You can post questions about my new book “Secrets” from the Shifting Sands Short Stories collection
on https://mobile.facebook.com/TheWGVUMorningShow/
Thanks for listening to WGVU radio.
Authors Tent at the Lakeshore Art Festival insights from author Jean Darla Davis
By Emma Palova
I spoke with Holland author Jean Darla Davis after two great days at the Lakeshore Art Festival on Saturday afternoon. Davis organized the Authors Tent located at Clay and 2nd Ave in downtown Muskegon to give more exposure to Michigan authors.
Hundreds of people stopped by the two tents with multiple authors and genres. Just like in a library or at a bookstore, the books with their authors represented different categories from mystery to crime, and everything in between.
The icing on the cake was that the authors were present for book signings and to chat about writing and publishing with readers and public in general.
Each author had their own story about their journey to publishing; from former cop Bob Muladore of Charlotte to hiker/author Joan H. Young from Scottville along with 18 others.
For some participating authors the next stop will be in Ludington at the Books Alive event in downtown on July 19 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. There are still some open spaces. So you can sign up on Eventbrite to diversify the event or contact Joan H. Young.
Was this a chamber event and did it have sponsors?
Yes, the LAF is put on by the Muskegon Chamber of Commerce. Here is the link to their sponsor page: https://lakeshoreartfestival.org/support/sponsors/
How was this year’s festival? Which day was better?
This year’s festival was the biggest yet, with more vendors. Thanks to how the holiday fell this year, it seemed like both days had equal traffic.
Why do you think the attendance was lower than last year?
It felt like less people this year, very likely due to the heat. But attendance was still quite good.
What seemed to be the the shopping trends and genres?
I didn’t get much of a chance to wander the festival as a whole so I can’t really answer that. There are always a wide variety of fine art and craft vendors, so something for everyone.
Were the authors from all over Michigan?
19 of our authors were from all over Michigan, both the Upper and Lower Peninsula. One lives on the Indiana border and is considered an honorary Michigan Author.
Your plans for next year?
We’re considering adding a third tent to accommodate more authors, but that decision is ultimately in the hands of the Muskegon Chamber Festival committee. Otherwise, we’ll be using the same layout we settled on this year as that worked quite well.
What will you remember the most from this year’s festival?
The heat. And off course spending two days with so many fun and talented authors.
Feature photo by author Joan H. Young.
Copyright (c) 2019 Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.
We’re celebrating the Independence Day this time in Muskegon/Whitehall area.
Visit the author’s tent at the corner of Clay and 2nd Ave in downtown Muskegon for the #LakeshoreArtFestival on July 5 and July 6 from 10 am to 6 pm.
For participating authors go to :
Copyright (c) 2019. Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.
Emerging authors at the Lakeshore Art Festival in Muskegon
The Lakeshore Art Festival will take place on July 5th and July 6th from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The emerging auhor’s tent will be conveniently located on Clay and 2nd Streets.
Come and meet your next favorite new book.
Debra S. Carlisle Smith is a field trip queen who loves to write funny stories. Deb belonged to the White Lake, Michigan Toastmasters Club for eight years.
She discovered she loved writing about true experiences and weaving them into humorous stories. In 2000, she was awarded “Toastmaster of the Year”. Deb lives in West Michigan with husband, Dixon and dogs, Zena & Joey. She enjoys playing the piano, spoiling her dogs and reading a good book.
Jean Davis lives in West Michigan with her musical husband, two nerdy kids, and two attention-craving terriers.
When not ruining fictional lives from the comfort of her writing chair, she can be found devouring books and sushi, enjoying the offerings of local breweries, weeding her flower garden, or picking up hundreds of sticks while attempting to avoid the abundant snake population who also shares her yard. She writes speculative fiction. Her novels include Trust, Destiny Pills & Space Wizards, The Last God, A Broken Race and Sahmara. Follow her writing adventures at http://jeanddavis.blogspot.com
Mark Love lived for many years in the metropolitan Detroit area, where crime and corruption are always prevalent. A former freelance reporter, Love honed his writing skills covering features and hard news.
