The Wickedest Witch - 1989 Halloween TV Special!

The Boring Side of Creativity

I'm not certain why, but we tend to romanticize the making of art.

But making art is not the same as enjoying the finished project.

Making art takes time, more time than even accomplished and experienced artists sometimes estimate for a project, and that time is often laborious and tedious.

Now there's definitely an indescribable delight in the finished product, no doubt.

But that's brief and fleeting. For even the person who climbs a mountaintop must climb back down. The way up and the way down is challenging and the outcome isn't certain.

To return to a mountaintop high, one must start a new project, a new climb, a new goal with no reassurance of reaching the top.

To create art means risking failure, over and over and over again - while taking those repetitive steps that may come with some boredom. That's not easy to do on a daily basis.

Fortunately, I save most artistic projects for the weekend. Journalism, for all its twenty-first uncertainties, comes with one certainty.

I must meet those deadlines if I want to stick around in the industry.

Here's a good article on the boring life of an artist.

https://www.dumbofeather.com/articles/the-gently-boring-life-of-an-artist/

Illustration by Christopher Gleason for "Staked!" Follow him at artworkbytopher.com.

Ten Reasons Why Gothic Fiction Still Rocks

I wrote this piece for another blog as part of the 2018 BryonySeries Blog Tour.

The site that hosted this piece is currently down, a little sad for me because I wanted to link it. Fortunately, I saved the original in my files.

It was a fun piece to write. I had never organized and articulated why the genre is entertaining to me, and I enjoyed calling to mind and referencing some of my favorite stories.

Gothic fiction.

Just hearing those words makes one think of Wuthering Heights, Mr. Rochester, and John William Polidori's creation of the suave gentleman vampire.

Although the genre is associated with crumbling old houses, the supernatural, and feminine heroines in love and distress (my BryonySeries has all three), the real genius to the genre lies in its core characteristics, which will never really go out of style, methinks.

Below, ten reasons why Gothic literature endures, with examples. And yes, the BryonySeries stands up to all ten.

1) The horror occurs in the characters' minds - and isn't always explained by the author.

Graphic violence is jolting to the sense, but psychological suspense is more terrifying. Shirley Jackson was a master at this.

Jackson's short story The Lottery is well-known, but have you ever read her last novel, We Have Always Lived in the Castle?  I read (and read and reread it many times) in high school. Just...WOW!

Another great example is Henry's James Turn of the Screw. The book's theme: Does the governess see ghosts or is she mad?

The young adult novel Jane-Emily by Patricia Clapp is another must-read.  So is Ruth M. Arthur's A Candle in her Room.

2) An entwining of eroticism and death

Gothic stories is full of variations on this theme: dead lovers returning as vampires to prey upon the living (Lucy upon Arthur in Bram Stoker's Dracula), people falling in love with vampires (The Vampire by Conrad Aiken), the living resembling the dead due to love lost (Miss Havisham in Charles' Dickens' Great Expectations), ghost lovers (Quint and Miss Jessel in Henry James' Turn of the Screw and Bess  and The Highwayman Alfred Noyes' poem, The Highwayman), resurrecting a lost lover (as Walter did to Brunhilda in Wake Not the Dead), and obsessing with someone else's dead lover (as did the unnamed narrator in Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca).

And of course Melissa Marchellis in Bryony, letting John Simons access to her blood so she can pretend to live as his dead wife.

3) A blurring of life and death

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is obvious, but other good examples include Lamia and La Belle Dame Sans Merci by John Keats, Ulalume by Edgar Allan Poe, Christabel by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and The Giaour: A Fragment of a Turkish Tale, by Lord Byron

Vampire slayer Cornell Dyer explains the connection this way in Visage, the second novel in the BryonySeries: “Life. What a transient entity. We imagine we can create it. We can take it away from someone if we choose. Yet there are individuals who become stuck in that strange land between life and death, where their ability to either live or die becomes complicated.”

4) Emphasis on the sublime

Life, death, and the merging of the two often prompt certain awe. Gothic literature is full of characters stricken with awe, wonder, and terror...and sometimes a combination of all three, such as the teen Laura feels toward her new companion Carmilla in Sheridan Le Fanu's novel of the same name.

A bit of loathing that isn't easily explained helps the foreboding mood, too.

