I am pleased to announce the March guest lineup that features a variety of genres and authors. If you would like to be a sponsor or a guest author, comment below or email Emma. I am now scheduling May and June.
FOR THE LOVE OF BOOKS PODCAST with host EMMA PALOVA
Listen in for a chance to win a signed copy in the podcast book giveaway.
Join us for the 23rd annual Mid-Michigan Women’s Expo in Lansing at the Lansing Center, 333 E. Michigan Ave. next weekend including Friday.
Michigan Authors representing most genres will be among the 300 exhibitors. They are Jean Davis, Emma Palova, Loraine J. Hudson, Kristine Brickey, Sylvia Hubbard, Norma Lewis, Mikel Classen, Melanie Hooyenga, Rod Sadler, Julie Nelson, Rhonda Accardo, and Andrew Smith.
This is a fun day out geared toward ladies and their families or friends. There are lots of demonstrations, samples, activities, and opportunities to support local businesses and artists. There’s even a bar so you can enjoy a beverage or two while you shop. Michigan Authors has been a feature of the Mid-Michigan Women’s Expo for several years.
” We enjoy meeting new and returning readers and sharing our stories with them,” said author Jean Davis.
With this year’s array of twelve authors, we will have a wide selection of books, including books for children and young adults as well as romance, non-fiction, Michigan-related, fantasy, thrillers, suspense, true crime, science fiction, and more.
Stay tuned for a special podcast episode about the Expo experience on @For the Love of Books Podcast with host author Emma Palova and guest author organizer Jean Davis next week on your favorite podcasting app.
We will be located in booth 652-656. Show hours are Friday & Sat. 10-6 and Sunday 11-4.
Parking is available under and behind the expo center for a fee. Recommended vendor parking is North Grand Parking Ramp (public parking) 3rd level which is connected to the expo center by an enclosed pedestrian walkway.
Saluting Nurses, Doctors, Military, Police, Fire and Rescue – FREE admission all weekend to Mid-Michigan Women’s Expo! Your Health, Your Home, Your Style, Shopping and Fun! Lansing, Michigan, January 10, 2023 –The Mid-Michigan Women’s Expo announced its 2023 date, a full weekend that will inspire personal health, home, and style, giving women something to feel good about. The 23 rd annual event will be held the weekend of February 10-12 at the Lansing Center. The three-day expo is the largest single consumer event for women in Mid-Michigan and will feature hundreds of women-focused businesses with products, services and demonstrations that aim to provide a weekend of enjoyment, education, and entertainment for women of all ages. First 1000 attendees on Saturday will receive a tote bag compliments of Capital Area District Libraries. Receive your bag directly inside the door at their booth! This year’s event will offer FREE admission to Nurses, Doctors, Military, Police, Fire and Rescue that show valid ID at the Box Office. Visit the Lansing Center Box Office during show hours and show ID card to receive one free admission. “We wanted to take a moment to salute and thank those that help others in our community. We are so grateful for the work they do and appreciate their service,” says Pam Glass, President of Kohler Expos, Inc. EXPO HIGHLIGHTS this year include Interactive Areas spread throughout the expo, which are designed to entertain and enhance the patron experience. A few of the Interactive Areas include:
Fashion Boutiques – try on and give yourself a new look
Make-n-Take Painting Workshops – live step-by-step painting on a Canvas, Mason Jar, Planter Stake, Puzzle Kits, and Wine Glasses
Hair Styling and Hair Tricks
Michigan Authors – meet and greet and book signings
Interactive Rowing Demonstrations
Food Sampling! Dips, Soup, Cookies, Bread, Pickles, Jerky, Sausage, Honey, Tea and more
Community Blood Drive – all hours of the expo
IV Hydration and Vitamin Infusions onsite
Bra Fittings and Consultation
Quartz Crystal Singing Bowls for relaxation
T-Mobile Photo Booth – strike a pose!
Skincare and Beauty – try the latest lotion, bath products, and oils
Shop and explore hundreds of pop-up shops! NEW! DOOR PRIZES – patrons will sign up at the entrance for a chance to win daily door prizes. Winners will be announced onsite to take home their prize. MID-MICHIGAN WOMEN’S EXPO February 10-12, 2023 Hours: Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 11am-4pm Lansing Center – Lansing MI http://www.KohlerExpo.com WLNS-TV continues to be a media sponsor for the upcoming expo, providing exclusive coverage of the event throughout the weekend. Visit them onsite to take selfies with on-air talent at the event.
I will be at Art in the Park in Holland on Aug. 6 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. along with other authors. We will be located along Central near the corner of 10th in booths 205 & 206. You can listen to some of these authors talk about their books on For the Love of Books Podcast at http://emmapalova123.podbean.com
These authors represent a wide variety of genres from horror and fantasy to historical fiction and everything in between. Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to meet us in person and find your next favorite read.
