Tag Archives: Lowell Ledger

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NaNoWriMo Day 7 Week 1

November 7, 2022 emmapalova 1 Comment

In the first week of NaNo, Day 7 I logged in a total of 13,650 words. On top of that, I wrote for the Lowell Ledger logging in 1,841 words with stories about Milo’s Consignment, Station Salon Celebrates 10th Anniversary and the Lowell Arts Artist Market. That would put me at 15, 491 more like my buddies. Writing is writing, my buddy Diana says.

Lowell Ledger stories gallery for Nov. 9

Stay tuned for these stories in the upcoming issue of the Lowell Ledger

In the NaNoWriMo 50k word challenge, we met our nemesis on the first climb of the roller coaster plotting method. I am still thinking about switching to the 15-beat sheet method, but on the other hand, I like the tension of the unknown.

Blast from my communist past in former Czechoslovakia

Nov. 7 was another mandatory holiday, when we paraded with lanterns in the streets of Gottwaldov, now Zlin, to celebrate the Soviet holiday of their October revolution known as VRSR.

Here is an excerpt from Wikipedia. I will write more about this when I have time.

The October Revolution, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution or (according to the communists themselves) the Great October Socialist Revolution,[2] abbreviated VŘSR or Great October, was the second phase of the Russian Revolution of 1917, following the February Revolution.

Czech historic events, Greenwich Meridian memoir, immigration, local author, memoir, Michigan authors, politics, publishing, Uncategorized

Czech Independence Day

October 28, 2020 emmapalova 1 Comment

The Lowell Ledger article ” New memoir by Emma Palova about family’s escape from communism” hit the stands today in the greater Lowell area in Michigan.

The article captures the essence of our lives on the run from former Czechoslovakia to the U.S. The publication date coincided with the Czech Independence Day. Former Czechoslovakia was born on Oct. 28 1918, 102 years ago. The country founded its existence after the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the aftermath of WWI.

The book “Greenwich Meridian Memoir” about our family immigration saga is slated for Nov. 12 publication on Amazon.

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books, daily writing, excerpts, fiction, immersion, newspapers, non-fiction, passion, Uncategorized

Day 20 of National Novel Writing Month

November 20, 2018 emmapalova Leave a comment

Daily insights from #nanowrimo with excerpts

By Emma Palova

EW Emma’s Writings

Lowell, MI – Today is the first day, you can validate and claim your winner of NaNoWriMo title, if you have logged in with 50,000 words of any genre of literature.

Today, I alternated between reporting from a township meeting for the Lowell Ledger and fiction writing of short stories. Yes, it can be done. I logged in with 39,358 words in the My Novel yellow box on the dashboard.

Takeaways

The most-valued takeaway from the #nanowrimo creative project is gauging your creative daily output measured by the widget in the dashboard.

The second insight is the fact that you can flip between the two categories of writing: non-fiction and fiction.

Excerpts from “40 Hunks”

Book cover for “Secrets” aka the Face of Gossip.

The list was far from being 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’s going to 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 that 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.”

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books, daily writing, events, excerpts, fiction, historical fiction, immersion, inspiration, Uncategorized

Day 19 of National Novel Writing Month

November 19, 2018 emmapalova 1 Comment

Daily insights from #nanowrimo creative project, split between fiction and non-fiction writing

By Emma Palova

EW Emma’s Writings

Lowell, MI – I added three pages and finished the short story “Raspberry Rage” (c) 2018 Emma Palova bringing the total word count to 37, 028 in the 50K word marathon. That puts the new collection of short stories beyond the half-way point with six stories done.

Day 19 of the National Novel Writing Month

The takeaways from nanowrimo

The widget on the dashboard keeps track of your average daily writing rate and days to finish on time by Nov. 30. From the start, I averaged 1, 900 words. The projected finish will be on Nov. 26, according to the dashboard.

However, today I had to also write non-fiction “Christmas through Lowell” for the Lowell Ledger, which made up for the remaining three pages of the daily quota. Those non-fiction three pages will not tally into the creative project.

