Pamela Q. Fernandes's Blog, page 7

5 Ways To Sign Your Author Copies

Today, I’m talking about 5 ways to sign your author copies. Ever since I have started doing print books, I have realized there’s always a demand for signed author copies. The first copies always go out to people who contributed in some way to the book etc. but then there are giveaways, book signings, prizes, fairs, gifts and so you have tons of books to sign.

I actually didn’t quite know how to do so. Nobody teaches you this stuff. You just wing it. I even read what other authors did ( Caitlin Berve has some great tips). It helps to watch and learn. Some people have great ideas about defacing the front page and striking the author name. I don’t quite like that. So here are my top 5 ways to sign your author copies.

Practice First

I think you should first practice signing your author copy. And not just that, practice your signature, the message you will write and the date as well. It’s important to practice this before you finalize things on the book.

The last thing you want is to be stuck with a badly signed print copy. I actually do a few trial runs because I do tend to write cursive and on any given day, my cursive can be legible to completely artistic that no one can read.

Personalize Your Message

I think as an author you should be able to write down something personal for the person who will receive your book. It just makes it so much nicer. I wrote this for my teacher, whom I dedicated the book for. And I really wanted to personalize the message. So I put in hearts and hugs and even a letter inside.

I probably wouldn’t put hearts on a book at a book signing event. That’s just me. The signature, well that’s up to you. I like to keep things simple with my name. That’s it.

Do Different but Do You

So when I’m signing, I like to use roman numerals in the date. It’s just something I like doing. I know folks who write poems, put inspirational messages, do little caricatures, cartoons, and stickers. I don’t know how to draw and when you have a ton of books to sign, it’s a bit hard to do for each book.

Also, for this book, I said thank you in Hindi since this book is based in India. As you can see my handwriting is a bit wobbly but I’ve written roman numerals. There are no rules for this. You just write something different but write what screams YOU.

Choose the right Pen

The right pen can make all the difference. I know some people use markers but they don’t work for me because I write cursive, they bleed onto the next page and they look very messy. I also don’t use a marker/calligraphy pen because of bleed reasons. I tend to stick to gel ink and ink pens because that’s what I’m comfortable using and my cursive handwriting is clearer with them.

Add Stationary

I always add stationary of my other books when I hand out signed print copies. They could be quote cards or bookmarks from my catalogue. It doesn’t matter which publisher. I just add in a nice bookmark. Like I added one from my book Find Me in The Snow with the copies of Where We Come From. They’re both form different publishing houses but it looks nice. I know for print books, bookmarks are always helpful while reading and I feel like it’s just an extra step that makes your signed books more memorable.

Where Do You Sign?

So you can write the message and sign the book on the title page or you could use the blank pages inside the book. I prefer to use the title page if I just have to put a name. The blank pages have a lot of real estate. So for longer messages I use this space to write out a few words and do stuff. It’s really up to you. I don’t strike out my name on the title page because I feel like it defaces the book. I don’t like books that are vandalized like that.

How do you sign?

How do you like to sign your author copies? And how do you like receiving your signed author copy. I’d like to know. If you want a signed copy of my latest book then sign up to my newsletter where I’m always giving away free stuff.

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87 The 4th Commandment: Honor Your Father & Mother

The commandment to honor your father & mother is because sometimes that’s very hard to do.

Mark Shea

WHO IS MARK SHEA?Mark Shea

Mark P. Shea is a Catholic author and blogger who’s also done a spot of podcasting, acting, radio and TV work. His latest book, The Church’s Best-Kept Secret: A Primer on Catholic Social Teaching was published in September 2020 by New City Press. Other works include By What Authority?: An Evangelical Discovers Catholic Tradition (Ignatius), Mary, Mother of the Son, This is My Body: An Evangelical Discovers the Real Presence (Christendom), and Making Senses Out of Scripture: Reading the Bible as the First Christians Did (Basilica), Salt and Light:  The Commandments, the Beatitudes, and a Joyful Life (Servant), The Heart of Catholic Prayer: Rediscovering the Our Father and the Hail Mary (Our Sunday Visitor) and The Work of Mercy:  Being the Hands and Heart of Christ (Servant). 

He’s known nationally for his one minute “Words of Encouragement” on Catholic radio. He lives in Washington State with his wife, Janet, sons and adorable grandkids. He can be found on Facebook and Twitter. You can read more on his blog at Stumbling Toward Heaven.

The 4th Commandment: Honor Your Father & MotherPQF · 87 The 4th Commandment: Honor Your Father & Mother

In this episode, Mark Shea talks about the 4th commandment and what it means to honor your father and mother. He explains:
-What is the 4th Commandment?
-How do we honor our parents and how do we sin against this 4th commandment?
-Why does it say we should honor and not love our parents?
-What happens when we don’t follow the 4th commandment?
-What to do if we struggle with honoring our parents?

Honoring Parents

I wrote to Mark once I read one of his posts. I didn’t know he wrote an entire book on the ten commandments. Mark agreed to record quickly. What I loved was that from the get go, Mark says our parents are flawed people. And so it can be sometimes be hard to love them. His advice to honor your parents is so broad. To impart charity, to forgive, to be grateful, to understand that just our existence is a gift. There’s so much to unpack here.

Mark also explains how this commandment is not just about parents. He talks about his own personal experiences and what has worked for him. I love how he says, take everything and especially your parents to the Eucharist. It’s such simple but profound advice.

He also advises us to get the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. I have taken this four or five times already in New York because my parish did this every First Friday. And I can attest to the graces here. We all carry trauma. Emotional wounds and hurts that accumulate over our lifetime. Bringing these to Jesus is so healing.

I’m so grateful to Mark for talking to us about the 4th commandment and his explanation of what we owe to our parents and the generations gone before us for all that we have received.

ENJOYED THIS PODCAST?

We hope you enjoyed this podcast. Check out our podcasts on Pentecost and St Teresa of Avila. Finally, 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 us, tell us and we’ll add him or her to our future episodes.

We are on iheartradio, Stitcher, Itunes, Spotify, Pandora and tunein.com. We’d love to hear from you.

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86 The 3rd Commandment The Sabbath: A Call To Rest

Sunday is a day for our soul.

Leon Suprenant

WHO IS LEON SUPRENANT?Leon Suprenant

Leon Suprenant is the former president of Catholics United for the Faith. He is the principal author of the posts appearing at the Archdiocese of Kansas blog who, with Scott Hahn, is the co-editor and contributing author of the best-selling Catholic for a Reason series. His family resides in Olathe.

The 3rd Commandment The SabbathPQF · 86 The 3rd Commandment The Sabbath: A Call To Rest

-What is the 3nd Commandment?
-What does this commandment mean in a practical sense?
-Which are the two ways to remember the Lord’s day and how do we sin against it?
-Can you address the many scrupulous folks who will ask can I watch a game on Sunday or can I do x or y? Or others who will say my work is my meditation and so I work on Sunday etc….
-What do we lose by not keeping the Sabbath holy?

