For the Love of Books Podcast

Michigan Reads connects authors with the world

Michigan Reads is a functional gateway for Michigan independent authors which started out with authors Ingar Rudholm and Andrew Allen Smith. The site was tested and more authors were added.

"The purpose is to centralize Michigan authors in a single place," said Smith. "I will be offering it to all authors in February or March."

Eventually, more features were added such as electronic billboards. In the works are streaming and TV. The proposed cost per author per book is $10, and a requirement to write a review of somebody else's book.

"You can have as many books as you want," Smith said. "It's a place that is easy to remember."

The main innovation is name recognition, according to Smith.

Listen in for more details.

Sponsored by Doc Chavent and The Lowell Ledger

How to survive NaNoWriMo 50k word challenge ending up with a rough draft of a novel

That is the million-dollar question that today's panelists authors Jean Davis, Vera West, and Emma Palova will attempt to answer. There is not a one size fits all guideline to win the 50,000-word challenge coming up in November.

At times, the challenge reminds me of final exams in college, when you had to pull it all together in one month, and in four different subjects. As authors, we each have a different approach to getting it done. I like to have some kind of pillars to rely on kind of like a suspended bridge, not necessarily a full-blown outline, but rather a synopsis as Davis suggested.

Davis has been participating in NaNo for 17 years, which has increased her productivity immensely. Out of that, she won 15 times. West enters every year but does not always win. So far, she has won once.

"For me, any progress is better than none," she said.

True, if you enter and get 10,000 words written, that's 10,000 words more than you had before entering.

These experienced NaNoWriMos offered invaluable tips in the special episode: Have two projects in the works in case you get stuck on one, and work hard in the honeymoon phase at the beginning before exhaustion settles in.

Don't go back to fix anything, keep moving forward even if you don't like the way the story is evolving; you might not like it two hours later either.

"There are two ways to go about it," Davis said. "First you can outline that you have to write 1,667 words a day, secondly you can just work on something like I do."

Whichever way you pick, just stick to your commitment.

Find out what to do when you do get stuck. And we all do, indeed.

Sponsored by Doc Chavent and The Lowell Ledger

 

Author Sharon Kennedy pens The SideRoad Kids

Happy Labor Day weekend.

Welcome back to another school year. Kennedy's time machine will take you back to a simple era of the late 1950s. Find some time to read and reflect whether it's on your own childhood or stories of the past passed from generation to generation. 

The SideRoad Kids follows a group of boys and girls as they enter the sixth grade in a small town in Michigan's Upper Peninsula during 1957-1958. The meandering collection of short stories is often humorous, poignant, and sometimes mysterious.

Laugh as the kids argue over Halloween treats handed out in Brimley. Although told by the kids, adults will remember their own childhood as they read about Flint, Candy, Squeaky, Katie, and their friends.

"Katie, Blew, Squeaky, and Daisy grew up on farms instead of high rises and used their imagination instead of fancy gadgets to make their own fun. An entertaining read for youngsters. And parents, you might enjoy a nostalgic flashback as well. I know I did.

                                           -Allia Zobel-Nolan, Author of Cat Confessions

Author Sharon Kennedy has been writing short stories and poems for 50 years, but she rarely submitted anything for publication. After teaching English composition at a community college and university, she began writing a general interest5 column in 2014 that ran in her local newspaper. 

She is currently working on a sequel and continues writing her newspaper columns for Gannett Media.

Sponsored by Doc Chavent, The Lowell Ledger, and Modern History Press.

 

Victor Volkman publishes U.P. Reader Volume 6

Victor Volkman is the publisher of the U.P. Reader, senior editor at Modern History Press based in Ann Arbor, and president of the Upper Peninsula Publishers and Authors Association.

The U.P. Reader is the brainchild of author Mikel Classen. Volkman said he can't be a Yooper because Yoopers are born, not made. The hefty publication features thirty to 50 contributing writers, most are members of the UPPAA.

