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
“I believe that what you write is Sacred Text. I see it as my calling to ascribe reverence to your written word through the respect of our friendship; and in so doing, support a legacy that will last generations.”
Diana Plopa
Lowell, MI – I started the podcast “For the love of books” inspired by Indie author advocate, Diana Kathryn Wolfe- Plopa. I originally planned a blog post for my series “Inspiring Women” geared toward the International Women’s Day. Well, that has branched out into a venture of its own “March Escapades into Podcasting” and eventually into a full podcast dedicated to Indie, small press authors and beyond.
Plopa, a prolific writer, has penned nine books in nine different genres. She supports Indie authors through her Pages Promotions virtual events and much more started during the COVID-19 pandemic in the summer of 2020.
During her most recent winter virtual festival “Blind Date with a Book,” I met more amazing authors, whom I invited to this podcast.
iHeartRadio podcast with Emma Palova & Diana Plopa
Canadian author Luba Lesychyn takes us behind the scenes of the Royal Ontario Museum
Luba Lesychyn is a mystery writer who has drawn from her more than 20 years experiences working at Canada’s largest museum, the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, to write her two humorous international art theft novels featuring capricious museum employee and reluctant sleuth Kalena Boyko.
Her journey to writing Theft By Chocolate and Theft Between the Rains initially stemmed from a love of film and she has published both traditionally and independently. From travelling to Southern Italy to find a publisher to quickly pivoting and launching into engaging virtual readings with libraries during the pandemic, Luba learned early to adapt to the rapidly changing world of publishing and book marketing and to share her fresh stories, quirky characters, and the enigmatic behind-the-scenes world of museums with readers.
I met Jean Davis in downtown Muskegon as the organizer of the Authors’ Tent at the Lakeshore Art Festival (LAF) in the summer of 2019.
In person events:
This year the festival will be held on June 26 & 27.
Jean Davis writes science fiction and fantasy from the comfort of her magical writing chair in West Michigan. When taking a break from fictional people, she spends time with her musical husband, a small flock of ducks and chickens, and two attention-craving terriers. Occasionally, she ventures outside to play in her flower garden, visit the local breweries, and eat gluttonous amounts of sushi.
She is the author of eight books, including a space opera series, The Narvan, two short story collections, and three standalone novels. While everything was canceled over the past year, she finished several books that had been languishing on her hard drive. Not Another Bard’s Tale, a humorous fantasy novel will be out this spring and the last two books in her space opera series are slated for a fall release.
Listen to Jean Davis speak about her writing craft next Wednesday, March 31 on your favorite podcasting platform.
If you would like to be a featured guest on the podcast or a sponsor of “For the love of books” contact Emma in the comment section below or email Emma at emmapalova@yahoo.com
Copyright (c) 2021. Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.
Lowell, MI – Check out the first episode of “For the love of books” podcast with Indie author and advocate Diana Plopa. Plopa is a prolific author who has penned nine books in nine different genres; currently she’s working on four more genres. And she doesn’t get them mixed up.
She is a staunch supporter of other Indie authors, and her main goal as the founder of Pages Promotions, LLC is to connect readers with authors in a changed world following COVID-19.
Our next featured guest will be Canadian author Luba Lesychyn. Submit your questions for Luba via the comment section or the Facebook messenger.
If you would like to be on the podcast show as a featured guest contact me in the comment section or on the Facebook messenger. If you would like to be a sponsor of the podcast show, email Emma at emmapalova@yahoo.com.
You will support a brave group of pioneer authors who are navigating the sometimes treacherous waters of self-publishing with small marketing budgets for their books. They share a special camaraderie through their common venture of getting their word out.
Your business/organization will get exposure on all the podcasting platforms and on YouTube.
Here are the links to both the video and the podcast:
For the love of books podcast video.
The podcast.
About the featured photo: A masked moose in an Irish community in Cannonsburg, Michigan. BTW, the Honey Creek Inn served up an excellent Irish stew made from lamb on Tuesday.