The Lord’s Day is a Day of Rest

I reached out to Leon after reading about his catechesis on the 3rd commandment. We can get so caught up like the Pharisees about we think the Sabbath should look like and judge other people based on those thoughts. Leon is very clear. We need to understand when something becomes an idol in our life.

I love it when he says the Lord’s day is not really for God’s benefit, it’s for ours. Perhaps we need to tither more of our time to the Lord, to spend time to slow down and reflect on God’s role in our life.

Sunday is also a day when we can prepare for the week. It takes preparation to live a good life. The best prep is when you take your cares to the Lord and see what His plans are for you.

I am extremely grateful to Leon for doing this podcast with us and for sharing so many practical details about the Lord’s day.

ENJOYED THIS PODCAST?

We hope you enjoyed this podcast. Check out our podcasts on Pentecost and St Teresa of Avila. Finally, 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 us, tell us and we’ll add him or her to our future episodes.

We are on iheartradio, Stitcher, Itunes, Spotify, Pandora and tunein.com. We’d love to hear from you.

The post 86 The 3rd Commandment The Sabbath: A Call To Rest appeared first on PAMELA Q. FERNANDES.

Birthday Giveaway 2022

Last year there was red velvet cheesecake (my favorite) and lots of good food. Hunkered down in a lockdown, it was still a great birthday. Everyone around me always makes it a great day.

Every year during April I have a book release and this year is no different.

I share my birthday with St. Dina Belanger who was also the patron of my convent where I schooled, Jesus and Mary. So if you’re wondering where J&M publishing came from, there you have it. Since my birthday is at the end of April, I’m going to do a month long giveaway for all my readers! Yay!

Under A Scottish Sky: 99c deal

The audiobook of Under A Scottish Sky is available for 99 cents until May 1. That’s a 90% discount! You can preview it here.

Get Your Audiobook for 99c Now!Where We Come From Print GiveawayWhere We Come From Merchandise and Print Books

Postal is finally working again. I have managed to send my books as far as Australia and India. So, the post has started. I’m now giving away one print book with one these handstitched purses. My BFF made them for me. She took one week to handstitch each and I love them.

For this you need to either:

Sign up to my newsletter.Follow me on Twitter and send the following tweet! “Do you like kdramas? If yes, pre-order SEOUL-MATES @ https://rb.gy/addc2s. A romance novella set in Seoul! #IARTG #romance #novella”Follow me on Book Bub.Add Seoul-Mates to your Goodreads want to read list. The easiest, like the post and leave a comment below.

The more you do, the more chances for you to win a free copy of the book.

Five Free Copies of IN OTHER WORDS Audiobook

And finally I’m giving away 5 free audiobook copies of IN OTHER WORDS. This book has been highly anticipated and you can only listen and understand why. This is exclusively for all my newsletter followers.

Happy April and Happy Easter

Easter is just around the corner and there’s so much to celebrate this month. From mangoes (I love ), to Easter eggs (I’m planning to make some), from Holy Week to my birthday, there’s so much to look forward to.

I hope you all have a fantastic April 2022!

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85 The Spirituality of Fasting

Prayer and fasting are the wings of charity.

Msgr. Charles Murphy

Who is Msgr. Charles Murphy?Msgr. Charles Murphy

Monsignor Charles M. Murphy is the director of the permanent diaconate for the Diocese of Portland, Maine. He is the author of a number of scholarly articles and several books, including The Spirituality of Fasting, At Home on the Earth, Wallace Stevens: A Spiritual Poet in a Secular Age, and Belonging to God. Murphy is the former academic dean and rector of the Pontifical North American College in Rome and served as part of the editorial group working in Italy under Cardinal Ratzinger on the third draft of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which became the fourth and final version.

Murphy serves as consultant to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops committee on catechetics, reviewing materials for conformity with the Catechism. He served as chair of the editorial committee that produced the pastoral letter on environmental issues by the Bishops of the Boston Province and he served as a consultant to the USCCB for their statement on global warming. He has been the pastor of four parishes in Maine and has served his diocese in ecumenical and educational capacities. Murphy holds a doctorate in sacred theology from the Gregorian University, a master’s degree in education from Harvard University, and a bachelor’s degree in classics from the College of the Holy Cross.

The Spirituality Of FastingPQF · 85 The Spirituality Of Fasting

In this episode, Msgr. Charles Murphy talks about the spirituality of fasting. He explains:
– Why do we fast during Lent?
– What are the rules for fasting in Lent? There’s a more relaxed view especially in the west that this isn’t a norm…is that true? Is it necessary to just fast from food or from any idol that has taken root in our life?
– How can we make fasting a spiritual experience?
– What changes can we hope to see in ourselves by fasting?
– What do we do when we encounter temptations?

Lenten Fasting

Lenten fasting is a common practice in our home. My dad fasted every year, year after year, without eating or drinking from 7 to 5 in the evening. Every year, he did it without fuss. He went about all his duties without a whisper of complaint. As adults, everyone in my home does some form of fasting and abstinence during Lent. We’re also vegetarian (no eggs, meat or fish) on Wednesdays since our family is consecrated to Our Lady of Perpetual Succour and on Fridays. Yet, I encounter lots of Catholics who don’t take fasting seriously and further discourage others from this wonderful Lenten practice.

When I reached out to the press secretary of Ave Maria Press, Stephanie Sibal about having Msgr. Charles Murphy on the podcast, I wasn’t sure. However, she was very happy to get us connected and he agreed to to do the podcast. I’m so humbled by God and the people He sends on our podcast. It’s almost mind blowing, how God allows these divine connections to happen. I’m also grateful to Stephanie and especially Msgr. Charles Murphy for agreeing to do this podcast.

I’ve learned so much, especially how fasting can change our spiritual lives. I’m acutely aware of all the subtle things that change in me during Lent but it’s great to hear Msgr. Murphy talk about these things and what to do when we encounter temptations.

ENJOYED THIS PODCAST?

We hope you enjoyed this podcast. Check out our podcasts on Lent and St Teresa of Avila. Finally, 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 us, tell us and we’ll add him or her to our future episodes.

We are on iheartradio, Stitcher, Itunes, Spotify, Pandora and tunein.com. We’d love to hear from you.

Episode Transcript

Pamela: Okay. So welcome to a new episode of “The Christian Circle Podcast.” Today, we have a new guest, and he’s gonna be talking to us about, “The Spirituality of Fasting.” So, Monsignor Charles Murphy, tell us a little bit about yourself and your ministry first.

Monsignor: All right. I’m a priest of the Diocese of Portland, Maine. I have spent 10 years of my life in Rome. I was a student there and then became Rector of the Pontifical North American College, a seminary for Americans who were becoming priests. And the origin of my book on “The Spirituality of Fasting” was a visit that Pope John Paul II made to our seminary after he came to the United States, following his election as Pope. And he came to visit with us, and it was during Lent. We ate bread and soup at his direction. And then he asked me the question, he said, “I’ve just come back from the United States, and fasting seems to have gone out of the practice of Catholic people. What is going on?” And that prompted me to write this book.