Jean Davis
Emma Palova
Diane Burton
Andrew Smith
KM McIntyre
Janet Vormitag
Vera West
Patricia Kiyono
Mark Love
I have a brand new book The Lost Town from the Shifting Sands series that I have introduced to the market at Once Upon A Book in Frankenmuth. The third book in the series is getting awesome reviews. You can get a signed copy by visiting our authors’ booths in Holland this Saturday. I am grateful to my graphic artist Jeanne Boss of Rockford for the whimsical cover.
Reviews
This historical fiction is a reflective account of a city in Michigan’s past, called Singapore, whose development on the Lake Michigan shore was the dream of wealthy investors from New York. Their hopes in making it a booming Michigan city were affirmed in a statement made by John Bosch, one of the main characters and investors, who said, “The town of Singapore will rival both Chicago and Milwaukee, and its counterpart in Asia….” With twists and turns that love and hardships create, this fascinating saga of our state’s history will keep the reader’s attention from start to finish. Emma has successfully captured the varied emotions and accounts of the characters and conditions surrounding the growth, and later demise, of the city of Singapore.
–Carol Briggs, Lowell Person of the Year 2019
Emma’s ease at mixing actual history into her stories is remarkable, and so entails Miss Ida’s response to an invitation to a soon-to-be bustling “Singapore” on the shores of Lake Michigan. She is transported away from Chicago, family, and friends. She quickly learns the duties expected of her in maintaining a boarding house and warehouse in the rapidly growing community. Soon she falls in love with one of the corrupt founders. The many colorful characters weave a fantastic story of love, mystery, hope, and faith. This is a quick, very worthwhile read!
Words can be weapons. That is my horoscope for the first day in June. As an author and journalist I find this to be very true, but also motivating to reach higher and go farther in everything I do.
The horoscope is basically warning me to watch what I write or say today. As I always I will speak my heart.
I am looking forward to the upcoming release of my new book “Shifting Sands: The Lost Town” in the Shifting Sands franchise and my first event of the season Palmer Park Art Fair in Detroit this weekend.
GREENWICH MERIDIAN MEMOIR, PALMER PARK ART FAIR, DETROIT
For all the Czechs living in the greater Detroit area organized around Sokol & other groups, stop by at booth no. 140e in the authors’ tent at the Palmer Park Art Fair.
I will be signing my Greenwich Meridian Memoir about our family immigration saga from former Czechoslovakia to the USA. The book is set on the backdrop of two major political events: 1968 Prague Spring and 1989 Velvet Revolution.
The protagonist is my father professor Vaclav Konecny whose ambition took us across three continents and back to Czechoslovakia for the presidential amnesty in 1973. Will he make it back to the USA?
Read your free Taurus Daily Horoscope to discover how the stars will align for you today! Reveal the hidden opportunities coming your way and any obstacles to be prepared for.
— Read on http://www.tarot.com/daily-horoscope/taurus/2022-06-01
Summer is finally here and I am getting ready for several road trips. My first event of the year is the Palmer Park Art Fair on June 4 & 5 located at 910 Merrill Plaisance St. in Detroit. I am very excited since I’ve never been to this event. I tried to avoid big-city gigs but because of the nature of Greenwich Meridian Memoir which describes our life in communist Czechoslovakia and our travels across three continents, Detroit with a large Czech community is a must-stop.
Palmer Park Art Fair is a premier event on Lake Frances with an authors’ tent with 13 authors, and 120 other art vendors selling original artworks of various media, including painting, sculpture, music, mixed media, and more. In addition, the event will have a music stage and specialty booths.
The hours are on June 4 from 10 to 7 p.m. and June 5 from 11 to 5 p.m.
Next weekend I will be at GIZZARD FEST, POTTERVILLE, JUNE 10& 11Gizzard Fest is not your ordinary festival. Thousands of people stream into Potterville for this unique event and good old-fashioned fun! The small-town atmosphere, live music, carnival, and great food (including plenty of gizzards) bring people from across the Midwest.
The hours are on June 10 from 9 a.m. to DARK, June 11 from 8 a.m. to DARK
LAKESHORE ART FESTIVAL, MUSKEGON, JUNE 25 & 26
This event is held in downtown Muskegon with more than 20 authors representing all genres. The LAF features a unique blend of fine art, handcrafted goods, music, food, and fun. Experience over 300 juried fine art and specialty craft exhibitors, a Children’s Lane, an artisan food market, street performers, multiple interactive art stations and so much more.
The hours are on June 25 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and June 26 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Detroit Virtual Book Fest July 15-July 17 see the link at the bottom
COMING SOON The Lost Town is a historical fiction novel set in a ghost town. Protagonist Ida is torn between her hometown of Chicago and her new home across Lake Michigan, and between two men. Who will win her heart- her husband or her lover?Shifting Sands is a growing anthology of short stories and a brand new novel Shifting Sands: The Lost Town coming soon. The novel was edited by Carol Briggs of Lowell with the cover designed by graphic artist Jeanne Boss of Rockford. The first book is a collection of 13 stories divided into three circles based on my life experiences: retail, journalism, and immigration. The second book Secrets is a collection of 15 short stories with the main historical fiction story Silk Nora set in Belding, MI. There are other stories as well such as the Chief about a corrupt small-town police chief and 40 Hunks exploring cheap labor from Mexico. FOR THE LOVE OF BOOKS PODCAST with host EMMA PALOVA Listen in for a chance to win a signed copy in the podcast book giveaway. http://emmapalova123.podbean.com and major podcasting apps.
