It was a beautiful Memorial Day ceremony at the Oakwood Cemetery. The keynote speaker was Lowell city manager Mike Burns.
Before the parade, I spoke with VFW chaplain Glenn, 95, about his WWII experience.
There was something immensely different about this year’s Memorial Day. It was the first event, my husband Ludek experienced as an American citizen.
1- Idea, inspiration. Let it gel for six days.
2- Concept, what wil it be? Determine genre.
3- Formation or outline.
4- Manage writing content daily.
5- Revision, six weeks.
6- Editing, three weeks to a month.
7- Corrections, up to a week.
8- Advanced Reader Copies, pdfs.
9- Reviews, pre-order.
10-Order.
11-Giveaways, offers.
12- Book launch/campaign
Copyright (c) 2019 Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.
Thank you mom for making this awesome chocolate walnut cake for me on my birthday and Mother’s Day. Yes, not only do I double down but in the Czech tradition I triple down.
My birthday falls on Mother’s Day in the USA and Czech Independence Day from fascism on May 9.
My dad Vaclav is cutting the birthday cake.
Mom Ella’s chocolate walnut cake
On exhibit now during the Spring into the Past Museum Tour of the Tri-River Museum Network.
Pictured above @Belrockton’s take on the theme with the historic depot in the background.
The participating museums will also be open tomorrow from noon until 5 pm
Visit @fallasburg one-room schoolhouse and the Fallass House on Sunday.
By Emma Palova
The new book “Shifting Sands: Secrets” is a collection of 15 short stories: “Silk Nora” and “Booksafe Code” are historical fiction stories. 40 Hunks is a fast-paced action story, where bus driver Jose transports 40 Mexican men to labor in Michigan apple orchards.
Stories “Six Palms by the Tiki” and “Devil’s Elixir” explore the themes of aging and disease. “When Layla met Corey” and “Oceans Away” reflect longing for love inspite of distance.
The characters in stories “Chief,” “White Nights” and “Secrets in Ink” sell their souls to the devil.
In “Waiting for Snow”, Colin aka “The Trainman” and store owner Hayden explore dimensions of time, while waiting for snow in Paris.
In “Being Faustina” and “The Writer, the Nun & the Gardener,” the characters deal with different forms of death, including suicide.
In stories “Raspberry Rage” and “Cupcake Wine,” the characters struggle with addiction.
“Secrets” will be ready for the market in May.
Excerpt from 40 Hunks
It was the letter from the US Department of Agriculture giving him permission to cross the border to the US with the 40 men sleeping behind his back. Before they boarded the bus, Jose had to make sure they were the right men. Most of them didn’t have any IDs, so he trusted them and tried to match up the names with the list from the government.
The list wasn’t exact, but Jose knew once they entered the US territory, they would be assigned a permanent work guide. From there on, it was none of his business what would happen with these men. The guides were correction officers borrowed from the regional correctional facilities in the US.
The border patrol in Nogales searched the smelly bus and studied Jose’s driver’s license and the piece of paper.
“How do you know who’s who?” barked a sweating guard with an AK47 across his shoulder, at Jose.
“Vaguely. I know that I have 40 men,” said Jose also sweating.
The guard boarded the bus and walked in the aisle examining each face, holding the piece of governmental paper in his hand. He stopped and looked closely at one man. The men were wide awake now. He leaned over the hulky man taking in his odor.
“Who are you?” he asked with his face distorted in an evil grimace.
Jose walked up to the two men in the back of the bus.
“Hey, amigo,” he said to the guard. “They don’t speak English.”
The guard shoved the piece of paper with the list of names in front of the hulky man ignoring Jose.
This is the timeline for the “Secrets” 2017-2019:
Prior to the November #NaNoWriMo 50K word challenge, I wrote the first two stories: ” Chief” (2017) and “White Nights.” (2018)
I penned the core of the book during the #NaNoWriMo novel writing month in November 2018 with word count of 56,433. That is nine stories.
