Created from a passion for literacy by Mike O’Brien, owner of the Book Cellar in Grand Haven, the Third Coast Author & Book Festival is one of the fastest growing book festivals in Michigan.
Sponsored by Moravian Sons Distillery, authors Diana Magnuson, Terri Martin and Doc Chavent.
The Third Coast Author & Book Festival in Grand Haven, Michigan is a large annual literary event held in the city’s vibrant downtown. It features 200+ well-known local, national, and international authors offering free signings, panels, and meet-and-greets. Readers can explore books across all genres while enjoying Grand Haven’s shops, food, and lakeshore atmosphere. The festival celebrates reading, writing, and community in one of Michigan’s most scenic towns.
Copyright (c) 2026. Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.
Pictured from left to right back row: Vaclav Konecny Jr., Jakub Pala, Ludek Pala and , professor Vaclav Konecny. Front row: Dominik Pala, Samuel Chavent and Henrik Pala.
This was on Christmas Eve. We had traditional Czech Christmas Eve dinner consisting of mushroom soup, Lake Trout and Whitefish from Lake Huron and potato salad.
Desserts varied from mom’s kolache, Polish kolache, cream rolls, French macarons and a French log.
The best part was that my parents could join us from Big Rapids and Emma flew in with Sam from France.
There were 12 of us so we were like 12 apostles. Presents were plentiful.
I have yet to take a photo of the best one. A huge poster for our Moravian Sons Distillery tasting room in @The Old Theater in downtown Lowell.
Stay tuned for more Christmas news.
Copyright (c) 2025. Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.
It was a wild year to say the least with its ups and downs, unfinished business and finished business.
Moravian Sons Distillery Tasting Room
We got done the tasting room which was a task that took us two years. We opened it on Sept. 20, 2025 inside The Old Theater located at 315 W. Main St. in downtown Lowell, MI. It was no small feat that we are all proud of. The unique partnership with the theater has proven to be successful if I bypass small gliches along the way.
Sales of liquor and cocktails
Our sales continue to grow in the area liquor stores,- The Log Cabin, Belding and Caledonia Marathon, Parnell General Store, Cannonsburg Bottle Shop, GRAMS Knappa Corner, Belmont, Cascade Libation Station and many more including Big Rapids.
World premiere of Christmas Eve at the Snowflake Falls Diner
Now, this wasn’t my success but I helped make it happen. Our dream was to get a play into the 1928 The Old Theater. Thanks to my Lowell Ledger connections I know a lot of people. So when the opportunity came I approached Grand Rapids playwright Brent Alles to write a play specifically for the theater. I must say that for once in my life I lucked out with one of the most talented people I have ever met. Brent did an awesome job above and beyond my greatest expectations.
Thanks to the cast and crew of this amazing play, and to the TOT owners Lisa and David Reed. You’ve made this holiday season unforgettable.
Unfinished business-The Quest for the Lost Town
The Quest for the Lost Town is on its way as I am finishing the last flight through the manuscript. I really can’t wait to get this book on the market at The Third Coast Festival in Grand Haven on March 21, 2026. It was a complete rewrite of the first manuscript which I finished during NaNoWriMo in 2022.
NaNoWriMo doesn’t exist anymore but my manuscript does, and that means a lot to me. I hired a professional editor and I don’t regret it for a second. Thank you Maggie of Fine Line Editorial for your awesome work.
Book sales in 2025
I did better than in 2024. I would like to thank the following communities that have hosted the perfect storm events: Lakeshore Art Festival in Muskegon, (June) Saugatuck (July and September) twice since the book is set in Singapore near Saugatuck, Rockford Art in the Park, (September) Lake Odessa Art in the Park, (August) Paradise Wild Blueberry Festival (August)and last but not least Lowell, MI. (December)
I missed out on the biggest show of the year Christmas Through Lowell at Lowell Area Museum due to sickness.
For the Love of Books Podcast
I continued to grow my podcast show in episodes, quality and audience. I am especially proud of the episode about AI and copyright in April and the most recent episode with deaf author Raymond Luczak with the help of an ASL interpreter Adam Bartley.