Pamela: Why do we actually fast during Lent? And I know in a lot of European countries, in North America, they don’t follow this practice, so strictly even the Friday fast.

Why do we actually fast during Lent?

Monsignor: Not only during Lent, but at other times in the year, fasting is one of the…what they call the three pillars of piety. Prayer, fasting, and charity. And St. Augustine says that prayer and fasting are the wings of charity. So, we can’t really become loving persons unless we are people of prayer. And we have people who have introduced self-denial through the practice of fasting. Sometimes nowadays they say, “Well, maybe helping your neighbor is better than doing something negative or self-punishing, like fasting.” But that’s missing the whole point. Prayer and fasting are the wings of charity. Lent, of course, is the primary season because that’s the time when Jesus spent 40 days in the desert preparing himself for his mission and giving himself the clarity and the strength to undertake the mission given to him by God. So, 40 days preceding Easter is the big time for prayer and fasting.

Pamela: And there is some power to fasting, right? I mean, when the disciples failed to cast out the demons the Lord says well, you know what?

“This only happens through fasting.”

Monsignor: Exactly. And that’s the difference between fasting and dieting. Dieting is very self-centered, it’s focused on the beauty of my own appearance, and it is not about making ourselves sensitive to the needs of others. And fasting…and there are two kinds of fasting, actually, total fasting and partial fasting. Total fasting is abstaining from all food for a limited period. And it’s an act of humility before God. It is making us through the physical experience of being hungry, aware of how vulnerable we are, and how much we need God’s grace in our life. So, that’s a period of total fast is for a limited period. And in the past, we’ve done that, for example, before receiving Holy Communion. People had a total fast of all food and drink for an extended period. Partial fast is abstaining from food and drink for a limited time to achieve healing in our minds, bodies, and spirits. So, partial fasting, for example, from meat during the Fridays of the year would be an example of that.

Pamela: So, what are the rules for fasting in Lent? So, there’s a more relaxed view in the West that, you know, this isn’t really a norm right now.

But is it necessary to just fast from food or from any idol that has taken root in our life?

Monsignor: Yes, that’s a good point. The fasting helps us to identify the healing we have to have, and the addictions, and the sinful patterns of life that we have drifted into through routines that are not helpful. So, that’s the point of fasting to help us to have clarification about the other changes we have to make in our life.

Pamela: During Lent, are there any specific rules for fasting, for how you should go about it?

Monsignor: Yes. In my book, on “The Spirituality of Fasting,” I identify the Eastern part of the church as a model because it has a more detailed program than the Western part of the church where we live. So, in the Western church, we are told in the United States, Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of fasting and abstinence from meat, and then the Fridays of Lent are supposed to be abstinence from meat. But in the Eastern Church, it’s more extensive. And I just share that with you. Two weeks before Lent begins, the Eastern Church observes the abstinence from meat for all of Lent. It’s not just the Fridays of Lent, it’s all of Lent. And one week before Lent begins, they abstain from dairy products and eggs for all of Lent. So, their diet is pretty vegetarian. And I really recommend that as a more serious program for Lent.

Pamela: So,

how can we make fasting a spiritual experience?

Monsignor: All right. One, I’ll give you an example. In my book, I recommend something called the skip a meal program. That means that you pick a day when you are not going to eat one of the usual three meals. I recommend Wednesday and Friday. Wednesday is the day when Judas betrays the Lord, and Friday is the day of his death. So, let’s say Wednesday or Friday, you skip the noon meal. Instead of eating, you spend the time praying. And that way, you’re not focusing on food. And then you give the money that you saved by not eating to some charitable cause. So, you have all three pious practices in one event, prayer, fasting, and charity.

Pamela: Yeah, that sounds good.

So what changes can we hope to see in ourselves, you know, when we are fasting?

Monsignor: I say this that a human person has three dimensions, mind, body, and spirit, and they’re all one. We are a body, we are a mind, and we are a spirit. And by fasting, we transform our bodies into a more loving spirit. And I give the example of St. Anthony in the desert, who lived near the beginning of Christianity. And he practiced fasting, and he lived to be over a 100. People flocked to him because his soul shone beyond… illuminated his body, they could see this man as a compassionate, loving person. And people went to him for his spiritual counsel and advice. And he got to this beautiful state of uniting his mind, body, and spirit through his fasting.

Pamela: Let’s say we have begun this period of lasting, okay, what can we do when we encounter temptations? And this may not just be temptations of food, but of other things as well?

Monsignor: Yes. I think temptations are part of everybody’s life. And to introduce a structure whereby we are a prayerful person, we are not the victim of impulse, we’re thoughtful people. When we have learned the discipline of not responding immediately to our cravings, that will help us to resist temptation.

Pamela: And let’s say somebody now where we’re actually quickly approaching the mid, almost Holy Week in a few weeks. Let’s say somebody has not done anything so far about fasting.

Can they start something now, and what can they actually do?

Monsignor: Oh, that’s a good point. I would say this, immediately, I would eliminate meat from your diet, and not just on the Fridays of Lent but every day of Lent. That’s a luxury food and it’s not just for the value to your health, it’s because of spiritual restraints. So, I think eliminate meat immediately from your diet. And I would say another thing you could do immediately for fasting is to reduce the quantity of your food. Like, I’m suggesting the skip a meal program, reducing the amount of food that we take in every day. And that will help us to be in line with all the people of the world who have far less than we do. And we feel a solidarity with them because of our restraint in what we are consuming. We are a throwaway culture, we are a culture that overconsumes. So, the key is to reduce our consumption.

Pamela: In fact, I just recently read that we throw away 30,000 tons of food every year.

Monsignor: Exactly.

Pamela: Yeah. That’s a lot of food.

Monsignor: Exactly. That’s a lot of wasted food.

Pamela: From your own personal experience, is there something that you would like to share, you know,

last tips or last advice to anybody who’s considering or those who are fasting right now?

Monsignor: All right. I’d like to share this. I made three pilgrimages to the Holy Land, to Israel. And on one of those, I spent an entire day in prayer at the site of the Mount Calvary and the tomb of Christ. I spent 12 hours there without eating and totally absorbed in prayer. And it was a life-changing experience. So, I suggest that if you have a place in your house or where you can go to reflect and to pray for an extended period, a mental prayer, a meditation, I recommend that highly.

Pamela: Okay, great.

If people want to read your book, “The Spirituality of Fasting,” where can they find it online?

Monsignor: Okay. It’s a book published by Ave Maria Press, Notre Dame, Indiana. And it’s available there, and I’m sure it’s available on Amazon as well.

Pamela: Okay. And if people wanna find you online, are you on social media, or something of the sort?

Monsignor: I’m sorry. I don’t have those resources, but it’s been a pleasure to talk with you today. And I thank you for this invitation.

Pamela: Well, thank you so much, Monsignor. Thank you so much.

Monsignor: God bless you, and keep up the good work.

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How to Close the Gender Pay Gap In Medicine?