After the November 50K writing challenge, I wrote four stories: “Devil’s Elixir,” “When Layla met Corey, “”Waiting for Snow” and “Six Palms by the Tiki”. I finalized the manuscript during #Camp NaNo in April.
I would not be able to do any of this without the support of the National Novel Writing Month projects of daily writing. Thank you.
Book signings and appearances
I am planning book signings and author appearances.
I will be at Lowell Arts in June/Aug. during the Livin Easy exhibit.
Muskegon Art Fair on July 5 & 6th
Ludington Books Alive on July 19
Belrockton in the fall -October
Girls Night Out -October
I am also looking for book reviewers. Please email Emma at emmapalova@yahoo.com for ARCs.
Copyright (c) 2019 Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.
This is one of my most popular posts; back by demand
Happy May Day
May 1st traditions in Czech Republic & around the world
By Emma Palova
EW Emma’s Writings
Lowell, MI – Every year, I observe May 1st as May Day in the renaissance Czech tradition with warm memories of the socialist past. If I close my eyes, I can still see the parades, the tribunes and the socialist propaganda with the slogans and the banners on the backdrop of the blossoming lilacs. The socialist patriotic anthems were blasting from the loudspeakers including the Soviet anthem “Coyuz Nerusimij.”
We all had to Partake in the May Day parade. Those who didn’t participate got later into trouble at work or in school.
Today, Czech Republic still celebrates May 1, as an official holiday with a day off to commemorate the union manifestations in Chicago in 1884. Only this time around, without the parades or the slogans.
But most of all, May Day, was a great day off known for its official opening of the beer gardens, and the infamous “march of the thieves.”
The organized labor from the factories marched in the parades, while some individuals used the opportunity to steal from the gated factories because of less supervision. Therein the name “march of the thieves.”
First and foremost, May is the month of love, not just labor.
And I write about all this in the memoir “Greenwich Meridian” with a light heart and a smile on my face with a touch of nostalgia.
I admire the old Czech country for being able to keep both the old socialist holidays, take on new ones, and tamper with the most important holiday of all that is the liberation of the country from the Nazi occupation in 1945.
New politicians with new agendas changed the date of the liberation of former Czechoslovakia from May 9th to May 8th based on the controversy who really liberated the country, whether it was the Soviets or the Americans. The question at hand; who was the first and where?
Having lived in many countries around the world, our family always honored the holidays of that particular country, otherwise we would have time off all the time.
Looking at my calendar last week for a summary, I found amusing that Canada also has Easter Monday off as an official holiday, just like Czech Republic.
However, any holiday can take root in any country as I have witnessed in my hometown of Vizovice.
I remember our neighbor bus driver Mr. Hlavenka in Vizovice, used to celebrate Fourth of July by taking the day off in the old socialist era.
I’ve always wondered, how did he know about Independence Day with all the propaganda against American capitalism.
But, May 1st has deep agricultural connotations as well. People gather wildflowers and crown a May king and queen, weave floral garlands, and set up a maypole.
They also have bonfires to encourage the fertility of the land and animals in the coming year.
It is fascinating how different traditions and believes take roots in different countries, and how they continue to evolve.
Watch for more upcoming May posts.
Copyright (c) 2013-2019. Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.
April delivers not just showers and snow
By Emma Palova
On this last day of Camp NaNo, I sent off the remaining four stories from the manuscript “Secrets” to editor Carol Briggs a few minutes ago. Thank you, Carol.
“Shifting Sands: Secrets” is a collection of 15 short stories: “Silk Nora” and “Booksafe Code” are historical fiction stories. 40 Hunks is a fast-paced action story, where bus driver Jose transports 40 Mexican men to labor in Michigan apple orchards.
Stories “Six Palms by the Tiki” and “Devil’s Elixir” explore the themes of aging and disease. “When Layla met Corey” and “Oceans Away” reflect longing for love inspite of distance.