5) Shadows and veiled appearances

In Gothic fiction, the reader is never quite certain what's behind a door or another character's facade. This type of intrigue keeps emotions on edge - and pages turning.

I mean, just because Melissa in Bryony DREAMED of her English teacher as a vampire didn't make him one, did it?

Did it?

6) Duality/Man and Beast

Think The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Lewis Stevenson

Or think of the way Melissa sees John Simons in her dream in the woods: A large animal dashed out from behind a tree and rushed past... screamed and jumped back. It wore a full suit of clothes and ran on its hands and feet. The creature’s long, golden hair—or was it a mane?—streamed behind it.

Why is this appealing? Most likely because we all have a bit of the monstrous inside us, but we're overall good at keeping the monster caged.

And yet, we instinctively know our monster could get loose. And then what?

Gothic stories are good at answering the "then what."

7) Mad scientists

Mesdames and messieurs, I present an excerpt from the BryonySeries prequel, Before the Blood.

"Come, come, Dr. Gothart," Dr. Stone said. "You don't propose to abandon clinical experience and empirical observation for the theories of pathology and physiology?"

"Microscopes and their specimens don't lie."

"Neither does clinical experience and empirical observation."

A murmur ran around the room. Bryony strained to hear, every fiber taut.

"So you no longer bleed patients, Dr. Gothart?"

"Occasionally, when certain conditions warrant. But it's been decades since Dr Hughes Bennett established the overall inefficacy of bloodletting. I prefer to give more blood than I take."

A gasp ran around the room.

"Medically speaking, of course."

8) The best action takes place at night.

One of my BryonySeries vampires (Kellen Wechsler) even starts one of his stories this way in Before the Blood: "It happened at the time of night when sleep is heaviest and nightmares darkest, when shadows of dread cloak the soul as it slumbers."

Darkness obscures the light, making one doubt the next step and bringing fear to the surface. Great stuff when used in stories. Not so great in reality.

And yet...

We do like to shiver. When we're home safe tucked away in the blankets and NOT when we're lost in a haunted mansion at midnight, and the candle's just gone out.

Wait! What was that noise?

9) Uncertainty if characters will make it out of the story alive.

Unlike much popular fiction where it's considered not cricket to kill off main characters, Gothic fiction plays by its own rules. Any character is fair game. And often is.

10) Abstract yearning

Characters in gothic stories often pine for that indefinable something beyond them. Could be love. Could be immortality. Could be anything that makes them hopes there's something beyond dust and worms.

 

Steward Setback Saturday: Calkins Nature Preserve

 A fun post from last year. No one ever did call me back.

Saturday, July 13, 2019

Calkins Nature Preserve

Yesterday Colleen Robbins texted the following message to me:

I missed getting a picture as we drove past the Calkins Nature Preserve about 20 miles west of Cedar Falls, Iowa. Ed gets around.

I looked up the number so I could receive permission to use a photo of the preserve in this blog post, but I only reached the answering machine.

So here's a link to the Facebook page. It looks beautiful, doesn't it?

https://www.facebook.com/CalkinsNatureArea/

Illustration by Kathleen Rose Van Pelt for "Bryony."

Story Round-Up: Features in The Herald-News, Sept. 19 through Sept. 25

Good morning!

I'm off from work today, so I'm tackling a few fiction-related projects.

First, I'm finishing the formatting for Lycanthropic Summer.

Second, I'm tackling at least one chapter in The Phoenix.

Third, I have a book I've been reading for along time that I hope to finish this weekend.

And I might check in with Ed Calkins to see how Ruthless is coming along.

Also, if you like the Cornell Dyer books (or if you're curious to check them out), we released Cornell Dyer and the Old Folks home this week.

Have a great day! :)

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. We also have a marketing arm that's getting longer every year, well, except this year. Check us out at writeonjoliet.com.

NEWSLETTERS

Sign up for the Will County Go Guide

http://www.theherald-news.com/newsletter/will-county-go-guide/#//


Sign up for the LocalLit Short Story Newsletter

http://www.theherald-news.com/newsletter/locallit/


Sign up for The Munsonville Times

https://www.bryonyseries.com/munsonville-times


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.


FEATURE STORIES:

With the media reporting on a Massachusetts man who died from consuming too much, I'm re-sharing this post from last year.