"People who live in the U.P are great writers, the U.P. Reader exposes their writings for other people to explore," said Volkman.

Volkman said he's especially proud of the inclusion of Cottage Dandelion winners, young writers who receive a traveling trophy for their school, kind of like the Stanley Cup.

"We're making the next generation of writers," he said. "We provide training wheels for young writers. We're able to accept 90 percent of writing."

The all-inclusive publication, which is distributed to all the libraries in the U.P.,  features contemporary fiction, short stories, humor, history, memoir, poetry, and much more.

"I am a publisher, and this helped me build a relationship with writers," he said. "We work hard to keep the price reasonable."

Some of the highlights of the UPPAA are the spring conference in Marquette in June and the picnic on the first Saturday after Labor Day in Marquette.

Submissions for the U.P. Reader Volume 7 will be accepted until November.

"It's a lot of fun," he said. "I love the sense of community in the U.P."

To become a member of the association go to https://www.uppaa.org/

Sponsored by Doc Chavent, The Lowell Ledger, and Modern History Press

Listen in for a chance to win an autographed copy of the U.P. Reader.

Have an awesome Fourth of July.

 

 

Author Andrew Smith unleashes horror in Another Slice of Fear

In his second book in the Slice of Fear franchise, Andrew Smith explores fear in all its dimensions and takes it down deep into this rabbit hole he had found along the way.

 

"I believe that fear is at the core of who we are and it makes us alive," he said. "Fear is a lot of fun. I use fear to entertain people."

Another Slice of Fear is an anthology of 16 stories that will stir your imagination.

A man finds the secret to immortality, or does he?

A monster awakens and has to decide who is the monster?

A selfish woman gets eternal servitude, for a price.

A family fortune is saved by unlikely allies.

A scene unfolds from three different perspectives and creates a problem for Kate with exciting results.

A man wins a special vacation for the newly almost divorced.

Early reviews long for the continuation of The Edge carried from the first book into the second one as "The Edges."

"Much to my delight, Andrew added an act two to the story he began in the first volume. Where he began with "The Edge", he continues here with "Edges". I was fascinated by the first act of this tale and having the opportunity to see how the story evolves in the second was marvelous. The introduction of a sacred book to the story requited my desire for new secrets, enticing my imagination with how the sword was forged and why it was sanctified for its purpose. Like a chocolate torte cake, each layer reveals a little bit more delicious tension and suspense. I am hopeful this story will one day grow into a novella or a full stand-alone novel. My anticipation for even more layers to be revealed is undeniable."

                                                                 -Diana Kathryn Plopa

Listen in for a chance to win signed copies of the books from the Slice of Fear franchise.

Sponsored by Doc Chavent, the Lowell Ledger and Modern History Press

YA novel ”Thanks, Carissa, For Ruining My Life” set for February release

Author Dallas Woodburn skillfully flips friends into lovers in the love triangle between Carissa, Brad, and Rose using two points of view.

Set for February release the friends-to-lovers romance delivers a heartwarming message about self-improvement, identity, and acceptance in an image-obsessed culture.

This is Woodburn's second novel with a short story collection How To Make Paper When the World is Ending slated for June publication.

A former John Steinbeck Fellow in Creative Writing, Woodburn's writing has been honored with the Cypress & Pine Short Fiction Award, the international Glass Woman Prize, and four Pushcart Prize nominations.

When she's not writing, Dallas hosts the podcast "Overflowing Bookshelves." Woodburn is also a book doula.

Listen in for a chance to win a signed copy of Woodburn's new novel.

Author Jared Morningstar delves deep into the American experience in his poetry and short stories anthologies

Author Jared Morningstar takes on different aspects of the great American experience ranging from fake patriotism as reflected in the title of the first collection of poems and short stories- "American Fries" to fear in "American Reality."

"American Reality captures the darkness of 2020," Morningstar said. "The fear of politics and our health concerns, but it's not just about Covid."

For a chance to win both books listen in to the episode.