Author’s bio Emma Palova, (Konecna) was born in former Czechoslovakia. She is a Lowell-based author, short story writer, novelist, screenwriter and a journalist. Palova wrote for Czechoslovak Newsweek and Prague Reporter. She also taught English as a second language for Francophones and Somali, as well as for Russians in her homeland. She received bachelor’s degree from the University of Brno in 1986. She started an eclectic collection of short stories during her studies of creative and journalistic writing at ICS in Montreal, and at the Grand Rapids Community College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The collection “Shifting Sands”:Short Stories now in its first edition 2017 continues to grow with new stories. Many of these stories are based in the Midwest town of Riddleyville, much like the screenplay “Riddleyville Clowns.” The new collection "Secrets" in the Shifting Sands short stories series was published in July of 2019. Book 2 was launched successfully at the Lakeshore Art Festival in Muskegon on Juoly 5th and July 6th, 2019. “My love for hometowns in Midwest America shows in the majority of my writings,” she said. “My current work is a tribute to small town characters and personalities.” Inspired by the Velvet Revolution, Palova wrote the novel “Fire on Water.” Palova is preparing the story of the family immigration that spans three generations- the "Greenwich Meridian Memoir" for the market. The target date for publication is Nov. 12, 2020. She has developed her own literary style influenced by Paulo Coelho, Ernest Hemingway, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Tennessee Williams, poets Stanley Kunitz, Valeriu Dg Barbu and playwright, former Czech president Vaclav Havel. "Writing and publishing as an authorpreneur is a very involved process. It's like having a baby. It is a lifetime relationship," said Palova.