Moderation is key when consuming black licorice: Too much can lead to an irregular heart rhythm

And this week's stories:

It's not just the coronavirus that's a threat to our health: Delaying treatment for emergencies, routine care may have consequences

LocalLit book spotlight: 'My Donkey and the Master'

And its review

Pets of the Week: Sept. 14

Plainfield freshman just might become 1st local female Eagle Scout

Antibody treatment might reduce coronavirus hospitalizations

"Is Diamand's in Joliet really closed?"

An Extraordinary Life: Abandoned as a child, Joliet upholsterer gave his all to family

Having a heart attack? Go to St. Joe's, Joliet patient says: Deborah Ziech said her care was 'impeccable' and 'immediate:' 

Joliet church giving away $20 in free gas to 150 people this Saturday

Covid packs a double whammy to some African Americans: Black blood donors are urgently needed 

Illustration by Matt Coundiff for "Visage."

CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF - 1961

THE VAMPIRE by PROJECT LA

In, About, and Around the Community

So not everything I write for The Herald-News has my byline.

Part of my job some of the time is to rewrite news releases submitted by various organizations and individuals in our coverage area.

For those who live in The Herald-News readership area - and for those who say "there's only negative things in newspapers," I give you these.

Have a great day! :)

Learn how to be a photo naturalist while enjoying fall colors
Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie in Wilmington hosted how-to webinar Sept. 15

https://www.theherald-news.com/2020/09/02/learn-how-to-be-a-photo-naturalist-while-enjoying-fall-colors/ausxoyx/

Giving back once wasn't enough for these 6 scouts
Channahon and Minooka Eagle Scouts channeled gifts into troop fundraiser

https://www.theherald-news.com/2020/08/31/giving-back-once-wasnt-enough-for-these-6-scouts/axpw12o/

Learn how to reduce child firearm deaths with free 'Be SMART' presentation

https://www.theherald-news.com/2020/09/04/learn-how-to-reduce-child-firearm-deaths-with-free-be-smart-presentation/a2y722a/

YMCA seeks volunteers to join its learning mentorship team 

https://www.theherald-news.com/2020/09/03/ymca-seeks-volunteers-to-join-its-learning-mentorship-team/aiyq1wl/

Project Acclaim honors city of Joliet arborist Jim Teiber

https://www.theherald-news.com/2020/09/18/project-acclaim-honors-city-of-joliet-arborist-jim-teiber/am63yj1/

ICC urges utilities to extend moratorium on disconnections through winter 2021

https://www.theherald-news.com/2020/09/09/icc-urges-utilities-to-extend-moratorium-on-disconnections-through-winter-2021/anpk314/

D. 86 in Joliet promotes 4 administrators 

https://www.theherald-news.com/2020/09/04/d-86-in-joliet-promotes-4-administrators/a9dgiek/

IDNR launches new ‘Hunt Illinois’ website

https://www.theherald-news.com/2020/09/10/idnr-launches-new-hunt-illinois-website/a2nfo8p/


Sweets & Savory Crawl returned to Lockport for the 7th year

https://www.theherald-news.com/2020/09/09/sweets-savory-crawl-returning-to-lockport-for-the-7th-year/a4aa3g/

Gary Allen at Rialto Square Theatre in Joliet rescheduled for 2021

https://www.theherald-news.com/2020/09/14/gary-allan-at-rialto-square-theatre-rescheduled-to-2021/a6hs9o3/

Lauren Scanlan named new Troy 30-C assistant principal

https://www.theherald-news.com/2020/09/04/lauren-scanlan-named-new-troy30-c-assistant-principal/atly5jj/

Rock Run Greenway Trail reopens on Joliet’s west side 

https://www.theherald-news.com/2020/09/14/rock-run-greenway-trail-reopens-on-joliets-west-side/apbpxv9/

Joliet Jewish Congregation announces new rabbi

Current rabbi, Charles Rubovits, wishes to retire

https://www.theherald-news.com/2020/09/14/joliet-jewish-congregation-announces-new-rabbi/a71dbv1/

D. 86 in Joliet now provides meals for any child 18 or younger  

https://www.theherald-news.com/2020/09/14/d-86-in-joliet-now-provides-meals-for-any-child-18-or-younger/a9va2x1/

Silver Cross Foundation to host BBQ & Brews fundraiser Sept. 24 in New Lenox 

https://www.theherald-news.com/2020/09/14/silver-cross-foundation-to-host-bbq-brews-fundraiser-sept-24-in-new-lenox/aayyd8k/

