I'm a pretty simple person.
I like to talk long walks.
I like to spend time with my family and a few close friends.
I like to read. Because I read, I also like to write.
And apparently, I write quite a bit.
I love my day job as a features writer/editor for The Herald-News in Joliet.
But ever since I was little, I have loved books. I always had story ideas in mind for books.
I wrote my first novella in a notebook when I was thirteen. It was one-hundred and forty-seven handwritten pages in a spiral notebook. I "accidentally" left it lying around the house so the family could discover it. My mother said it was terrible - and I stopped writing for a long, long time. (It probably was terrible, and I've long since gotten over it).
But then in January of 1985, I had the idea for a novel. I toyed with it over the years, while raising and homeschooling six kids.
I never got busy writing it until the fall of 2007. But when I did, the stories just seemed to unleash themselves. These collections of books would never be possible with the advent of very affortable self-publishing over the last ten years.
I've not only been able to turn my stories into books (with the help of some of my kids), I've helped other writers do the same. And I've made friends with a growing community of other writers.
And speaking of kids, a quick shout-out: Sarah did the intial formatting and created the original BryonySeries website. Rebekah has long taken over formatting and website design, and she's gotten really good at making Kindles, too. She also made the website and formatted all the books for WriteOn Joliet.
Timothy has taken over the BryonySeries website and is currently building its store.
So the book has turned into more than one book. But all the stories that they tell are really just parts of the same story. And it's so rewarding when these books fall into the hands of readers who absolutely cherish them.
Scoll through the titles and explore. All of the titles are linked to the Amazon pages because the BryonySeries store is not fulling up and running.
Enjoy!
BRYONYSERIES: "DROP OF BLOOD" VAMPIRE TRILOGY
A '70s teen trades her blood with a Victorian vampire for a trip back into time as his wife. She wants romance; he's trying to restore his humanity.
BRYONYSERIES: THE ADVENTURES OF CORNELL DYER
For middle grade and up. And younger kids who are strong readers. Co-written-ish with Timothy Baran - who has fifty titles planned and is writing the very last one. Rebekah Baran has one in progress, too.
Cornell Dyer (first introduced in "Visage") is a supernatureal super sleuth who unravels mysteries, untangles myths, and decides what to have for lunch.
Cornell Dyer and the Missing Tombstone
Cornell Dyer and the Necklace of Forgetfulness
Cornell Dyer and the Eerie Lake
Cornell Dyer and the Never Robbers
Cornell Dyer and the Whispering Wardrobe (scheduled for publication this spring)
Cornell Dyer and the Old Folks Home
Cornell Dyer and the Miraculous Pot of Coffee (early draft form)
BRYONYSERIES: BERTRAND THE MOUSE
A crocheted version of the red herring in Staked! is having adventures of his home. For young children and the young at heart.
Oh, and he has his own Instagram page.
Bertrand and the Christmas Surprise
Bertrand's First Book of Numbers
Bertrand's First Book of Adventures
Bertrand's Second Book of Adventures
Bertrand Visits Falls Lake (draft form, have photos)
Bertrand Visits Chicago (draft form, have photos)
BRYONYSERIES: BEFORE THE BLOOD
The prequel to the "drop of blood" trilogy. A slow-paced, historical fiction immersive read into the lives of four key characters and how they gradually ruin their lives.
The novel is available in five installments or in one large volume in tiny font.
BRYONYSERIES: LIMBO
A new BryonySeries trilogy that explores what happens when a location and a place stops progressing.
The Phoenix (in editing: scheduled for publication by summer)
Call of the Siren (in draft form: scheduled for publication in 2022)
House at the Top of the Hill (in draft form: scheduled for publication in 2023)
BRYONYSERIES: BY ED CALKINS, STEWARD OF TARA
Denise M. Baran-Unland's Irish Genealogy
BRYONY SERIES: STANDALONES
A Year of Shadows and Moonlight, of Gathering Blooms in the Woods (draft form)
The Emporium Orphans (in talks with Ed Calkins, Steward of Tara. We may co-write this one).
Snowbell (short story)
BRYONYSERIES: COOKBOOKS
Memories in the Kitchen: Bites and Nibbles from "Bryony" (all proceeds benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Will and Grundy Counties
GRRR: TWleve Pawtastic Werewolf-Themed Recipes by Rebekah Baran
Squeak: Twelve Mouse-Themed Recipes by Rebekah Baran
NON-FICTION
Little Book of Revision: A Checklist for Fiction Writers (all proceeds benefit WriteOn Joliet).
WRITEON JOLIET ANTHOLOGIES
An excerpt of my BryonySeries fiction appears in all of these except the cheetah book. This one was my prompt and I wrote the forward. All proceeds benefit WriteOn Joliet.
Illustration by Kathleen Rose Van Pelt for "Bryony"
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