Numerous studies demonstrate the gender pay gap. Across different countries and specialties, female doctors earn significantly less than men. This is despite being within the same demographic and work profiles. There are social and economic suggestions on how to close the gender pay gap in medicine

How to Close the Gender Pay Gap In Medicine

Male primary care physicians make about 25% more when compared to their female counterparts. There’s no blame game here. There’s no advantage to finger-pointing. What can be done to close the pay gap? Here are some solutions on how to close the gender pay gap in medicine:

Know Your Worth

The first thing is that female colleagues need to know is their worth. Irrespective of where you are in your career path, know what you’re worth. How many hours are you putting in and what are you worth? When I first started working, I was new and unsure of my worth. Things like brand and value were new to me. They were marketing concepts according to me.

Today, I realize when people want work, I know my strengths and how much to charge based on that. I do still find myself feeling a bit guilty when I push up rates especially when I send that email back but in the end it’s what I’m worth. Anything lower would be a loss. In medicine, know what you should be paid taking into account inflation, debt, retirements plans, and based on how much you bring to the table.

Ask For More

If there’s anything I’ve picked up from Secrets of Six-Figure Women by Barbara Stanny it’s that you should never be ashamed or afraid of asking for more. There are several examples of women who just ask outright for a signing on bonus, for add ons, for shares and stocks in their portfolio, and diversification of funds for investments.

I remember at a certain point, with experience from previous jobs, I just asked for rates that I thought would justify my time. I do this with clients too. I’m not afraid to turn down work when the money isn’t right for the amount of effort going into the work. So shoot for the moon.

Do Your Homework

To do all the above things, you need to prepare. You need to find out what the ballpark is for your colleagues in the area. Then you need to find out where the organization is in terms of its finances.

Do they provide stock options? Can they match investment opportunities? Are they transparent with pay and promotion processes? Do they carry out pay audits? What are the rates in that area or specialty? How much are current doctors being paid? What are the added benefits apart from the money? These are things you have to investigate before the first interview.

Work With The Right People

Working in a toxic environment can break you. It can drive you mad. I’ve been in work environments where you could not even rely on your nurse. The management thrived on a back-stabbing culture. It was crazy. Fast forward,  I started working at a new organization where HR was very transparent with me. Eight months after I started working there they hired a new male physician in a similar profile like mine. They promised him x.

The HR subsequently spoke to me and said we’re giving you a raise because you’ve been with us longer and you should get more than him. The pay needs to be fair. I didn’t ask for it but it was given to me without a word by God’s grace. More organizations are now more conscious of the gender pay gap. Look to work with an organization that is aware of this and is actively looking to close the gap.

Don’t Discuss Previous Salaries

When interviewers ask this you don’t need to be direct. Provide a range followed by how you now have more skills and upcycled yourself that should lead to what you’re asking for right now.

Don’t encourage interviewers to ask what you currently make. What you made before or make now should not be the basis for what you will contribute to the organization in the future.

Don’t Give Away Your Time

Your time is valuable. I’ve noticed that female PCPs always tend to do these last-minute favors. Call the pharmacy themselves for their patient and schedule a mammogram themselves or sign an employment form. Male PCPs would simply ask a patient to come to the office and schedule a visit. This visit would be coded and billed. Over time all these things or “favors” add up.

Every form, every piece of paper, every phone call, is just more time wasted. Management thinks you’re frittering away your time because they have no idea what work is being done. There’s no cost value to that additional time. It is okay to do the one-off favor but your time is precious just like everyone else’s. Don’t do anything that you’re not paid for.

Add All the Codes

Unless the coding department sends those pesky reminders, female doctors tend to code less on the EMR. I’m not sure if it’s fear or we’re saving money. I’m not sure who’s money but if you’ve seen male physicians do the codes. They hit paydirt. Nothing is spared.

And while I’m not saying you should go code everything willy nilly. Add what’s done honestly based on the extent of your decision-making. Spend some time with the coding department (Highly recommend this) to learn how and why to do it faster. Once I spent time with the coder, she taught us how to do it because the office was underbilling, I got really good at it.

Women, Be Kind to Each Other

There’s no point in anti-oppression training and gender representation in HR if women are not kind to each other. I have seen various women physicians who will ask people to work for them even as late as last year on Twitter and elsewhere, where they will hire women and want you to do the work for free disguised as a networking opportunity.

Women in HR can very much be a hindrance to other women when it comes to pay. I’m not sure if this is envy or selfishness but unfortunately, women continue to hold other women back. Sisters, if you can’t be helping each other, you cannot say the men aren’t giving you a hand up.

You’ll Get What You Agree To

In Mathew 20 of the Bible, Jesus tells us a parable about fair wages and equal pay. He says, “Friend, I am not treating you unfairly. Didn’t you agree with me to work for the standard wage?” You can’t complain after the fact about what you have agreed upon. Know the law and how to use it but understand you will get what you agree to work for. It’s as simple as that.

Have Any Ideas on How to Close the Gender Pay Gap In Medicine?

How do you think we can close the wage gap in medicine? Share with me some of your ideas and I’ll add them to the post.

The post How to Close the Gender Pay Gap In Medicine? appeared first on PAMELA Q. FERNANDES.

The 2nd Commandment- God’s Name is Holy

WHO IS DENNIS SOUSA?Dennis Sousa

Mr. Dennis Sousa is the Director of Faith Formation at Saint Philip Church in Greenville, RI. He earned his M.A. in Theology from Providence College. Dennis has served on various oversight committees and advisory boards within the Diocese of Providence and is a widely sought-after speaker. He currently lives in Scituate, RI, with his wife Jennifer and their daughter Grace.

What is the 2nd Commandment?PQF ·

In this episode, Dennis Sousa talks about the 2nd Commandment. He explains:

-What is the 2nd Commandment?
-How do we practice this commandment and keep God’s name holy?
-How do we sin against this commandment?
-Can you address the frequent complaints that Catholics somehow have a different second commandment especially when it comes to graven images?

God’s Name is Holy

I re-invited Dennis to talk about the 2nd commandment since there was so much confusion online. It was certain we would need a guest who would be able to lead us with the right teaching on this. I couldn’t find anyone and the Lord reminded me of Dennis. So I wrote back to him and he gladly agreed. Not only does he do a fantastic job explaining the 2nd commandment but he makes a good case why we need spiritual guidance when it comes to Church teaching.

I’ve learned that we take God’s name too casually. In our text messages and in normal conversation we just say things without a second thought. Bad habits can be broken but Dennis has a nifty trick to help you when your surroundings are filled with people who take God’s name in vain.

Examination of Conscience

It’s Lent. Even as I write this post, I’m constantly thinking of my examination for Confession next week. To help you, Dennis has sent a brilliant Examination from the University or Minnesota. He also has shared his own parish resources from St. Philip to help you based on age. These are excellent resources for anyone interested in preparing for their Confessions. Additionally, we have an episode on Confession if you need more help.