Franciscan sister in Frankfort enjoys a private concert in Frankfort on her 105th birthday

https://www.theherald-news.com/2020/09/14/franciscan-sister-in-frankfort-enjoys-a-private-concert-in-frankfort-on-her-105th-birthday/dibpavl/

High school students 16 and older at D. 202 in Plainfield can be election judges 

https://www.theherald-news.com/2020/09/14/high-school-students-16-and-older-at-d-202-in-plainfield-can-be-election-judges/a9qceuf/

Many opportunities for helping local food pantries in September

https://www.theherald-news.com/2020/09/14/plainfield-park-district-collecting-donations-for-bags-of-hope-on-sept-19/a6doewo/

Plainfield High School-Central Campus holds outdoor band practice 

https://www.theherald-news.com/2020/09/18/plainfield-high-school-central-campus-holds-outdoor-band-practice/a8jb0xl/

Spirits come to life with Joliet park's adaptation of 'Spoon River Anthology'

Outdoor event is free, reservations required 

https://www.theherald-news.com/2020/09/18/spirits-come-to-life-with-joliet-parks-adaptation-of-spoon-river-anthology/avcwhbx/

Joliet church donates school supplies to local students

https://www.theherald-news.com/2020/09/18/joliet-church-donates-school-supplies-to-local-students/a7hjpnt/

Joliet Catholic Academy seniors named finalists in scholarship competition

https://www.theherald-news.com/2020/09/18/joliet-catholic-academy-seniors-named-finalists-in-scholarship-competition/a96ydh8/

Founders of Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox support hospital’s dialysis program 

https://www.theherald-news.com/2020/09/18/founders-of-silver-cross-hospital-in-new-lenox-support-hospitals-dialysis-program/aohfns8/

Forest Preserve police reunite lost tortoise with #Shorewood owners 

https://www.theherald-news.com/2020/09/18/forest-preserve-police-reunite-lost-tortoise-with-shorewood-owners/a8k4omv/

Illustration by Christopher Gleason for "Staked!" Follow him at artworkbytopher.com.

When Worlds Collide

Today I woke up before the alarm clock. Instead of hitting snooze, I got up and, while feeding cats and making coffee, mentally ran down my list of undone projects, debating which one I'd choose.

And then - the lightbulb moment.

I has a project I forgot to put on my weekend list, oops!

The project needed a little time to complete, one reason why I kept pushing it to a weekend. But I'd done that so often, the project finally fell off the schedule altogether.

I really couldn't delay it another week, especially since I'd promised to finish it.

Yes, it's a story.

Yes, it's a BryonySeries story.

And, yet, it's a story I was asked to write, not a story I simply decided to write. In fact, writing this particular story never occurred to me.

For me, as a writer, writing an assigned a story with a theme and then trying to figure it out how to connect it to the existing fictional world is challenging.

But I got it done this morning.

Yes, you will be able to, eventually, read it.

And now I'm waaaaaaaay behind.

Happy Monday! 

Illustration by Kathleen Rose Van Pelt for "Bryony."

Clurichauns

 A number of characters from Irish mythology appear in the third book (Staked!) in the BryonySeries "drop of blood" vampire trilogy.

One such character is the clurichaun, which is often confused with a leprechaun, possibly because they share similar traits.

Here is a brief post that succinctly gives a quick overview.

The illustration of a clurichaun is from a nineteenth century book: Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland by T. C. Croker.

Story Round-Up: Features in The Herald-News, Sept. 12 through Sept. 18

Good morning!

It's an especially busy Friday, so I'll keep this short and, hopefully, very sweet.

Weekend plans, writing-wise: some editing (for me, for some clients). On the "me" side of things, I have a short story to finish that keeps getting pushed aside (again, by me), and the edits to incorporate into Lycanthropic Summer and Cornell Dyer and the Old Folks Home.

I'm hoping to spend a little time with The Phoenix, too.

Weekend miscellaneous plans: Coffee, walks, some reading (have three books going at once), and maybe a peek at some of the grandkids - because that's how quality times goes during a pandemic.

And I might check in with Ed Calkins to see how Ruthless is coming along.

Have a great day! :)

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. We also have a marketing arm that's getting longer every year, well, except this year. Check us out at writeonjoliet.com.

