Category Archives: short stories

author events, book marketing, book signing, events, fiction, inspiration, local author, Shifting Sands Short Stories, short stories, Uncategorized, WGVU Morning Show, writing

Emma’s author events

July 19, 2018 emmapalova 1 Comment

Lowell author expands events this summer

Lowell, MI – Lowell author Emma Palova will be featured live on WGVU Morning Show with host Shelley Irwin on July 26 at 10 a.m. WGVU is a service of the Grand Valley State University, a PBS member.

Palova will be talking with Irwin about her book “Shifting Sands Short Stories.” Palova, a former reporter for the Lowell Ledger, penned the collection of 13 short stories for more than two decades.

The stories are based on her immigration experience from former Czechoslovakia, journalistic and retail experience in the USA.

Author Emma Palova

Most recently, Palova was featured in the Grand Rapids Magazine City Guide 2018-2019 in the life & style section, Reading Room: The long road to resilience.

“I know it might sound cheesy, but even though not all the stories have happy endings, that doesn’t mean that everything that happens to us is either good or bad. It isn’t always that clear,” she said. “The real art is in discerning it.”

This Saturday, July 21st, Palova can be found at the Ludington Writer’s Rendezvous along with 28 Michigan authors. The event runs from 10 to 3 p.m., at the Ludington Center for Arts. It is free to the public.

She will be at the Lowell Arts Gallery on July 28^th& Aug. 4^th from 1 to 3 p.m. to sign books and offer writing and publishing tips during the new “Captured: A Photography Exhibition.”

Palova is a member of the newly-formed LowellArts Writer’s Group which meets every Monday evening from 7 to 9 p.m. Contact Debra Dunning for more information at 897-8545.

Palova is currently working on a sequel to “Shifting Sands” and a memoir about the family immigration saga spanning three generations. Palova has also written a screenplay “Riddleyville Clowns”@Emma Palova.

Shifting Sands Short Stories is available on Amazon, Schuler Books in GR and Lansing and at the Kent District Library branches.

Palova is looking for a publisher for her first novel “Fire on Water” based on her experience from former communist Czechoslovakia.

For more info on the WGVU morning show go to: wgvunews.org.

Watch “Interview with author Emma Palova” on YouTube

April 8, 2018 emmapalova Leave a comment

Here is a link to my author interview at LowellArts on April 7, 2018.

The reason I picked this venue is because of their recent move to Main Street. The new location on Main has been a dream come true for LowellArts much like my new book “Shifting Sands Short Stories” has been for me.

Main Street is the major source of inspiration for the lead story “Tonight on Main” in my new book “Shifting Sands Short Stories.” It is also featured in my Shifting Sands: Secrets book II. (c) 2018 Emma Palova

The interview followed a short video “From Idea to Final.” I am currently editing the video about the creative process from the initial spark through incubation to the final product, whether it is a book, a play, a screenplay, video production or a film.

I will also post a transcript to both videos. I wrote the script on celtx script app. It’s easy to use; perfect for pre-production.

For more info on pre-production tools go to http://www.celtx.com.

Join us live from Calvin College conference on writing April 12 through April 14.

Pardon me. I could not Crank out the live video.

The festival schedule was so packed, that it sometimes allowed only 15 minutes between lectures located on two campuses.

But, I will post today and tomorrow full stories from the FFW, Festival on Faith & Writing that ended on Saturday.

author events, Czech events, Daily Post prompt, Easter, festivals, inspiration, short stories, social media, Uncategorized, writing

Taurus on edge before Easter

March 28, 2018 emmapalova Leave a comment

As my horoscope states, I am quite on the edge today.

I am trying to sort through tons of information; everything from Bell’s Oberon summer release, Facebook mess, First & Second amendment demonstrations, “Stormy” interview with Anderson Cooper, stormy weather in Michigan, Kim’s message about China, and Easter Triduum preparations.

Amidst all of that, I am getting ready for the Calvin College Festival of Faith and Writing from April 12 through April 14 in Grand Rapids.

I am waffling back and forth between two manuscripts to submit to the Festival. Only one is allowed via the Submittable app. It’s a good thing that I have manuscripts to choose from for publication.

Most of the workshops and festival circles have filled up already. The roster of speakers is so huge that I just don’t know who to pick.

“It can be an overwhelming conference,” wrote my fellow writer and friend Tamela. “I heard Anne Lamont a few years ago…she was awesome.”

The iPad calendar is showing me that I have a webinar in one minute, and a meeting at noon.