Examination from UM.DownloadAdult Guide to ConfessionDownloadHigh School Students Guide to ConfessionDownloadGuide to Confession – For MSDownloadKid’s Guide to ConfessionDownloadENJOYED THIS PODCAST?

We hope you enjoyed this podcast. Check out our podcasts on the First Commandment and St Teresa of Avila. Finally, 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 us, tell us and we’ll add him or her to our future episodes.

We are on iheartradio, Stitcher, Itunes, Spotify, Pandora and tunein.com. We’d love to hear from you.

The post appeared first on PAMELA Q. FERNANDES.

35 Best Science Fiction Novels

WHERE THE STARS RISE has now become an audiobook. So I’m really happy to share 35 of the best science fiction novels. You can expand the list since there are so many great books out there.

I’ve read many lists out there and they all come with a mishmash of fantasy and magical realism. To me science fiction has definite rules. As a science lover, its’ rules and cause and effect principles are what attracts me to the genre. When I wrote Joseon Fringe for Where The Stars Rise, research that went into my tiny story on quantum physics was astonishing. I can only admire science fiction authors that craft entire worlds and stories over 80,000 words.

It was hard to come up with a list. I’m sure there are a ton of science fiction books out there that I haven’t read and should be on the list. Here are a few.

35 Best Science Fiction NovelsDUNE

Frank Herbert’s classic masterpiece—a triumph of the imagination and one of the bestselling science fiction novels of all time.

Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides. The heir to a noble family is tasked with ruling an inhospitable world. Here the only thing of value is the “spice” melange. A drug capable of extending life and enhancing consciousness. Coveted across the known universe, melange is a prize worth killing for….

When House Atreides is betrayed, the destruction of Paul’s family will set the boy on a journey. A journey toward a destiny greater than he could ever have imagined. As he evolves into the mysterious man known as Muad’Dib, he will bring to fruition humankind’s most unattainable dream.

A stunning blend of adventure and mysticism, environmentalism and politics, Dune won the first Nebula Award. It shared the Hugo Award, and formed the basis of what is undoubtedly the grandest epic in science fiction.

I Robot

I, Robot, the first and most widely read book in Asimov’s Robot series. It forever changed the world’s perception of artificial intelligence. Here are stories of robots gone mad, of mind-reading robots, and robots with a sense of humor. Of robot politicians who secretly run the world—all told with the dramatic blend of science fact and science fiction. It has become Asimov’s trademark.

The Three Laws of Robotics:
1) A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2) A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings. Except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3) A robot must protect its own existence. As long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

With these three, simple directives, Isaac Asimov formulated the laws governing robots’ behavior. In I, Robot, Asimov chronicles the development of the robot. From its primitive origins in the present to its ultimate perfection in the not-so-distant future. A future in which humanity itself may be rendered obsolete.

Dawn

When Lilith lyapo wakes from a centuries-long sleep, she finds herself aboard the vast spaceship of the Oankali. She discovers that the Oankali—a seemingly benevolent alien race—intervened in the fate of the humanity hundreds of years ago. They saved everyone who survived a nuclear war from a dying, ruined Eart. then put them into a deep sleep. After learning all they could about Earth and its beings, the Oankali healed the planet, cured cancer, increased human strength. Now want Lilith to lead her people back to Earth—but salvation comes at a price.

Hopeful and thought-provoking. this post-apocalyptic narrative deftly explores gender and race through the eyes of characters struggling to adapt during a pivotal time of crisis and change.

The Three-Body Problem

1967: Ye Wenjie witnesses Red Guards beat her father to death during China’s Cultural Revolution. This singular event will shape not only the rest of her life but also the future of mankind.

Four decades later, Beijing police ask nanotech engineer Wang Miao to infiltrate a secretive cabal of scientists. This is after a spate of inexplicable suicides. Wang’s investigation will lead him to a mysterious online game. It immerses him in a virtual world ruled by the intractable and unpredictable interaction of its three suns.

This is the Three-Body Problem and it is the key to everything. The key to the scientists’ deaths, the key to a conspiracy that spans light-years. And the key to the extinction-level threat humanity now faces.

The Day of the Triffids

A freak cosmic event renders most of the Earth’s population blind. Bill Masen is one of the lucky few to retain his sight. The London he walks is crammed with men and women needing help. Some ready to prey on those who can still see. But another menace stalks blind and sighted alike. With nobody to stop the Triffids, mobile plants with carnivorous appetites, seem set to take control.

The Day of the Triffids is perhaps the most famous catastrophe novel of the twentieth century. Its startling imagery of desolate streets and lurching, lethal plant life retains its power to haunt today.

Past Master

Plucked from time, Sir Thomas More arrives on the human colony of Astrobe in the year 2535 A.D. Can he and his motley followers save this golden world from the Programmed Persons? And the soulless perfection they have engineered?

The survival of faith itself is at stake. This is a thrilling, uncategorizable, wildly inventive first novel—but the adventure is more than one of ideas. As astonishingly as Philip K. Dick and other visionaries of the 1960s new wave, Lafferty turns the conventions of space-opera science fiction upside-down and inside-out. Here are fractured allegories, tales-within-tales, twinkle-in-the-eye surprises, fantastic byways, and alien subjectivities that take one’s breath away. Neil Gaiman has described Lafferty “a genius, an oddball, a madman”; Gene Wolfe calls him “our most original writer.”

The Doomsday Book

For Kivrin, preparing an on-site study of one of the deadliest eras in humanity’s history was simple. Just as receiving inoculations against the diseases of the fourteenth century and inventing an alibi for a woman traveling alone. For her instructors in the 21st century, meant painstaking calculations and careful monitoring of the rendezvous location where Kivrin would be received.

But a crisis strangely linking past and future strands Kivrin in a bygone age. Her fellows try desperately to rescue her. In a time of superstition and fear, Kivrin—barely of age herself—finds she has become an unlikely angel of hope during one of history’s darkest hours.

The Left Hand of Darkness

‘Love doesn’t just sit there, like a stone, it has to be made, like bread; remade all the time, made new’

Two people, until recently strangers, find themselves on a long, tortuous and dangerous journey across the ice. One is an outcast, forced to leave his beloved homeland; the other is fleeing from a different kind of persecution. What they have in common is curiosity. About others and themselves, and an almost unshakeable belief that the world can be a better place.

They journey for over 800 miles. Across the harshest, most inhospitable landscape, they discover the true meaning of friendship, and of love.

The City & The City

The body of a murdered woman is found in the extraordinary, decaying city of Beszel. Somewhere at the edge of Europe. It looks like a routine case for Inspector Tyador Borlú of the Extreme Crime Squad. As he probes, the evidence begins to point to conspiracies far stranger. And more deadly, than anything he could have imagined. Soon his work puts him and those he cares for in danger. Borlú must travel to the only metropolis on Earth as strange as his own, across a border like no other.