NEWSLETTERS

Sign up for the Will County Go Guide

http://www.theherald-news.com/newsletter/will-county-go-guide/#//


Sign up for the LocalLit Short Story Newsletter

http://www.theherald-news.com/newsletter/locallit/


Sign up for The Munsonville Times

https://www.bryonyseries.com/munsonville-times


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.


FEATURE STORIES:

LocalLit book spotlight: 'When Life Gets Shaky'

And the review: LocalLit book review: 'When Life Gets Shaky'

Building a bridge with a piece of paper: Joliet hospice's 'Cards for Caring' program keep patients and volunteers connected 


Baran-Unland: Joliet man's fight for a kidney abruptly ends


Pets of the Week: Sept. 14

An Extraordinary Life: 'He just protected us from everything:' Retired Joliet police officer put great value on his relationships

Student artifacts are buried underground at the new Will County courthouse

"Time capsule at new Will County courthouse holds hundreds of student submissions:" 

Here is the list of all the students who participated. The capsule will be opened in 2045.

President of D. 204 board in Joliet residents

'All our activities will be able to go on steroids:' Senior Services Center of Will County purchases former Target in Romeoville

Baran-Unland: Rooting for a 'little warrior' named Baby Owen Buell: Joliet toddler OK in some areas, struggling in others

Illustration by Matt Coundiff for "Visage."

What is Sanity?

In the forward to Staked! my WriteOn Joliet co-leader wrote that the original BryonySeries vampire trilogy was a greet series not because of a vampire's need for blood but due to the very human need for love.

It is a theme that runs through all three books, starting with eighteen-year-old Melissa Marchellis' infatuation with a Victorian vampire and her romanticized view of his life and ending the heroic actions of others, which, perhaps, is the most of selfless of loves.

The Gothic prequel Before the Blood, all five volumes of it, addresses the very subtle ways people lose their soul, not necessarily in a religious dogmatic way, but "soul" in those qualities that elevate humanity.

So if the "drop of blood" trilogy (Bryony, Visage and Staked!) explores what it means to give and receive love, and Before the Blood explores the essence of what it means to be human, Lycanthropic Summer, at its core, explores what it means to be sane.

Although Lycanthropic Summer has the progression of a novel and is told in first person, well, that's where the resemblance to traditional novels end.

On the surface, the story is about a teen in 1961, who's set herself a goal to write the world's greatest werewolf love story by the time she's eighteen. And she has just three months to go.

So in the book, the reader follows Caryn's journey in a very personal way, through reading her diary (which sometimes contains some very strong language), her short stories, and her attempts at writing the novel.

These clippings have some structure because Caryn is a writer; she's been writing most of her life. But sometimes they also feel disjointed, and sometimes they may drag because it is, ultimately, her diary - and the book size and font were carefully chosen to reflect that.

But without asking the questions overtly, the story may leave the reader pondering a few concepts:

* Where is the line drawn between creativity and madness?

* Where does "helping" leave off and "abetting" begin?

* Can a physical illness be mistaken for a mental illness - and the other way around?

* Is insanity always that obvious? Meaning, can the appearance of "very sane" be, in fact, the opposite?

* Is it always obvious who is manipulating and betraying whom.

These are all questions the reader gets to decide as he/she works through the book.

Now Lycanthropic Summer is, possibly, a faster read than the above mentioned books.

But it's not necessarily an easier one.

The Munster's Go Camping | The Munsters

When Buried Treasure Comes to You

Worse Things Waiting by Manly Wade Wellman.

Hold that thought. Because I'm starting this post with a prologue.

PROLOGUE

I'm a reader, and I read A LOT.

I read print books, eBooks, online articles, and of course, I read for work.

I love to do research (thrill of the hunt, perhaps?) for Herald-News stories, my fiction, and for the fun of learning something new.

 As a child, I read the back of cereal boxes when I ate breakfast.

I write the books I want to read because no one else wrote them. And I'd rather make readers than sales, just so I can discuss the book with you (I envision retirement as one long book club).

One post a day on my BryonySeries Facebook page extols the love of reading.

And one post on my BryonySeries Twitter page always asks the same question: What are you reading tonight?

Although many people associate me with writing, I like reading even more, and, fiction-wise, I especially like books with a supernatural tone.

But that's a pretty wide theme. And I obviously don't like every book with that theme. In fact, I have a hard time finding books in that genre that really grab me.

So when I do, it's like finding buried treasure.

