Happy Father’s Day. Enjoy your special day. Pictured my father Vaclav Konecny cutting my birthday cake in May.
Thank for all you do for us. Love you.
Emma
Category Archives: Uncategorized
June Newsletter
Happy summer!
| Shifting Sands: Secrets My new book “Secrets” in the Shifting Sands Short Stories series is ready for July 1 release. You can now preorder on Amazon. Just enter Emma Palova historical fiction. Below in the book section are listed links to book 1 and book 2 on Amazon. The core of the book is the long short story “Silk Nora” that takes place at the turn-of-the-century Belding. You will be swept away by the historical setting of the “Silk City Girls” dormitory known as Belrockton. The major characters are Nora, her friend Mathilda and the matron of Belrockton- Doris from Sussex in England. Other characters include newspaper man Harry and band player John. The cover “Face of Gossip” and the main story “Silk Nora” were inspired by my multiple visits to the Belrockton Museum over the last two decades. A story from the hosiery mills was picked up by the Associated Press and major newspapers in Michigan ran it. I will be with the new book at the Muskegon Art Festival on July 5th and July 6th inside the author’s tent on Clay & 2nd Streets. I will be at “Books Alive” in Ludington on July 19th, followed by a series of book signing events at LowellArts with exact date TBA. Fall events will include the Belding Labor Day twilight parade on Sunday, Sept. 1 at 9 pm. My major event will take place at the historic Belrockton in Belding on October 6th in the afternoon. The museum is open from 1 to 4 pm on the first Sunday of each month. For up to date news follow me on EW Emma’s Writings on http://emmapalova.com SecretsThe new book is a collection of 15 short stories. Thematically, the stories range from the action-packed 40 Hunks where driver Jose transports 40 Mexican men to labor in Michigan orchards to the core of the book which is historical fiction “Silk Nora”. Excerpts from “Silk Nora”Signs of progress were touchable everywhere from the interior six bathrooms at the Bel to a space designated for women in the saloons of the bustling city. At the time, the city of Belding had four hotels. Known as the “Silk City Girls” the young women spent much of their time weaving silk on spools. Silk at the time was on high demand as the major feminine fabric due to the existing shortage of woolens and cottons. Nora and Mathilda worked together long hours at the silk mill earnings 47 cents an hour. The Belding Banner called the girls “Sweethearts in Silk” blasting propaganda about their happiness with headlines such as “The Silks with Happiness Woven into Them.” The girls sat at their stations on the floor of the factory in orderly rows. The downstairs of the Richardson Mill was used for making stockings. Sentiment played a part in the founding of the silk industry in Belding by the Belding brothers. After prospering in silk manufacturing in New England, they built a plant in Belding, where they had made their start as door-to-door textile salesmen. Mathilda traveled home to Alpena twice a year for the holidays, while Nora stayed year- round at the Bel. She had a beautiful view of the Flat River and the boardwalk from her room. Nora was an avid reader and she frequented the dormitory library. Nora easily made friends with other girls, both at work and at the dorms. She cut her hair short, a sign of times. Matron Doris Applebaum managed the Belrockton dormitory and the girls who lived in it. She came from England to take the job at the “Bel” when it opened in 1906. Doris kept her English accent and manners. “Girls, I will make you into ladies,” she said at the dinner table. “You already have the right foundation otherwise you wouldn’t be here in the first place. You’re a diamond in the rough. I will make you shine.” The silk girls respected this English lady from the county of Sussex on the English Channel seaside. Doris was single and constantly happy. She competed for the Belrockton job with other ladies from around the world and won. She took a special liking of well-mannered Nora. “We’re going to be friends,” Doris said resolutely to Nora at their second meeting, since Nora arrived in Belding. “We have a lot in common. You come from New England, I come from the real England. But you have better food here.”You can pre-order the new book at: https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Shifting-Sands-Emma-Palova-ebook/dp/B07SH9YGQH/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Secrets%3AShifting+Sands&qid=1559745646&s=digital-text&sr=1-1 Book 1 in Shifting Sands Short Stories series, 2017 Follow me on my Amazon author’s page at: https://www.amazon.com/Emma-Palova/e/B0711XJ6GY Upcoming author’s eventsInterview with author Donald Levin on https://donaldlevin.wordpress.com/ on June 20 Muskegon Art Fair …..July 5th and July 6th Ludington ……………..July 19 LowellArts……………….TBA Radio shows TBABelding Twilight Parade…. Sept. 1 Belrockton, Beding………….Oct. 6 Girls Nite Out…………………..Oct. 17 Christmas through Lowell…..Nov. 15, 16, 17 Map to Lakeshore Art Festival https://lakeshoreartfestival.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/2018-LAF-Brochure-F-D.pdf |
| Copyright © 2019 Emma Palova, All rights reserved. |
Lakeshore Art Festival
I will be at the Emerging Authors’ Tent along with other authors. See you there. Watch for full story.
Subscribe to Emma Blogs
Memorial Day in Lowell
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.
A book’s Timeline
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.
Happy Mother’s Day
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
From There to Here
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.
“SEcrets” summary & Timeline
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.
Book cover for “Secrets” aka the Face of Gossip. 
National Novel Writing Month. 
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.
May Day 2019
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.
authoremmapalova 