Copyright (c) 2021. Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.
I decided to venture into podcasting after being intervied by podcast hosts in the fall when my new book “Greenwich Meridian Memoir” came out. Podcasts are fun and the insights gained from authors are enriching much like their books.
I’ve met so many cool authors on my book gigs and the camaraderie is truly amazing. Forget about competition between Indie authors. We help promote each other as much as we can. Some authors feature other authors on their blogs and in the pre-covid era they helped organize authors’ events. We bond well together and buy each others books.
We’ve just finished the Winter Virtual Book Festival which was a blast hosted by author Diana Plopa and a Summer Virtual Book Festival will happen in June.
The goal is to promote each other’s work, as well as our own. As any author can tell you, the hardest part of the publishing process is marketing of the books due to the enourmous quantity of everything on the market.
Self-publishing has become somewhat easier even though I can’t say it’s easy. On my author’s gigs, people ask me all sorts of questions; from how long does it take to write a book to editing.
A fun question is about the book covers. The best answer is to hire a graphic artist whose work you know. I did the covers to my first two books by myself. The second cover to “Secrets”stirred some commotion as it is an optical illussion and people saw different things in it. The title of the photo is “The Face of Gossip.” So you can imagine the reaction.
The purpose of this podcast it to introduce the authors and their work with a little twist about their life. People do ask questions about our lives. None of us has struck a pot of gold, at least not yet. Many authors hold full-time jobs, and write at night.
I am a morning writer, so I must write in the morning. How did I fit in writing when I was a full-time reporter? Not so great, but I still wrote before work.
The other thing the public wants to is how often do I write? Everyday except for weekends and sometimes on Saturdays.
What do I enjoy the most about writing is the escape from reality. So come and join us.
“I want to dance always, to be good and not evil, and when it is all over not to have the feeling that I might have done better.”
-Ruth St. Denis
Dancing into the fourth week of the Winter Virtual Book Festival, I hear thawing snow drops falling from our gutters and making holes in the white cupola on the balcony. The sun flooded my Covid Sanctuary with golden rays. Most importantly I heard birds chirping in the pergola this morning.
Last night the festival participants marvelled at the readings of childrens’ book authors Carol Trembath, Jordan Scavone and MT Falgoust.
Children’s authors at the Winter Virtual Book Festival.
Leave behind your old misconceptions, that children’s books are for kids only. I’ve personally devoured the Indie authors presentations with illustrations like I would have a pepperoni pizza with tons of cheese.
Trembath and Scavone tackled serious subjects like Covid and grief. In her “Fairies and the Global Tree to the Rescue,” Trembath depicts scared fairies seeking help from the Global Tree. The fairies are told to wear a mask and wash their hands and “pixie wings” to stay safe from the “Fairy Flu.” The illustrations were so surreal, that the Global Tree even scared me.
In Scavone’s “Might-E Emilia”, Emilia searches for her inner superhero in the wake of her grandfather Abuelo’s death. Can she find the superhero?
MT Falgoust presented a tasty count down for young readers in “Ten little Crawfish” including a stop for a Mardi Gras parade.
In case you missed it, visit the festival PopUp Book Shop at pagespromotions.com and get your signed book.
I’ve learned so much in the festival workshops about social media marketing for authors presented earlier in the month. Last week, historical fiction authors JuliAnne Sisung and Xander Cross unraveled for us mysteries in histories such as: “Why does history repeat itself?” and that YouTube can be used for primary history research. Hm, who would have thought.
There’s still much more coming this final week as the snowbanks on our gravel road continue to melt. Tonight I will immerse myself with more historical fiction writers who are still undercover until they appear in the Zoom room. However, we will not know which book they are reading from; thus the festival theme “Blind Date with a Book.”