Unfortunately, treasures aren't always easily obtained. And sometimes, the treasure comes to me.

That's the point of this blog post.

MAIN STORY

One night, night a Twitter follower recommended a book for me: Worse Things Waiting by Manly Wade Wellman. I found an except online and loved it. I had to read more.

I decided to purchase the book the "e" format, because I am cheap.

But no "e" format was available. And the print was out of my very narrow budget.

I checked Abe Books and Thrift Books and other secondhand bookstores like them. Nope.

So I checked with libraries. Nope.

I checked with Janet Staley at The Book Market in Crest Hill, because I have found some great rare books there. Nope.

Yesterday, the book came to me.

My WriteOn Joliet co-leader Tom Hernandez emailed me yesterday morning asking if I was still working from home because he had a surprise for me.

Like me, Tom is an avid reader. He started a blog for WriteOn Joliet this year called "Writers Are Readers," and he stresses at nearly every twice monthly meeting of our adult critique group that to be a writer, one must be a reader.

He has a reading list for each season of the year. He has bookcases full of books. And so forth.

Quite honestly, when Tom messaged me, I thought he was bringing me a cup of coffee from Book and Bean Cafe, since he passes it to and from work-related meetings and I live in the general direction, and we aren't stopping at the cafe before WriteOn Joliet meetings because those have been online, thank you, COVID-19.

Of course, you have already guessed where this blog was going.

But I didn't.

I was REALLY surprised when Tom gave me the book. And because I was on deadline, I set the book out of sight, so I wouldn't be tempted to take even a bitty peek.

OK, I did take a peek. I'm off work today, so I'll be taking more than a peek. I. Cannot. Wait.

Now, isn't the first time Tom has surprised me with a book.

I have a character in my BryonySeries that fictionalizes a fictionalized version of himself. He's the world's first Irish vampire, because Ireland doesn't have a vampire mythology.

But then I DID find a book online, a collection of Irish vampire stories called Bloody Irish. I put it on my wish list.

And right around the holidays one year, Tom surprised me with the book. I had a couple days off, and I savored it.

It had some great "mood phrasings," for lack of better words, that I want to revisit and incorporate into my own fiction scribblings.

Another time, he picked me up a copy of Politically Correct Bedtime Stories by James Finn Garner forgetting I had bought an autographed version (with a bonus story, which my version from years ago did not have) from the author himself when he visited WriteOn Joliet last fall, back when the world was normal.

A few months ago, Tom surprised me with a copy of The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke, which I haven't quite finished yet - only because it's a large volume, and I do most of my reading at bedtime - and I won't read scary stuff right before bed.

EPILOGUE

Yesterday, as Tom and I stood six-feet apart and masked, with me happily clutching my new book, I wondered aloud if maybe I have my wish list all wrong.

Instead of books, maybe I should be wishing for something more practical - like a Mercedes.

But a Mercedes won't take me where I really want to go.

And that's deep inside the imagination of the writer and his written word, where great stories are waiting.

Illustration by Kathleen Rose Van Pelt for "Bryony."

Dialogue is Essential

“I’ve never seen, heard, nor smelled an issue that was so dangerous it couldn’t be talked about. Hell yes, I’m for debating anything!”


That is one of the quotes from one of my (and my family's) favorite movies: "1776."

And if anything summed up our family motto, this quote would do it.

Probably nothing got under my children's stepfather's skin more than their tendency to debate just about everything.

But if you're a person giving feedback to someone's writing, back and forth conversation (and a bit of debate) is essential.

Only then can you understand what the writer is trying to convey and how the writer is trying to convey it.

Don't be the "expert" who feels a story can only by told "this way" or "that way" or must have "these elements" or (horrors!) should not be written at all.

Be the person who can offer useful feedback so the writer can writer his/her/it best story possible.

And if you're the writer, be open but don't blindly accept the criticism of any beta reader/editor who is not also open to healthy debate - or at the very least, your questions about the critique.

One member of WriteOn Joliet wrote a good post about this topic.

It's called "Workshop Warnings" and you can read it here:

http://www.writingandtheprocess.com/2020/03/workshop-warnings.html?fbclid=IwAR2T3EFNF8fCJJrskExxav1K58rnw8BG5r4NrKB4_gjklFkpOicqPIaIZCU

Illustration by Kathleen Rose Van Pelt for "Bryony."