He is the author of the Jamie Richmond romance mysteries, Devious, Vanishing Act and Fleeing Beauty, and the short story Stealing Haven, which is in the collection Once Upon a Summer. His newest mystery series, starring Jefferson Chene includes WHY 319? and the new release Your Turn to Die. Both Chene novels are also available on Audible. Love resides in west Michigan with his wife, Kim. He enjoys a wide variety of music, books, travel, cooking and the great outdoors.
You can find him on Facebook, Amazon and his blog at the links below.
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B009P7HVZQ
https://motownmysteries.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/MarkLoveAuthor
Patricia Kiyono writes sweet historical and contemporary romance. In her non-writing time, she keeps busy as a music education professor, orchestra musician, quilter, and crafter.
She and her husband have five children, nine grandchildren, and growing number of great-grandchildren almost all living in the West Michigan area.
Robert Muladore was initiated into police work as the first fill-time patrolman with the Bridgeport Township, Michigan police department, initially without the benefit of formal police academy training.
Surviving those eighteen months of on-the-job training just outside of Saginaw, Michigan, he began his career with the Michigan State Police where he was assigned as a trooper near Detroit conducting countless criminal investigations. Other assignments with the Michigan State Police included lead legal instructor; Commanding Officer, Specialized Training Section; Commanding Officer, Northeast Narcotics Section; Commanding Officer, Governmental Liaison Section, Executive Division; Assistant Division Commander, Fire Marshall Division; and Technical Solutions Division. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy.
He has taught at a numerous colleges and universities, in police academies and academic settings throughout Michigan instructing courses ranging from criminal justice topics, civil liability, and political economy. His education includes an associate’s degree in criminal justice, a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Madonna University, a Juris Doctorate degree from the Detroit College of Law (now MSU School of Law) and a Ph.D. in Public Affairs and Administration from Western Michigan University. He currently practices civil law and is working on a new book about his experiences as an attorney.
MICHAEL CARRIER
Michael’s main character is Jack Handler, retired Chicago homicide detective who now lives on Sugar Island (in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula) and works as a private security contractor.
For over two decades Michael worked in Michigan as a private security contractor. One of his books (Ghosts of Cherry Street) was an Amazon #3 Best Seller (and a top-ten in three categories).
Kristine E. Brickey was born and raised in Michigan and has always reveled in the power of words and imagery.
An award-winning teacher of 30 years, Brickey has an understanding that allows the creation of true characters and situations that strike the hearts of others. These are portrayed through both powerful words and imagery via photographs and paintings. In addition to her art, Brickey spends time traveling, riding the Michigan forests on her horse, bonding with her donkeys and dogs, and participating in many ‘artsy/wordy’ groups and activities. Achieving her life dream of seeing her novels in the hands of others and on bookstore shelves has only increased her passion for reading and writing. Seeing her artwork on the wall of a gallery exhibition and hearing the impact it had on other survivors, left indelible imprints on her heart. Look for future books and works from this artist soon.
Diane Burton combines her love of mystery, adventure, science fiction and romance into writing romantic fiction.
Besides writing romantic suspense, she writes science fiction romance and cozy mysteries set along the Lake Michigan shoreline. As D.M. Burton, she writes sci-fi adventures for young readers. Diane and her husband live in Holland, close to their two children and five grandchildren.
For more info and excerpts from her books, visit Diane’s website: http://www.dianeburton.com
Connect with Diane Burton online
Blog: http://dianeburton.blogspot.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/dmburton72
Facebook: http://facebook.com/dianeburtonauthor
Goodreads: Diane Burton Author
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/dmburton72/
Sign up for Diane’s new release alert: http://eepurl.com/bdHtYf
Loraine Hudson lives and writes in a small town in Michigan. The first book in her “Beale Street” mystery series is The House on Beale Street.