Last but definitely not the least of the festival workshops is “Building Suspense” by author Andrew Smith who will be giving away his “Slice of Fear” to workshop participants. Smith has also served as a backstage hand to the festival organizer Diana Plopa along with author Kate McNeal.
Don’t miss non-fiction readings on Thursday and science fiction this coming Saturday.
Stay tuned for the details on replays, the PopUp Book Shop and the Festival Wrap Up Party on Sunday.
Huzzah!
Copyright (c) 2021. Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.
Parnell, MI – I picked up our Lenten rice bowl at St. Pat’s Church Parish offices in Parnell this morning right after the Friday mass along with the Little Black Book of six-minute meditations. The daily meditations booklet is my “vade mecum” that will travel with me for the next 50 days. The booklet’s cover is black without a title making it easy to read anywhere without stirring attention.
Secretary Darci Mierendorf informed they were running out of print materials really fast.
“I suppose that’s a good thing,” she said. “We’ve increased the mass attendance list to 140 names.”
Ah, the list that we haven’t been able to get on to participate in a Sunday or a feast mass, is ever elusive. By the time I open the sign-up form on Monday morning, it’s usually filled up except for the early morning masses.
Darci said that the Bishop has lifted the dispensation from Sunday masses as of Ash Wednesday. However, if you can’t get on the list after putting forth the effort, you are allowed to watch live streaming on Facebook both from St. Andrew’s Cathedral and from St. Pat’s.
We’ve been doing just that for close to a year now as COVID-19 hit during last year’s Lent.
I’ve always been fascinated by the power of the rice bowl to help the needy around the globe. For example $40 goes for infant scales to measure growth, $80 can buy chickens to provide eggs for protein and income. $120 contributes to a household garden for family nutrition.
During Lent, I embark on different journeys and the one below started on Feb. 1 and I absolutely love it. It’s my literary pilgrimige that I hope to make into a tradition.
Winter Virtual Book Festival by Pages Promotions LLC.
Blind date with a book going strong
Last night the history workshop with authors JuliAnne Sisung and Xander Cross was so informative, that I might have to buy a replay of it for $5. Loaded with information, the two authors covered so much territory that I had trouble distinguishing between the past, present and the future.
Among the many discoveries that shocked me was that YouTube can be used as a primary research tool much like digging in the attic for old letters, photos and postcards or visiting your hometown museum.
“There are two types of history,” said Sisung. “Cultural and social.”
We also found out that human nature is slow to evolve and that historic events cycle, thus the saying “history repeats itself.”
I realized that while writing my new book “Greenwich Meridian Memoir” which is set on the backdrop of two major historical events: the 1968 Prague Spring and the 1989 Velvet Revolution.
I used this opening quote to roll out the historical feast:
And history has a tendency to repeat itself as Bohemian writer, screenwriter and film director Vladislav Vancura put it:
Aren’t human thoughts and desires like a stream hidden in rain drops and in elusive feelings? They can be discarded, but they come back in a new form giving way to action. And then comes the trial of one era with the next, then comes the renewal of resources, then comes victory.
To be continued………Lenten journeys
The replay of the history workshop is available at:
Lowell, MI – The Showboat City Social District opens Friday, Feb. 19th at 4:00 p.m. Bars and restaurants within the Social District have a special permit with their liquor license to sell alcohol in Social District cups. You can take that drink and walk outside within the District area to drink it. There will be fire pits in select areas where you can warm up and chat with friends.
The Showboat City Social District runs along Main Street from Washington Street to just west of New Union Brewery. It also includes Riverwalk Plaza, Veteran’s Park and the parking lot by it, Monroe Street from Main Street north to the alley behind the businesses on Main, and Riverside Drive and N. Broadway Drive to the alley behind the businesses on Main. Monroe Street will be closed to vehicle traffic during District hours. Social District hours are Monday-Friday 4:00-10:00 p.m., Saturday noon-10:00 p.m., Sunday noon-8:00 p.m.
