Story Round-Up: Features in The Herald-News, Oct. 23 through Oct. 29

Good morning!

Despite working just three days (so far) this week, I still have nine news and features stories to share with you today and few more that will be posted over the weekend, so do watch for them.

I had a very nice, very late (on many levels) birthday dinner with Timothy last night. His birthday was September 8 and last night was the first night we could sync schedules (we did have a very small, very short family celebration on the actual birthday).

I was only able to pop into WriteOn Joliet's launch party for Discord for just thirty minutes and play one game, and I misssed this morning's #5amwritersclub altogether. The group meets on Eastern time, which means 4 a.m. for me. 

But we had late dinner reservations, got home even later, and, well, I did try. I don't think I've ever hit snooze so many times!

Here's the thing. Often, when we work for the good of the family, the family (ironically) has to be set aside. Last night was not one of those times, and I'm glad of it. It was a nice dinner and enjoyable time together.

Here's a recap/update on my other BryonySeries porojects:

I am currently re-reading my scribbled first draft for Call of the Siren (the second book in the BryonySeries Limbo trilogy) and starting to color in the lines.

So I will use this time to re-read my scribbles, start coloring in the lines, tackle a few projects (not all writing proects) I hadn't anticipated on tackling, and spending some time with family.

Sue Midlock is nearly done with the art for Cornell Dyer and the "Mistical Being" (cover looks great, by the way) and I'm hoping she can begin art soon for Cornell Dyer and the Calcium Deficient Bones. 

Timothy has also scheduled (and canceled) a couple of "Cornell" breakfasts to start working on the next book, a Sherlock Holmes parody (the main character is Sherman Homes) as life has gotten in the way for us. But we will get to it soon.

Sarah also had a crazy dream that sounded perfect for An Adventure of Cornell Dyer mystery. But she wants time to draw some sketches, a map, and write the "rules." It's called Cornell Dyer and the House of Broken Portals.

Bertrand the Mouse has returned, and you can read about it here, here, and here. 

Jennifer Wainright (frontispiece artist for Lycanthropic Summer) has completed two portraits for  "Girls of the BryonySeries" series for tween girls and is currently working on a third. The portraits are beautiful and it shows that artist Jennifer Wainright can draw anything from werewolves to portraits! 

I current have one book in the series completed, and I am working on the second, which I'll revisit this weekend when I'm off work. The goal is to have three of the eight done before I release any of them.

Now back to the nine 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

'Tony N’ Tina’s Wedding’ features real food, dance and interaction in a real church: Reserve tickets for this Joliet event by Oct. 31.

New reenactment group aims to bring Will County Civil War history to life: In its first month, the 100th Illinois Volunteer Infantry, Co. K. participated in 2 events

Explore a ‘haunting’ legacy with special tours at the Old Joliet Prison: Museum says narratives are ‘more chilling than fiction’ 

JJC accepting nominations for its annual JD Ross Extraordinary Service Award: Nominations are due to the Joliet college by Nov. 5 

5 Things to do in Will County: Halloween and fall events for all ages: Celebrate the season with pumpkin decorating, costume contests, hay rides or music

Enjoy some non-Halloween music this week: Will County Inside/Outside Guide offers suggestions for enjoying your weekend and beyond 

Joliet Junior Woman’s Club is active, diverse and serving the community, its president says: Perella: ‘We are resilient and determined to keep making a difference’ 

Research says 2021-2022 flu season will be severe. But will it?: Gupta: ‘We’re always gearing up for what may be the worst possible scenario in the health care industry’

Pets of the Week: Oct. 25: Will County rescues have dogs and cats for adoption

Illustration by Matt Coundiff for "Visage."