The Demolished Man

In a world policed by telepaths, Ben Reich plans to commit a crime. It hasn’t been heard of in 70 years: murder. That’s the only option left for Reich, whose company is losing a 10-year death struggle with rival D’Courtney Enterprises. Terrorized in his dreams by The Man With No Face. And driven to the edge after D’Courtney refuses a merger offer, Reich murders his rival. H bribes a high-ranking telepath to help him cover his tracks. But while police prefect Lincoln Powell knows Reich is guilty, his telepath’s knowledge is a far cry from admissible evidence.

Roadside Picnic

Red Schuhart is a stalker. one of those strange misfits who are compelled by some unknown force to venture illegally into the Zone and, in spite of the extreme danger, collect the mysterious artefacts that the alien visitors left scattered around. His life is dominated by the Zone and the thriving black market in the alien products. Even the nature of his daughter has been determined by the Zone. And it is for her that Red makes his last, tragic foray into the hazardous and hostile depths.

Battlefield Earth

Sadistic Aliens…
…Man is an endangered species.
Is it the end of the world or the rebirth of a new one?
In the year A.D. 3000, Earth is a dystopian wasteland. The great cities stand crumbling as a brutal reminder of what we once were. When the Psychlos invaded, all the world’s armies mustered little resistance against the advanced alien weapons.
Now, the man animals serve one purpose.
Do the Psychlos’ bidding or face extinction.
One man, Jonnie Goodboy Tyler, has a plan. They must learn about the Psychlos and their weapons. He needs the other humans to follow him. And that may not be enough.
Can he outwit his Psychlo captor, Terl?
The fate of the Galaxy lies on the Battlefield of Earth.

Stand On Zanzibar

There are seven billion-plus humans crowding the surface of 21st century Earth. It is an age of intelligent computers, mass-market psychedelic drugs, politics conducted by assassination, scientists who burn incense to appease volcanoes … all the hysteria of a dangerously overcrowded world, portrayed in a dazzlingly inventive style.

Winner of the Hugo Award for best novel, 1969
Winner of the BSFA Award for best novel, 1969

The Unreasoning Mask

Captain Ramstan commands the crew of one of the only alaraf-drive vessels capable of instantaneous travel between two points of space. While on an official scientific surveillance expedition, he revises their mission to join the search for a missing ship. However instead of the spacecraft, they discover a planet in its death throes. Meteors launched with extreme velocity from just outside of its atmosphere decimate it. The ultimate source of the destruction, however, is beyond anyone’s imagination . . .

Ramstan may be the only man who can stop the world-destroying entity known as the “Chaos-Monster.” A stolen alien idol offers aid—though at a price. There are those who hear his warnings as nothing but the rantings of a delusional madman. Ramstan will have to put his career—and life—on the line to prove that, though he might not be the savior the universe wants, he’s exactly the one it needs.

Cities In Flight

James Blish’s galaxy-spanning masterwork, originally published in four volumes. It explores a future in which two crucial discoveries – antigravity devices which enable whole cities to be lifted from the Earth to become giant spaceships, and longevity drugs which enable their inhabitants to live for thousands of years – lead to the establishment of a unique Galactic empire.

John Carter

John Carter, a Confederate veteran of the American Civil War, goes prospecting in Arizona immediately after the war’s end. Having struck a rich vein of gold, he runs afoul of the Apaches. He evades pursuit by hiding in a sacred cave, he is mysteriously transported to Mars. Inhiabitants call it Barsoom. Carter finds that he has great strength and superhuman agility in this new environment. As a result of its lesser gravity. He soon falls in with a nomadic tribe of Green Martians. Or Tharks, as the planet’s warlike, six-limbed, green-skinned inhabitants are known. Thanks to his strength and martial prowess, Carter rises to a high position in the tribe and earns their respect. Eventually the friendship of Tars Tarkas, one of the Thark chiefs.

Winning Dejah Thoris’ hand, he becomes Prince of Helium, and the two live happily together for nine years. However, the sudden breakdown of the Atmosphere Plant that sustains the planet’s waning air supply endangers all life on Barsoom. In a desperate attempt to save the planet’s inhabitants, Carter uses a secret telepathic code to enter the factor. He brings an engineer along who can restore its functionality. Carter then succumbs to asphyxiation. Only to awaken back on Earth, left to wonder what has become of Barsoom and his beloved.

The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress

Widely acknowledged as one of Robert A. Heinlein’s greatest works. The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress rose from the golden age of science fiction to become an undisputed classic. A touchstone for the philosophy of personal responsibility and political freedom. A revolution on a lunar penal colony—aided by a self-aware supercomputer. It provides the framework for a diverse group of people grappling with ever-changing definitions of humanity, technology, and free will.

Solaris

Psychologist Kris Kelvin arrives at the planet Solaris to study the ocean that covers its surface. He finds himself confronting a painful memory embodied in the physical likeness of a past lover. Kelvin learns that he is not alone in this. Other crews examining the planet are plagued with their own repressed and newly real memories. Could it be, as Solaris scientists speculate? That the ocean may be a massive neural center creating these memories, for a reason no one can identify?
Long considered a classic, Solaris asks a question. Can we understand the universe around us without first understanding what lies within?

Ringworld

Winner of both the Hugo and Nebula Awards for Best Novel, RINGWORLD remains a favorite among science fiction readers.

Louis Wu, accompanied by a young woman with genes for luck. And a captured kzin – a warlike species resembling 8-foot-tall cats. They are taken on a space ship run by a brilliant 2-headed alien called Nessus. Their destination is the Ringworld. An artificially constructed ring with high walls that hold 3 million times the area of Earth. Its origins are shrouded in mystery.

The adventures of Louis and his companions on the Ringworld are unforgettable . . .

Tau Zero

The epic voyage of the spacecraft Leonora Christine. It takes her and her fifty-strong crew to a planet some thirty light-years distant. Because the ship will accelerate to close to the speed of light, for those on board subjective time will slow. The journey will be of only a few years’ duration.

Then a buffeting by an interstellar dustcloud changes everything. The ship’s deceleration system is damaged irreperably and soon she is gaining velocity. When she attains light-speed, tau zero itself, the disparity between ship-time and external time becomes almost impossibly great. Eons and galaxies hurtle by, and the crew of the Leonora Christine speeds into the unknown.

Blood Music

This Hugo and Nebula Award finalist follows present-day events in which the fears concerning the nuclear annihilation of the world subsided after the Cold War. The fear of chemical warfare spilled over into the empty void it left behind. An amazing breakthrough in genetic engineering made by Vergil Ulam is considered too dangerous for further research. Rather than destroy his work, he injects himself with his creation and walks out of his lab, unaware just how his actions will change the world. Author Greg Bear’s treatment of the traditional tale of scientific hubris is suspenseful. It is a compelling portrait of a new intelligence emerging amongst us, irrevocably changing our world.

Riddley Walker

O what we ben! And what we come to…’ Wandering a desolate post-apocalyptic landscape, speaking a broken-down English lost after the end of civilization. Riddley Walker sets out to find out what brought humanity here. This is his story.