She released The Stars over Beale Street, in early 2019. When she isn’t writing mysteries, the enjoys creating “tween” and YA chapter books under her pen name, Judith Wade, especially stories with a little bit of fantasy or adventure. Her most recent release, The Dragon’s Nest, is second in a series about a young man who just can’t get the dragons out of his life. She loves oldies rock music, stained glass, digging in her garden, playing with her dogs, horseback riding and, of course, writing. She is active in a nationwide thoroughbred rehab program, and is often at her most creative when taking her own ex-racehorse out for an amble through the woods, imagining dialogues, plot twists and new tales to tell.
Multi-award-winning young adult author Melanie Hooyenga first started writing as a teenager and finds she still relates best to that age group. She has lived in Washington DC, Chicago, and Mexico, but has finally settled down in her home state of Michigan.
When not at her day job as a Communications Director at a nonprofit, you can find Melanie attempting to wrangle her Miniature Schnauzer Owen and playing every sport imaginable with her husband Jeremy.
Janet Vormittag is the author of You Might Be A Crazy Cat Lady If …, Dog 281and More Than A Number. She is also the publisher of Cats and Dogs, a Magazine Devoted to Companion Animals, a free publication distributed in West Michigan.
Janet has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Grand Valley State University and was a correspondent for The Grand Rapids Press for ten years. She currently lives in Jenison, Michigan with more cats than she cares to admit.
Jules Nelson has won multiple awards for her first published novel, Shadows. She writes Historical Fiction and publishes a blog about her journey through parenting a child with Special Needs. Jules lives with her family in rural Michigan.
Emma Palova (Konecna) born in former Czechoslovakia is a Lowell-based short story writer, novelist screenwriter, journalist and a photographer.Palova wrote for Czechoslovak Newsweek and Prague Reporter in the 1990s. She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Brno. Most recently, she worked as a reporter for the Lowell Ledger, and as a freelance writer.
Palova started an election collection of short stories during her studies of creative writing at the International Correspondence Schools in Montreal, and at the Grand Rapids Community College.Palova’s passion for writing dates back to the middle school in Stipa, near Zlin.
“I’ve always had knack for languages and adventure,” she said. “Our family immigration saga has been a tremendous inspiration for all my writings.”
She completed “Shifting Sands: Short Stories” Book 1 in the summer of 2017.In 2009, she wrote the screenplay “Riddleyville Clowns” ©Emma Palova inspired by a hometown clown parade. It is registered with the Writers Guild of America, West, Inc.
Palova is finalizing the sequel to “Shifting Sands: Short Stories- Secrets” slated for July 1st publication. She is working on the Konecny family immigration saga from former communist Czechoslovakia “Greenwich Meridian: Where East meets West.” She became an American citizen on Aug. 19, 1999.
“I am deeply humbled by the opportunities this country has given to me,” she said.
Joan H. Young has enjoyed the out-of-doors her entire life. Highlights of her outdoor adventures include Girl Scouting, which provided yearly training in camp skills, and the opportunity to engage in a 10-day canoe trip, and numerous short backpacking excursions. She was selected to attend the 1965 Senior Scout Roundup in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, an international event to which 10,000 girls were invited. She has ridden a bicycle from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean in 1986, and completed the North Country National Scenic Trail on August 3, 2010. Her total mileage was 4395 miles. Young is the first woman to hike the entire trail, and the 9th person overall to complete it on foot. She has written about her adventures.
More recently, she has begun writing fiction, including the Anastasia Raven cozy mysteries, and DuBois Files mysteries for elementary age children.
She also writes a monthly column for the Ludington Daily News called “Get Off the Couch.”
Copyright (c)2019 Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.
The Lakeshore Art Festival is attended by tens of thousands of people over two days. It runs July 5 and 6 from 10 to 6 and features over 350 fine art and craft vendors, along with artisan food, children’s activities, street performers and interactive art. It’s the perfect venue to connect readers with local indie authors.
This is our third year as a group of authors being involved with the Lakeshore Art Festival. The first year was organized by author Steve Lebel . When he stepped back, I was tapped to take on the project. Last year we officially became part of the festival with the emerging authors tent within the festival footprint. This allowed us much better visibility and allowed us to connect with more readers.
Last year we had two beautiful sunny days and what seemed like a mostly endless flow of traffic both days. There’s so much art to see and great food to check out.
