Happy holidays from the “For the Love of Books Podcast” and the Lowell Area Historical Museum (LAHM).
In this special holiday episode, Lisa Plank, the executive director of LAHM shares her insights behind the making of the hugely successful ABCs series from the past. Come along with us and step back into the colorful past lined with scenes such as the Ecker’s Planing Mill, Christiansen Ice Cream Co., Opera House, King Milling Dam, and the 1912 blizzard.
The “ABCs of Lowell History” series started during the pandemic in 2020 in an effort to share the stories from Lowell’s past with the community. It is now in its fourth round of the alphabet and going strong.
“We had a great response from the community,” Plank said.
Happy holidays from the “For the Love of Books Podcast” and Bettie’s Pages. We hope your holidays may be filled with joy and peace.
Bettie’s Pages is a retro-inspired new and used indie bookstore that is more than just a shop. It’s a cozy gathering place where you get to have fun, be authentic, and find friends in the heart of Lowell.
And it all started with the crazy idea of one person, Nicole, who hated her job and didn’t expect support from friends and family.
“They were supposed to say, go find another job,” said Bettie’s Pages owner Nicole Lintemuth.
But they didn’t and the result is a welcoming space for everyone whether you’re looking for a book, a unique gift, or respite from the hustle and bustle. The store opened right before the pandemic in 2020. In March of 2020, Nicole shipped out 250 book boxes. She’s up to 400 book boxes now.
She’s been offering the book matching service ever since.
“I am not going to get rid of this,” Nicole said. “I have too much fun doing the book boxes.”
Also, if you prefer audiobooks, then Libro FM is the perfect indie alternative to audible.
Any plans for 2022?
Nicole has you covered. Join the “Cozy Mystery Book Club” in January with “Hope Never Dies.”
“I hope people will continue to support places that kept us sane,” Nicole said.
First of all, I haven’t had a chance to express my gratitude for this holiday season that I am alive and well.
My deepest gratitude goes to my family, friends, and fans for their support of my work. Without them, I wouldn’t have been able to finish the daunting 50k NaNoWriMo word challenge.
This was my third year participating in the National Novel Writing Month challenge. I entered with word count zero on Monday, Nov. 1 after some prep work in October. That same day, our grandson Henrik was born at 2:30 p.m., and I drove to Hastings to babysit his siblings and came back to Lowell the next day.
For days leading up to the challenge, I stared into the historic map of Saugatuck, hoping that awesome inspiration will strike a chord in my heart and mind. The opposite was quite the truth. Every morning of the challenge, I stood up against the same goal: logging in at least 1,667 words a day to reach the coveted 50,000-word summit by Nov. 30th.
Since I picked for my NaNo project the historical fiction genre, I had to do research as well. Weeks of previous research didn’t help much. On the third day of the challenge, I figured out that breaking the writing marathon into two daily sessions will make it more doable. From then on, I worked in two parts: morning and afternoon.
What I found out was that even between the two sessions, I sometimes didn’t know what was going to come next. Just like watching a movie, I worked from scene to scene, not knowing what’s going to come next.
I was in for a few big surprises; I call them forks in major decision-making in the plot. I took advice from veteran Wrimos like author Jean Davis: do something or kill somebody, she advised in a special podcast panel.
Then, came times, when I thought I couldn’t go on physically; my entire being was hurting. I remember in a podcast, the host asked me: “Does writing hurt physically? Can you feel it?”
Yes, I could feel it, but I also felt accomplishment and movement forward, because I had no time to stagnate in murky waters. At one point, I realized I would have to log in more than the required 1,667-word quota, because of the upcoming holiday, and author’s events like Christmas Through Lowell which ran for three full days.
From my previous NaNos, I knew I would have to be fit also physically. I started walking on Oct. 11. I first walked on the Fred Meijer Flat River Trail, then to the Franciscan Life Process Center, and finally, as the weather got worse, I switched to the treadmill upstairs.
To this day, I believe if I hadn’t been physically fit, I wouldn’t have finished the challenge. I reached the 50k summit on Nov. 19th in the morning. I continued to write inspired by my NaNo buddies authors Andrew Allen Smith, Diana Plopa, and Marianne Wieland.
On the final day of the challenge, which is today, I logged in a total of 62,288 words, which puts me at 80 percent completion of my new book “Shifting Sands: A Lost Town.”
I would like to thank everyone who has helped me along this journey including my author buddies, my family, and my fans. I celebrated NaNo today with a haircut, chocolates, music “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” and a ride to Murray Lake.
It’s the simple things that count on a writing journey to publishing a new book. To me, it boils down to logging in daily word count, enjoying the journey, sharing insights, and offering support to others.
I was delighted to host podcast episodes of “For the Love of Books Podcast” during NaNoWriMo; it lifted my spirit, and hopefully, it helped others as well.
So take a listen to the following NaNo expert authors wherever you get your podcasts: Jean Davis, Sara DeBord, Kate Meyer, Melanie Hooyenga, Amy Klco.
