Wednesday, July 1, 2026

Sue's Diner: Independence Day Cake

This week's recipe is very patriotic to me and not just because it's mentioned in the fifth installment of Before The Blood.

It's because I actually do like it. After I wrote the passage in italics, I, too, wanted to taste Independence Cake. So Timothy, and then Rebekah, modified the recipe for the modern kitchen. And it's actually really good!

Munsonville Inn would also sell a frosted loaf, popular in Thornton, known as Independence Cake, and Bryony longed to try this food from a land so far away.

More than once, she and Susan read the advertisement in the window, boasting it was "flavored with wine and brandy," as well as "rich with nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, mace, and citron," and "heavily speckled with currants and raisons."

Here is an actual nineteenth century recipe we found online:

"Twenty pounds of flour, fifteen pounds of sugar, ten pounds of butter, four dozen of eggs, one quart of wine, one quart of brandy, one ounce of nutmegs, three ounces each of cinnamon, cloves, and mace, two pounds of citron, five pounds each of currants and raisins, and one quart of yeast. Frost it, and dress it with box and rose leaf."

It's now my favorite Fourth of July recipe (however, no one else in my family likes it).

Still, you can try our modified recipe on the Sue's Diner page on the BryonySeries website.

But try the recipe this week. It will be gone some time next week. A new recipe will take it's place.

If you have any troubleshooting questions or comments, email us at bryonyseries@gmail.com.

Here is a non-Victorian version with sprinkles - because Timothy likes sprinkles, he said. I love the color combination.

Below that is a more traditional version.

By the way, Sue's Diner is only real in the BryonySeries world. But didn't Timothy do a great job making the page look like a real menu at a vintage diner?

Here is the full diner page: bryonyseries.com/sue-s-diner.

All proceeds from "Memories in the Kitchen: Bites and Nibbles From 'Bryony'" benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Will and Grundy Counties at bbbswillgrundy.org

For more BryonySeries recipes, check out our three cookbooks at our bryonyseries.com/merchandise.

And scroll for more photos!

Tuesday, June 30, 2026

A Cricut for Rebekah

If you haven't guessed right now, we are a "project" family.

Christopher, Joshua, and Daniel love car projects.

Timothy loves creative projects, from culinary to storytelling to branding and design.

Sarah loves so many different projects, it's difficult to name them all, She is currently remodeling an out-of-state home, doing much of the work herself.

Rebekah especially loves craft-related projects. We're currently in the process of moving and have already planned a large dedicated protected space where Rebekah can set out craft projects in progress and work at them bit by bit.

So when Cindy brought a cricut for her craft-related projects, she suggested to Rebekah that they learn how to use it together to create BryonySeries swag.

They recently took some training at the Joliet Public Library's Digital Media Studio, which led Rebekah getting bit by the cricut bug and placing buying one of her own on her "someday" list.

Instead, I told Rebekah to pick the one best suited to everyone's needs and let BryonySeries buy it for her, since Rebekah's intention is to use it mainly for BryonySeries projects (she's already planned a list, too).

It arrived Saturday after the presentation and she was thrilled.

Really thrilled.

As in she couldn't wait to try it out.

I'm glad she did because I had no idea how it worked, and I had fun watching the process.

Rebekah's goal is to create approximately seventy BryonySeries miniature backpacks before Friday.

On Friday, we are running the children's games for the Independence Celebration at the Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park in Joliet for the fourth year in a row.

And we ran out of our previous stock of bags at last year's events.

Yes, we aren't leaving ourselves much time. But that's not do to our excellent planning abilities and more to the boulders life keeps placing in our paths.

So Rebekah printed all her logo sheets on Sunday.

And then she "weeded" them all last night, from the time she clocked out of work until long past her bedtime.

Rebekah is planning to complete everything by Wednesday night.

The backpacks are black, but the BryonySeries logo will feature different colors.

Rebekah is very pleased with her test.

Just so you know, we are not selling these on Friday.

We are distributing them for free to people who play the games.

This gives them a handy place to put their books, prizes, and creations (we have a coloring/sticker/craft stations this year).

Thoughts?

Monday, June 29, 2026

Kindess Days

I realized the other day that I actually do very, very little to let people know about the two non-BryonySeries books I've written.

One is an editiing checklist for fiction that's a fundraiser for WriteOn Joliet.

The other is a devotional-style book on the non-obvious ways to find kindness.

Those who follow my BryonySeries Facebook page already know that I focus on different subseries on the different days of the week.

Going forward, I'm adding two "kindness days" into the Sunday rotation in order to add two very components that are key to B.L.O.C.K.S. - the parent brand of the BryonySeries.

Because although all of the BryonySeries books (except Bertrand the Mouse, who promotes the fun in reading) involve the supernatural in some way, we deliver those books with an emphasis on these two characteristics:

A spirit of community.