Eighteen authors took part in our tents last year. We all had a great time networking with one another, talking to readers and signing books.
4-Which genre will be represented?
Our tents feature twenty authors with a little something for everyone. We everything from children’s books to adult books, including mystery, suspense, non-fiction romance, science fiction, fantasy and more.
We’d love to introduce readers to authors they might not run across on Amazon due to the vast number of books there or in the big book stores that often focus on big name authors. We’re available to talk about our books, our writing processes and inspirations. This is a great opportunity for readers to buy direct from the authors and get their books signed.
Many authors struggle with marketing their books . They write one and hope that it sells online or through their publisher, if they have one. Unfortunately, even with a publisher, the majority of marketing falls on the author, and most of us would rather be home writing our next book. However, once you do a few book events, you’ll find it’s fun to network with other authors, learn from them, share your experiences and knowledge and to meet readers face to face. Festivals like this one give authors the opportunity to get their books in front of thousands of people a day. The Lakeshore Art Festival allows authors to purchase their own larger booth or to take part in our emerging author tent, which though we have smaller table spaces, is within the budget of many indie authors. We do have a limited amount of spaces each year and they go quickly. If you are interested in being part of the emerging author tent, please contact me on facebook: jeandavisauthor
Visitors should wear comfortable shoes. There’s so much to see and do at this Festival. Stay hydrated. Bring a bag to carry all your artsy finds. Most vendors will take cash or cards. And talk to the artists. Ask questions. Make your purchases personal. It’s not often you can talk directly to the artist who made the piece and find out the story behind it.
Having recently released my fifth book, I can easily say that I’ve tried a lot of different things to get the word out. Have I found the magic answer? No. What I’ve settled on, that works best for me, is doing a blog tour within my network of author friends, and booking in person events. I like to do a variety of venues: bookstores, libraries, craft & vendor shows, comic cons, ren faires, and art festivals. This year, with the release of the first book Trust of my new space opera series, The Narvan, I’m doing 30 different events all over Michigan.
I find personally connecting with readers to be the most gratifying way to get the word out . When I can do the same event a couple years in a row, it’s even better, because then people know where to find me and come back for my next book. I try to release one or two books every year so I have something new to offer.
Link to participating authors at the Author Tent at the Lakeshore Art Festival https://emmapalova.com/2019/06/12/authors-at-lakeshore-art-festival/
Copyright (c) 2019. Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.
This is the festival we are a part of as an “Emerging author tent”: https://lakeshoreartfestival.org/ We’re billed that way simply because we’re not widely recognized famous authors. Some authors prefer to get a vendor space on their own. This group name format sets us apart from them, gets us in with a bulk artist rate, and allows for customers to easily browse many authors in one place. Everyone did a great job referring people to fellow authors to help them find the types of books they were looking for.
We will again be doing two 20 x 20 tents as they are the most sturdy cost effective option and do give us room to move inward if we have a rainy day. The only difference this year is I’m asking you to bring your own chairs. Most of us found the supplied chairs uncomfortable anyway and did end up using our own.
I anticipate setting us up in the U or L shape (outward facing tables) like we did last year on the second day as that offered the best frontage for everyone and higher interest/sales. If we have rain, we will rearrange the tables to allow for traffic flow through the tents while keeping our books dry. I do have a layout prepared for that as well.
Payment can either be made by check or paypal (see end of email). If you are mailing a check, please let me know so I can watch for it and mark you as confirmed.
Lakeshore Art Festival 2019
Friday July 5, 10am-8pm
Saturday July 6, 10am-6pm
Our Tent name is: Michigan Authors at the Lakeshore
THE DETAILS:
• We will be in the same location as last year at the corner of Clay and 2nd. The lot directly behind us is a pay to park lot. There is free parking along the streets and further down the road by the farmers market. You may pull up to the blocked streets by the tents and unload.
• You must attend both days for the duration of the listed hours. You may have a helper if you wish. However, most spaces will only have room for one by the table. In order to give as many of us frontage as possible, we do have a tight fit.
