Stop by at LowellArts next Sunday Dec. 13 between noon and 2 p.m. I will be signing my brand new book “Greenwich Meridian Memoir” inside the classroom at the gallery.
I will be in good company of the Holiday Artists Market in the main gallery. Pick up a last minute gift or two.
You can ask me questions ahead of time by commenting in the section below or you can order my books directly from this site.
For event info click the link below.
Copyright (c) 2020. Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.
Christmas spirit has arrived
By Emma Palova
This wintery December morning was the first time I appreciated its beauty sitting in the sunroom and watching the Advent candle flicker in the expectation of the sun rays to stream in.
The Advent season started on Sunday Nov. 29, 2020. Although I usually observed the four candles of Advent being lit at the church, I never really paid much attention to it due to the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. Often, I missed some of the Advent Sundays, because I probably went shopping for more things. Thus, I was surprised when I found out that one of the Advent candles is rose coloured for Gaudette Sunday on the third week of Advent.
However, this time due to the COVID-19 restrictions and increasing cases, we don’t go to church physically but watch the mass broadcast from the St. Andrews Cathedral in Grand Rapids. I found myself paying more attention to the spiritual preparation for Christmas than ever before.
I meditated in the morning before I started the day to streamline my thoughts and actions. This time I could just sit and watch the daylight come in after a very light night due to the full moon.
I have already gathered what I could as far as gifts and food; I have my poinsettia, pistachios, Manchego and Winternacht chocolate figurines from Aldi’s. Black Friday wasn’t as packed with deal hunters as usual. And there was no apres shopping dining due to the restaurants being closed until Dec. 7. So we stood outside in the November cold, drank cold beer and had a burrito from the Voodoo food truck in front of the New Union Brewery in Lowell. I have yet to buy the Christmas Eve fish from the Fishmonger of the Great Lakes tomorrow in Ada and meet with a very good friend.
The mailman has been good to me. I have received most of the gifts on time that I could even delight myself over a set of beaded ornaments still with a tag “Made in Czechoslovakia” and a treasure trove of children’s mysteries from the Dubois Files by Ludington author Joan H. Young. Rarely, had I ever been able to examine what I had bought always in the rush to usher in the holiday spirit, and then pack it all up in the festive wrapping paper, that tears up so easily.
Somehow , the COVID-19 isolation reminded me of what the Christmas spirit is really about. When I received an email from Tres Bohemes with a link to Jakub Ryba’s Christmas mass yesterday, I knew that I finally had to pause and stop pretending that everything is back to normal.
We spent the Thanksgiving holiday alone with a delicious take-out from the Candlestone Resort- at least there was no mess in the kitchen. I had a well-attended book signing of “Greenwich Meridian Memoir” at LowellArts on Saturday with my friends and invitees showing up in different time slots-what more can I ask for. My next book signing will be on Dec. 13 from noon until 2 p.m. at LowellArts. Stop by for a last minute gift. I will be in good company of the Holiday Artists Market in the gallery.
My parents, Ella & Vaclav Konecny with my brother Vas came to wish us happy holidays and a farewell, as they are leaving for Venice, Florida on Saturday. We had a good chat abiding by the CDC rules wearing masks and social distancing. All holiday fights were preempted by the restrictions.
We were on the phone with our two kids: Emma and Jake to converse about the holidays. And no, I have not decorated yet or put up a Christmas tree or baked traditional Czech Christmas cookies. But we watched both “Christmas Vacation” and “Christmas Chronicles” together with Ludek on our red couch, and that’s all that matters.
And sadly, there will be no Santa parade except for the Drive-Thru one at the Kent County Fairgrounds this Saturday, and no old-fashioned Christmas at Fallasburg. But there will be other promising new things.
So, stay tuned how it all goes.
Copyright (c) 2020. Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.
I am looking forward to my hometown book signing of “Secrets” from the Shifting Sands Short Stories series at the LowellArts gallery on Aug. 10 from 2pm to 4pm during the Livin’ is Easy exhibit.
Stop by for an autograph and for publishing insights. Also check out the story ” Taking the book on the road to connect with readers” about my tour in the Aug. 4 Buyer’s Guide.
The new book is a collection of 15 short stories with the main historical fiction story “Silk Nora” set in Belding, Michigan on the backdrop of the turn-of-the century era of inventions.
Other stories are based on Palova’s years of journalistic experience.