And kindness.

Enjoy!

Sunday, June 28, 2026

It's nice to be with you - the monkees (cover by bunso)

Anyone new to the BryonySeries blog might wonder why I post piano music on Sundays and how that fits into the BryonySeries world.

That's because one character - John Simons - was a nineteenth century world-renowned pianist and composer before he died and became a vampire.

I'm posting this piece today because I: like the Monkees, like this lesser-known Monkees song, never saw this song as a piano cover by now, and because one Sunday a month I'm laying aside the focus on the BryonySeries books and more kindness, especially since I did write one non-BryonySeries book to help foster kindness in the world.

The book is called "Nine Months of Kindness."

Enjoy this piece and may it inspire you to be a kinder person today - and to notice the often overlooked kindess of others.

Saturday, June 27, 2026

2 Hours Relaxing Celtic Music: Flute Music, Fantasy Music, Beautiful Music, Relaxing Music

Since the beginning of this blog on August 1, 2010, Saturdays has been a day to celebrate BryonySeries author and Irish vampire character Ed Calkins, Steward of Tara, and all things Irish.

While this selection by renowned composer Tim Janis is neither Irish or features a tin whistle, it has a "Glorna" feel to it (to me), which you might understand if you're read "Staked!" or any of Ed's books in his BryonySeries Ruthless series ("Ruthless," "The Fifth," "Recovering Ruthless").

Either way, enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDeB9zIoE_s

Friday, June 26, 2026

Story Round-Up: Features in The Herald-News, June 20 through June 26

Good morning!

I have seven stories online to share with you today, with more stories likely going live over the weekend. So please check back at shawlocal.com/the-herald-news.

To see the stories that ran in print this week and aren't online yet, click on the e-edition option at the top of The Herald-News website.

Before the stories, I also have a list of additional updates, resources, and information. Please check them out, too.

And if you'd like to find more kindness in your life, consider this book.

And have a great Friday!

Calendar

The BryonySeries calendar offers links to games, crafts, music, activities, science experiments, and recipes that pick up themes to one or more of our books.

To participate, visit bryonyseries.com/ourcalendar.

Events (or where to find the BryonySeries) - so far:

June 5, June 12, June 19, June 26: B.L.O.C.K.S. will be hosting children's games at Food Truck Fridays, which runs 4 to 8 p.m. at Carter Realty Group, 1214 Essington Road, Joliet. We're hoping to be set 5:30-ish on all days except June 12, when we will run games from 4 to 5:30-ish p.m. In addition to children's games, we will offer BryonySeries books for sale during the games. Not in the mood to read? Buy one (or more) books and place it in our collection box for our book giveaways at the July 3 and Aug. 1 events.

June 27: "Presentation 101: An Overview for Authors Entering the Industry" 1 p.m., Joliet Public Library, 150 N. Ottawa St. Joliet. Register here.

July 3: Joliet Eve of Independence: America 250 Fireworks and Celebration: 6 to 10 p.m., Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park & Theatre, 201 W. Jefferson St., Joliet. Live music, food vendors, and children’s activities by B.L.O.CK.S., the BryonySeries umbrella brand. B.L.O.C.K.S. will also have limited giveaways of BryonySeries books for all ages and WriteOn Joliet's upcoming "Shoe" anthology. The evening will conclude with a fireworks display at 9:30 p.m. Admission is free.

Aug. 1: Kid Fest: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., City Square, Downtown Joliet. For the third year in a row, WriteOn Joliet will have a tent at the annual Kidz Fest celebration. Write your own story with our unique, one-of-a-kind, made-just-for-us story manipulable story blocks. And be sure to pick up one (or more) WriteOn Joliet-authored books (titles for all ages), which we will distribute for free.

In addition, please check out our books by popping into The Book Market in Crest Hill (if you live in the area) or bookshop.org or Amazon if you don't.

Also, many titles are available at the Joliet Public Library and the Downers Grove Public Library.

Please note: Bookshop and the libraries do not carry all of our books.

And if you missed it, please check out the "Shades of Noir" photos.

What is the BryonySeries?

Please read "Books of the BryonySeries: A Quick Overview"

For more information on the developing "parent brand" that is removing some of the heavy marketing lifting from me, visit bryonyseries.com/blocks.

BryonySeries books-in-progress

Bertrand the Mouse: We have plenty of Bertrand photos and ideas. Several are at the top of the list. At some point, we will assemble and release some more.

The Adventures of Cornell Dyer: Cornell Dyer and the House of Horreur" (because the toymaker's last name is "Horreur.") is finally begun, although albeit very slowly. I'd like to get enough done over the next month or so to finally give Sue Midlock (our artist for The Adventures of Cornell Dyer) some ideas for the book's cover and chapter heading illustrations.