You may not bring your own beverages to drink in the District, nor may you refill your District cup from alcohol purchased from other sources. Only alcohol purchased from a participating establishment in a District cup is allowed.
Participating businesses with permits include Big Boiler Brewery, Flat River Grill, Larkin’s Saloon, Main Street BBQ, New Union Brewery and Sneakers. Look for the Social District signage at each location. Worried about the trash? Cups will be recyclable and recycle bins will be placed throughout the Social District to give you an easy opportunity to keep it clean.
Lowell Police Department will add additional coverage in the District during open hours, as well. Let’s enjoy this opportunity and be respectful of each other and our City. Maintain distance, drink responsibly, have a designated driver and keep our City clean. Cheers!
As we woke up to -14 F degree temperatures, yesterday’s snow has already hardened on the patio and the white icy cupola on the balcony continues to get bigger. The sun bathed my flowers in the sunroom and warmed up the cold tiles.
I call my sunroom a COVID-19 sanctuary that protects me from the outside world no matter the season. It offers light and shelter to the outdoor plants that I bring inside in the fall. My mom Ella brings her plants for the winter while she stays in Venice, FL.
However, in the deadbeat of winter, the COVID sanctuary takes on a special meaning as the Phalaenopsis moth orchids start to bloom in their purples and yellows bringing the sunroom alive.
By the orchid blossoms, I know we’re midway into February which means that Ash Wednesday is here. I usually go in the morning to St. Pat’s Church in Parnell to get the ash cross on my forehead, but not this year due to COVID. We didn’t get on the list of 100 people to attend the Ash Wednesday mass, so we will be watching the livestream on TV or Facebook in the evening.
Purple is the color of Lent that preceeds Easter. The tradition has it that we should be giving up something for Lent. I’d rather take on something new, which is fine too. I’ve given up a lot of things including drinking coffee. I drink a myriad of herbal teas instead; I’ve never been fond of coffee anyways. I don’t have a problem giving up meat on Fridays, as I am trying to cut down on meat too.
I tried fasting today with a growling stomach and my eyes set on wild rice soup or gumbo. Like a good catholic girl, I put the soup packets back in the pantry and boiled some broccoli. Tonight, I will make either lentils or cauliflower with eggs.
Lenten change of pace, fish for Fridays
Blue Gills
Where to get your fish
I like the change of pace during Lent. We don’t go out to eat on Lenten Fridays even though we could do a fish fry at any local restaurant. According to the Lenten traditions, we should not eat meat on Fridays. I am a fish lover; I love fish, any fish and all fish.
During winter, I get my fish from DMS Fish Supply at their monthly fish drop in Ada. The next fish drop will be on March 4th with pick up from 3 to 3:30 p.m. Check out the story “In Search of Inspiration: The Fishmonger by clicking on the following link:
You can also go ice fishing on any of the lakes in Michigan. A story is coming up.
Also in purple, the PopUp Book Shop
Pages Promotions Virtual Book Festival PopUp Book Shop
Don’t forget to join our “Blind Date with a Book” Virtual Book Festival that runs through February, visit the festival PopUp Book Shop. You must pre-register for all events including Indie author readings and workshops. We still have a lot to offer from comedy writing to creating suspense. Go to:
The “Blind Date with a Book ” virtual book festival dances into its third week in February as the freezing temperatures plunge below normal and another weather advisory awaits us tonight..
Over the weekend, childrens’ authors read from their books last Saturday followed by the spinning “Wheel of Happiness” for the lucky ones who won some prizes. To soothe the disappointment of those who didn’t win, there is good news; the wheel will spin again tonight with Young Adult genre authors.
You can connect with all the Indie Authors via the festival PopUp Book Shop by clicking on the link below:
However, if you have purchased an Indie Author book from a different sources, it is probably not signed. Check out the shop to request a limited commemorative book plate signed by the author.
“It’s a nice souvenir from the festival,” said organizer Diana Plopa.
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