Keeping up with my Pacific lifestyle on The Strand in Manhattan Beach, I picked back up walking to the Franciscans and much more. The distance to the Sisters and back is 2 miles . I did it in 37 minutes. I have to take that down under 30 minutes. I have to lose weight before the onset of winter.
Grand Gala Author of the Year 2025 aka “the Oscars of the book world. ”
I had trouble fitting into my first blue Hollywood dress, then I had to buy another red one for the Grand Gala at Loews Hotel.
After receiving the finalist award for Author of the Year 2025 from the International Impact Book Awards I am more motivated than ever to complete all my writing projects.
It was a beautiful ceremony honoring Nov. 1 as National Authors Day and authors of all genres from more than 20 countries.
National Authors Day is a tradition established in 1928 when Nellie Verne Burt McPherson, president of the Illinois Women’s Club, proposed a day of recognition for authors.
In 1949, the U.S. Department of Commerce officially designated the date – a testament to the enduring belief that authors deserve acknowledgment for the stories that enrich our culture, expand our imagination, and preserve our collective history.
I have achieved this both with my Greenwich Meridian Memoir about our escape from former communist Czechoslovakia and in my historical fiction books The Lost Town and Secrets.
“I am honored and humbled by the prestigious award.”
I am working on final edits to the sequel The Quest for the Lost Town.
I have also fulfilled the mission of IIBA that most impactful authors are entrepreneurs or authorpreneurs.
I present other authors’ books in my @For the Love of Books weekly podcast show with 6.3K downloads.
See you at the Saugatuck Village Square Art Fair this Saturday, July 26 from 10 to 5 pm in downtown Saugatuck in booth #407. My best selling book is The Lost Town which is set in Singapore, MI. Many scenes in the book take place on Butler Street in downtown Saugatuck.That is precisely where you can find me.
I will be there with my books from the Shifting Sands series including the novel The Lost Town and Greenwich Meridian Memoir.
About the feature photo: Socialist Cooperative Housing
I used the pic of Southern Slopes, a mega housing complex in former Gottwaldow for 30,000 people from the memoir. At the time, it was considered as one of the many successes of socialism. These were sprinkled around the country, mainly in big cities. In many cases, generations had to wait to get into an apartment. True, compared to condos, they were cheap and affordable. Sometimes, I have nightmares from living in these rabbit boxes.
Thank you reviewers and voters
I would like to thank all reviewers who took the time to write a review of my award-winning memoir since its publishing in 2020, and the voters who voted for me in the International Impact Book Awards in May.
I have just recently discovered the newest review by best-selling author Sue Harrison, who was a guest on my For the Love of Books Podcast show on May 8, 2025 with her book Rescuing Crash.
Harrison’s novels have sold more than two million copies and have been published in more than 25 contries and 13 languages. In 2023, she was inducted into the Upper Peninsula Hall of Fame.
The review written on the great Meditteranen Sea warmed my heart since I have visited the Med coast at least three times in my life. Often, I take my inspiration from the places I visit.
The memoir covers three continents and different countries such as formerJugoslavia, Austria and Germany, we used as means of escape. Other countries like Hungary enabled our cladenstine meeting with my father professor Vaclav Konecny before the fall of communism.
We are deeply indebted to all the countries that have welcomed us on our escape journeys, mainly as we awaited visas to Canada and the U.S. Without their help, we would be lost in a sea of ignorance or indifference to our ordeal that cast a shadow on entire generations after the invasion of Soviet tanks of Czechoslovakia in 1968.
I didn’t write the memoir to glorify the communists or socialists, I wrote it to preserve the stories of several generations. I hope anyone who has second thoughts about penning his or her life story, finds the courage to relive it and put the words down on paper.
Let it be it serve as encouragement and inspiration for other authors, writers and readers, current and future.
Definitely a 5-star on this one! Emma Palova gives us unparalleled insight into 3 forms of government: Socialist, Communist, and Capitalism. We view all three through her eyes as a child living in the midst, as a teen, and as an adult. We also see these systems through the eyes of her parents. She presents these points of view unapologetically and without prejudice, which I think is amazing, listing good points and bad of each. The joy of this book is that it is a memoir, not a treatise, and thus is highly readable, actually a page-turner. I’m in awe of this woman who is not only an author, but has her own podcast, within which she gives her listeners introductions to other writers and their work. I wish college students (and high school students) would read this book. It is an eye-opener, and also gives wonderful insight into Eastern European cultures and people, something we Americans often know little about!
