Category Archives: For the Love of Books Podcast

author events, Awards, For the Love of Books Podcast, Greenwich Meridian memoir, history

Measuring up Grand Gala in Hollywood Oct. 4 2025

October 11, 2025 Author Emma Palova Leave a comment

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.

https://emmapalova123.podbean.com

If you would like to be a guest and or a sponsor please comment below.

I am looking forward to Christmas through Lowell on Nov. 14, 15 & 16. I will be at the Lowell Area Historical Museum on Main St. in downtown Lowell.

Other author’s events TBD. Check your inbox for my newsletter.

Pictured below author Emma Palova with IIBA founder Nim Stant.

book podcasts, book promotions, festivals, For the Love of Books Podcast, Shifting Sands Short Stories, Shifting Sands: Secrets, Uncategorized

Author’s events this summer

July 22, 2024 emmapalova Leave a comment

I am excited about my summer schedule at the following venues:

Saugatuck Village Square Art Fair, July 27 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Booth 402

I will be at the village art fair with my books and 80 other vendors in this beautiful resort on Lake Michigan. It was precisely this town that inspired my best-selling book Shifting Sands: The Lost Town more than 20 years ago. As I stood in front of the historical marker in downtown Saugatuck, I knew the nearby town of Singapore buried somewhere in the dunes would make for a great story.

The Holland Sentinel headlined the article about my book Town’s Tale ‘Just Stayed With Me.’ Sometimes it even haunted me, but it wasn’t until 2021 that I sat down and penned the manuscript during National Novel Writing Month.

The Lost Town

The historical fiction novel is set in 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 and pioneers like Oshea Wilder. 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?

I will be in booth 402 on Butler Street, so come on down to the heart of the book’s action. This is my first time selling books in Saugatuck, so I am looking forward to meeting new fans.

Lake Odessa Art in the Park, Aug. 3 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Booth 122

This will be my first time selling books in Lak-O at Art in the Park. I’ve covered many stories here as a journalist for The Ionia Sentinel-Standard, and I absolutely love the lake, and looking forward to meeting new fans.

Wild Blueberry Festival, Paradise, Aug. 16-18. Booth 34

https://www.wildblueberryfestival.org/

Cross the Big Mac and head up to the UP for three days of the best festival. It’s three days of Pure Michigan fun UP style.

Fallasburg Village, Sept. 14 & 15

Cross the Covered Bridge and step into the historical village of Fallasburg to meet author Emma Palova at the one-room schoolhouse.

For the Love of Books Podcast

Listen in to win a copy of my book or other authors’ books on your favorite podcasting app.

https://emmapalova123.podbean.com/

Sign up for my newsletter to stay in the loop on happenings in our authors’ world. Find your next favorite read on our show.

For the Love of Books Podcast, National Novel Writing Month, Uncategorized

NaNoWriMo Day 30 comes full circle

November 30, 2023 Author Emma Palova 1 Comment

On the last day of the 50k-word challenge, I logged 1,302 words for a grand total of 53,796 words, two days after I reached the finish line.

The last day of the challenge came full circle as I went out on the trail on a sunny November day. It was 46 F and mild, and a runner was ahead of me. We passed the frozen lake without ducks on the left and crossed the small bridge. I felt good.

My author friends and I went into the challenge after I posted a special episode of For the Love of Books Podcast on Oct. 31. It carried me through and through. I kept repeating the words, “Keep pushing through.” If you hit the wall, skip to the next chapter. It was priceless advice. Thank you, my friends. Out of seven authors tackling the challenge, two of us finished, which is pretty good, because the average rate of finishing the challenge is 10 to 15 percent. YAY!

To listen to it go to https://emmapalova123.podbean.com

I am looking forward to the festive holiday episodes with authors Cassie Veselovsky, Barbara Kompik, and Kenneth Harmon. Currently, I am scheduling January. All recordings are on Zoom on Thursdays at 5 p.m. To sign up go to:

For the Love of Books Podcast

For the Love of Books Podcast, healing

Happy New Year 2023

January 1, 2023 emmapalova Leave a comment

Wishing everyone a great new year. May all your dreams, hopes and wishes come true this year.

Wish big, reach high. Disrupt a category, break your breaking point. Help others reach their goals. Don’t stop. Start something new. Be an innovator. Set lofty goals. Be generous and kind. Don’t settle into status quo. Change with the changing times.

