Today marks the 31st anniversary of the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia led by late Czech president Vaclav Havel.
30TH ANNIVERSARY OF vELVET REVOLUTION IN CZECHOSLOVAKIA
Watch for excerpts from my new book “Greenwich Meridian Memoir:”
Copyright (c) 2020. Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.
By Emma Palova
Lowell, MI – I am pleased to announce that the winner of Emma’s virtual book launch drawing for a free signed copy of “Greenwich Meridian Memoir” is Joan Young of Ludington, MI.
I would like to thank Jakub Pala for moderating the event and special thanks goes to author Donald Levin for technical assistance in setting up the virtual book launch on the Be.Live streaming platform.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=476765343284687&id=320664411383955&sfnsn=mo
You can order your books now by commenting here, messaging me on Facebook or email.
If you order by Nov. 22, the shipping of “Greenwich Meridian Memoir” will be free. If you live in the Greater Grand Rapids area, you can pick up your signed copy at LowellArts on Nov. 28 and on Dec. 13 from noon to 2 p.m.
Copyright (c) 2020. Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.
Following are Emma’s author events for November and December. I will be signing books at LowellArts on Nov. 28 & Dec. 13 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. on both days.
You can also order your books here by sending an email to Emma: emmapalova@yahoo.com, calling or messaging on Facebook messenger. You can pick up your signed copies on the following dates at LowellArts: Nov. 28 and Dec. 13 from 12 to 2 p.m.
Emma’s Virtual Book Launch on Facebook on Sunday Nov. 15 at 5 p.m.
You can submit your questions in the comment section for a chance to win a free signed copy of the “Greenwich Meridian Memoir.”
Click the link below to join this Sunday.
https://www.facebook.com/events/3751102538242043
Emma’s book signings at LowellArts on Nov. 28 & Dec. 13 from 12 to 2 p.m.
Lowell author Emma Palova will be signing her books including the new book “Greenwich Meridian Memoir” at LowellArts located at 225 W. Main Street on Nov. 28 from 12 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Dec. 13 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.
Stop by to chat with the author and check out the Artist Market inside the beautiful gallery.
Copyright (c) 2020. Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.
The “Greenwich Meridian Memoir” is now live on Amazon in both formats: Kindle ebook and paperback.
My third book “Greenwich Meridian Memoir” is about the Konecny family immigration saga from former Czechoslovakia to the U.S. covering five decades.
“The real challenge was to encapsulate five decades of time,” said author Emma Palova. “I covered events starting in 1968 and ending in the COVID-19 quarantine in April.”
The saga spans two generations and three continents on the backdrop of two major historical events: the Prague Spring, 1968 and the Velvet Revolution of 1989.
Come along with storyteller Emma for a ride of a lifetime, and her contributors to the immigration story.
“I feel priviledged that my parents Ella & Vaclav Konecny and my husband Ludek could offer their own accounts of our experiences as well,” Palova said.
It all started with my father professor Vaclav Konecny in the aftermath of the Prague Spring 1968 Soviet invasion.
Greenwich Meridian Memoir goes live on Amazon on Nov. 12
To be continued…
Copyright (c) 2020. Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.
| Join me for Virtual Book Launch on Sunday Nov. 15 at 5 p.m on Facebook |
Greenwich Meridian Memoir goes live on Amazon   Above is a scene from Africa; mom Ella is standing by the irrigation equipment. On the right, in the first row, second from the right, is dad Vaclav at the Archbishop’s Gymnasium in Kromeriz. A book is born I am happy to announce that my new book “Greenwich Meridian Memoir” goes live on Amazon on Nov. 12, 2020 in both formats: Kindle ebook and paperback. The epic story of love and emigration from former Czechoslovakia to the U.S. portrayed by the main characters Ella & Vaclav Konecny, Emma Palova & Ludek Pala, plays out on the backdrop of two major historic events: the 1968 Prague Spring and the 1989 Velvet Revolution led by late president Vaclav Havel. In the aftemath of the Soviet occupation of the country in 1968, dad professor Vaclav Konecny, made the pivotal decision to leave Czechoslovakia. What followed was a thread of events that propelled the characters across three continents and into dangerous situations. “What I consider unique about the book is that all of the players contributed in their own way to the memoir,” Palova said. My dad wrote the chapter ‘How Professor of Math Escaped Czechoslovakia.’ It is an account of his physical escape from the country, and his plans for how he plotted the whole escape. “Can you visualize a math professor taking a painted dinghy across the Black Sea to Turkey?” Palova said. “That was his plan B in case plan A of escape didn’t work.” The second generation of characters Emma & Ludek followed the Konecny lead and plotted their very own escape out of the country, that put Ludek at peril as he crossed the Karawanks Mountains from Yugoslavia to Austria and into the Traiskirchen refugee camp. “It’s been a long process in the making,” said author Emma Palova. “The publishing has been delayed several times due to the COVID-19 situation.” I finally made a decision in late September to go ahead with the publishing since nothing has changed with the pandemic. I hired my awesome publicist team “Anthony Mora Communications” to present the book in front of the world. The book will also publish in Romanian and Italian languages by Editura Minela, Romania. The publisher is Valeriu Dg Barbu. The cover was designed by graphic artist Jeanne Boss of Rockford. The book was edited by Carol Briggs of Lowell. I would like to express my deepest thanks to everyone involved in this very complex publishing process. I hope you enjoy the book, as I am planning to write a screenplay based on the memoir. We are looking for a Czech translator of the memoir, so our fans, friends and family living in the Czech Republic, can enjoy it as well. In the news  The Lowell Ledger published the article about our escape on the Czech Independence Day, which was a total coincidence.AUTUMN VIRTUAL BOOK FESTIVAL Check out the recording from the first annual Autumn Virtual Book Festival organized by Pages Promotions, LLC. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUlgFTP-lBs VIRTUAL BOOK LAUNCH NOV. 15 AT 5 P.M.Join us for the Virtual Book Launch on Facebook this Sunday for a live discussion with author Emma Palova about her new book. The event will be moderated by Jakub Pala. Post your questions in the comment section for a chance to win a free signed copy of the “Greenwich Meridian Memoir.” Following is a link to join: https://www.facebook.com/events/3751102538242043 LINK TO THE BOOK ON AMAZON https://www.amazon.com/Greenwich-Meridian-Memoir-Emma-Palova/dp/B08MSVJKFR/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=Find Out More |
Still trying to find my footing. I know there’s no time for that. I am going in to the National Novel Writing Month with “Steel Jewels” from the Shifting Sands Short Stories collections.
The first story is “Gate of Heaven.”
Copyright (c) 2020. Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.
“People consider me an advocate even though I am not there, so why not be there.”
Lynn Mason
Lynn Mason, democratic candidate, is running for a seat on the Ionia County Board of Commissiners in the Nov. 3 election. She served four two-year terms on the Ionia County Board of Commissioners from 2006 to 2014.
In 2014, Lynn gave up the commissioner’s seat because she ran for the State House, she ran again for the State House in 2016.
“I came in second,” she laughed in a recent interview.
Lynn Mason, a retired educator from Belding Area Schools, was the president of the Belding Education Association (BEA) during her teaching career at BAS. She served on the negotiating team.
Lynn is running for the District 1 commissioner seat because she is tired of seeing what the current board is doing.
“There are no checks and balances,” she said. “They all have the same opinion.”
According to Lynn, due to the lack of check and balances, the Ionia County Board of Commissioners agreed to dissolve the Ionia County Road Commission last year.
“If I am elected, I have decided to build relationships first between the management and the employees,” Lynn said.
One of the purposes why Lynn is running is to protect the rights of the citizens.
Lynn cited as an example putting together a policy for expressing action on the county property.
She offers to the board her experience and advocacy.
“People know that I am a trustworthy source,” she said. “They consider me an advocate even though I am not there, so why not be there.”
Lynn said when she’s a commissioner, she’s always there. Based on her previous experience, she plans to use the following slogan in her campaign:
“What are we going to do with Lynn?’
Lynn supports both millages for seniors and for 911.
She is running against republican incumbent candidate Dave Hodges.
Copyright © 2020. Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.
I am on the second day of NaNoWriMo. I need all the positive vibes I can get.
This is my third year participating in the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWri Mo). I entered with the third book in the Shifting Sands Short Stories series- Steel Jewels.
I only logged in 506 words with a short story “Gates of Heaven” inspired by a visit to the former Nazareth College in Kalamazoo. Taking into consideration that it’s a Sunday and that I have a long week of writing behind me, I think that’s a good start.
A long journey starts with a first step.
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By mom Ella
On Oct. 30, 1970, we headed for Winnipeg into the province of Manitoba to pick up the U.S. visa and continued the road trip to the unknown. On the Canadian border with the U.S., I hesitated and cried that I did not want to go anywhere, because I could still return back to Czechoslovakia until Dec. 31, 1970 before the expiration of the exit visa. However, my husband talked me into it, stating that I should at least try it and that the USA has more people than Canada and that I might like it. The reality was far from it.
We crossed the border at North Dakota on Oct. 31, 1970. I remember that evening driving through towns and villages where we saw kids trick or treating. The kids were also carrying lit lanterns at the time and I felt sorry for my own children because they couldn’t go, that they didn’t have a home and that they didn’t even know what to expect at the next stop.
We drove through the deserted autumn regions of South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas. When we entered Oklahoma, it was warmer, and cotton was harvested in the fields. That was already the neighboring state to Texas.
The next day we crossed the border to Texas and watched for Hawkins with the tension and suspense of a cheap action movie. We envisioned a city, but it was a village, so small that we missed it and drove right through it.
At that moment, I knew I was in trouble.
When we turned around, we noticed the sign Hawkins, population 848. At that moment, I realized this was not going to be a place for me. Even back home, I did not like villages and solitary places with only three houses.
In Europe, universities were always located in big cities. We both studied in Brno which is a major city with population of 300,000. Hawkins shocked us.
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