Together with other Michigan authors, Palova stands on the busy streets of hometowns manning her booth or tent, in the malls, at fairs or at art centers.
Locally, the book is available at the Springrove Variety in Lowell. It is on Amazon in both formats: paperback and kindle. It will be at the libraries of KDL, Schuler’s Books, Michigan News Agency and more. It is also at Horizon Books in Traverse City.
Follow Emma’s publishing journey also on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/author/emmapalova
Most of us can relate to slow starts after the holidays. On top of the holiday indolence, I’ve been sick too. And I even got my first ever flu shot in 2018 inspite of my wavering doubt about the effectiveness of the vaccine. This is the first day that “I feel like a human being.” That’s a quote from colleague writer Tamela Spicer.
I am working on two last stories to complete the second book Shifting Sands: Secrets. (c) 2019 Emma Palova. It is a sequel to Shifting Sands: Short Stories. I will let the manuscript run through the AutoCrit self-editing software for fiction to test it and review it.
I found out about AutoCrit during the #NaNoWriMo 50K word marathon in November. It has reasonably good reviews. A webcast on self-editing using the software is scheduled for Jan. 22 from 4 to 5 p.m.
Below is the link to the webcast.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmrIsIvEw3Q
I will most likely self-publish on the kdp self-publishing platform, since anything else is a complex labyrinth of paths with dead ends.
On the other hand, I am an eternal optimist, so I will pitch the individual stories via the app Submittable to different markets. Any new book needs reviews, any reviews.
Let me know if you would like to write a review. All Advance Reader Copies (ARC) are always free. You get to read something no one else has read before; now that’s pretty special.
I am also in the process of creating a tour for the new book Secrets. My first targeted event is on April 6 at the Author’s Fair in Detroit.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/annual-authors-fair-2019-tickets-50594326994
I am imposing a deadline on the memoir project “Greenwich Meridian” about the family immigration saga from former Czechoslovakia. I am taking this book to the event Books Alive! in Ludington on July 19 in conjunction with Ludington’s Friday Night Live.
This event is possible thanks to author Joan H. Young from Scottville.
I am also looking forward to continuing my partnership with LowellArts for book signings and the upcoming playwright festival.
Excerpt from short story “40 Hunks” in Secrets
They were crossing the Sonoran Desert west of Nogales. Jose felt the pocket of his jeans for a piece of paper. He pulled it out to look at it for the 100th time as they were nearing the border.
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 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.”
Copyright (c) 2019. Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.
Exercising voting and speaking rights
By Emma Palova
EW Emma’s Writings
Lowell, MI – I feel privileged that I can vote for any party or candidate that I want to. It wasn’t like that before the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia in 1989. There was one party ticket only: The Communist Party.
I realized that earlier this morning as I voted in Vergennes Township Precinct 1. I cast the 82nd ballot, soon after dropping off Ella at St. Pat’s summer care program around 9 a.m. I got the sticker, “I voted.”
I convinced my parents to vote only a few years ago. My husband Ludek and our son Jake will be voting in the November general election for the first time. By then, they will be naturalized American citizens.
As the church bells rang, I knew they were also the bells of freedom: the freedom to vote and the freedom of speech.
I exercised that freedom last night at the “Emerging Artists” event organized by the new LowellWrites group. Back in my Czech homeland before the fall of the regime, we could never ever give any speeches about anything. Unlike the “right to work”, freedom of speech wasn’t one of the rights we had.
That’s why late president Vaclav Havel was jailed so many times, because he spoke openly against the regime. I talked about him being my role model and my personal hero during the event.
“He was also a playwright,” I told my friends last night. “He spent a lot of time in jail.”
I am always amazed at how much one man or woman can accomplish in a lifetime.
“And then, they go out and do more,” states one commercial.
So, true. People who do great things go out and do more great things. I’ve learned that in meditations; to detach from the outcome. You can’t influence the result of anything, but you can be an integral part of it.
Havel knew he would go back to jail, but he never ceased to fight for freedom. As I watch the Facebook news feed, I do not understand why a lot of Czech people do not like Havel.
Once, I posted: “He was in prison also for your freedom.”
You should have seen the outpour of anger.
“He had it better in prison, than you have it in your living room,” was one comment that I will never forget.
The person missed the whole point that Havel fought for freedom for all Czechs and Slovaks, and ended up in prison for that like Nelson Mandela. But the comment went further to qualify that Havel maybe had a TV to watch and a typewriter to write, plus implying that I might not have either one of these tools.