RELAX-Chopin Nocturne Op9 No2-Irish Spring Garden-3D Flowers-Calm Tranqu...

Story Round-Up: Features in The Herald-News, Sept. 5 through Sept. 11

So the proof copies for the next two books - Cornell Dyer and the Old Folks Home AND Lycanthropic Summer - are both due to arrive today.

Unless they come early, I'll probably pick at them over the next week or so, since I'm working this weekend.

And with that, I'm moving on. I've been up since before 4 a.m. and my mind is sluggish.

All brain cells are focusing on this complex question:

Should I open up The Phoenix and get to work?

Or should I take a nap?

Maybe a nap - after I make a couple phone calls.

Maybe.

Because part of me feels like working, at least in partial remembrance of how hard my family and I worked this day nineteen years ago.

My husband was getting ready for work, and I was talking on the phone with one of my editors when she said, "I have to go! A plane just hit the World Trade Center."

I told my husband, and he switched the TV station to the news. And while the newscasters thought they were giving a recap, Ron and I saw a second plane hit the towers in real time - just as the newscasters realized what was happening.

I was to work today in remembrance of those who woke up nineteen years ago and lost their lives, never to work again.

So there's that.

Below these ramblings are all the places you can find me.

After that, a roundup of my feature stories for this week.

Have a great Friday!


THE HERALD-NEWS

Feature stories: Weekly roundup at the bottom of this blog.

Non-bylined features: Search by topic (people, pets, A and E, faith, health, and food) at theherald-news.com. Once a week, I do combine a week's worth into a single blog post.

Daily updates: I do post the briefs on Twitter during the week, so you're welcome to follow me at @Denise_Unland61.

BRYONYSERIES

Website: bryonyseries.com

Social media: BryonySeries on Twitter @BryonySeries. and facebook.com/BryonySeries.

Follow the adventures of Bertrand the Mouse on Instagram at bertrand_bryonyseries.

Books: bryonyseries.com/copy-of-general-store

Events: bryonyseries.com/fetes-and-feasts. 

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. We also have a marketing arm that's getting longer every year, well, except this year. Check us out at writeonjoliet.com.

NEWSLETTERS

Sign up for the Will County Go Guide

http://www.theherald-news.com/newsletter/will-county-go-guide/#//


Sign up for the LocalLit Short Story Newsletter

http://www.theherald-news.com/newsletter/locallit/


Sign up for The Munsonville Times

https://www.bryonyseries.com/munsonville-times


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.


FEATURE STORIES:

Eat a good meal, help a cancer patient 

Robotic surgery, water vapor therapy available locally for prostate conditions


This is what 'back-to-school' looks like during a coronavirus pandemic


LocalLit book spotlight: 'Brian Says: Quotes from a Restless Mind'


And the review:


Young Minooka mom determined to beat stage 4 breast cancer


Joliet-based treatment center has 24-hour helpline for people struggling with addictions, even during the coronavirus


Pets of the Week: Sept. 7


Corticosteroids to treat severe cases of COVID-19: 'It does confirm what we've been doing:' Local hospitals embrace what WHO calls an effective intervention


She lives in a nursing home - and has raised more than $10,000 for Relay for Life: Katie Meskimen doesn't let health issues interfere with helping others in need


New study shows association between vitamin D deficiency and COVID-19 risk


The flight of 100 years makes a stop in Romeoville

Illustration by Matt Coundiff for "Visage"

Meet BryonySeries Artist Jennifer Wainwright

A new artist has joined the BryonySeries creative team.

Her name is Jennifer Wainwright, and she is formerly from Southern Illinois.

She is Jasmine's sister, and Jasmine recommended her to us for the creation of our "Welcome to Munsonville" illustration of "Main Street" that greets visitors to the BryonySeries website.

I fell in love with Jennifer's work from the first samples I saw, but I really became impressed when I saw her rendition of Main Street.

So I asked Jennifer to create an illustration for the upcoming BryonySeries novel, Lycanthropic Summer.

Jennifer is available for work (as are all but one of the other BryonySeries artists), in case you need a project done.

Message her at jenniboom94@gmail.com or through me at bryonyseries@gmail.com.

Here then are ten questions to help you get to know Jennifer and her artistic style.

1) When did you start drawing?

I've always drawn. My mother is pretty talented in anything artsy or musical and she passed that on to me. I even have an old composition book with my scribbles in it that I have gone back and redrawn for fun.