June Schedule Jon Stott, Summers at the Lake, June 2 Mark Loeb, special guest at Palmer Park Art Fair, June 3 Kris Gair, The Beautiful Moment, June 3 Nikki Mitchell, Nightshade Forest, June 17 Deborah Frontiera, Superior Tapestry, June 17 Victor Volkman, U.P. Reader, June 24 Sponsored by Doc Chavent, The Lowell Ledger, Modern History Press, Nikki Mitchell Find Out More
Detroit Virtual Book Fair, July 15-17, link to the catalog of my books in my virtual booth coming soon.
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.
Frankfort, MI – What better way to meet your next favorite read than on the shores of Lake Michigan at a local art festival.
After a succesful Lakeshore Art Festival (LAF) in downtown Muskegon, where even a tornado watch couldn’t stop Michigan Authors from selling their books, we have somewhat dispersed. But if you check the previous post about the Michigan Authors Comeback in 2021, and go to the authors websites, you will be able to catch up with them.
Lakeshore Art Festival in downtown Muskegon.
I will be in Frankfort on July 4th at the Art in the Park craft show at 517 Main Street from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Stop by to pick up a book or two; I will have Shift Sands Short Stories series, book 1 and book 2 and my newest release “Greenwich Meridian Memoir.” I will also have posters of the cover of “Secrets.”
I will be around Lowell during the Riverwalk next weekend.
July 31- Grand Ledge, Island Fest
Aug. 7- Holland, Art in the Park
Aug. 28- Lowell, Hometown Reception on the Showboat
I also have a virtual booth at the Detroit Book Fest. Check it out at:
Listen in to the podcast “For the love of books,” download and share the episodes. The insights from the Indie authors are incredible, beyond trade journals.
Each author represents a unique individuality in what some call “a mass book production market.” There may be one million ISBNs issued annually, but each book and author are distinctively different in how they approach the writing business and writing itself.
It’s like there is a piece of the author in each one of his or her books; it may be in the character, in the setting, in the plot or in the point of view. POV.
One of my favorite questions is: “Where do you see the future of Indie publishing?”
The overall response is that it will continue to grow.
“We have physical books, ebooks, audiobooks, virtual book events. Maybe virtual reality books are next?”
Ingar Rudholm
“And how will the Indie authors be remembered?”
“We’re the trailblazers.”
Joan H. Young
Podcast interviews this week
Coming up in this week’s podcasts are authors Marianne Wieland, A. Kidd and Colleen Nye. They are pictured in the gallery above.
Nye is an author with multiple pen names and an overactive imagination.
A. Kidd calls herself a kid at heart with a youthful exuberance, A. Kidd writes books for children full of magic and wonder in the hopes that they will have the courage to live their own stories and possibly even be inspired to write stories of their own.
Wieland is the author of 10 books.
Nothing is ever as it seems on the surface. Expect the unexpected. Is it real, fiction or a combination? You decide. Go ahead. I dare you!
Lowell, MI – I am really excited about the podcast show “For the love of books” on major podcasting channels. So far, we’ve discussed the Indie and the COVID author experiences, marketing and tips for new and not so new authors. I like to have a mix of authors representing all genres.
I also ask everyone what sets them apart from other authors other than the genres. I know it sounds more like a question for political candidates. That’s because I interviewed so many of them. It’s interesting what kind of responses I get.
Authors are very interesting to interview because of their insights and knowledge gained through writing.
The other popular question is: “What have you learned about yourself while writing your books?”
Pictured below left to right from top to bottom: upcoming authors Jean Davis, Andrew Smith, Randy Pearson, Joan Young and previous authors Luba Lesychyn and Diana Plopa.
Listen in on Wednesdays on you favorite podcasting app.
Following are the Indie and small press authors coming up: Darla Jean Davis, Andrew Smith, Randy Pearson, Joan Young, Ingar Rudholm, Marianne Wieland, Colleen Nye, Gene Wilburn, Angela Verges, Donald Levin, Juli Sisung, Valeriu dg Barbu, Scott Rutherford, Deborah D.A. Reed and many more.
Two authors coming up on March 31 and April 8 are Darla Jean Davis and Andrew Allen Smith.
Sign up below and check the Facebook podcast event page at
Shifting Sands is a growing anthology of short stories and a brand new novel Shifting Sands: The Lost Town coming soon. The novel was edited by Carol Briggs of Lowell with the cover designed by graphic artist Jeanne Boss of Rockford.
FOR THE LOVE OF BOOKS PODCAST with host EMMA PALOVA
authoremmapalova 