. I can write and create stories everyday and I would never be bored.

FIND WHAT FULFILLS YOU

You could do a lot of things you love but in addition to that does it fulfill you. Fulfillment is a feeling where you feel you’ve achieved your purpose in life. I like playing the piano but writing and hosting my podcast fulfills me. It makes me believe that this is why I’m here on this planet. I was born to do this.

FIND WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY

Right-brained activity could be as simple as going fishing. Does it makes you happy? Does it bring a smile to your face? When you do it, do all your worries melt away and does excitement tingle your skin?

CUT OUT EXTRAS

Cut out the extra crap in your life. We spend hours on mindless television or long commutes. Are there any time wasters in your life? Cut them out and use that time to focus on this new creative activity that you love. At one point of time I was watching, three hours of TV per day! 

39 Why Your Rosary Is A Spiritual Weapon

Mary is a Trojan Horse in the spiritual world and when she comes in, it’s game over! – Peter Howard on the Rosary

Peter hails from New Jersey . . .  so you know you can trust this guy! He now lives in the mountains of northern Idaho, residing with his beautiful wife, Chantal, and their five beautiful children. Peter is an expert in the teachings of Venerable Fulton J. Sheen, Mariologist, Catholic entrepreneur, renown international speaker, author, professor, theologian and co-founder of Heroic Families (HeroicFamilies.com) and aromaRosary Wellness (aromarosarywellness.com).

Peter has spoken at national, diocesan and family conferences in the United States and Philippines; the United States Air Force Academy; the Apostolate for Family Consecration; diocesan and parish retreats and he has been featured on Catholic television and radio programs such as EWTN, Catholic Answers Live, the Patrick Madrid Show, CatholicTV, Shalom World, Radio Maria and Relevant Radio. Dr. Howardhas served as a professor of theology for the Avila Institute for Spiritual Formation (avila-institute.com) and the School of Spiritual Formation of the Marian Servants of the Incarnate Wisdom.

Peter Howard

Dr. Howard earned his Doctorate in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas [Angelicum] in Rome, Italy. Dr. Howard‘s theological expertise lies predominantly in Mariology and the teachings of Venerable Fulton J. Sheen. Peter is a member of the International Marian Association and author of the 2015 book: The Woman: The Mystery of Mary as Mediatrix in the Teaching of Fulton J. Sheen. Dr. Howard is passionate about evangelizing families and forming “360 Catholics” who are holy, healthy and free. Check out his podcast at 360Living.live.

In this episode, Dr. Peter Howard tells us why we should pray the rosary.

He explains:

-What is the rosary?

-The miracles that have taken place with the rosary

-How the rosary is a spiritual weapon

-Why you must make it a part of your daily life.

Your Rosary Is A Spiritual Weapon

When I chanced upon or should I say  wasdivinely led to Peter’s post on Catholic Exchange, I didn’t know he was scholar on Mary. I was so caught up with the miracles that I didn’t think much of it. In the past I believed the Rosary as an instrument of peace and breezed through it without thinking. I was very lukewarm about it.

But after recording this podcast with Peter, I’ve got a new passion for the Rosary. The argument that convinced me was when Peter says, Hail Mary full of grace…. when those words were uttered all of heaven stops to listen to Mary’s response. It is also the moment the Word becomes flesh and that same power is manifested every time we say it.

Chanted Rosary CD

I have to admit, I have new belief in the power of the Hail Mary scripture. In fact, when I went to the 7pm mass last week we had no electricity. And for a 25,000 strong parish, there are lots of people outside and inside who have no clue what goes in the church without the speaks and the monitors. So I took a cue from Peter’s mom and his podcast, and said 1, just 1 Hail Mary. Lo and behold, five minutes later the lights came back on and we heard mass in peace.

Now for every Hail Mary I meditate and take people’s intentions to our Blessed Mother. Because I am convinced in its power.

Miracles Of The Rosary

Peter talks about the miracles of Mary’s Rosary in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Most important of all is the miracle of his own father, going through near death and recovery with Mary’s help. It really brought tears to my eyes. Peter says the winter is here, the world is going mad and the only solution is to bring people to Jesus through the rosary, one family at a time. I couldn’t have said it any better.

For the next chapter of my life, I’ve sensed the Lord call me to pray for marriages and families and with this spiritual weapon, I’ve started to pray fervently for marriages.

“If there were one million families praying the Rosary every day, the entire world would be saved.”