Tune in for the December holiday special with guests: Lisa Plank of the Lowell Area Historical Museum, Nicole Lintemuth of Bettie’s Pages, authors Melinda Falgoust, Andrew Allen Smith, Theresa Halvorsen and Jules Nelson, wherever you get your podcasts. Click below to listen and to subscribe.
Forty Michigan authors will be located at the Authors Row at the Ann Arbor Holiday Art Fair on Dec. 4th & 5th with readings scheduled for Saturday and Sunday during the show. Children’s authors will be reading on the hour.
Integrity Shows director Mark Loeb shared marketing strategies for authors at events. Authors of different genres now have a common space to offer a variety of books.
“We focus on the business aspect for creatives. We’ve been taught how to write, how to draw, or other artistic skills, but few of us have had education on how to sell our creative products,” he said.
Kate J. Meyer is an author, speaker, therapist, and minister living in West Michigan with her husband and two chocolate labs. She self-published her first novel in July 2021. The Red Couch, available on Amazon, is an adult coming of age novel about a woman named Toni, whose life is nothing like she imagined it would be; in fact, it is a mess! When Toni returns to Lake Harbor, WI to bury her grandmother, she does so intending to leave again asap. So when she is challenged to stay for a mysterious project, she’s reluctant. Is a shoebox of old letters worth the risk of staying? Here’s to hoping! Kate participated in her first NaNoWriMo in 2020 and can now announce that that book is under contract to be published with Lake Drive Books! Keep up to date with the launch date and other information by subscribing at http://www.katejmeyer.com. Kate also hosts the weekly series ‘Mental Health Mondays with Kate’ videos are available via her blog on her website and on social media.
I finished the NaNoWriMo 50k word challenge in November this morning at 6:38 am right before the start of Christmas Through Lowell. This was my third time participating. I can’t say that the novel writing challenge gets any easier with more experience or with more books published. However, I better understand my inner workings as a writer and an author. I know what is my most productive time, and how many words I need to log in per day, (2, 675) and how to push through a writing block.
Each year, I learn something new. This year, it was the buddy system and that it actually works.
When I saw the daily word log ins by buddies and fellow authors Andrew Smith, Diana Plopa, Marianne Wieland, Brenda Hasse and Jean Davis, I just had to keep up with them.
Near the summit, more insights other than metrics came in, and I will be posting quotes.
. Copyright (c) 2021. Emma Blogs LLC. All rights reserved.
In her Mystekos season series, author Amy Klco takes on the big theme of creating a balance between fantasy and real worlds.
In the second book, “Mystekos Fall” of the Lake of Two Worlds series- Emily returns to Camp Tender-Heart- and to Mystekos-only to find new trouble waiting for her.
All four books are a product of Klco’s participation in the National Novel Writing Month, even though the first book took 12 years to write, while the second book took only the month of November.
There’s no better time of the year than the holidays which are upon us. Whether you have started your shopping or not, it’s a good time to put together your list. I like to choose unique gifts. On top of my list are books, books, and more books because there’s nothing more unique than books. As in the past, I will continue the tradition of gifting books by fellow indie authors. I have my eyes set on Mark Bello’s “Supreme Betrayal” and Sherri Burton’s “The Orphan Train Saga” for my parents. Childrens’ books for my grandkids by authors Joan H. Young, Melinda Falgoust, and Ingar Rudholm. I also buy books for myself, after all, I have to support my colleagues and fellow authors in our common endeavors. I will add to my indie author collection “Flicker” by Melanie Hooyenga for granddaughter Ella, and “Adam” by Andrew Allen Smith.
EMMA’S AUTHORS HOLIDAY EVENTS
Christmas Through Lowell, Nov. 19, 20 & 21 @the Lowell Area Historical Museum Holiday Art Fair in Ann Arbor, Dec. 4 & 5th, Washtenaw County Fairgrounds, booth no. 106 in Author’s Row
PODCAST “FOR THE LOVE OF BOOKS”
The podcast featuring Indie and small press authors is now in its second season, and going strong. You can listen to the authors mentioned above talk about their books on your favorite podcasting apps and on podbean by clicking below. https://emmapalova123.podbean.com I would like to thank my major sponsor Doc Chavent who makes the show possible with her monthly sponsorship. If you would like to become a sponsor please contact me at emmapalova@yahoo.com Also, if you would like to be a featured guest on the show, email Emma.
DECEMBER HOLIDAY SPECIAL PODCAST EPISODES
Featured authors: children’s author Melinda Falgoust, Andrew Allen Smith, Theresa Halvorsen, and Julie Nelson on podbean and major podcasting apps.
Let’s play a Christmas giveaway game: Whoever first guesses what the box with the map and files stands for will win my new book “Greenwich Meridian Memoir,” just in time for Christmas. Email Emma with the answer at emmapalova@yahoo.com You can find clues on my blog http://emmapalova.com
Let’s play a Christmas giveaway game: Whoever first guesses what the box with the map and files stands for will win my new book “Greenwich Meridian Memoir,” just in time for Christmas. Email Emma with the answer at emmapalova@yahoo.com