I already missed the “blessing of the oils” @St.Andrews Cathedral yesterday.

My facebook friend warned me that he is shutting down his account, because he doesn’t believe FB provides a net-positive contribution to the world.

“We all have a finite amount of time to invest,” he wrote. “The return on investment of my time on Fb, other than the connection with my immediate family, is not worth it.”

Oh, yes; Facebook and fear. I have yet to write about that. I promised that to my fellow writer Sheryl.

“What’s up with that fear?” she asked.

We’re picking up my brother Vas on Good Friday in Paris, MI. That is, if he decides to come and spend the Easter with us.

My parents Ella & Vaclav Konecny are staying in Venice, Fl for Easter.

Stay tuned for full post about Czech & Slovak Easter traditions right here on EW Emma’s Writings.

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, the great Russian playwright and short-story writer, said that you must first incubate your story idea for at least two days, so it comes out right.

I must Incubate all this.

http://www.tarot.com/daily-horoscope/taurus

arts, content writing, Daily Post prompt, fiction, film, inspiration, poetry, publishing, short stories, Uncategorized, writing

Writers group network

March 15, 2018 emmapalova Leave a comment

From idea to paper, bit, print & market

LowellArts to form a writers group

Lowell, MI- Are you a writer or an author interested in networking to gain insights into the publishing industry?

Have you encountered endless obstacles on your writing journey that seem to lead nowhere? Are your manuscripts collecting dust? Do you have a stack of rejections from agents?

Have you ever doubted yourself on your writing journey from the original idea to seeing your book on the bookshelf at the local Schuler Books store or at your hometown library?

Are you still wishing you could see your screenplay on the big screen?

A writers group will bring confidence and synergy to your writing, screenwriting & publishing efforts. It will help streamline them into a flow of great content for publishing: print, digital, audible and/or all of the above.

It will provide a platform for the exchange of ideas and insights with fellow wordsmiths.

You can start by joining the Facebook group: Writers Loop

https://www.facebook.com/groups/880655965317296/

Contact Emma at 1-616-550-3885 or email me at emmapalova@yahoo.com

Also follow my publishing blog Edition Emma Publishing

http://editionemma.wordpress.com

For more info on LowellArts go to:

http://www.lowellartsmi.org

About the feature photo & logo:

The path shows the poet’s Meandering journey through the woods of the publishing maze. The lights of insight are shining on it.

The poem is by an unknown poet

I see a pleasant path, and I begin to ramble

On either side are thorns and rocks

The ground is full of brambles……..

Fallen trees to trip me, the woods are very dark…..

But around the corner, and down the path,

I think I can see a park,

I think I’ll walk on the path today, the woods are too scary..

The path is my way,

It has a few hills as I walk toward the park,

But the sun is shining, and I am not in the dark……

It is simple to do….

Just stay on the path,

And we’ll walk with you!

art, author events, book signing, books, excerpts, fiction, inspiration, local author, love, prompts, Shifting Sands Short Stories, short stories, Uncategorized, writing

Emma’s book signing @LowellArts, tips on how to write about love

February 2, 2018 emmapalova Leave a comment

Come for inspiration and author’s insights to my February book signing of Shifting Sands Short Stories tomorrow on Feb. 3 at 1 pm at LowellArts.
I will share writing tips on how to write about love, with or without a happy ending.

Edition Emma Publishing

Writings of a love stifled by years of monotony

Stop by at the Lowell Arts gallery in downtown Lowell this Saturday Feb. 3 for my book signing of Shifting Sands Short Stories from 1 pm to 4 pm.

I will be sharing author’s insights from the publishing industry, and answering questions such as:

How many hours a week do you think I spend on marketing my new book and my writing business Emma Blogs, LLC?

What are the most effective channels of marketing?

Should you pay and how much for advertising of your book?

How do you stand out? What makes you unique?

How do you reach the right reader?

Feel free to shoot me an email with your questions at emmapalova@yahoo.com.

Bring a copy of my new book for an autograph. You can buy it locally at Schuler Books in Grand Rapids, Lansing Okemos or on Amazon. I will…

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arts, author events, book promotions, book signing, fiction, giveaway, inspiration, local author, publishing, Shifting Sands Short Stories, short stories, Uncategorized

Amazon.com: Emma Palova: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle

January 23, 2018 emmapalova 1 Comment

Hello friends,

Today I am working out of our local coffee shop Sweet Seasons because of yesterday’s storm that knocked out the power and Wi-Fi.

I might make this glitch into a habit.

