Tag Archives: historical fiction

Veteran author Frank Demith to speak at Patriotic Evening in Moravian Sons Distillery

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Frank Demith will be the featured speaker at the Patriotic evening in Moravian Sons Distillery tasting room located inside The Old Theater in downtown Lowell, MI on June 6 starting at 4 p.m. There is a $5 cover charge. You can buy your tickets ahead of time at www.theoldtheater.com

 

Frank Demith entered the army after graduating high school. He was awarded an appointment to the United States Military Academy and graduated with the class of 1983. He spent 26 years on active duty and retired in 2007 later serving additional 2.5 years on active duty.

Episode sponsored by award-winning author Frank Demith, Moravian Sons Distillery, Modern History Press and Doc Chavent.

He was the program manager for Army Interpreter/Translator program which recruited more than 1500 green card holders who were native speakers of Arabic, Dari, Pashto or Farsi.

He is the recipient of the United Nations Icon of Change Award in recognition of work in support of immigrants while in the military and as part of the civilian workforce.

He has received International Impact awards for both of his books Of Vital Interest and Defending the Eagle.

Take a  listen for a chance to win signed copy of Defending the Eagle.

Copyright (c) 2026. Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.

Author Emma Palova pens sequel The Quest for the Lost Town

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-s5f6q-1ab2881

Happy Mayday.

Today’s episode is especially close to my heart because I’m sharing the story behind my newest novel, The Quest for the Lost Town.

Sponsored by authors Emma Palova, Frank Demith, Moravian Sons Distillery and Doc Chavent.

The Quest for the Lost Town is the long-awaited sequel to The Lost Town and it dives deep into the story behind the lumbering town of Singapore, MI poised to rival Chicago and Milwaukee in 1837. But instead– Singapore disappeared in the aftermath of the Great Fire of Chicago.

 Much like the residents of Saugatuck, I still to this day believe that the town exists beneath the shifting sands on the shores of Lake Michigan. It was that belief that propelled me to pursue the sequel to a seemingly dead-end story with only protruding roofs as a clue.

“A whole town cannot disappear,” said a fan at the Grand Rapids Women’s Expo in 2023. “Sometimes we see protruding roofs from the sands.”

Listen in for a chance to win a signed copy of The Quest for the Lost Town.

The stunning book cover art is by graphic artist Jeanne Boss.

My full book tour itinerary will be posted on https://emmapalova.com

Copyright (c) 2026 Emma Palova. All rights reserved.

Third Coast Authors & Books Fest brings magic of storytelling to Grand Haven

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Today, we’re diving right into the magic of the Third Coast Authors & Books Festival—one of the most exciting bookish events on the lakeshore in beautiful Grand Haven set for March 21.

Sponsored by authors Kiril Kristoff, Jennifer Montiel, Moravian Sons Distillery and Doc Chavent.

 

Think great books, passionate readers, lively conversations, and a whole lot of inspiration packed into one unforgettable day.

Whether you’re a reader, a writer, or someone who just loves the magic of storytelling, this festival—and this episode—is for you.

I’m joined by some incredible guests who help make the festival happen, along with talented authors who bring the stories to life.

So grab your favorite drink, settle in, and let’s celebrate books, community, and the stories that connect us all.

Our magic guests today are: Mike O’Brien, festival founder and owner of The Book Cellar and author magicians Jean Davis and Verra West.

Copyright (c) 2026. Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.

Author Frank Demith pens Defending The Eagle

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Award-winning author Frank Demith talks about his unique method of writing his second book historical fiction Defending The Eagle.

Defending The Eagle is a tense, gripping, and emotionally complex portrayal of war—not just as a battlefield of weapons and tactics, but as a crucible for identity, loyalty, and survival.

Sponsored by Moravian Sons Distillery and Doc Chavent

 

Set against the scorched backdrop of an Iraqi desert warzone, the novel immerses the reader in a world where every decision carries the weight of life and death, and where the line between enemy and ally is constantly shifting.

Listen in for the podcast book giveaway by Frank Demith.

Emma Blogs, LLC.  (c) 2026 All rights reserved.

Author Todd Otis pens Sparks of the Revolution

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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.

Author Teri M. Brown pens Daughters of Green Mountain Gap

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“Healing and being healed are some of the most human of all activities, and Brown encourages us to dive deeply into their rivers.”

Scott’s Book Review

In her new book Daughters of Green Mountain Gap, author Teri M. Brown dives deeply into the healing rivers of the main characters Granny Maggie, her daughter Carrie Ann, and granddaughter Josie May.