‘Funny, terrible, haunting and unsettling, this book is a masterpiece’ Observer

‘A timeless portrayal of the human condition … frightening and uncanny’ Will Self

‘A book that I could read every day forever and still be finding things’ Max Porter

Red Rising

Darrow is a Helldiver. A pioneer of Mars.

Born to slave beneath the earth so that one day, future generations might live above it.

He is a Red – humankind’s lowest caste. But he has something the Golds – the ruthless ruling class – will never understand.

He has a wife he worships, a family who give him strength. He has love.

And when they take that from him, all that remains is revenge . . .

Revelation Space

Nine hundred thousand years ago, something wiped out the Amarantin. For the human colonists now settling the Amarantin homeworld Resurgam, it’s of little more than academic interest. Even after the discovery of a long-hidden, almost perfect Amarantin city and a colossal statue of a winged Amarantin. For brilliant but ruthless scientist Dan Sylveste, it’s more than merelty intellectual curiosity. He will stop at nothing to get at the truth. Even if the truth costs him everything. But the Amarantin were wiped out for a reason, and that danger is closer and greater than even Syveste imagines …

REVELATION SPACE: a huge, magnificent space opera that ranges across the known and unknown universe … towards the most terrifying of destinations.

Flowers For Algernon

The classic novel about a daring experiment in human intelligence

Charlie Gordon, IQ 68, is a floor sweeper and the gentle butt of everyone’s jokes. Until an experiment in the enhancement of human intelligence turns him into a genius.

But then Algernon, the mouse whose triumphal experimental transformation preceded his, fades and dies. Charlie has to face the possibility that his salvation was only temporary.

Slan

From its first publication as a serial in Astounding Science Fiction magazine in 1940, Slan was acclaimed by readers. Considered as one of, if not THE, novel of Golden Age science fiction. Telling the story of Jommy Cross, a young slan, and his quest to discover his father’s legacy. And to find others like him, while fleeing from a repressive dictatorship. Slan was both a ground-breaking SF novel, and perhaps the first Young Adult paranormal adventure.

At the opening of the novel, Jommy is just a kid, but, like all slans, can read minds. It helps Jommy survive when slans are hunted and killed by the government. A novel of racial conflict set in a disrupted culture that delivers relentless action, super science, and high adventure.

Invader

The second novel in Cherryh’s Foreigner space opera series, a groundbreaking tale of first contact and its consequences…

2 centuries after the starship Phoenix disappeared, an isolated colony of humans on the world of the atevi remain. It unexpectedly returns to orbit overhead, threatening the stability of both atevi and human governments.

With the situation fast becoming critical, Bren Cameron, the brilliant, youngpaidhi to the court of the atevi is recalled. But his sudden and premature return to the mainland is cause for more than mere physical discomfort. During his brief absence, his government sent his successor, Deana Hanks—representative of a dangerous archconservative faction who hate the atevi. And though she should depart when Bren is once again able to fill his post, no recall order comes.

The Baroque Cycle

Get all three novels in Neal Stephenson’s New York Times bestselling “Baroque Cycle” in one e-book. This includes: Quicksilver, The Confusion, and The System of the World. This three-volume historical epic delivers intrigue, adventure, and excitement set against the political upheaval of the early 18th century.

Footfall

An alien craft is approaching Earth. Attempts to communicate go unanswered. The welcoming committee of Americans and Russians at a space station is blasted, its occupants killed or captured. Soon the entire Earth, with special emphasis on the United States, is bombarded by asteroids, destroying dams, highways, and infrastructure. The message to humans: total surrender or death to all. They launch a a giant rock, the “footfall”, towards Earth. The aliens land, determined to conquer or utterly eliminate the human race.

The Many Colored Land

A one-way time tunnel to Earth’s distant past, specifically six million B.C., was discovered by folks on the Galactic Milieu. Every misfit for light-years around hurried to pass through it. Each sought his own brand of happiness. But none could have guessed what awaited them. Not even in a million years….

Children of Time

Adrian Tchaikovksy’s award-winning novel Children of Time, is the epic story of humanity’s battle for survival on a terraformed planet.

Who will inherit this new Earth?

The last remnants of the human race left a dying Earth, desperate to find a new home among the stars. Following in the footsteps of their ancestors, they discover the greatest treasure of the past age. A world terraformed and prepared for human life.

But all is not right in this new Eden. In the long years since the planet was abandoned, the work of its architects has borne disastrous fruit. The planet is not waiting for them, pristine and unoccupied. New masters have turned it from a refuge into mankind’s worst nightmare.

Now two civilizations are on a collision course, both testing the boundaries of what they will do to survive. As the fate of humanity hangs in the balance, who are the true heirs of this new Earth?

Cold Allies

In a greenhouse effect-altered world, the United States and its European allies fight a losing battle. They fight against the Arab National Army, only to receive apparent help from enigmatic UFOs.

The Vor Game

Miles Vorkosigan graduates from the Barrayaran Military Academy with high expectations of ship command. He is disappointed with an assignment as meteorologist to Lazkowski Base, an arctic training camp. His tenure in the windy, snow-covered north is cut short when Miles narrowly averts a massacre. After a brief stay under ‘house arrest’, Miles is re-assigned to investigate a suspicious military build-up near a wormhole nexus. Reviving his undercover persona as mercenary Admiral Miles Naismith, his routine information-gathering duty expands to a rescue mission. The Emperor of Barrayar disappears during a political conference on a nearby space station. Miles must use his considerable negotiating skills to avoid a showdown between competing powers for control of the wormhole. He must find the Emperor, and watch his back for the arctic base commander seeking bloody vengeance.

Time and Again

Twenty years ago, Asher Sutton vanished somewhere in the star system 61 Cygni. An inaccessible corner of the universe that humankind has thus far been unable to explore. Now Asher has returned to Earth, having impossibly survived catastrophic damage to his spacecraft. But the star-traveler is not the same man he was when he began his journey two decades earlier. He is, in fact, no longer completely human. And he is not alone. But he has a message to convey that could have reality-altering consequences for the human galaxy-conquerors. And for the nearly human androids they create, enslave, and oppress. It is Asher’s destiny to change everything. His mission has made him a hero to some, a pariah to others. And a target for determined time-traveling assassins from the future to silence him before everything they cherish is obliterated.

Where The Stars Rise Books

Take a journey through Asia with 23 original thought-provoking and moving stories. They are about identities, belonging, and choices–stories about where we come from and where we are going.

ALL EMOTIONS ARE UNIVERSAL. WE LIVE, WE DREAM, WE STRIVE, WE DIE…

Stories that explore magic and science. Some about love, revenge, and choices. Stories that challenge ideas about race, belonging, and politics. Each wrestling between ghostly pasts and uncertain future. Each trying to find a voice in history.

Orphans and drug-smuggling in deep space. Mechanical arms in steampunk Vancouver. Djinns and espionage in futuristic Istanbul. Humanoid robot in steamy Kerala. Monsters in the jungles of Cebu. Historic time travel in Gyeongbok Palace. A rocket launch in post-apocalyptic Tokyo. A drunken ghost in Song Dynasty China. A displaced refugee skating on an ice planet. And much more.