-Pope St. Pius X

I hope you can share this podcast and bring one family at a time to the table of the rosary. Even if you say just one decade each day, Peter says it’s the best weapon in spiritual warfare. Why not give it a try?

If you would like to get in touch with Dr. Peter Howard, you can reach him at any one of these sites: HeroicFamilies.com,  aromaRosary.com & aromaRosaryWellness.com.

Aroma Rosary

ENJOYED THIS PODCAST?

We hope you enjoyed this podcast. Check out our podcasts on St. Maximilian Kolbe and the Discipleship of Mary. If you liked this podcast, like us, leave us a comment and share our episodes on social media with those who may benefit from it. If there is a particular saint that you would like to hear about, tell us and we’ll add him or her to our future episodes. Next week we’ll be talking about the rosary!

We are on iheartradio, Stitcher, Itunes, and tunein.com.

We’d love to hear from you. Please rate us so that our podcast reaches out to the people who need to hear it.

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Character Expressions with Actress Eleonora Micali

Character expressions are my weakness. When I write, I do get hemmed in by them. I’m currently editing Stumped and my editor Melody Miller, has been putting ellipses everywhere so that I could change my expressions. How many times have “eyes widened” or “tears streaked down?” Too often in my manuscript.

So I decided to interview an actress who really gets character expressions. After all, actresses have to portray the same emotions with different expressions.

Who is Eleonora Micali?

PAMELA Q. FERNANDES.

38 THE DISCIPLESHIP OF MARY

“Mary shows us that there’s an insep arable joy in following Jesus.” Dr. Matthew A. Tsakanikas on the discipleship of Mary.

THE DISCIPLESHIP OF MARY

Dr. Matthew Tsakanikas

Dr. Matthew Tsakanikas is Chair of the Department of Theology, Christendom College, Front Royal, Virginia. His doctorate was from the Pontifical University of the Lateran’s John Paul II Institute for Marriage and the Family, Rome. He has taught for Benedictine College, Saint Meinrad Seminary’s Permanent Diaconate Program, and Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity.

In this episode, Dr. Matthew A. Tsakanikas talks to us about the discipleship of Mary.

He talks about:

-Mary’s difficult life

-Mary as the new Eve

-Mary as the Ark of the Covenant

-The meaning of the rosary and her apparitions

This episode was sponsored by NOAH’S Event Venue. They rent out beautiful and spacious venues to church groups. Find out more about them here: www.NOAHSEventVenue.com/church

THE DISCIPLESHIP OF MARY

I have to say it was hard finding guests to talk about Mary and her discipleship. Whatever side you’re on, let’s not forget that Mary bore Jesus. And that’s something even Dr. Matthew Tsakanikas reminds us that if the ark of the covenant made of stone was holy, how much more the ark that held Jesus in the flesh.

I reached out to Dr. Matthew Tsakanikas through his post on Mary. He’s also written on Orthodoxy, worship, and Saint Augustine. And he was so enthusiastic about talking about the discipleship of Mary. There were nuggets of wisdom that I’d long forgotten about Mary.

One of the things he said that truly touched me was about darkness and light.

“We must cling to Jesus. We have to continue forward into the light which is so bright that it can seem like darkness. Mary is a model of walking in the light.”

He has so much more profound wisdom to share about how it sometimes feels like God has abandoned us and we can pray and ask our Heavenly Father to take this cup away from us. In those times, like Mary and Jesus, we must also finish with “Thy will be done” and not “My will be done!”

He explains why apparitions happen and how Mary asks us to meditate on her life entwined with her son. Through all this he says that the discipleship of Mary was hard. She didn’t have an easy life. Yet, she trusted God and her son took every form of humanness to save us.

Finally, he also mentions why it’s important to train and shape young people in christian fellowship.

If you would like to get in touch Dr. Mathew Tsakanikas, then you can contact him at the Christendom College.  It’s a Catholic liberal arts college offering a time-tested and rigorous education that develops the student’s intellect in a powerful way.

ENJOYED THIS PODCAST?

We hope you enjoyed this podcast. Check out our podcasts on St. Augustine and Fellowship. If you liked this podcast, like us, leave us a comment and share our episodes on social media with those who may benefit from it. If there is a particular saint that you would like to hear about, tell us and we’ll add him or her to our future episodes. Next week we’ll be talking about the rosary!

We are on iheartradio, Stitcher, Itunes, and tunein.com.

We’d love to hear from you. Please rate us so that our podcast reaches out to the people who need to hear it.