Deaths that have touched me
Two come to my mind immediately: friend Jan Thompson and walker friend Frank Holwerda, 92. To my solace, I managed to say goodbye to both of them. I said my goodbye to Jan at the Memorial Day Celebration at the Oakwood Cemetery in Lowell, to Frank right before my trip to LA in October on the trail where we met.The third death is the most painful one- my best friend’s husband Jan (John) died on Oct. 26 in Czech Republic at the age of 70.
Successes
I accepted my award from International Impact Book Awards (IIBA) on Oct. 4 in Hollywood in a beautiful ceremony reminiscent of a fairy tale.
Gratitude
Ongoing gratitude to my husband Ludek for his support of my work. Living with an author is not always easy and I know it. A big thank you to The Lowell Ledger for supporting my work. I am grateful for my parents Vaclav and Eliska Konecny for being always there for me in Big Rapids.
I am pretty sure I haven’t covered everything but merely scraped the surface of the year 2025.
As time allows I will fill in the gaps in the year that seemed to go by so fast since we rang it in at Easy Street Restaurant.
I am grateful for my author friends who continue to enrich me, and for our new friends as well: Marty and Laurie Chambers from Lowell, Terry and Dawn Woods from Smyrna.
As you get old, you expect less and less new things to happen. Yet, they do whether we want to or not.
Great expectations, class of 1976
The featured photo is of our class of 1976 from ZDS Stipa in Czech Republic. It will be our 50th reunion next year. I think I’ve only been to one reunion after five years, so we were young, restless and beautiful.
The ocean separates us not just by distance, but also by having a different view of the world than 50 years ago.
Have I evolved? I hope so in many different ways. Most of the teachers are not alive anymore. Some classmates have passed. Three of us live outside of the Czech Republic: in USA, Canada and Sweden. My mathematician dad says that statisticaly it’s a lot.
I don’t know how to describe us now. I haven’t seen most of the classmates. They will stay forever young in my heart and soul. I suppose I want to keep that illusion of never getting old in front of each other, just individually. I might regret it but I will take that chance because I don’t want to be disappointed.
Back to The Quest for the Lost Town
Maybe the town of Singapore is eluding me and doesn’t want to be found underneath all that sand. I am on page 111 of the last flight through the book. In some aspects I surprised myself how I handled certain scenes. There were times when I didn’t know how to continue or what’s going to happen next. It usually came back to me the next day.
Am I happy with the result? Yes, I am. Am I relieved? Yes, I am. I can’t say that it was a smooth ride, because it wasn’t. What kept me going is my passion for historical fiction, its twists and turns. There were many distractions along the way including my procrastination. But, also the support of other authors helped. Will I write more? Yes, I will.
I have another manuscript which I finished during NaNoWriMo in 2023. In a way, I am grateful for NaNoWriMo and the three books. Two I did on my own without the program and its impeccable discipline.
I will continue some other day.
Copyright (c) 2025. Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.
I had heard from an early age that we were related to James Otis the Patriot and had the impression he was important in Boston before the American Revolution. I was always curious in the back of my mind about what happened to him; why was he famous then but forgotten in the centuries that followed?
Sponsored by Modern History Press, Moravian Sons Distillery, authors Terri Martin, Diana Magnuson and Doc Chavent.
As I began to research James Otis and then the patriots he influenced, such as Samuel Adams and John Hancock, I came to see he was an extremely powerful force in resistance to the British. As a brilliant lawyer, Otis argued against the use of warrants called the Writs of Assistance which allowed British custom officials to barge into homes or businesses willy nilly looking for smuggled good. Young John Adams was in the courtroom that fateful day and later wrote that Otis’ argument of that case was when “the child Independence was born.” So, you could say that John Adams convinced me to write this book.
Listen in for a chance to win a signed copy of Sparks of the Revolution
Copyright (c) 2025. Emma Blogs, All rights reserved.
Explore the visible and hidden world of Noriko’s garden from her garden’s point of view, in and around all year long. After the deep snow of winter, her soil is prepared for planting.
