I am really excited about the month of February as I am scheduling my podcast author guests, and the snow is drifting outside. They represent different genres, but romance will definitely be in the lead.
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.
Lisa Jacovski, Let’s Talk, Learning to Bowl, Feb. 9
Janet Glaser, Feb. 10
Tana Jenkins, Love Rescued, Feb. 14
Marian Volkman, Life Skills, TBA
Sponsored by Doc Chavent, The Lowell Ledger, Modern History Press
Pages Promotions Virtual Book Festival
Several things will be happening all at once: Pages Promotions Virtual Book Festival will kick off the month with the Mystery of the Missing Manuscript. You really don’t want to miss out on any of the evenings with authors, suspects, and detectives. Register on Zoom by 6:30 p.m.
I crossed the 40,000-word mark today in the NaNoWriMo 50k word challenge. It always amazes me how I got here?
The answer is simple, writing every day, and making it my number one priority of the day. My hope is to carry this beyond the challenge into the upcoming months which is easier said than done.
With the holidays upon us, it seems impossible, until it isn’t. NaNoWriMo organizers enabled everyday writing tracking even after the challenge ends on Nov. 30.
No, smooth sailing through these two days filled with focused writing. After I got over the halfway hump on Friday and Saturday, the ride on the NaNo 50k word roller coaster got bumpier.
It must have coincided with the drop in temperatures in West Michigan as we chilled down, and the skies got cloudy. Our driveways are now lined with stakes with snow in the forecast.
So I introduced the Tower of Breese into the story about the search for a lost town. That helped to further establish the enemy. However, I got stuck again on Monday morning and added another layer to one of the protagonists deepening the conflict.
What’s the next step? The protagonist has several options and doesn’t know which road to take. I should map it out for him on the beat sheet plotting method.
Christmas through Lowell 2022
Setting records this year the tour has 61 locations and I am on one of them, station k on the CTL tour map aka Lowell Area Historical Museum in downtown Lowell located at 325 W. Main Street.
In my other role as a reporter for The Lowell Ledger, I wrote like crazy on a Sunday afternoon about the upcoming Christmas through Lowell tour this weekend, Nov. 18 through Nov. 20.
Christmas through Lowell, Nov. 18 through Nov. 20
In my role as the Director of Operations for Moravian Sons Distillery, I am going to our first meeting of the Michigan Craft Distillers Association at DeVos Hall in Grand Rapids. I am psyched. There will be a bunch of other distillery newcomers.
In another role yet as the producer and host of For the Love of Books Podcast, we will bring you insights in the special episode “Breaking Point” about getting halfway through NaNoWriMo.
I can’t wait for authors Jean Davis and Vera West to share their insights because you can still jump on the NaNo ride.
Copyright (c) 2022. Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.
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. 18-20 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.
Lowell author Emma Palova will be signing her new book ‘The Lost Town’ at Earth Stories Jewelry during the Blue Coast Artist tour on Oct. 1 & 2 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The gallery (station 7 on the map) is located one mile south of Saugatuck/Douglas, which is the setting of this historical fiction novel.
The Lost Town historical fiction novel. Cover by Jeanne Boss.
The Lost Town press release
Lowell, MI – The Lost Town, a historical fiction novel set in the ghost town of Singapore during the pioneer era of the 1830s, is the third book in the Shifting Sands series published in the summer of 2022.
Author Emma Palova of Lowell captured the spirit of the once thriving lumbering town in its main characters beautiful Miss Ida of Chicago and her boss lumber baron John Bosch.
The story unravels as the greedy New York investors set their eyes on the undeveloped land at the Oxbow bend in the Kalamazoo River surrounded by sand dunes with the much-coveted white pines.
Wily Oshea established the New York & Michigan Co. to facilitate the development of Singapore in 1836. The investors envisioned that Singapore would rival Chicago and Milwaukee. With its humming mills, boarding houses, hotels, and general stores at the height of its prosperity, Singapore almost outshone Chicago.
The name remains a mystery, as its famous counterpart island city in East Asia was only a fledgling town at the time.
“The mysterious name inspired me to write this novel,” Palova said.
The novel covers the entire span of Singapore’s existence from the 1830s to its demise in the 1870s. At one point the town was known as Ellis Island since it accepted immigrants from European countries like Norway and Holland. The town was the first stop for Hollanders before they moved further up north and established Holland. It existed before Saugatuck which was smaller and known as Flats.
According to one interpretation, the exotic name was used to honor the “singing sands” of the Lake Michigan shore. The shape of the grains and the moisture combine to make the sand sing or squeak when someone walks on it. Palova will have book signings in the Greater Grand Rapids area and during Blue Coast Artists event on Oct. 1 & 2 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Earth Stories Jewelry at 2742 68th St. Fennville.
It was a great Sunday afternoon, Sept. 18, 2022 at the Fallasburg one-room schoolhouse. We enjoyed a steady stream of visitors, from far and near. Docent Tom Vaughn let the visitors ring the school bell in the bell tower, and lead them into the backroom with the Fallasburg village model in its late 1860s heyday. Old maps and photos attracted a lot of attention.
My new book The Lost Town set in the ghost town of Singapore continues its successful streak into the fall as we get closer to Halloween. Most people have never heard of Singapore in Michigan. Neither have I until I stumbled across the historic marker in front of the Singapore Village Hall sometime in the mid-1990s.
I would like to thank the @Fallasburg Historical Society for hosting another one of my book signings during the Fallasburg Fall Festival, which has become a tradition.
Copyright (c) 2022. Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.
I am getting ready for a five-hour road trip to Paradise. And it is a true paradise surrounded by the shimmering waters of Lake Superior on one side and the big woods of the Tahquamenon Falls State Park on the other. If you continue further north on Whitefish Point Road you will hit Whitefish Point with its nationally acclaimed Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum and lighthouse.