Don’t miss out on my giveaway of kindle e-book Shifting Sands Short Stories today and tomorrow on Amazon. Currently, I am in the process of scheduling my next giveaway.

All you need is the kindle app from Google play store or Apple app store to download and read the book.

I appreciate your reviews on Amazon.

Also check out my book trailer on https://youtu.be/xA0wH_ACGE4

I am currently working on Shifting Sands Book 2: Secrets

My next book signing of Shifting Sands Short Stories will be on Feb.3 at @LowellArts from 1 to 4 pm.

You can buy my book locally at Schuler Books in Grand Rapids and in Lansing. Bring a copy with you for an autograph.

I will be offering tips on how to finish your book in 2018. See you there.

This action plan follows my marketing Strategy to touch the reader four to five times.

First contact via EW Emma’s Writings blog, social media, Authors Central on Amazon, author’s page on Goodreads, personal book signings at local venues and writers’ conferences like the upcoming Calvin College Conference in Grand Rapids.

You will also enjoy the marvelous Grand Valley Artists Show-In View.

For more info on Lowell Arts go to:

https://www.lowellartsmi.org

Watch for my next kindle ebook giveaway of Shifting Sands Short Stories on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Emma-Palova/e/B0711XJ6GY

author events, blogging, book signing, content writing, Daily Post prompt, fiction, inspiration, memoir, prompts, Shifting Sands Short Stories, short stories, Uncategorized, WordPress, WordPress anniversary, writing

Five years on WordPress

January 15, 2018 emmapalova 3 Comments

What I have learned while blogging on the WordPress platform

By Emma Palova

Lowell, MI – It’s hard to believe that yesterday marked five years since my registration on WordPress. My first post “About” followed on Jan. 15, 2013.

Some people asked me at my author’s book signings of Shifting Sands Short Stories, why do you need a blog, if you have a Facebook page. There are at least a million reasons to blog; for me the most important one was to support my fiction career.

anniversary-2x — Five years on WordPress.

I had a successful journalistic print career for two decades, and I wanted to build on that following with a virtual audience. When I embarked on penning our immigration saga from communist Czechoslovakia titled “Greenwich Meridian: Where East meets West” agent Barbara Lowenstein of Lowestein Associates Inc. suggested I need a blog/website.

I didn’t have a Facebook page, so I startedmy blog on WordPress with 0 followers that grew to two brave pioneers, Lowell artist Kathleen Mooney and Vergennes Broadband owner Ryan Peel. My Twitter account was insignificant.

Over the years, I built the blog out just like you would build a fortress, stone by stone, wall by wall; that is post by post, page by page.

I’ve compiled the following Q&A based on what people asked me in person and on the Internet. These include my insights gained over the last five years, including the publishing of my new book in the summer of 2017 on kdp publishing platform.

Q & A:

Q:How often do you post?

A: Twice a week, usually on Tuesdays and Fridays before the weekend.

Q: What do you write about on a weekly basis that grows your following?

A: You have to be able to offer a value to your readers based on the subject matter of your blog. Be relevant.

For example: if you have a food blog (and I do), give out recipes.

Q: What inspires you?

A: Everyday life and writing. As an author and a writer, I write every day. Even if it’s not writing behind the computer screen, I write in my wide ruled spiral notebook. I jot down notes of everyday observations. I always keep these handy for future reference.

Q: What kind of insights have you gained during your blogging & author careers?

A: This is where I have to distinguish between blogging and being an author of fiction.

Even though one feeds into the other, that is blogging feeds into my fiction writing and vice versa, there is a difference.

Blogging: Numbers matter, that’s why you have to work the social media relentlessly. Connect your social media platforms to your blog. Post on a regular basis. Build a faithful following.

Fiction writing: Write every day solid blocks of coherent text. Seek feedback, reviews and build a network of contacts. Make public appearances so people know about you.

In both cases, nurture the contacts in your network with a monthly newsletter. Enahnce writing with videos and book trailers.

In the sea of daily published new books in different formats, you cannot expect the reader to find you. You have to find the right reader to match what you have written.

Q: Where and when does it all come together?

A: It all comes together once you’re published on publishing and readers’ platforms.

Publishing platforms:

Kdp publishing on Amazon. Update your author centrale page.

https://www.amazon.com/Emma-Palova/e/B0711XJ6GY

Readers’ platforms

Goodreads authors

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16875736.Emma_Palova

Summary: In both blogging and as an author encourage engagement with reviews, questions and feedback.

As such, I will be actively answering your questions until my departure for writer’s retreat in Florida on Feb. 8 on all platforms. Use slug: Emma answers.

