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

Good morning!

I have eighteen feature stories to share with you this morning - with another eleven that haven't posted to The Herald-News website yet, so watch for them over the weekend.

I'm working on a couple big features projects today and Sunday, so the rainy weather in my part of the world is perfect for getting the words out.

Here's a quick summary of where I'm at, fiction-wise.

The next book in The Adventures of Cornell Dyer chapter book series: Cornell Dyer and the Whispering Wardrobe is now live in print and Kindle. Buy it here on Amazon and buy it here from the BryonySeries store.

Timothy's been busy, too, so while I'm waiting to schedule a time to meet to outline Cornell Dyer and the Calcium-Deficient Bones, I have two other Cornell Dyer projects in the very early works.

One is a Cornell Dyer book I'm "sort of" co-writing with Rebekah. Many, many years ago, this dyslexic daughter of mine started her own Cornell Dyer and actually had about 4,000 words down. We read through it last weekend, and she laughed a lot at her choice of word spellings, etc.

That said, she's got some great stuff there, and we're even incorporating some of those spellings and turns of phrases into the book. It's called Cornell Dyer and the "Mistical" Being, and I've got the first four chapters written.

Also, Sarah had a crazy dream that sounded perfect for An Adventure of Cornell Dyer mystery. This one may take a while, but I've added it my list of projects for this year. And she is working on a couple drawings, the rules, and a map to go with it and help me out. It's called Cornell Dyer and the House of Broken Portals.

Bertrand the Mouse still has not come home. Sarah reached out to his "real mom" this past week to see if she can possible remake him. She has a lot of health issues, but she is going to try to make two - in case he runs off again.

The first book in the new BryonySeries Limbo trilogy The Phoenix is now available in the BryonySeries store and also on Amazon in print and Kindle.

I'm hoping to get some work done on the second book of the Limbo trilogy - Call of the Siren - but because of the abundance of new characters and situations, I am pretty much starting from scratch, so progress is still very, very slow. But I made some phenomenal progress this past weekend, a few more notes this past week, and am super excited to peck at it some more this weekend.

I scratched the surface of a new series in the BryonySeries this past weekend. It's an idea Sarah suggested to me over a decade ago. It's aimed at tween girls, so if you have a tween, are a tween, or will have a tween someday, this might interest you. I already have an artist for this project, and she is already working on the first cover. More on this as it develops.

And if you missed it, I had a really nice review on Bryony recently and also one on Visage. Both are from the same reader, which is now also reading Staked!

Now back to the eighteen feature stories. Simply click on the link of the story that looks interesting to you. Happy scrolling!

But before the stories, I have a list of additional resources and information. Please check them out, too -

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

And have a great Friday!

RECIPE OF THE WEEK

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

Each Sunday, we post a new recipe. The recipe is either featured in one of our cookbooks or will be featured in an upcoming cookbook.

Check out the 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. We also have a marketing arm that's getting longer every year, well, except this 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 support in your writing, I highly recommend this Twitter group: #5amwritersclub. I  joined it last year. Writers support each other on Twitter and meet every three weeks at 5 a.m. (4 a.m. CST - needless to say, I am often late!) on Zoom.

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 Will County Go Guide and Sign up for the LocalLit Short Story and Book Review Newsletter at https://www.theherald-news.com/newsletter/

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

BryonySeries stuff: I post curated content relating to the BryonySeries at @BryonySeries. And assorted related content at www.facebook.com/BryonySeries.

And of course, please follow the adventures of Bertrand the Mouse on Instagram at bertrand_bryonyseries.

BRYONYSERIES BOOKS

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

BRYONYSERIES EVENTS

A full month of virtual events can be found at bryonyseries.com/calendar-of-events-1.

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

Troy 6th, 7th and 8th-graders recognized for effort, citizenship, positive attitude and class participation: Shorewood Lions Club names Troy students of the month

Mobile Museum of Tolerance visits Joliet: Professional Development Alliance in Joliet invited local students to experience its messages 

Here’s a twist on the little free libraries: seeds instead of books: Life scout creates native seed swap box in Channahon for Eagle project

AMITA Health Saint Joseph Medical Center Joliet has new chief medical officer: Position took effect for board-certified pathologist Dr. Kalisha Hill on June 13 

Joliet students recognized by District 86: D. 86 in Joliet names students of the month for April 

D. 86 in Joliet seeking community input for new federal funds: Parent and employee feedback due July 13 

LocalLit book preview: 43 ways one can show care for others: ‘Heroic Care’ anthology will be reviewed in newsletter on Tuesday

LocalLit summer reading suggestions: Here are 5 books you should read soon

Morris Hospital now manages Rezin Orthopedics due to new affiliation agreement: Locations and phone numbers for Joliet, Morris, Ottawa offices remain the same

Pets of the Week: June 21: Will County rescues have dogs and cats for adoption

9 local students receive scholarships from the Morris Hospital Foundation: All nine are pursuing studies in a health care-related field

An Extraordinary Life: Bolingbrook teen was an athlete, artist, activist and all-around caring person: But Dykota Morgan’s promising future was short by COVID-19 

Lockport Township awards $1,000 scholarships to 4 area high school graduates: This is the 18th year that the township has made this ‘an investment in the future’

12 D. 202 graduates each receive $2,000 scholarships through new program: Students had 3 important criteria to meet 

5 Things to do in Will County: carnival, quilt, art, wolves and Pride celebration: Have fun in the sun, enjoy art in the shade

‘The play’s the thing’ - but if you’re vaccinated, you can leave your ‘codpiece’ at home: ‘Something Rotten’ is happening at a #Joliet park and theater this weekend 

Falling COVID numbers and rising vaccination rates inspire hospitals to update their visitor policies: Some restrictions, like facemasks in most instances, still apply 

Troy School District 30C now has opening on its school board: Deadline to submit résumés is June 30

Illustration by Matt Coundiff for "Visage."