I Just finished the book on my balcony overlooking the Med sea from the east shores of Napolean’s birthplace…I was waiting for a perfect opportunity to read this book at a moment when I wouldn’t be bothered by everyday hustles and tasks…as I put the book down I can’t stop admiring the incredible courage and resilience of all of the characters in the story…throughout the book we get drawn into their struggles and dilemmas and feel their sadness, joy and frustration…we feel proud of their perseverance in the quest for their dreams…The book pleased me as well by giving a brief look into the timeline of the political events that took place leading to democracy in former Eastern European countries…This is a very easy read, that will please fans of all kinds of genre of litterature…
Copyright (c) 2025. Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.
Emma Palova, Jean Davis, Vera West, Ingar Rudholm, Richard Nelson, Michael Carrier, Elizabeth Wehman, Laurie Salisbury, Sue Merrel. Janet Vormitag, Andrew Smith, Craig Matthew, Robert Muladore, Suse Wilcox, Joan Young, Lori Hudson, Rhonda Accardo, K M McIntyre, Debbie Tebbe, Stefanie Gilmore, Amy Piper, and Lisa Romence.
Czech and Slovak 46th Annual Festival, Sokol Cultural Center, July 19 & 20, Detroit
Author of the Shifting Sands series, Greenwich Meridian Memoir a journalist for The Lowell Ledger & Podcast Producer.
Novel set in Michigan’s most famous ghost town
By Emma Palova
The Lost Town
In the third book of the Shifting Sands series- “The Lost Town”- author Emma Palova of Lowell creates the protagonist, Miss Ida. The historical fiction novel is set in the ghost town of Singapore on the shores of Lake Michigan at the foot of the sand dunes adorned with white pines. Beautiful Ida is torn between her hometown of Chicago and her new home on the other side of the lake, and between two men.
Developed by New York investors, the once-thriving settlement of Singapore nurtured the dreams of adventurers like Oshea Wilder and pioneer settlers alike. Singapore would rival Chicago and Milwaukee. It almost did with its sawmills, hotels, boarding houses, stores, and a “wildcat” bank.
Entrepreneurial Ida struggles to adjust to the rough environment but finds more than support from her boss who invited her to Singapore to be the “Mistress” of the Big House. A “wildcat” bank was established in Singapore in 1837.
Who will win Ida’s heart?
INTRODUCTION
I first visited Saugatuck originally “Flats” in the mid-1990s while exploring the Lake Michigan shore and its resorts. It struck me as a charming resort town at the confluence of the Kalamazoo River and Lake Michigan. I immediately fell in love with the shops on main which is Butler Street named after the first white settler, William Butler, who came to the area in 1830.
I was already writing at the time, always on the lookout for new themes and subjects. The lakeshore has provided a bounty of stories with its natural beauty settings, the Great Lakes lore and history. Enchanted by the small-town atmosphere of these lakeshore resorts, I wrote travel pieces for different magazines and newspapers. In pursuit of a travel story, I took a ride aboard the Saugatuck riverboat to the mouth of the Kalamazoo River, the re-engineered channel that cut off half a mile of the river with its bends near the buried ghost town of Singapore.
It was at the northernmost bend of the Kalamazoo River where the thriving settlement of Singapore once stood. One of the largest sand dunes in the area stands on what the old maps indicate as the main street in Singapore running east to west on top of the bend.
On another visit, we took a ride through the eerie sand dunes north of Saugatuck, and that too stayed with me forever along with the sand dune Mt. Baldhead aka Monarch of Dunes that I never got to climb. And that the sand hills could bury a town with its dreams and its future. Was it destiny?
I stepped inside the Saugatuck Drug Store at 201 Butler Street in the summer of 1995 and found out about the ghost town Singapore buried in the shifting sands from a book about Singapore. I was determined to write about this Michigan’s most famous ghost town. I just didn’t know when. I must have used some of the information about the ghost town of Singapore in an essay, but I don’t remember when. It’s been that long ago. But the inspiration never went away. It just stayed with me.
In 2017, I published the first book in the Shifting Sands series: “Short Stories.” I used the analogy of shifting sands in the case of character development that characters shift their personalities with their stories if they make it. I like the idea, people loved the title and the stories, so I continued with book two in the Shifting Sands series: “Secrets.”