Embrace them as you take on their journeys. And don’t look back . . .

This is not a novel but I’m a co-author here. I would love for you to read this science fiction book by Laksa Media. And introduce you to some new authors including Fonda Lee.

Your Favorite Science Fiction Novel?

There are tons of science fictions books out there. It’s difficult sometimes to separate science fiction from fantasy. Take NK Jemisin and Charlie Jane Anders. They have a good mix of science but also fantasy added to them.

While compiling the list, I read plenty of comments on various forums. Especially, what people have liked and enjoyed reading. This list has probably left out some older books like The Time Machine and Frankenstein. I just hoped to catch something that was not on every other list out there.

I honestly feel that readers of science fiction are an erudite group. Science in length and breadth is wide and deep. I love physics, genetics and biology but others may prefer chemistry and nanotech. Additionally, I love outer space and dinosaurs but cannot process dragons. I know others love them. So if I’ve left out any book or flavor of science fiction, forgive me.

Do you have a favorite science fiction novel? Let me know which one and why.

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Re-releasing Seoul-Mates

Last year, Indireads released all of its’ authors and their work. The rights for Seoul-Mates reverted back to me. For those who don’t know, SEOUL-MATES was my first ever published book.

I submitted it for a competition for Asian romances and it was accepted. That’s what started my writing career. I will forever be grateful to Naheed Hassan for that step.

Cover Reveal

I worked with Les on this cover. As always, she delivers the prettiest covers. I wanted all the elements of the book.

-Cherry blossoms,

-Bukchon Hanok village in Seoul because there are scenes set there

-And the Seoul skyline with Namsan tower in the background.

-We also chose a colors that went with my brand colors.

On the right is my old cover and the new cover is on the left. I love cherry blossoms. They’re some of my favorite flowers. Remember the gazillion pics I took when I went to the Sakura Matsuri festival in Brooklyn Botanical Gardens? When I envision Eden or heaven, I think of cherry blossoms everywhere.

So the new cover is vibrant and very Koreanesque if I may say so!

The Story

I made a few changes to the story. Took out some problem areas that people complained about when they were reading this book especially the shifting points of view. I’ve cleared that up. The premise and the rest of the plot is largely the same.

Jilted by the man she followed to Seoul, Katia has hit rock bottom. Within months, her whirlwind romance and marriage to Jihan has everyone talking.

Jihan is the heir to the Kwan business empire while Katia is a foreigner, an Anglo-Indian who has no business ensnaring Seoul’s most eligible bachelor. No one knows that their marriage is based on a contract.

Together in chic, metropolitan Seoul the two forge a relationship that is tested by intrigue, jilted lovers and a hidden nemesis.

Can their newfound love survive the forces against them?
Or will the vows they took be in vain?

A sweet romance novella set in Korea for all the Hallyu lovers.

Book Trailer

I’ve kept the same trailer. One of the first I ever made way back in 2016. What a long way since then…

I will do a YT video soon about writing this book. So far I’ve been kind of tied up with home renovations that seem to be taking forever. So I’m slightly behind on the rest of my work.

Pre-order Seoul-Mates

SEOUL-MATES is on pre-order now and will be out in April. I’ve started the copyediting and we should have it out a little after Easter.

Amazon9 Years of Publishing

As I re-release SEOUL-MATES, I can’t help but feel a little sentimental. Nine years ago, I started my publishing journey. I’ve been writing for much longer. It’s been a long, winding road. Every author’s journey is different. Mine started with these small presses and indie publishers. And I’m so grateful for those breaks because they gave me the confidence to put my work out there.

I made some great friends on Indireads. I’m still in touch with some of my fellow authors from there. Neelima Vinod, a poet and author, who now mentors young authors, is one of them. During the pandemic, I remember everyone checking on each other. It was so wonderful to have the writing community’s support.

Next year it will be a decade. Would there be anything I’d tell myself back then? Don’t sweat the details, I would say. It will be fine.

I don’t drink but to this book I would definitely want to open a Moscato and savor the publishing journey so far.

By God’s grace, there will be still many more books to come!

건배 Geonbae

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Valentine’s Day Episode 83: Praying For Your Future Spouse

Prayer makes us tender to God and if we’re tender to God, then we can be tender to our spouse in marriage.

Tricia Goyer

WHO IS TRICIA GOYER?

Tricia Goyer is a speaker, podcast host, and USA Today bestselling author of over 80 books. Tricia writes in numerous genres including fiction, parenting, marriage, and books for children and teens. She’s a wife, homeschooling mom of ten, and she loves to mentor writers through WriteThatBook.Club. Tricia lives near Little Rock, AR.

Praying For Your Future SpousePQF · 83 Praying For Your Future Spouse

In this episode, Tricia Goyer talks about praying for your future spouse. She explains:
-Why is it so important to pray for our future spouses?
-How to pray for our future spouses?
-What would you say to people who have been waiting a long time?
-What can we do to prepare?

Prayer is Key

Last year I read a whole bunch of books about praying for your future spouse. I’m not sure why but the Lord lead me to read them and start praying for this other person. I read Tricia and Robin’s book Praying for Your Future Husband.

I loved the book and reached out to the authors if they would be interested in talking about it. Tricia was kind enough to say yes but life happened and we couldn’t record last year. I remember feeling so disappointed and saying God you help me out here. I went ahead and recorded my other episodes all in one month in what felt like a bumper season. Yet, I was wondering why things unfolded the way they did.

In December, during my prayer time for planning his podcast, again the Lord brought this topic up for Feb. And I said, Lord, where am I going to find someone to talk about this. He reminded me about Tricia.

I was very hesitant as I wrote to Tricia and asked her about recording again In February. In a span of five days, she said yes, we had a date and this episode was ready right in time for Valentine’s day.

As I write this, the episode has already been played and reposted more than a dozen times. When I look back, I realize God had a time. A specific, appointed time for this episode and for this topic. Just like He has for everything in our life.

I love how Tricia talks about how God will bring the right person at the right time in our life. If you’re waiting and losing hope, then ask God to send you His encouragement.

Tricia’s Tips for this Valentine’s Day

I guess each person will receive their own rhema from this episode. Here’s what I understood from Tricia’s conversation.

-Prepare your own heart to be tender to God

-Do what God is asking you to do

-Pray for that other person that God may guide all their decisions

-Pray with Scripture (so powerful)

-Bring all your temptations to God. Recognize them and turn away from them

-Understand that God loves you more than anyone else can. He does what He does because He loves you.

-God has only good plans for you.

-Waiting is hard but there’s a reason for the wait.

-Live your best life while you wait making the best of each day with God.

I’m truly grateful to Tricia for sharing all her wisdom with us this week and for all the people in her walk with God. This Valentine’s day, if there’s one thing I hope to convey to you single people is that God loves you more than anyone else can. YOU ARE LOVED!

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The post Valentine’s Day Episode 83: Praying For Your Future Spouse appeared first on PAMELA Q. FERNANDES.