The post 38 THE DISCIPLESHIP OF MARY appeared first on PAMELA Q. FERNANDES.

PAINTING KUWAIT VIOLET: Themes

Themes. I knew I had to do this post because people keep asking about these characters. Especially people who have never lived outside the Middle East.

But first here’s the trailer.  This time I just did it myself because getting a storyboard ready and having someone who understood the Middle east was going to be hard. I wasn’t sure they’d get it right. Tell me what you think about the trailer.

Then there are the various themes. I’m going to share a few issues that often come up in middle east fiction. Check out my list of middle east fiction, if this is a genre you’re interested in reading.

Themes in PKV

THEMES
War

Its quite obvious when you live here, somehow your life is touched by war. Every member state of the Middle East has seen this in the past or continues to do so at present. Kuwait saw two Gulf wars. And I’ve chosen to highlight the first war. I grew up and fled Kuwait with my family and remember that time vividly. Kuwait was practically reduced to rubble by the time it ended. the beach clean up of oil took decades and even today parts of the country still mark the evidence of what happened.

Polygamy

It’s a known fact that men are allowed to take up more than one wife. Sad for the women. I mean for die-hard believers in the “one true love” concept, it does hurt. But this is accepted in this culture. Sabah has a hard time with this and that’s where the trouble begins.

Unequal Opportunity for Women

Kuwaiti women got the right to vote in 2005. That’s how nascent their suffrage movement is. With that followed the right to hold elected office. But it’s an uphill battle since society is still patriarchal and business is still part of the old boy’s club. And that’s why Sabah & Violet find it so hard to build a business.

WORKER’S RIGHTS

You have no rights, especially if you work as a domestic. In fact President Duterte was quite vocal about this issue which granted his citizens special rights. Most contracts are written in Arabic. As maids, Tintin and Violet are hard-pressed and have to second-guess their boss. Lots of reviewers have commented on how they loved the interaction between the maids. They’re like a pseudo family within the confines of these homes. And as much as I’d love to dedicate more pages to this, this book does show that you can build a family with strangers when you’re far from home.

STIGMA OF THE DOMESTIC

The term dignity of labor isn’t understood here. If you’re a domestic worker, you’re something of a lesser human being. This is quite evident when Sabah’s son first comes home from the US. His attitude is quite telling and that’s the general perception of domestic workers throughout the region.

BRIDE MONEY

Here, instead of a dowry, men have to pay the women’s family bride money in exchange for their daughter which is why GCC brides are very expensive.

BLOG TOUR

Painting Kuwait Violet is going to go on a blog tour. It will run from October 8th – October 22nd 

 

To be honest, it’s my first time doing a blog tour. And I’m super excited. My book spotlight page is here. 

So now you have a little more about the themes in this book. There’s a lot of this book that I edited/ took out to sharpen and tighten the pace. Aliya’s weight loss journey, Violet’s childhood and Tintin’s own backstory.  I hope despite that you enjoy the book given all the unbelievable stuff you find in these pages.

 

 

 

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Winds of Change in Publishing

Publishing is a subjective business. Yesterday, I received an email from Roane Publishing. Along with many other authors, the publishers have graciously reverted rights back to all the authors.

37 Get Out Of Your Comfort Zone

“The reason we’re doing this is not for our pew, but for Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for us.” -Matthew Peaslee on building vibrant parishes and stepping out of our comfort zones.

Get Out Of Your Comfort Zone

Matthew Peaslee is a resident of the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where he works as the associate editor of the Pittsburgh Catholic newspaper. He has been in the position for almost two years after a career in daily newspapers in Ohio and West Virginia.

Matthew Peaslee

Peaslee is a Youngstown, Ohio native where he attended Catholic school. He went on to earn a journalism degree from West Virginia University in 2011. Peaslee is happily married to his wife of three years, Erin. They are devout Catholics, avid baseball fans, and proud parents to a morkie puppy named Jordy.

 

This episode was sponsored by NOAH’S Event Venue. They rent out beautiful and spacious venues to church groups. Find out more about them here: www.NOAHSEventVenue.com/church

GET OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE

This is easier than you think and especially in parishes where people have been set in their ways.  This podcast was super easy to do. Journalists really make good guests on the show. 

September Giveaways

This September along with my own gritty women’s fiction, Painting Kuwait Violet, I’m sharing a few of my friend’s books too.