During an author’s event at the Lakeshore Art Festival (LAF) in Muskegon in 2019 & 2021, several people asked me if Shifting Sands series has a story about the original shifting sand dune of Muskegon. I didn’t know there was a shifting dune in Muskegon. So, I pulled out the book about Singapore searching for inspiration. I wanted to write a short story about Singapore in the third book in the Shifting Sands series: “Steel Jewels.”
However, I found out there was a lot more to Singapore that would make it into a novel on its own merit. I switched tracks from penning a book of short stories as my NaNoWriMo 2021 project to penning a novel “Shifting Sands: “The
Lost Town.” It seemed like a natural transition considering the town’s interesting destiny. I did some research ahead of time.
We visited Saugatuck on October 8th, 2021, and stopped at the museum of the Saugatuck Douglas Historical Society (SDHS) where I took pictures of the exact location of the ghost town of Singapore. Once I started writing the novel, I did research as I wrote. The research usually transpired into later scenes which have proven to be an interesting insight in itself.
This is my second historical fiction piece after “Silk Nora” in “Secrets.” I love history because it inspires my writing, whether non-fiction or fiction. “Greenwich Meridian Memoir” is set on the backdrop of two major historical events: the 1968 Prague Spring and the 1989 Velvet Revolution. History seeps into most of my stories.
March 2022
The whimsical cover was designed by graphic artist Jeanne Boss of Rockford. The book was edited by Carol Briggs of Lowell.
Winter book signings
Nov. 15-17, 2024 Christmas through Lowell, Lowell Area Historical Museum, 325 W. Main St., Lowell, MI
Dec. 3 West Catholic High School Craft Show,
9:00 am – 3:00 pm
West Catholic High School 1801 Bristol Ave NW Grand Rapids, MI 49504
Listen in to the interview on @The Morning Show with Shelley Irwin on 95.3 / 88.5 FM Grand Rapids and 95.3 FM Muskegon
Click on the link below to listen to the interview.
I got off to a rough start but ended up writing 1,263 words in two sessions. Some research put me behind, and I must do more tonight.
I found the ad below very helpful. Go figure, why? The more I write the less I understand the process. Stay with me on this wild 50K word journey into November. My neighbor Jody has been cheering me on.
I attended All Saints Day Mass, which I am grateful for.
Ad for steamship Bon Voyage built by Rogers & Bird
For the Love of Books Podcast
Listen in for a chance to win signed copies of books. I am looking for sponsors for holiday episodes in November and December. Comment below or email Emma.
Stop by for three fun days in beautiful Paradise on Whitefish Bay in Michigan’s UP this Friday, Aug. 16 through Sunday, Aug. 18.
The festival venue is on the Whitefish Township Community Hall grounds on M-123. Whether you’ve been coming here for years, or this is your first time get ready for pure Michigan treats like wild blueberry pancakes, pies, and sausages, pie eating contests, and wild blueberry sales.
The signature staple of the festival is the Arts & Crafts show on all three days, Friday from 9 to 5 p.m., Saturday from 9 to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 10 to 4 p.m. Browse through 130 booths with artists and artisans from all over Michigan.
You will find your precious treasures here and make memories for years to come. Support your favorite Michigan Authors as they bring their books in different genres to the festival.
They are in alphabetical order: authors Michael Carrier, Mikel Classen, Jean Davis, Mary Kremer, Emma Palova, and Joan Young. Carrier writes mysteries, Classen is a history and short story writer, Davis writes fantasy and sci-fi, Palova is the author of The Lost Town and Greenwich Meridian Memoir, short stories and Young is the author of Anastasia Raven Cozy Mysteries. Young has written several books about her hiking adventures on the North Country Trail (NCT).
Play the Fish Bowl which benefits local organizations.
I have yet to write today after wrapping up a shift at @LowellArts Artists Market located on 223 W. Main St. until 5 pm.
I will be at Artists Market next weekend, Dec. 9 from 10 am to 2 pm, and Dec. 10 from noon to 5 pm. Stop by to check out my books from the Shifting Sands Short Stories collection and Greenwich Meridian Memoir.
Author Emma Palova @LowellArts
It’s a beautiful market with a variety of unique gifts ranging from jewelry, ceramics, paintings, fused glass to knitwear among others.
Of course my favorite are Petoskey stones and jewelry made with them. I love rocks, stones and geology.
Today is also the first Sunday of advent and a very short one since Christmas Eve is on Sunday.
I have learned about the three elements of Advent: penance, longing and hope.
Lowell Arts
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