Never give up.

Watch for my first podcast of the year. You don’t want to miss it.

Authors events, For the Love of Books Podcast, National Novel Writing Month, Uncategorized

Deals on Emma’s books to celebrate NaNoWriMo victory, free shipping

November 28, 2022 emmapalova 1 Comment

I will not be at West Catholic Central tomorrow Dec.3 Please order books below. I offer free shipping. Books make great gifts and souvenirs.

I logged in 50,036 words with my sequel to The Lost Town in the NaNoWriMo 50K word challenge this morning at 9 a.m.

To celebrate my third-time win in National Novel Writing Month, all my books will be 20 percent off until midnight EST on Nov. 30 for the duration of the challenge.

From an aspiring writer to a published author

Use promo code NaNo22 in the PayPal checkout.

Books by Emma Palova

SCHEDULE OF GUESTS for December 2022

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 on https://anchor.fm/emma-palova, major podcasting apps

December Schedule

Steve Boughton, Francesco Takes Flight, Dec. 2

Janet Vormittag, Cat Women of West Michigan, Dec. 9

Herman Hunter, The Wizard’s Stone, Dec. 16

Karen Tintori, The Daughters, Dec. 23

Carol Nickles, Thumbfire Desire, Dec. 30

Sponsored by Doc Chavent, The Lowell Ledger, Modern History Press

For the Love of Books Podcast, Uncategorized

Panel of Fear will spook you before Halloween

October 26, 2022 emmapalova 1 Comment

There is no rest for the wicked.

The special episode, Panel of Fear with horror authors Andrew Smith, Matthew Hellman, Craig Brockman, Bob Williams, and ghost author Stacey Rourke will air this week on For the Love of Books Podcast just in time to get spooked before Halloween.

Asylums, roller coasters, haunted houses, psychics, Zombie walks through the night forests, a man hangs himself during a Halloween scare in the closeby woods, nature at its worst, we drive out to the piers….why do we seek out fear? Or does fear seek us out? Is it natural or supernatural? Normal or paranormal? Do ghosts exist? Is the Tower Farm haunted?

“It definitely is,” said its former resident Addie Abel.

We sneak into attics and basements to find what? When was the last time you were scared? And why? What profound experience has influenced your actions?

We all have a dark side, and not all of us manage it well, according to Dr. Kathryn Den Houter, author of the psychological thriller ‘Prison Shadows.’

This year, Halloween expenditures are projected to reach a record high of $11 billion, according to Statista.

Author Kathryn Den Houter on fear

Dr. Kathryn Den Houter, author and retired psychologist.

“The reason why people seek out fear is that humans feel the most alive when we are in the state of mixed emotions: When we have fear yet are on the alert for excitement we are titillated. Our brain and emotions are working at full capacity. We yearn for the peak experiences that let us know we are “truly alive,” said Dr. Kathryn Den Houter.

Den Houter is a retired psychologist, the author of five books, and a fan of Alfred Hitchcock.

So let’s take a look at our panelists:

Author Craig Brockman

Author Craig Brockman currently lives with his wife Sally in Tecumseh, Michigan. In 2020 he published the ghost novel “Dead of November: A Novel of Lake Superior”, in 2007 the middle grade “Marty and the Far Woodchuck”, and in 2022 “Curve of the Earth”, and has been published in anthologies

Dead of November

Ghosts of those drowned and never recovered are swarming from Lake Superior. But they are not there to haunt the living. They are fleeing something far more sinister.

Author Matthew Hellman

Author Matthew Hellman earned his BS in Electrical Engineering from Michigan Technological University calls Michigan’s U.P. home. He has been writing since 2013. His published works include the novel “Solomon’s Seal”, the novel “The Biting Cold”, the novella “The Hawthorne Blow”, and a short story in “Six Guns Straight from Hell”. “The Biting Cold” and “The Hawthorne Blow” both take place in the upper peninsula of Michigan.

The Biting Cold

The residents of a small Michigan town fight to survive in a brutal winter storm. But their fight isn’t against the storm, it’s against what the storm has awakened.

Author Stacey Rourke, Corpse Queen

Author Andrew Allen Smith

Smith is a prolific author of Masterson Files, poetry, and most recently two short story anthologies ‘Slice of Fear’ and ‘Another Slice of Fear.”