The characters in stories “Chief,” “White Nights” and “Secrets in Ink” sell their souls to the devil.
In “Waiting for Snow”, Colin aka “The Trainman” and store owner Hayden explore dimensions of time, while waiting for snow in Paris.
In “Being Faustina” and “The Writer, the Nun & the Gardener,” the characters deal with different forms of death, including suicide.
In stories “Raspberry Rage” and “Cupcake Wine,” the characters struggle with addiction.
“Secrets” will be ready for the market in May.
Excerpt from 40 Hunks
It was the letter from the US Department of Agriculture giving him permission to cross the border to the US with the 40 men sleeping behind his back. Before they boarded the bus, Jose had to make sure they were the right men. Most of them didn’t have any IDs, so he trusted them and tried to match up the names with the list from the government.
The list wasn’t exact, but Jose knew once they entered the US territory, they would be assigned a permanent work guide. From there on, it was none of his business what would happen with these men. The guides were correction officers borrowed from the regional correctional facilities in the US.
The border patrol in Nogales searched the smelly bus and studied Jose’s driver’s license and the piece of paper.
“How do you know who’s who?” barked a sweating guard with an AK47 across his shoulder, at Jose.
“Vaguely. I know that I have 40 men,” said Jose also sweating.
The guard boarded the bus and walked in the aisle examining each face, holding the piece of governmental paper in his hand. He stopped and looked closely at one man. The men were wide awake now. He leaned over the hulky man taking in his odor.
“Who are you?” he asked with his face distorted in an evil grimace.
Jose walked up to the two men in the back of the bus.
“Hey, amigo,” he said to the guard. “They don’t speak English.”
The guard shoved the piece of paper with the list of names in front of the hulky man ignoring Jose.
This is the timeline for the “Secrets” 2017-2019:
Prior to the November #NaNoWriMo 50K word challenge, I wrote the first two stories: ” Chief” (2017) and “White Nights.” (2018)
I penned the core of the book during the #NaNoWriMo novel writing month in November 2018 with word count of 56,433. That is nine stories.
After the November 50K writing challenge, I wrote four stories: “Devil’s Elixir,” “When Layla met Corey, “”Waiting for Snow” and “Six Palms by the Tiki”. I finalized the manuscript during #Camp NaNo in April.
I would not be able to do any of this without the support of the National Novel Writing Month projects of daily writing. Thank you.
Book signings and appearances
I am planning book signings and author appearances.
I will be at Lowell Arts in June/Aug. during the Livin Easy exhibit.
Muskegon Art Fair on July 5 & 6th
Ludington Books Alive on July 19
Belrockton in the fall -October
Girls Night Out -October
Copyright (c) 2019 Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.
Wishing everyone a Blessed Easter with their families.
Pictured above is Lenten Rose that bloomed with first flowers still in snow.
I bought the beauty at my favorite greenhouse- Snow Avenue Greenhouse.
Picture below- Easter moments including the whipping tradition of girls on Easter Monday.
Watch for Czech Easter traditions story.
Copyright (c) 2019. Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.
I have completed goal one for the April Camp NaNoWriMo which serves either as an extension of the novel challenge started in November and/or fuel for new writing.
I penned the core of “Secrets” during the November challenge reaching 56,433 words. The anchor story in the collection is “Silk Nora” inspired by my multiple visits to the Belrockton Museum in Belding.
I going through the stories for content and insights. I will be submitting some of the stories via app Submittable for reviews to magazines.
I am sending the manuscript “Shifting Sands: Secrets” (c) 2019 Emma Palova to the editor this week. Thank you Carol.
Camp goal no. 2 is to recast the Konecny family immigration saga. This includes the title and the cover.
Follow me on my publishing journey.
Shifting Sands: Secrets
Copyright (c) 2019 Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.
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