Since I do have a laptop and the freedom of expression, I am sharing my Aug. 6th the speech during the “Emerging Artists” event at the LowellArts Gallery.
Good evening,
Thank you for having me, Lowell Arts and Deb.
Most of you probably know me as the roving reporter for the Lowell Ledger running around and chasing after stories, day or night, sweating during the Kent County Youth Fair, that is going on right now.
Tonight, I am here on a different venture presenting my book “Shifting Sands Short Stories,” which is a collection of 13 short stories based on my immigration, retail and journalistic experiences spanning more than two decades. Based on this, I divide the stories into three circles.
Although, I’ve always wanted to hold my own book in my hands and see it on the shelves of local bookstores, it wasn’t until 2017 that I made it happen. I realized if I didn’t put the short stories together, into a published collection, they would get lost.
That’s why I call it also a historic preservation project. I wrote the first story “The Temptation of Martin Duggan” in 1990 on a Smith-Corona Word Processor and the last one “Orange Nights” in 2017, partly on my tablet in my favorite hair salon.
My entire writing and publishing journey has been inspired by our family immigration saga from former Czechoslovakia. My father professor Vaclav Konecny has been my role model all along. I based the character Martin Duggan on him.
I fictionalized the character, the university town of Rocky Rapids and the crazy “actions” of the professor. This one could be easily billed as the wildly popular “historical fiction” category.
The professor was perfect except for one incident……….
That brings me to the circle of stories based on my journalistic experience. These too could fit the “historical fiction” category. In “Iron Horse,” while covering hometown politics, I was inspired by a story of a township supervisor who got recalled in a special election by his own people. And the reason for recall: a pig farmer with the stench from the operation reaching the supervisor’s resort.
A herdsman’s wife Deb organized the revolt.
I captured the recall process in a series of articles.
These were the back up questions, we never got around to, because the audience was actively participating in the discussion moderated by poet Ian Haight of Germany.
People often ask me, why do I write and what are my goals?
Purpose of an artist; why do I write?
To continue writing to provide a respite from the real world that is to entertain people.
Growing as an author
Why did I create it?
So, the stories don’t get lost.
Where did the inspiration or motivation come from?
From our immigration saga; that my father had to overcome many obstacles to get where he is now. By that, I mean both physically and emotionally. One of the obstacles was my own mother who did not want to emigrate, leave Czechoslovakia. My other role model is the late president Vaclav Havel.
I even find inspiration in politics. That’s where the historical fiction category kicks in.
Was it hard to create this piece of art from start to finish?
Yes, it was. In the beginning I did not know where I was going with it. I had no idea that the stories would end up in a book.
Why share this piece?
Because they are part of the human experience, with struggles, obstacles and victories along the way.
And as I was quoted in the Grand Rapids Magazine:
“I know that it might sound cheesy, but even though not all the stories have happy endings, that doesn’t mean that everything that happens to us is either good or bad. It isn’t always that clear.”
That’s why the sequel.
What does it mean to me?
To me it is the product of many years of hard work; kind of like when you get a degree after years of work. But, I think it goes deeper than that.
It’s more like a solo creation for others to enjoy.
What do you hope people will take away from it?
Definitely, a deeper understanding of human character, and why people do what they do.
Copyright © 2018. Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.
Lowell author expands events this summer
Lowell, MI – Lowell author Emma Palova will be featured live on WGVU Morning Show with host Shelley Irwin on July 26 at 10 a.m. WGVU is a service of the Grand Valley State University, a PBS member.
Palova will be talking with Irwin about her book “Shifting Sands Short Stories.” Palova, a former reporter for the Lowell Ledger, penned the collection of 13 short stories for more than two decades.
The stories are based on her immigration experience from former Czechoslovakia, journalistic and retail experience in the USA.
Most recently, Palova was featured in the Grand Rapids Magazine City Guide 2018-2019 in the life & style section, Reading Room: The long road to resilience.
“I know it might sound cheesy, but even though not all the stories have happy endings, that doesn’t mean that everything that happens to us is either good or bad. It isn’t always that clear,” she said. “The real art is in discerning it.”
This Saturday, July 21st, Palova can be found at the Ludington Writer’s Rendezvous along with 28 Michigan authors. The event runs from 10 to 3 p.m., at the Ludington Center for Arts. It is free to the public.