2) Did you ever take lessons or are you self-taught?

Starting out I was self taught but really came into my own in junior high art class when I learned proper shading and my teacher really challenged us to think outside the box.

3)  What are your favorite mediums?

I'm really a jack-of-all-trades when I comes to art dabbling: everything from photography to paints to charcoals to pottery, but if I had to pick a favorite media to work with it would probably be a tie between ink of any kind and pastels followed closely by clay.

4) Why do you like them?

I've always loved the contrast of black and white and the depth you can get with shading (I used to love making optical illusions) and pastels are a fairly new adventure for me that I'm enjoying getting the hang of. 

And as for the clay I LOVE the Greek/Roman statues carved from marble and had always thought to sculpt would be fun. In high school I took a pottery class where my teacher loved my ideas and really supported me trying new things and I've been hooked ever since.

5) What types of subject matter do you like to draw?

I love drawing art that invokes feeling, usually by being creepy or dark in meaning. I like drawing landscapes and animals secondly although water and some fur tends to give me a bit of trouble so it takes me longer to finish.

Editor's note: I have her finished illustration and you would never know fur gives her "a bit of trouble."

6) Is there a technique you’d like to learn that you haven’t tried yet?

I've tried quite the variety of techniques through different school projects or commissions for friends but pointillism is one I've been meaning to get to and I have only barely scratched the surface of different paints and I would very much like to get more into those.

Editor's note: pointillism is a nineteenth century technique where tiny dots of paint are used to form images.

7) Tell us about your favorite piece of artwork that you created.

Sadly I can't really give a straight answer as far as my favorite piece of art because I don't really have just one. In fact I seem to have a favorite piece for every different media I use; from a horse fashioned out of clay that stands on only three feet that won me an award to multiple tattoos I have designed for myself and friends.

8) What artist do you admire?

Just about any of the Renaissance artists I have admired and on occasion tried to draw inspiration from.

9) And why?

They were revered as masters of their crafts and made a living making the art they loved which is hard to do then and now.

10) What’s the most fulfilling part about creating art?

I would say I live to create art for others. I love to turn their vision into a tangible piece. I've always been a people pleaser and in fact I enjoy making art for others so much I often have multiple projects of my own in the works that I drop immediately at the chance to make something for someone else whether it be a drawing, a tattoo design, an embroidered hat, or a crocheted afghan.

Reports From the Isolation 6/6

Smidgen of Normalcy

I had a very lovely, quiet day for most of Saturday.

Timothy and Daniel helped Joshua and Amber and the kids move into a new home.

Rebekah played something called a switch.

And I finished the formatting for my werewolf novel Lycanthropic Summer, so Rebekah can send for the proof copy today.

About mid-afternoon, Sarah, who lives in Raleigh, called me. She was on her way to my parents' house. She'd called an ambulance for my father.

And that changed the tone of most of the weekend (He went home yesterday afternoon, and he's doing OK).

Sunday I worked, and I spent a good portion of Monday editing for a client. And that was in addition to helping to manage care for my Dad.

But on Monday morning, I experienced a slight return to normalcy.

Timothy had to paint a room at Joshua's house.

And I went, too, to celebrate the joy of the beautiful new home with family I really haven't seen (except for the surprise visit) since the pandemic began.

Now we all wore masks.

And we stayed six feet or more away from each other. That's why this photo at the end of this blog is slightly blurry.

Riley did sneak a hug around my legs. But she's four. And she did have her mask on.

No one was coughing or sneezing.  And I did spend a portion of those two hours outside in the driveway on the telephone to the hospital.

Still, it was the first testing of the masking and social distancing strategy with anyone outside of where I live.

Hopefully, the experts are right about this.

If they're wrong, well, I might be writing a different sort of post down the road.

Before we went home, we participated in a quick drive-by for Labor Day at the nursing home where Ron lives.

He was "not there" and didn't even respond to his name.

But we got to see him, and we are thankful to staff who arranged the event.

Historically, I have always worked on Labor Day. For me, it's important I honor the day by using the skills God has given me.

My main gift is the ability to communicate.

This weekend, I used it at work, for a client, with my family, and by providing many hours worth of information to Sarah and four different care providers.

No one grilled out. But Sunday night, Daniel surprised everyone by ordering pizza.

So it's all good.