For the Love of Books Podcast

Holidays with Lowell authors Glad Fletcher and Kathryn Den Houter

Lowell authors Glad Fletcher and Katherine Den Houter joined forces for a special holiday book signing event at the Coffee House at Cascade Christian Church on Dec. 14 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Holiday episode sponsored by authors Kathryn Den Houter, Glad Fletcher, Moravian Sons Distillery and Doc Chavent. 

Listen in for a chance to win a signed copy of Fletcher's or Den Houter's books.

Copyright (c) 2024. Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.

Author Larry Jorgensen pens Shipwrecked and Rescued

Happy Thanksgiving. Books make great gifts.

 

Author Larry Jorgensen tells the true-life adventure of the 1926 City of Bangor shipwreck rescue off the Keweenaw Peninsula in Upper Michigan.

 

A fierce November storm tossed the ship with a crew of 23 and 240 new Chrysler automobiles onto a Lake Superior reef. For the first time, Shipwrecked and Cars and Crew tell the near-tragic story of lost and desperate shipmates floundering for two days in the deep snow and near-zero temperatures. Jorgensen's detailed research and collection of historical photos chronicles what happened, introduces the key players, and finally reveals the fate of those collectors' prizes in the century since.

Listen in to win a signed copy of Shipwrecked and Rescued. Contact Emma via the website emmapalova.com with the name of the city that deceived Captain Mackin's logistics in this story.

Sponsored by @Moravian Sons Distillery and Doc Chavent

Copyright (c) 2024 Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.

Author Joan H. Young pens How to Hike the North Country Trail

The first 100 pages of How to Hike the North Country Trail: not quite a Guide explain why the North Country Trail is unique among National Scenic Trails and why its political history causes the checkerboard of allowed uses found along its length.

 

One cannot just camp anywhere along the trail. This requires much

more planning for a long hike than some hikers expect. The rest of

the book is the first-ever attempt to list all the legal places to camp or find

lodging along the 4800 miles of the NCT. As the title says, it's "not quite a

guide." This trail is still too long and too fluid to publish the level of

detail that a true guide would contain. However, the book in conjunction with

the free interactive map at northcountrytrail.org, is a great aid in creating a

plan for a long hike.

Listen in for a chance to win a signed copy of How to Hike the North Country Trail.

Sponsored by Moravian Sons Distillery and Doc Chavent

Copyright (c)2024. Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.

Yooper Ale Trails presents Michigan's Upper Peninsula breweries and brewpubs

Mikel B. Classen and Jon C. Stott, award-winning authors of travel books, provide expert guidance for beer aficionados and tourists to visit the 29 unique craft breweries and brewpubs of Michigan's Upper Peninsula in Yooper Ale Trails.

The tours to breweries are organized geographically from the east UP to the west side into eight picturesque ale trails. Each brewery or brewpub has its own story. Classen and Stott have captured the essence of the beer scene in the UP since the mid-1990s. Classen suggests planning six months for an ale trail trip.

"The book itself is a little bit of a roadbook too, you get a good breakdown of beers we found there," Classen said.

Listen to the episode to win a signed hardcover copy of Yooper Ale Trails.

Sponsored by Moravian Sons Distillery and Doc Chavent.

Copyright (c) 2024. Emma Blogs, LLC.

 

NaNoWriMo special panel advises to keep on writing

Are you up to the 50k-word marathon challenge that starts on Nov.1 aka NaNoWriMo?

The NaNoWriMo special panelists suggest just keep on writing without any interruptions even if you hit the proverbial wall. Make November your writing month.

"This is my writing month," author Jean Davis said.

Davis will be participating in the 18th year of the challenge.

That sentence resonated with all the panelists because as Jane Smiley said, 

"Every first draft is perfect because all the first draft has to do is exist. It's perfect in its existence. The only way it could be imperfect would be to NOT exist." 

Don't be too hard on yourself. Don't punish yourself, and have fun. Enjoy the camaraderie.

"I try to keep the momentum going," author John Winkelman said.

The panelists are authors- Vera West, Emma Palova, Jean Davis, John Winkelman, Andrew Smith, and Ed Bentley.

Listen in for a chance to win some free E books, and mainly to win the challenge.

Sound editing and effects by Douglas Kelly of Evolve Solutions, LLC.

Sponsored by Doc Chavent, Emma Palova, Ed Bentley, John Winkelman, and Andrew Smith.

Author Janice Afman pens memoir SariSari

Jan Afman spent 10 years in Taiwan and six years in the Philippines during a difficult time in her life. She managed to write about it in her memoir SariSari many years later after processing her experience.