The pristine magic of the Upper Peninsula (UP) has traditionally attracted authors, photographers, and filmmakers for at least one hundred years. Now, a new generation of authors writes from the UP or sets their stories in the UP. We are proud members of the Upper Peninsula Publishers and Authors Association. (UPPAA)
Many of them are my friends and we’ve met in person at several different authors’ events around the state of Michigan. We will meet again at the Wild Blueberry Festival in Paradise set for Aug. 19 through Aug. 21 this weekend. Here is a sampling of authors, who will be at the festival, including their podcasts. You can meet them in person in Paradise. They will sign your next favorite read. It really doesn’t get any better than that.
Author Mikel Classen is a true Yooper who makes his home in Sault Ste. Mary. His newest book True Tales: The Forgotten History of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is a treasure chest of eye-opening stories. Listen in to the podcast episode by clicking on the link below.
Author Mike Carrier will be on his home turf at the festival since he spends summers near Whitefish Point. Fourteen out of 15 Carrier’s murder mysteries with the main character Jack Handler are set in the UP.
Mike Carrier
“The festival has become one of my favorites,” Carrier said. “Beyond the proximity, I find those who attend to be more interesting. For instance, there is a biker group that usually comes through the festival, and they help make it a fun event.”
Listen in to the episode about To China with Love.
Then it’s me who simply loves the UP. And like many other authors and artists, I’ve always been inspired by the rugged beauty and history of the land. I will have my brand new book “The Lost Town” on hand to sign.
Lowell author & reporter Emma Palova completed The Lost Town, a third book in the Shifting Sands series on the last day of June.
The historical fiction novel is set in Singapore, MI, a ghost town on the shores of Lake Michigan during the pioneer era of the 1830s.
The Lost Town cover by graphic artist Jeanne Boss of Rockford.
Palova captured the spirit of the once thriving lumbering town in its main characters – beautiful Miss Ida, her boss lumber baron John Bosch, Singapore founder Oshea Wilder and supporting characters, Sir Artemas Wallace and housemaid Mrs. Fisch.
Miss Ida was torn between her hometown of Chicago and her new home Singapore, and between two men. Who will win her heart?
The story unravels as the greedy New York investors set their eyes on the undeveloped land at the Oxbow bend in the Kalamazoo River surrounded by sand dunes with much coveted white pines.
Wily Oshea established the New York & Michigan Co. in 1836 to facilitate the development of Singapore. The investors envisioned that Singapore would rival Chicago and Milwaukee. With its humming mills, boarding houses, hotels, and general stores at the height of its prosperity, Singapore almost outshone Chicago.
The name remains a mystery, as its famous counterpart island city in East Asia was only a fledgling town at the time.
“The mysterious name inspired me to write this novel,” Palova said.
According to one interpretation, the exotic name was used to honor the “singing sands” of the Lake Michigan shore. The shape of the grains and the moisture combine to make the sand sing or squeak when someone walks on it.
Always on the hunt for stories and inspiration, Palova walked into the general store on Butler Street in downtown Saugatuck in the mid- 1990s. She picked up a book about Singapore and checked out the historic marker in front of the Saugatuck Village Hall.
“The story just gripped my imagination and stayed with me throughout the years,” she said. “Then I forgot all about it for decades.”
It wasn’t until getting ready for the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) last November, that Palova realized that what she had planned to write about Singapore would turn into a novel rather than just a short story.
“I wanted to do the fascinating story of Singapore its justice,” she said. “I knew a short story wouldn’t cut it.”
During her research for the novel, Palova came across Singapore’s ‘wildcat bank.’
“I knew this was big,” she said, “bigger than life.”
Singapore had a ‘wildcat bank’ that issued its own ornate bank notes that are still in the collection of the Saugatuck Douglas Historical Society in Douglas.
“I used their online collections catalog exclusively for research,” she said. “It’s an excellent tool for anyone who wants to write about history. Most historical societies in Michigan have online collections.”
The novel covers the entire span of Singapore’s existence from the 1830s to its demise in the 1870s. At one point the town was known as Ellis Island since it accepted immigrants from European countries like Norway and Holland. The town was the first stop for Hollanders before they moved further up north and established Holland. It came before Saugatuck which was smaller and known as Flats.
“I wove nautical stories into the novel because I love the seas,” Palova said. “I wish I was a sailor.”
It was not just a lumbering era, but also a time for steamers, schooners, and tugboats on the Great Lakes. Nautical transportation was just as dangerous as travel by land, and later by rail.
“Sometimes the story evolved all on its own to my surprise like in the chapter ‘Mail fraud at Oxbow’, she said. “I was really surprised at what Ida was capable of doing driven by secret love.”
Other chapters were meticulously planned with research usually showing up later in the novel.
“My previous research didn’t help me much, but the immediate research during the NaNoWriMo challenge helped,” she said. “I can easily say that this novel is a direct product of the challenge.”
During NaNoWriMo, Palova wrote a minimum of 1,750 words daily to reach the victory lane at 50,000 words by the end of November. After that came months of more writing, revisions, and editing.
Carol Briggs of Lowell edited The Lost Town. The whimsical cover was designed by graphic artist Jeanne Boss of Rockford. Beta readers include Nancy Price Stroosnyder and author Diana Kathryn Wolfe-Plopa.
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!
Palova will be signing her new book at the following locations: Fallasburg Summer Celebration on July 30, Englehardt Library in Lowell TBA, Holland, Aug. 6, and Paradise, Aug. 19-20. Listen in to an upcoming podcast about The Lost Town on http://emmapalova123.podbean.com
The Cover
The cover of The Lost Town was designed by graphic artist Jeanne Boss or Rockford.
authoremmapalova 