Another Slice of Fear

Are you ready to see how deep the rabbit hole can go? Another Slice of Fear contains 16 original short stories from the mind of Andrew Allen Smith that may help you get there.

Author Bob Williams, A Yooper’s Tale

http://emmapalova123.podbean.com

The feature photo of Fallasburg Sunrise is by Bruce Doll.

book podcast, books, For the Love of Books Podcast, Michigan authors, Shifting Sands, Shifting Sands Short Stories, Uncategorized

Michigan Authors at Holland Art in the Park on Aug. 6

August 2, 2022 emmapalova 4 Comments

By Emma Palova

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

https://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!

-Nancy Price Stroosnyder

Authors events, book covers, book marketing, book podcast, book release, book signing, fiction, For the Love of Books Podcast, historical fiction, Indie authors, Michigan authors, Uncategorized

New book coming soon, author Emma Palova hits the road in June, July & August

May 31, 2022 emmapalova 1 Comment

Detroit Virtual Book Fair, July 15-17, link to the catalog of my books in my virtual booth coming soon.

Emma Palova, author

For the Love of Books Podcast, Uncategorized

Books podcast one year anniversary

March 22, 2022 emmapalova Leave a comment

I’ve just found out from Facebook memories that it’s been one year since the first episode of For the Love of Books Podcast aired on major podcasting apps.

I was honored to have Diana Plopa of Pages Promotions as my first guest author, and a big-time supporter. And the support continued with founding authors Jean Davis, Luba Lesychyn, Ingar Rudholm, Andrew Smith, Joan Young, and countless others.

Our daughter Doc Chavent sponsored the show from the get-go, most recently joined by Modern History Press which supports its fine authors. So new horizons are opening for all of us as spring is in the air after the long winter.

I am pleased to welcome author guests from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula Mikel Classen, Phil Bellfy, Robin Marvel, Chris Stark, Deborah Frontiera and Sharon Kennedy, because who doesn’t love U.P. its magic and mysteries. Also in the line-up are Mike Carrier, Elizabeth Fust and Victor Volkman, president of L H Press Inc.

This will be an exciting time as we navigate upcoming big events like the Lakeshore Art Festival (LAF) in Muskegon and different Art in the Park events around the state of Michigan, as well as Expos.

In the special episodes, we offer tips like how to win and survive the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo.) Prior to major events, I chat with the show organizers.

Stop by at any of the events to pick up your next favorite read and chat with us. We care about our fans.

For the Love of Books Podcast, Uncategorized

Author Mikel Classen on For the Love of Books Podcast

March 21, 2022 emmapalova 1 Comment

Mikel B. Classen has been writing and photographing northern Michigan in newspapers and magazines for over thirty-five years, creating feature articles about the life and culture of Michigan’s north country. A journalist, historian, photographer, and author with a fascination of the world around him, he enjoys researching and writing about lost stories from the past.

Currently, he is the managing editor of the U.P. Reader and is a member of the Board of Directors for the Upper Peninsula Publishers and Authors Association. In 2020, Mikel won the Historical Society of Michigan’s, George Follo Award for Upper Peninsula History. Classen makes his home in the oldest city in Michigan, historic Sault Ste. Marie. He is also a collector of out-of-print history books and historical photographs and prints of Upper Michigan. At Northern Michigan University, he studied English, history, journalism, and photography.

His book, Au Sable Point Lighthouse, Beacon on Lake Superior’s Shipwreck Coast; was published in 2014 and his book, Teddy Roosevelt and the Marquette Libel Trial; was published in 2015. Both by the History Press. He has a book of fiction called Lake Superior Tales published by Modern History Press, which won the 2020 U.P. Notable Book Award. His newest release is Points North a non-fiction travel book published in 2019 by Modern History Press. Points North has received the Historical Society of Michigan’s, “Outstanding Michigan History Publication,” along with the 2021 U.P. Notable Book Award.

True Tales

True Tales – The Forgotten History of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Stories of piracy, lost gold mines, the origin of the Copper Boom, profiles of people of note, Starvation on Isle Royale, and one of the darkest periods of Michigan history, all True Tales of the early days of the Upper Peninsula Frontier. Penned by U.P. historian, Mikel B. Classen, years of research are culminated in a book that reveals history on the verge of being lost to time. The book collects stories from across the northern peninsula making this an essential book for any Michigan history enthusiast.