Tips: You Study the forums and help materials on WordPress.

You not only study the materials, but you implement everything that you have learned. Don’t forget to visit other blogs.on the Dai ly Post round-up. They are a constant source of inspiration.

To get discovered and for further insights: Participate in the Daily Post prompts

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/

Happy blogging and writing.

Thank you WordPress for providing this free platform to all writers, authors and dreamers around the globe.

books, Christmas, inspiration, short stories, Uncategorized

Book a friend

December 18, 2017 emmapalova Leave a comment

Books are perfect gifts for any age. They put a smile on a child’s face as they hold their first book in their little hands for the first time.

They also put a smile on your friend’s or grandma’s face s they glance at another new novel yet.

There’s still time to buy a book this week as a last minute gift. Just in the “Nick” of time.

Featured photo: Illustration of the nativity scene by Czech illustrator & writer Josef Lada.

via Book as a friend

giveaway, Shifting Sands Short Stories, short stories, Uncategorized, wild game

Wild game dinner

December 4, 2017 emmapalova Leave a comment

8th annul wild game dinner at St. Pat’s featured many suprises

By Emma Palova

Parnell, MI -To close off this year’s hunting season, which runs in Michigan from Nov. 15 through Nov. 30, my husband Ludek and I went to the annual wild game dinner at St. Pat’s on Dec.1.

Neither one of us hunts anything except maybe seashells or Petoskey stones on Lake Michigan, but we’ve heard nothing but great things about this premier event. It is also impossible to get into this camo gala complete with a gun raffle. I still don’t know what got us in this year, since most people buy tickets for next year as soon as one dinner is over.

I got a phone call that we have been added in. The event is a fundraiser for the youth ministry. What followed was a surprise after a surprise. They just never stopped coming in.

First of all I noticed horses and a mule in the gym set up with tables for the dinner. There were live trees behind them and bales. On the basketball posts were stuffed trophies of a cougar, but I couldn’t see the other one.

The place was full to the rafters of its capacity of 385 people. I felt like on Tenterhookssince I didn’t know what to expect, let alone what to wear. So I just wore a dress and boots. My husband was the one who was dressed up to “kill” in his navy dress jacket with a shirt with fish design and a green tie.

There was only one person who beat him in his white velvet vest, bow tie and black shirt. He looked like he lost his way from Hollywood into the northern woods. Later, I found out it was the announcer.

However, I didn’t feel out-of-place or out of my element in spite of all the camouflage outfits. The boots saved me. Since, it was a potluck, there were hundreds of different dishes ranging from pheasant, venison meatballs, venison salami and steel head.

A creative giveaway

Plus I had a task too. I donated my new book “Shifting Sands Short Stories” into one of the baskets. The prizes also were great; everything a hunter could possible dream of, and for his hunter’s widow too. These included crossbows, bows, camo outfits and much more.

But, the best was yet to come. That was the gun raffle and the bidding on a steak and beer dinner with Fr. Mark Peacock. The dinner with the Fr. Mark was auctioned off for $2,500 for six couples.

A 50:50 raffle wrapped it up. There were also games set up in the cafeteria along with the prizes, and the buffet style game dinner. This was the 8th year for the dinner, that has been steadily growing.

It was a night to remember. Thank you for an unforgettable experience.

blogging, books, Daily Post prompt, excerpts, inspiration, love, poetry, prompts, short stories, Uncategorized, WordPress, writing

Shakespeare by proxy

November 4, 2017 emmapalova 2 Comments

Shakespeare on a chocolate wrapper

I have Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” by Proxy on the wrapper of my salted almond butter dark chocolate.

The other day, I ate the entire chocolate bar in the morning for breakfast to get some energy. Now, that is exactly 480 calories. But, it did the trick of putting me back on my feet. Prior to eating the chocolate bar, I felt like a snake making his way through the tall grass by my pond.

Breaking into writing space

However, I didn’t realize until today what was going on. I was entering the subconscious working space of my new book “Riddleyville Secrets.” It took all that energy to break the outside barriers of consciousness.

And following are William Shakespeare’s lines from “Romeo and Juliet”:

Juliet:

A thousand times good-night!

Romeo:

A thousand times the worse, to want thy light.

Love goes toward love, as schoolboys from their books;

But love from love, toward school with heavy looks.

Juliet:

Hist! Romeo, hist! O! for a falconer’s voice,

To lure this tassel-gentle back again.

Bondage is hoarse, and may not speak aloud,

Else would I tear the cave where Echo lies,