• You may only sell only your own books. This means no additional items that are not books (such as mugs, coasters, posters, etc) even if they are related to your book(s). We are billed as an author tent and must conform to the rules set forth by the festival.
• You may not split or share your space with another author.
• The cost is $100 for a 3ft space. This covers both days.The cost covers your portion of the rental items and your entry fee into the show as a vendor. This is a discounted exhibitor rate provided from the Lakeshore Art Festival as part of the author tent. We will be included in festival advertising, promotion, website and social recognition as well as potential media and press release coverage.
• Funds are not refundable. Once funds are received, I will be sending the full check off to the Art Festival to cover our vendor fees and tent rental. I will not have funds to refund you. If you are unable to attend, I will do my best to help you find someone to take over the space, but can make no guarantees.
• Set up is 9am on July 5. Tear down is immediately after the event ends at 6pm on the 6th. This all goes pretty smoothly as the tents and tables will be there ready for us and we leave them as we found them on Sunday evening.
• We will have tent sides available in case of inclement weather.
• I do recommend taking your inventory with you on Friday night.
• You are responsible for your own sales and sales tax. Acceptance of cash and credit card is strongly suggested.
• Last year we were blessed with beautiful weather and we’re hoping for that again. Do be prepared for wind (something to hold down business cards or other promotional items) and bring plenty of water. Food vendors are nearby. You may also bring your own. There is no electricity so bring extra batteries for phones if necessary. We are very close to the portable restrooms.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me: Darla Davis via messenger on Facebook.
Listen to our podcast coming soon.
For a list of participating authors go to:
Copyright (c) 2019 Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.
So, I am entering July Camp NaNoWriMo 2019 to finish the memoir about our family immigration saga from former communist Czechoslovakia.
I have to write 1,600 words a day. That is writing six pages a day to finish the second half of the book.
The book “Secrets” below was released today. I penned the core of the book during the November 2018 NaNoWriMo 50k- word challenge.
I will be posting excerpts and reviews.
I am grateful for the support from everyone: my editor Carol Briggs and reviewers Nancy Price Stroosnyder, Joanna Barr, Donald & Ronald Brookins, Emma Palova Chavent and many more.
I need to reach 25 reviews on Amazon.
I wrote 1,880 words a day during the challenge. The book is now live on Amazon. Yay! I am looking for reviewers. If you are interested email me for pdfs.
Copyright (c) 2019 . Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.
I will be at the Lakeshore Art Festival in Muskegon along with 20 other authors on July 5th & 6th launching my new book “Secrets. ”
We will be at the author’s tent on the corner of Clay and 2nd Ave. Come and meet your next favorite book.
Riverwalk Parade
I love parades. I love watching them and I love being in them. So, you can look for us at the Riverwalk Parade in downtown Lowell. Yes, we will have ducks too.
Stop by the Lowell Arts gallery after the Riverwalk parade on July 13 between 2 pm and 4 pm. I will be signing my new book “Secrets” from the Shifting Sands Short stories collections.
Secrets (Shifting Sands) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1099870992/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_nwNeDb4XA6KZ8
Copyright (c) 2019 Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.
After writing in the wee hours and uploading the print version of “Secrets” to kdp publishing, I have decided to spend the longest day of the year under the sun, when it will be at its highest point at 11:54 am.
It is my favorite day of the year marked by flowers in full bloom and strawberries. It’s not too hot yet, and we’ve had plenty of rain.
Everything is growing like crazy. Again this year, we have a resident rabbit in our small veggie patch munching on the delicious red cabbage leaves.
To honor summer, I made traditional Czech bubble cake aka “bublanina”
for the first time with our own everbearing strawberries. You can make it with any fruits in srason.
Here is the promised summer recipe for the bubble cake:
5 eggs
32 dkg of sugar
32 dkg of flour
1 dcl of milk
1.5 dcl of oil
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
Preheat your oven to 350F
Beat the egg whites into firm foam
Beat the egg yolks with sugar into smooth texture
Add oil
Fold in the flour
Pour into a medium size pan
Put the fruit on top
Bake for 30 minutes
Eat it all. Enjoy.
Copyright (c) 2019 Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.
authoremmapalova 