Last week I shared a list of Middle Eastern women’s fiction. But for those who won’t enjoy that genre here are a few more books in our “What lies behind the shadows” giveaway. It includes 57 mysteries and suspenses.

Here are a few covers to whet your appetite. If you want a free copy to read you can hop onto Bookfunnel. 

This will last up to October 15th, 2018

September Giveaway

Then there’s something for the romance readers too. In fact, this is a varied list, you will need to exercise some discretion depending on your romance taste. But it does include New York Times Bestselling Author Tricia O’Malley.

I’ve added Cinders of Castlerea to this romance list. If you’re keen on reading you can get this book on Instafreebie. So you should have enough of reading material to read from September through November. The romances will be available till October 31st, 2018.

September Giveaway

September is almost over and I hope you can find something you like to read from one of these giveaways. Do share these with other people. All these books are free and you can simply download and read them.

My only request is after you’re done reading, please share a review of the book on a booksellers site or Goodreads.  Reviews are what help authors get their books out there.

So happy reading to you.

 

 

The post September Giveaways appeared first on PAMELA Q. FERNANDES.

18 Middle East Women’s Fiction Books

My own women’s fiction PAINTING KUWAIT VIOLET set in the Middle East is out. To celebrate the release, I’ve compiled the best books set in the region that have ever been written.

Have you read any of them? Some will make you cry and others will tug at your heartstrings. Books set in the Middle East tend to be raw and offer a glimpse of life, most can scarcely imagine. You’ll either love these books or hate them if you don’t understand the culture.

And that’s the thing with books set in the Middle East, there are few happy stories. It’s as if there are no happy people. Everyone’s life has been touched by war. Generation after generation. The land is awash in blood. And yet there’s been no time to heal. Even though I’m tempted to read some of these books, I don’t think I’m ready to subject myself to the pain I’ve known. After all, me and my family fled the first Gulf War in 90 and I can tell you, those memories best stay buried.  So, even though these books are rich in prose and poetry, guard your heart lest it breaks over the fictional stories threaded with truths.

MORNINGS IN JENIN

Palestine, 1948. A mother clutches her six-month-old son as Israeli soldiers march through the village of Ein Hod. In a split second, her son is snatched from her arms and the fate of the Abulheja family is changed forever. Forced into a refugee camp in Jenin and exiled from the ancient village that is their lifeblood, the family struggles to rebuild their world.

Mornings in Jenin is a devastating novel of love and loss, war and oppression, and heartbreak and hope, spanning five countries and four generations of one of the most intractable conflicts of our lifetime.

 

Finding Nouf

Zoë Ferraris’s electrifying debut of taut psychological suspense offers an unprecedented window into Saudi Arabia and the lives of men and women there. When sixteen-year-old Nouf goes missing, along with a truck and her favorite camel, her prominent family calls on Nayir al-Sharqi, a desert guide, to lead a search party.

Fast-paced and utterly transporting, Finding Nouf offers an intimate glimpse inside a closed society and a riveting literary mystery.

 

 

 

 

EXIT WEST

WINNER OF THE 2018 LOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK PRIZE FOR FICTION and THE ASPEN WORDS LITERARY PRIZE.

Exit West follows these remarkable characters as they emerge into an alien and uncertain future, struggling to hold on to each other, to their past, to the very sense of who they are. Profoundly intimate and powerfully inventive, it tells an unforgettable story of love, loyalty, and courage that is both completely of our time and for all time.

 

 

 

 

Girls of Riyadh

 

Saudi Arabia – where marriages are arranged and there are no cinemas or parties to go to, where social life consists of trying to keep girls and boys apart rather than put them together.

But as Rajaa Alsanea reveals in this absorbing novel, that’s not the whole story: determination, mobile phones and the internet have made life easier for young Saudis, and the four girls in this novel are all finding romance even though mostly it goes badly wrong. Girls of Riyadh captures the trials and tribulations of a middle-class society quite unlike our own and blows the lid off all our preconceptions of Arab life.

 

 

 

 

 

Sweet Dates in Basra

Jessica Jiji’s Sweet Dates in Basra is a compelling, poignant, and unforgettable tale of friendship and family, set in Iraq during the second world war. A dramatic departure from Jiji’s previous novel, Diamonds Take Forever, Sweet Dates in Basra brilliantly captures the atmosphere of a volatile Middle East during the previous century and pays tribute to the lost traditions of a once-idyllic world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Girl Made of Dust

A Girl Made of Dust is a sophisticated exploration of one family’s private battle to survive in the midst of civil war. In her peaceful town outside Beirut, Ruba is slowly awakening to the shifting contours within her household: hardly speaking and refusing to work, her father has inexplicably withdrawn from his family; her once-youthful mother looks so sad that Ruba imagines her heart must have withered like a fig in the heat; and Ruba’s older brother has begun to secretly meet with older boys who carry guns. 