Sponsored by Modern History Press, Moravian Sons Distillery, authors Terri Martin, Diana Magnuson and Doc Chavent.
Green leaves sprout as plants ripen to fruits and vegetables. Hungry forest animals prowl and pad-pad in to eat them. Insects and birds also aggravate garden, but others are important assistants to her growth. Exuberant and lyrical
Garden’s story explores nature’s wonders that support our lives.
Listen in for a chance to win a signed copy of Garden Sleeping, Garden Growing.
Copyright (c) 2025. Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.
“Deaf and rejected, Luczak longs for visibility among those who erase him: class bullies, teachers, and even his mother, who goes to the grave unable to accept her gay son. I found myself rereading Ironhood, wanting to savor his writing.”
— Beverly Matherne, author of Potions d’amour, thés, incantations / Love Potions, Teas, Incantations
Sponsored by Modern History Press, Moravian Sons Distillery, author Terri Martin and Doc Chavent
In Ironhood, the acclaimed poet Raymond Luczak recalls the neighbors and shopkeepers he once knew while growing up in Ironwood, Michigan during the 1970s and 1980s. They included a scruffy man who smoked cheap cigars while tending to his fragrant backyard garden, a cat-eyed woman who stood watch over a sea of typewriters, a bald jeweler whose dexterous fingers repaired a watch’s minuscule innards, and tired cashiers in red smocks who dreamed at the western edge of town.
Listen in for a chance to win a signed copy of Ironhood.
Escape to Florida’s Gulf Coast and enjoy this beautifully furnished 2-bedroom, 2-bath condo on the serene and scenic Island of Venice. Located in a peaceful, well-maintained community, this condo offers everything you need for comfort, relaxation, and convenience.
🏖 Island Living at Its Best • Minutes from Venice’s pristine beaches • Close walking distance to a nearby strip mall with shops, cafés, and essentials • Quiet, friendly neighborhood—no tourist crowds
🏡 Condo Features • Fully furnished — turnkey ready • Bright, spacious living room • Modern kitchen and dining area • Private lanai for morning coffee or sunset breezes • Two comfortable bedrooms with ample storage
🌴 Community Amenities • Beautiful heated pool • Clubhouse for gatherings or quiet workspace • Lush, tropical landscaping and well-kept grounds • Assigned parking and guest spots
Perfect for seasonal stays, long-term living, or a peaceful Florida getaway.
📩 Interested? Contact Emma — PM or DM me for details!
Copyright (c) 2025. Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.
I am really excited about this guest line-up on @For the Love of Books Podcast show, hosted and produced by author Emma Palova.
I would like to thank our main sponsors Modern History Press, @Moravian Sons Distillery, author Terri Marting and Doc Chavent. Authors can sponsor their own episodes to help offset developer’s fees.
Dec. 4 Raymond Luczak, Adam Bartley, Ironwood 6 p.m.
I am looking forward to the last show of the year. It’s coming up this Saturday Dec. 6 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be 100 vendors offering unique gifts.
The show is making a comeback after a two-year hiatus. Overall, I did well this year compared to previous years. Although I missed a big one–Christmas Through Lowell due to illness.
Books available
Book Nook of Saugatuck, Bettie’s Pages
My hottest seller remains historical fiction The Lost Town set in Singapore, MI.
I am wrapping up the final edits to The Quest for the Lost Town.
My second best seller is my award-winning Greenwich Meridian Memoir which is a two-generation saga trackng our escape from former Czechoslovakia.
Stop by to purchase a unique gift that keeps on giving. My book no. 2 Secrets continues to sell very well. Part of its magic is the 3D optical illusion cover titled Gossip, and then the killer title Secrets.
Copyright (c) Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.
The Third Coast Author & Book Festival in Grand Haven, Michigan is a large annual literary event held in the city’s vibrant downtown. It features 200+ well-known local, national, and international authors offering free signings, panels, and meet-and-greets. Readers can explore books across all genres while enjoying Grand Haven’s shops, food, and lakeshore atmosphere. The festival celebrates reading, writing, and community in one of Michigan’s most scenic towns.
authoremmapalova 