She will be at the Lowell Arts Gallery on July 28th & Aug. 4th from 1 to 3 p.m. to sign books and offer writing and publishing tips during the new “Captured: A Photography Exhibition.”
Palova is a member of the newly-formed LowellArts Writer’s Group which meets every Monday evening from 7 to 9 p.m. Contact Debra Dunning for more information at 897-8545.
Palova is currently working on a sequel to “Shifting Sands” and a memoir about the family immigration saga spanning three generations. Palova has also written a screenplay “Riddleyville Clowns”@Emma Palova.
Shifting Sands Short Stories is available on Amazon, Schuler Books in GR and Lansing and at the Kent District Library branches.
Palova is looking for a publisher for her first novel “Fire on Water” based on her experience from former communist Czechoslovakia.
For more info on the WGVU morning show go to: wgvunews.org.
Copyright (c) 2018. Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.
From idea to paper, bit, print & market
LowellArts to form a writers group
Lowell, MI- Are you a writer or an author interested in networking to gain insights into the publishing industry?
Have you encountered endless obstacles on your writing journey that seem to lead nowhere? Are your manuscripts collecting dust? Do you have a stack of rejections from agents?
Have you ever doubted yourself on your writing journey from the original idea to seeing your book on the bookshelf at the local Schuler Books store or at your hometown library?
Are you still wishing you could see your screenplay on the big screen?
A writers group will bring confidence and synergy to your writing, screenwriting & publishing efforts. It will help streamline them into a flow of great content for publishing: print, digital, audible and/or all of the above.
It will provide a platform for the exchange of ideas and insights with fellow wordsmiths.
You can start by joining the Facebook group: Writers Loop
https://www.facebook.com/groups/880655965317296/
Contact Emma at 1-616-550-3885 or email me at emmapalova@yahoo.com
Also follow my publishing blog Edition Emma Publishing
http://editionemma.wordpress.com
For more info on LowellArts go to:
About the feature photo & logo:
The path shows the poet’s Meandering journey through the woods of the publishing maze. The lights of insight are shining on it.
The poem is by an unknown poet
I see a pleasant path, and I begin to ramble
On either side are thorns and rocks
The ground is full of brambles……..
Fallen trees to trip me, the woods are very dark…..
But around the corner, and down the path,
I think I can see a park,
I think I’ll walk on the path today, the woods are too scary..
The path is my way,
It has a few hills as I walk toward the park,
But the sun is shining, and I am not in the dark……
It is simple to do….
Just stay on the path,
And we’ll walk with you!
Copyright (c) 2018. Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.
February expands new horizons, get the scoop at Emma’s author events & new Cool Vendors Abound blog
Author’s note: These are my thoughts prior to the Feb. 3 book signing of my new book Shifting Sands Short Stories at the award-winning arts gallery in downtown Lowell from 1 to 4 p.m. The gallery presents the Grand Valley Artists-In View show.
LowellArts has received the Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce reward for the best non-profit organization for providing more arts programs and services, while positively impacting the downtown businesses.
“Yes, this is a big deal for Lowell,” said Lorain Smalligan, executive director of LowellArts. “There are not many communities the size of Lowell with an arts center like LowellArts.”
I look forward to February for several reasons: I consider February as the month of love, and the Mardi Gras extravaganza. I also squeeze in my annual writer’s retreat in Florida.
1- January, the longest and coldest month will come to an end tomorrow, but we will also get to see the rare Super Blue Blood Moon for the first time in 150 years. The phenomenon consists of a super moon, a blue moon and a total lunar eclipse, aka blood moon, all in one. Don’t miss out on Jan. 31.
2- I get to revise if I have stuck to my new year’s resolutions. Let’s look at this one close-up.
Among my many new year’s resolutions was to get in shape; that is physically and mentally. I continue to exercise; 30 minutes of yoga and 30 minutes on the treadmill, plus freestyle weight lifting. I have yet to explore the possibilities of the yoga fitness 75-cm ball.
Mentally: My husband and I have signed up for Spanish classes so we can order lunch in Cuba. We both continue to go on Monday evenings under the tutelage of Mr. Jim Albert. I can now put together an entire sentence in Spanish:
“Yo voy a apprender Espanol.” I am going to learn Spanish.
I meditate with one of the greatest thinkers of this world: Deepak Chopra in his “Making every Moment Matter” meditations.