A Girl Made of Dust is a coming-of-age story sparked, but not consumed, by violence and loss. This strikingly assured debut captures both a country and a childhood plagued by a conflict that even at its darkest and most threatening, carries the promise of healing and retribution.

 

 

 

 

The Blood of Flowers

THE BLOOD OF FLOWERS is a mesmerizing historical novel about a young Iranian woman whose destiny changes on the sudden death of her father. Forced to leave their village, the woman and her mother travel to the beautiful city of Isfahan, where they are taken in by an uncle, a wealthy carpet designer, and his unsympathetic wife. When an ill-considered action results in the heroine’s fall from grace, she is forced into an extraordinary secret marriage. Spirited and rebellious, she wants to be free to live a life her own choosing, if she can find a way.

 

 

Salt Houses

On the eve of her daughter Alia’s wedding, Salma reads the girl’s future in a cup of coffee dregs.Although she keeps her predictions to herself that day, they soon come to pass in the wake of the Six-Day War of 1967. Caught up in the resistance, Alia’s brother disappears, while Alia and her husband move from Nablus to Kuwait City. Reluctantly they build a life, torn between needing to remember and learning to forget.

When Saddam Hussein invades Kuwait, Alia and her family yet again lose their home, their land, and their story as they know it. Scattering to Beirut, Paris and Boston, Alia’s children begin families of their own, once more navigating the burdens and blessings of beginning again.

The Sand Fish

 The Sand Fish by Maha Gargash offers readers a fascinating glimpse into another corner of the world. Set in the 1950s in what is now the United Arab Emirates, The Sand Fish tells the poignant and powerful story of a rebellious young woman trapped in a repressive society—as richly atmospheric a look at Middle Eastern life and culture as The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and Alaa Al Aswany’s The Yacoubian Building.

 

 

 

Escape from Aleppo

 Nadia’s family is forced to flee their home in Aleppo, Syria, when the Arab Spring sparks a civil war in this timely coming-of-age novel from award-winning author N.H. Senzai.

Silver and gold balloons. A birthday cake covered in pink roses. A new dress. 

It is December 17, 2010: Nadia’s twelfth birthday and the beginning of the Arab Spring. Soon anti-government protests erupt across the Middle East and, one by one, countries are thrown into turmoil. As civil war flares in Syria and bombs fall across Nadia’s home city of Aleppo, her family decides to flee to safety. Inspired by current events, this novel sheds light on the complicated situation in Syria that has led to an international refugee crisis, and tells the story of one girl’s journey to safety.

The Story of Zahra

 Zahra’s mother uses her as a cover for her meetings with a lover; Zahra’s strict father mistreats her for being complicit in her mother’s affair. Fleeing from Beirut in search of solace, Zahra stays with her uncle in West Africa—and then uses marriage as another kind of escape.

Back in Beirut, love finally comes to her, but with terrible consequences. Banned in several Middle Eastern countries since its original publication, The Story of Zahra is an intoxicating, provocative story of a young woman’s coming of age in a city torn apart by war.

 

 

The Map of Salt and Stars

In the summer of 2011, just after Nour loses her father to cancer, her mother moves Nour and her sisters from New York City back to Syria to be closer to their family. In order to keep her father’s spirit as she adjusts to her new home, Nour tells herself their favorite story-the tale of Rawiya, a twelfth-century girl who disguised herself as a boy in order to apprentice herself to a famous mapmaker.

But the Syria Nour’s parents knew is changing, and it isn’t long before the war reaches their quiet Homs neighborhood. When a stray shell destroys Nour’s house and almost takes her life, she and her family are forced to choose: stay and risk more violence or flee across seven countries of the Middle East and North Africa in search of safety-along the very route Rawiya and her mapmaker took eight hundred years before in their quest to chart the world.  The Map of Salt and Stars is the epic story of one girl telling herself the legend of another and learning that, if you listen to your own voice, some things can never be lost.