Sponsored by https://moraviansonsdistillery.com

Doc Chavent, and author Carla Stockton.

Maggie McCoury, a generational healer woman, relies on family traditions, folklore, and beliefs gleaned from a local Cherokee tribe.

Her daughter, Carrie Ann, believes her university training holds the answers. As they clash over the use of roots, herbs, and a dash of mountain magic versus the medicine available in the town’s apothecary, Josie Mae doesn’t know whom to follow. But what happens when neither family traditions nor science can save the ones you love most?

Listen in for a chance to win a signed copy of Daughters of Green Mountain Gap.

Copyright (c)Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.

Author Marie LaPres pens Beyond the Fort

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In Marie LaPres’ young adult fiction Beyond the Fort, the main character Christine Belanger has always loved learning about the past. Still, she may get more history than she bargained for when she finds herself at Colonial Michilimackinac in the year 1775. In the past, Christine meets fellow time travelers, Henri and Jacques, French fur traders, and British soldiers.

She quickly learns that the tensions are high between the French and British, and Henri and Christine uncover the plot of a British Leftenant who plans to eradicate all French settlers in the Mackinac Straits area. It’s up to Christine and Henri to save the settlers, and possibly change the course of history. Can Christine and Henri outwit Lewis and save the fort? Will Christine be able to survive Colonial America without all of the amenities she is used to…especially her cell phone?

Listen in for a chance to win a signed copy of Beyond the Fort.

Sponsored by Doc Chavent.

Author Kenneth Harmon pens In the Realm of Ash & Sorrow

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When bombardier Micah Lund dies on a mission over Hiroshima, his spirit remains trapped in the land of his enemies. Dazed, he follows Kiyomi Oshiro, a war widow struggling to care for her young daughter, Ai.

 

Food is scarce, work at the factory is brutal, and her in-laws treat her like a servant. Watching Kiyomi and Ai together, Micah reconsiders his intolerance for the people he’d called the enemy. As his concern for the mother and daughter grows, so does his guilt for his part in their suffering. Micah finds a new reality when Kiyomi and Ai dream—one which allows him to interact with them. While his feelings for Kiyomi deepen, imminent destruction looms. Hiroshima is about to be bombed, and Micah must warn Kiyomi and her daughter.

Listen in for a chance to win a signed copy of In the Realm of Ash & Sorrow.

Sponsored by Doc Chavent

Author Wendy Thomson pens The Man from Burnt Island

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-ipskq-13f3523

In her historical fiction novel The Man from Burnt Island, author Wendy Thomson weaves the family story into the tapestry of Detroit’s rich history during the Great Depression, Prohibition, World War II, and the booming automotive industry starting in the 1950s and beyond.

 

It was a tough life for the Scottish Sharp family at the turn of the twentieth century. Coal miners, they were exempt from the World War I draft. Frank, the fourth of five sons, was the only one that went off to war. Luckily, he survived the trenches, only to return to poor job prospects and poorer wages. When most of the family sailed across the Atlantic in search of a better life, Frank stayed behind for a while… for a little too long, it so happened.

What Frank sacrifices to achieve material and career success takes its toll on his family and personal life. After all is said and done, this is the saga of a determined and ambitious man who was hell-bent on leaving his poverty-stricken past behind.

Listen in for a chance to win a signed copy of The Man from Burnt Island.

All April episodes sponsored by Doc Chavent, The Lowell Ledger, author Jen Rinaldi

Award-winning author pens gangster novels set in her hometown

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Her two gangster novels earned her Top Notable Indie Book awards. Author Betty Passick shared her passion for writing historical fiction in a very candid down-to-earth interview. Listen in for a chance to win a signed copy of The Black Bag of Dr. Wiltse.

“Research comes first,” she said. “If you don’t like doing research, historical fiction is not for you.”

Unlike most authors of historical fiction, Passick does not change the names of people or places in her historical crime novels. She has always been fascinated by the story of the Italian American “mystery man” who first came to her Iowa hometown in the early 1920s, and the rest is history. No pun intended.

Now, it’s up to us to find out what was in The Black Bag of Dr. Wiltse, Murder on the Prairie her second historical crime novel that earned her the second Top Notable Indie Book Award in 2021 after Gangster in our Midst in 2019.

“This crime mystery novel captures its audience’s attention with the delicious historical detail from this time period in early America’s burgeoning settlements… Who knew there was such a criminal element lurking on our prairies?”

 

Sponsored by Doc Chavent and The Lowell Ledger