3- Straighten out or strengthen relationships. Build new DIY sites.
Now, this one is tougher than it looks. I have a lot more work to do, even though I managed to visit my brother Vas in Paris, MI last Sunday. A story “The Trainman” (c) Emma Palova is coming to my new site Cool Vendors Abound.
Visit Cool Vendors at http://farmcountryblog.wordpress.com
I re-purposed the farm country theme blog to a broader base for vendors, hobbyists and DIY crafts.
4- Moderation; I practice moderation on drinking only two cups of coffee a day .
5- The Dominant goal reigns over it all; and that is fiction writing.
I am currently working on Shifting Sands: Secrets, Book 2.
I will be discussing at my upcoming Emma’s author events including the book signings at LowellArts on Feb. 3 and March 10 the following themes:
“How to start and finish your book in 2018.”
“How to write about love.”
Looking forward to seeing you soon. You can also shoot me a note or a question at emmapalova@yahoo.com. Come for inspiration.
Buy a copy of my book locally at Schuler Books in Grand Rapids and in Okemos, Lansing. I will have a few copies on hand.
For info on LowellArts go to: http://www.lowellartsmi.org
For info on Schuler books go to : http://schulerbooks.com
Copyright (c) 2018. Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.
This is a Viable press release that you can re-purpose many times.
Shifting Sands Short Stories book signing press release
Local author Emma Palova will have book signings at Lowell Arts Gallery
To be released immediately
January 5, 2018
Contact
Emma Palova
Lowell
phone
EW Emma’s Writings blog
Lowell, MI- Local author Emma Palova will have book signing events of “Shifting Sands Short Stories” at the Lowell Arts Gallery on Main Street on Jan. 13 & Feb. 3 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Palova, a former reporter for the Lowell Ledger, has published the book of short stories based on her immigration, retail and journalistic experience. Both formats, Kindle for $7.99 and paperback for $11.99 are now available on Amazon, and locally at Schuler Books in Grand Rapids and in Lansing.
The book is a collection of 13 short stories that Palova wrote and collected over the span of more than two decades. The fiction’s genre is magic realism, a combination of fantasy with reality.
“In magic realism you combine the fictitious with fantasy and sometimes you use real characters to model the fictitious characters,” Palova said. “It can be a hybrid. I don’t write about Martians. I write about real people.”
Palova started writing for the Czechoslovak Newsweek based in New York City in 1990 upon arrival in the USA. She initially wrote a column, “Place for Commentary” in Czech. That was the only time she wrote in her native language, Czech.
Many of the stories are based on experiences Palova has had during her time living and working in the greater Lowell area in Michigan.
“Life is an awesome tapestry of stories,” she said. “I love chatting with my fans. People mostly want to know how to finish the books they have started writing. It’s not an easy question to ask, and definitely not an easy one to answer.”
Palova will be offering writing and publishing tips at her upcoming author’s events.
“Success comes from everyday writing, building a following and meeting with fans,” she said.
Palova has been writing for the area publications since 1997 when she launched her journalistic career with Kaechele Publications in Allegan. In 1998, she joined the staff of the Ionia-Sentinel Standard where she received awards for community reporting from the Ionia Chamber of Commerce in 2000 and the Ionia County Community Mental Health, 2003. Palova also had a community blog in the Ionia Sentinel-Standard.
Palova worked as a correspondent for the Grand Rapids Press, the Advance Newspapers, Gemini Publications and the Lowell Ledger.
Palova is currently working on the second volume of stories, as well as on the memoir “Greenwich Meridian, where East meets West” about the Konecny family immigration saga from communist Czechoslovakia to the USA.
She is preparing her first novel “Fire on Water” for publication. She has also penned a screenplay “Riddleyville Clowns.”
Palova has a lifetime passion for history and politics. She does social media marketing for the Fallasburg Historical Society (FHS).
“I am deeply humbled by the opportunities this country has given to me,” Palova said.
She became a US citizen in 1999 in Grand Rapids.
Shifting Sands Short Stories on Amazon
ISBN
9781521302262
Paperback
https://www/amazon.com/Shifting-Sands-Short-Stories-stories/dp/152130226X
Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Emma-Palova/e/B0711XJ6GY
Schuler Books in Grand Rapids and Lansing
Lowell Arts Gallery
Copyright (c) 2018. Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.
authoremmapalova 