"It was hard to pry myself out of my comfort zone," she said. "I had to get over a culture shock."

However, she encourages people not to avoid difficult experiences since they are opportunities to grow.

"I learned to look for good things each day," she said. "I learned about growing from not being a happy camper to contentment."

Listen in for a chance to win a signed copy of SariSari.

Sponsored by Doc Chavent, authors Hilton Everett Moore and Ed Bentley.

Author Rich Nelson pens This Tender Man - My Father’s Story

In his memoir, This Tender Man-My Father's Story Nelson explores the journey of an ordinary man caught up in the extraordinary circumstances of war. "My father nearly died of malaria in the jungles of WWII New Guinea" is the opening line of the book.

 

Woodrow F. Nelson served in the U.S. Army's 1462nd Engineer Maintenance Company in the tropical Pacific during WWII, coming home damaged by war but committed to leaving the war behind and going back to work, starting a family, and serving his community. 

However, like many veterans, he never shared any of the war stories with his son. Author Rich Nelson embarked on a journey to find out about his father's experience.

The book also delves into Muskegon's colorful historical and cultural tapestry.

 

Listen in for a chance to win a signed copy of This Tender Man-My Father's Story.

 

Sponsored by Doc Chavent, The Lowell Ledger, and UP author Hilton Everett Moore

 

Shining new U.P. Reader Volume 7 released

Just in time for the unofficial opening of summer, U.P. Reader hit the stands with its shining new volume 7 graced by the beautiful cover of a mining shaft at Painesdale on the Keweenaw constructed in 1902.

The hefty annual publication takes you on a road trip across Michigan’s Upper Peninsula from the Mackinac Bridge to Menominee with nonfiction and fiction pieces by UP authors who embody the life of a Yooper.

“Yoopers are born, not made,” said publisher Victor Volkman. “That’s why I can never be a Yooper.”

The 60 short works in the issue span the entire Upper Peninsula and include imaginative fiction from young winners of the Dandelion Cottage contest.

The cover is by author Mikel Classen.

Listen in for a chance to win a copy of U.P. Reader, Vol. 7

Sponsored by Doc Chavent and The Lowell Ledger

Pearls of My Mind journeys into self-discovery

In Pearls of My Mind, author Preethi Saravanakumar, a software developer and an award-winning poet, takes you on a journey into self-discovery using the symbolism of pearls.

 

Are you a Spiritual Newbie? Are you a Seeker? Or are you a Sage today? Let's find out as we go on a self-reflective journey of pearl harvesting. Pearls Of My Mind is a book that houses my rainbow thoughts. As each of the seven colored pearls brings simple wisdom, dazzling jewelry is cautiously strung. 

This book deals with the connection between colors and emotions and their relationship to the Chakras. Pearls are rightly synonymous with purity, clarity, and longevity. They are wisdom in the true sense! Oh, Rainbow Pearls! Thy vivid prismatic hues, Thy pure poised wisdom, Thy bold mighty endurance, I majestically manifest thy cues! I majestically manifest thy cues!

Listen in for a chance to win a signed copy of Pearls of My Mind.

Sponsored by Doc Chavent and The Lowell Ledger

Author- photographer portrays Detroit’s hidden gems, obscure sites

In her Detroit Revealed: A Different View of the Motor City, author-photographer Leslie Cieplechowicz highlights the obscure and amazing hidden gems of the city which is sometimes portrayed as unapproachable. The imagery highlights places only seen by local people who have created a rich culture and scenery that is veiled from the public eye.

"I wanted to share my view of the city," she said.

Cieplechowicz worked as an EMS paramedic for the Detroit Fire Department. She returned to the sites of former EMS encounters to capture the images, all 4,000 of them. 150 best pictures made it into the book.

"I captured the heart of the city and the people," she said. "I put a positive spin on a city that gets a negative reputation."

The book serves as a city guide for both locals and visitors with its stunning imagery, history of the sites, and addresses.

"You can visit all the places," she said.

Walk along the radiant blue riverfront of the Detroit River and view the beautiful structures glittering in the sunlight. Hang out at the hole-in-the-wall local bar and absorb the glow from the antique fixture that bathes the vintage decor in a warm light.

Head to the streets in a snowstorm, and peer through a broken window down Jefferson Avenue at a city shrouded in swirling white flakes. Or check out an old, dimly lit industrial center that has been turned into an enclave for local singers and artists to hone their talent, whose studios are a splash of faded records, flashing neon lights, and vibrant flags.

 

Listen in for a chance to win a signed copy of this book.

 

Sponsored by Doc Chavent and The Lowell Ledger