Brainy Ann: The fifth book in The Girls of the BryonySeries is nearly drafted with some partial editing already begun. We plan to release this book in 2026.

Jennifer designed the cover portraits for "Julie and the Too-Hard Homework," "Katie and the Big Fear," "Summer Sisters." and "Karla Joins In," as well as the frontispiece for "Lycanthropic Summer."

Other books: I am not writing a novel this year. But we plan to release a BryonySeries Christmas anthology around the holidays. This will be Christmas excerpts from existing BryonySeries novels along with a few bonus chapters only available in this anthology.

We also have a prologue/first chapter sampler of all the BryonySeries novels and an novel excerpt (so far) that's only available at certain events and another sampler cal;led "Angel or Demon" that is also only available at select events.

Rebekah is also slowly (very, very slowly) updating the BryonySeries YouTube and Pinterest accounts. And she' catching up with Kindles for some of the BryonySeries books. So do watch for those.

For books and more information about the series, visit bryonyseries.com.

RECIPE OF THE WEEK

Sue's Diner is a fictional restaurant in the fictional Munsonville that only exists in the BryonySeries.

Each Wednesday, we post a new recipe. The recipe is either featured in one of our cookbooks, will be featured in an upcoming cookbook, or is just an "extra" we want to share with you.

Check out the weekly recipe here.

WRITERS

If you're a writer anywhere in the world, you're welcome to join WriteOn Joliet's Facebook page. We're based in Joliet, Illinois, but we love to meet and interact with writers outside our area, too.

If you'd like to officially join WriteOn Joliet, we have two tiers of dues and two ways to attend meetings. We also have a marketing arm that's getting longer every year. Check us out at writeonjoliet.com.

I also suggest this book: Little Book of Revision: A Checklist for Fiction Writers. It's exactly as it says. Each page some with one suggestion for revision. The rest of the page is blank, so you can add your own notes. All proceeds benefit WriteOn Joliet.

If you need editing or help with self-publishing, check out dmbaranunland.com.

ARTISTS

If you need an artist for a project, I offer these recommendations.

NEWSLETTERS

Sign up for The Munsonville Times by emailing us at bryonyseries@gmail.com. The newsletter still isn't official yet, so we don't have an actual link on the website - but we are working on it! 

SOCIAL MEDIA

Daily updates: I haven't posted anything on Twitter/X (except a daily Bible verse) since September I can no longer schedule posts in advance. I'm not sure yet how to manage the account without that option. But you're welcome to follow me at @Denise_Unland61.
BryonySeries stuff: I'm gradually reviving BryonySeries on Twitter/X at x.com/BryonySeries and still post assorted related content at facebook.com/BryonySeries, youtube.com/user/BryonySeries, and themes of each book in the BryonySeries at pinterest.com/bryonyseries.
And of course, please follow the adventures of Bertrand the Mouse on Instagram at bertrand_bryonyseries.
QUESTIONS
Email me at bryonyseries@gmail.com.

Thank you for reading The Herald-News. And for reading this blog. And if you've read (or plan to read) any of my books. Your support is greatly appreciated.
FEATURES
Joliet Junior College board chair Budzinski resigns
Says decision due to one trustee ‘who continues to go
against everything the board does’
https://www.shawlocal.com/the-herald-news/2026/06/25/joliet-junior-college-board-chair-budzinski-resigns/
New Lenox welcomes new car sales company among other new
businesses
https://www.shawlocal.com/the-herald-news/2026/06/22/new-lenox-welcomes-new-car-sales-company-among-other-new-businesses/
Newsweek recognizes Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox
for the 2nd time in 2026
https://www.shawlocal.com/the-herald-news/2026/06/21/newsweek-recognizes-silver-cross-hospital-in-new-lenox-for-the-2nd-time-in-2026
Will County Pets of the Week: June 22, 2026
Will County rescues have dogs and cats for adoption
https://www.shawlocal.com/the-herald-news/2026/06/22/will-county-pets-of-the-week-june-22-2026/
Three-part story on AI in healthcare
Patients turning to AI chatbots for medical advice,
risking dangerous missteps
Doctors warn that ChatGPT and similar tools lack clinical
context and can fuel health anxiety
https://www.shawlocal.com/news/2026/06/23/patients-turning-to-ai-chatbots-for-medical-advice-risking-dangerous-missteps/
Illinois hospitals deploy AI tools to free doctors from
paperwork
From stroke detection to seizure monitoring, artificial
intelligence is reducing administrative burdens and giving physicians more time
with patients
https://www.shawlocal.com/news/2026/06/24/illinois-hospitals-deploy-ai-tools-to-free-doctors-from-paperwork/
Doctors embrace AI as regulators work to ensure safe use
Survey shows 81% of physicians now use artificial
intelligence tools, prompting new certification standards and calls for
measured regulation

https://www.shawlocal.com/news/2026/06/25/doctors-embrace-ai-as-regulators-work-to-ensure-safe-use/

Illustration by Matt Coundiff for "Visage"

Thursday, June 25, 2026

Vampire Dinosaur

Jenny Russ, a charter member of WriteOn Joliet, gifted me with this dinosaur vampire back in the fall.