For more info go to: http://www.nanowrimo.org

Excerpts from “Chief”

It was the biggest night of the year under the moon of falling leaves. The town of Riddleyville has been getting ready for the annual Ladies Night Out since lastyear.

Everyone has forgotten the fiasco when the city manager dressed up in an ugly sweater with black cats and pumpkins and black pants that had a hole in them.

He came running out of the city hall to greet the mayor, and the pants fell off of him.

However, being a man of no shame, Ricky just pulled them up and shook the mayor’s hand smiling.

“You’re dressed up Ricky, what’s going on?” asked the mayor.

“It’s girls’ night out, and it’s almost Halloween,” Ricky put on his regular grimace of an enslaved man. “I wanted to dress for the occasion.”

Ricky was stubby with black hair and an occasional mustache that he from time to time either shaved off or grew it into a goatee.

“You’re not a girl or a lady Ricky,” said the mayor walking into the well-lit building. “We need to talk about a few things.”

No one has ever found out what the two talked about in the big office that night.

The town had two memories; one forgiving and the other unforgiven.

Ricky for the most part fell under the first category.

He did remember not to dress up this time, since it was a chick flick night. Ricky watched from his window the action on Main Street. He had a lot of paperwork to finish, and the mayor too usually came in to chat.

Women of all ages were running in the street enjoying the warmth of the late autumn. Some were dressed up in their prom dresses from a long time ago; yellow, red, purple and blue. Ricky wondered how the heck they fit back in them. He himself couldn’t fit into anything remotely resembling his high school years. His pants were small, and his belly was overflowing like the proverbial muffin. Ricky fought it for years, then he gave in.

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On the other side

July 7, 2017 emmapalova Leave a comment

Ask the author, Storyteller 2017

In this series following the release of the Shifting Sands Short Stories collection, I answer questions about the stories, characters, me and my writing career.

By Emma Palova

I’ve been on the other side of an interview only twice in my life. That is if I don’t count job interviews. As a reporter, I’ve interviewed thousands of people for newspaper and magazine stories over the years. I’ve always been very comfortable at asking questions, in person or over the phone.

The subject didn’t really matter, unless it was a personal issue of officials resigning under duress.

Recently, Tim McAllister interviewed me for the local paper the Lowell Ledger about the Shifting Sands Short Stories book release. I wrote for the paper for many years as the lead reporter. The article “Ledger reporter pens book of short stories” came out on July 5.

It was a great interview that resulted in a great story. And I am grateful for that. Thank you.

An interview is like a Bridge to a destination. A good interview is a firm bridge to a good story with a firm foundation. It is a lot like the physical structure that connects two places.

Here is a picture of one of my favorite bridges, and that is the Fallasburg Covered Bridge built in 1871. It has been connecting people with the Fallasburg pioneer village for the last 146 years.

And because everything is connected, my book signing on July 16 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. will be held at the Fallasburg one-room schoolhouse museum. Everyone is invited into the historic setting, that well fits the premise of the short stories set in hometown Midwest America.

The only other time I was interviewed was when I became an USA citizen in 1999 in a naturalization ceremony at the Gerald Ford Museum, along with my daughter Doc Emma.

And now I have found out that I am equally comfortable on the other side of the interview. That is answering questions about my new book Shifting Sands Short Stories, me and my writing career.

I love the interaction with my followers, friends and family.

Just yesterday, I got this question:

“What is your favorite story in the book?” asked my daughter-in-law Maranda.

I love this question. I used to ask artists the same thing.

“What is your favorite painting?”

I use the analogy of releasing the book to releasing your child into the world, after he or she graduates. You nurture them or the book idea for years. Then you work it into a book, and release it to the world.

“You’re kind of sad, and it’s also a highly emotional situation that you did everything you could possibly do,” I said.

The entire world around the publication of the book is different from anything else. I had to write it down on a piece of paper:

“Don’t treat this like everything else you’ve done in life, because it’s different.”

The difference is mainly in the novelty and the complexity of the entire publication process from the inception of the idea to holding the actual book in your hands.

“I got shivers for you when we got your book in the mail,” said Maranda.

I couldn’t have said it better.

Thank you all for making this possible.