Bitter Almonds

The Personal History of Rachel Dupree. He is orphaned at birth, born into displacement and chaos. He has only one thing to hold on to: a love beyond his reach that propels him forward. She is young and idealistic, and tries to break out of the mould to create her own destiny. Will they be able to overcome their bleak realities amid war and tragedy? Heartbreaking and moving, Bitter Almonds is about displacement and exile, family duty and honour, and the universal feelings of love and loss.

 

 

The Ruins of Us

 Saudi-born author Keija Parssinen’s stunning debut offers the intricate, emotionally resonant story of an American expatriate who discovers that her husband, a Saudi billionaire, has taken a second bride—an emotionally turbulent revelation that blinds them both to their teenaged son’s ominous first steps down the road of radicalization. Readers of The Septembers of Shiraz will be captivated by Parssinen’s story of love and betrayal, fundamentalism, family and country in the Middle East.

 

 

Staircase of a Thousand Steps

Staircase of a Thousand Steps lifts the veil from a mystical land, where jasmine and dung mix and the inconceivable is embraced as commonplace.

In a Middle Eastern village that traces its history back to Abraham, the men gather nightly beneath a tree named Moses’ Finger, and the women meet at a place where “the earth breathes.”

But the midwife Faridah possesses transcendent wisdom and a dangerous scorn for tradition. And the shepherd Harif, seer and village outsider, weaves stories in an effort to protect his fragile status. While Harif’s granddaughter, Jammana, struggles between the allure of the ancient world and the tensions of a modern age.

Through an ancestral gift, Jammana experiences the memories of those closest to her-Faridah, Harif, and her mother, Rafa. But as she unwittingly uncovers the village’s secrets, old grudges move like a slow burn across the fields and ignite.

Set in Transjordan just before the 1967 war with Israel, Staircase of a Thousand Steps braids a chorus of voices into a poetic, haunting tale of loyalty, longing, and accidental betrayal.

Drawing in the Dust

 Scorned for agreeing to help an Arab couple excavate allegedly haunted grounds under their house, archaeologist Page Brookstone finds what may be the tomb of the prophet Jeremiah, as well as the remains of a woman, and intriguing scrolls documenting their relationship.

 

 

 

 

Rooftops of Tehran

In this poignant, eye-opening and emotionally vivid novel, Mahbod Seraji lays bare the beauty and brutality of the centuries-old Persian culture, while reaffirming the human experiences we all share.

In a middle-class neighborhood of Iran’s sprawling capital city, 17-year-old Pasha Shahed spends the summer of 1973 on his rooftop with his best friend Ahmed, joking around one minute and asking burning questions about life the next. He also hides a secret love for his beautiful neighbor Zari, who has been betrothed since birth to another man. But the bliss of Pasha and Zari’s stolen time together is shattered when Pasha unwittingly acts as a beacon for the Shah’s secret police. The violent consequences awaken him to the reality of living under a powerful despot, and lead Zari to make a shocking choice…

The Saffron Kitchen

A passionate and timely debut about mothers and daughters, roots and exile, from the streets of Iran to the suburbs of London

In what is certain to be one of the most talked-about fiction debuts of the year, Yasmin Crowther paints a magnificent portrait of betrayal and retribution set against a backdrop of Iran’s tumultuous history, dramatic landscapes, and cultural beauty. The story begins on a blustery day in London, when Maryam Mazar’s dark secrets and troubled past surface violently with tragic consequences for her pregnant daughter, Sara. Burdened by guilt, Maryam leaves her comfortable English home for the remote village in Iran where she was raised and disowned by her father. When Sara decides to follow her she learns the price that her mother had to pay for her freedom and of the love she left behind.

PAINTING KUWAIT VIOLET

In 1996, a young graduate, Violet Baretto leaves Goa to work in oil-rich Kuwait as a maid for a wealthy Kuwaiti woman. To her horror, she finds herself accused of theft, her colleagues assaulted, thrown from moving cars or performing ‘favors.’

Sabah Dashti, the Kuwaiti matriarch can’t tell Violet the truth; nine of Sabah’s previous maids have absconded, five of them were found pregnant or that the police think she’s running a prostitution ring. Kuwait is still patriarchal and women are second-class citizens. Despite their differences, both Sabah and Violet are hungry for success. But a woman-hating, killer has set eyes on them and will not let them succeed at any cost.

Poignant, chilling and honest, Painting Kuwait Violet underlines the reality of women on either side of the country’s class divide.

Let me know if you have any happy/HEA women’s fiction titles you could recommend. I honestly felt quite sad as I compiled this list. Have a good happy women’s fiction set in the Middle East, leave a comment.

 

 

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