It's a slippery little sticker, not in texture but in the way it keeps disappearing - and then reappearing at the most random times and in the most random places.

I love this sticker because I think of so many fun "writerly" things when I look at it.

Obviously, the BryonySeries features vampires in many of its stories.

And the third installment of "Before The Blood" features the origin story of the jack-o-lantern.

Finally, some veteran WriteOn Joliet members will see this dinosaur and think "dinosaur porn."

And who can blame them? (If you know, you know).

Wednesday, June 24, 2026

Sue's Diner: Chicken Salad and Crackers

This week's recipe for chicken salad and crackers was mentioned in the first book in the BryonySeries "drop of blood" trilogy: Bryony.

In chapter twenty-one John apologized to Melissa for his coldness by scheduling a large garden party where she could play gracious hostess. One of the items served was chicken salad with crackers.

Our recipe is adapted from one that appeared in the nineteenth century cookbook Miss Beecher’s domestic receiptbook: designed as a supplement to her Treatise on domestic economy.

This chicken salad and homemade crackers recipe also appears in the BryonySeries cookbook Memories in the Kitchen: Bites and Nibbles from "Bryony," which is a permanent fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Will and Grundy Counties.

You may try the recipe for chicken salad and crackers on the Sue's Diner page on the BryonySeries website.

But try the recipe this week. It will be gone some time next week. A new recipe will take it's place.

If you have any troubleshooting questions or comments, email us at bryonyseries@gmail.com.

By the way, Sue's Diner is only real in the BryonySeries world. But didn't Timothy do a great job making the page look like a real menu at a vintage diner?

Here is the full diner page: bryonyseries.com/sue-s-diner.

All proceeds from "Memories in the Kitchen: Bites and Nibbles From 'Bryony'" benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Will and Grundy Counties at bbbswillgrundy.org

For more BryonySeries recipes, check out our three cookbooks at our bryonyseries.com/merchandise.

Tuesday, June 23, 2026

BryonySeries at Bicentennial Park's Independence Celebration on July 3, 2026

Come celebrate Independence Day with us!

BryonySeries powered by B.L.O.C.K.S. returns to the Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park Theatre on July 3 as part of the park's celebration.

Joliet Eve of Independence: America 250 Fireworks and Celebration will take place from 6 to 10 p.m. July 3 at 201 W. Jefferson St. in Joliet.

Here are TEN ways you can have fun at our tent.

1. Spin for a free BryonySeries children's book (while supplies last).

2. Play five other carnival-style games with free prizes (while prizes last).

3. Take home a free hand-dyed and stenciled BryonySeries shirt (must be present to find out how) OR buy one.

4. Take home a free BryonySeries baseball cap (must be present to find out how) OR buy one.

5. Take home a free BryonySeries beverage container (must be present to find out how) OR buy one.

6. Teens and adults: Take this book home for free! (one book per family) while supplies last!

7. Teens and adults: Take this book home for free! (one book per family) while supplies last!

8. Adopt a patriotic Bertrand the Mouse friend (while friends last).

9. Get your photo taken with Bertrand the Mouse.

10. Wind down with our coloring and sticker station.

The Bicentennial Park's Independence Celebration will also include live entertainment, food trucks, and fireworks over the water.

For more information, visit bryonyseries.com, writeonjoliet.com, and joliet.gov.

Monday, June 22, 2026

Happy Father's Day (and a day)

It's been a challenging three weeks at our house, starting with a car accident (not our fault, we were in a parking lot, not moving), severe thunderstorms and tornados that left us without power for a spell, and another bout of diverticulities for me (still in its throes).

So Bertrand the Mouse and his Uncle Barty (Bertrand's father figure) spent a very quiet Father's Day, mostly reading books, which is what they love best.

In fact, Bertrand's entire missing is to bring the joy of reading to children of all ages.

But Bertrand learned his mission (and love for reading) from an older, wiser mouse who made sure Bertrand understood both, even when Bertrand strayed.

For those without fathers and father figures currently in their lives (like nearly everyone in our immediate family and circle), Timothy shared the following reflection with me on Saturday night.

The interesting thing is that my early father figures are gone but Christ was clear, "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

A Father that transcends time, space, and is forever.

Amen?

Friday, June 19, 2026

Story Round-Up: Features in The Herald-News, June 6 through June 19