Friday, October 8, 2021

Story Round-Up: Features in The Herald-News, Oct. 2 through Oct. 8

 Good morning!

I'm a little tired this morning, but I couldn't miss jumping onto the #5amwritersclub Zoom call at 4 a.m. (The group is EST and I'm CST) for a great conversation on the craft of the horror genre.

But I'm down to the last two doses of the antibiotics and crossing my fingers the issue will continue resolving itself (it's moving in the right direction).

And I have twenty stories to share with you today and a few not yet posted, so do watch for them over the weekend.

On the fiction front:

I have just a small portion of Cornell Dyer and the Calcium Deficient Bones to complete. In fact, Timothy has scheduled a "Cornell" breakfast for early tomorrow morning to start working on the next book, a Sherlock Holmes parody (the main character is Sherman Homes).

I'll reconnect with Call of the Siren (the second book in the Limbo series) tonight by reading through my previous work since I'm now working, in a very close and granular way, on all the areas I've sectioned off for focused writing during my first at-home writing retreat of 2021. I have no timetable for getting this done because this is where the quality of the writing counts.

The second retreat is tentatively scheduled to begin one week from Monday. The goal is to complete a hefty first draft of the remaining chapters.

Sue Midlock, artist for The Adventures of Cornell Dyer is nearly down with the art for Cornell Dyer and the "Mistical" Being, co-written by Rebekah, who has recovered very nicely from surgery), so I'm eager to pass along the art ideas for  Cornell Dyer and the Calcium-Deficient Bones (co-written by Timothy). 

However, Sue is still experiencing some issues from her surgery in June, so the art is coming along slowly. Please keep the good thoughts/prayers coming for Sue. 

Timothy is currently outlining another Cornell Dyer story. This one is another parody and features a character named Sherman Homes.

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 herehere, and here

Jennifer Wainright (frontispiece artist for Lycanthropic Summer) has completed two portraits for  "Girls of the BryonySeries" series for tween girls. It's beautiful and it shows that artist Jennifer Wainright can draw anything from werewolves to portraits! 

She was working on art for the third book (I have eight planned in all and two in progress). Jennifer is also recovering from a motorcyle accident, so please send up good thoughts for her, too!

Now back to the twenty 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 pageWe'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

Teaching and waitressing helped shape Ruth Colby’s work ethic: Silver Cross Hospital’s president and CEO honored with 2021 ATHENA Award 

New Lenox church postponing potato giveaway: The event will be rescheduled

Pets of the Week: Oct. 4: Will County rescues have dogs and cats for adoption

LocalLit book review: ’The Length of Our Staircase’ is for parents who never gave up on their child: Plainfield author Betsy Naglich wrote a novel but based it on her relationship with an adopted son

A pictorial glance at the Joliet Latino Fest: Organizers said the event attracted thousands

LocalLit book preview: Poetry book focuses on ‘healing and spiritual growth’: Lockport author’s ‘Song of Sarahrose’ testifies to the power of prayer

Don’t wait to sign up for a free holiday food basket: Will County Center for Community Concerns providing holiday food baskets for just 125 income eligible families

Monoclonal antibody infusion therapy playing significant role at Morris Hospital: Fewer people being hospitalized, not a substitute for vaccination, Morris infectious disease doctor said

Morris Hospital honors Robert Alaimo of Seneca as its Fire Starter of the Month for September: Alaimo: ‘I take a great deal of pride in assuring the image of the hospital is as positive as it can be’

Troy 30-C names new administrators: School board approves Counihan, Kucera, Ochoa

Volleyball fundraiser on Tuesday benefitted 5-year-old cancer patient preparing for 2nd stem cell transplant: The goal is to get Penelope Gomez of #Joliet healthy enough for kindergarten 

Senior Services of Will County announces interim CEO: Current CEO Barry Kolanowski is retiring from Senior Services

Joliet club has helped Afghan women and children since 2011: Anthropologist Pam Hunte shares how and why 

This weekend: Audio play of classic horror film, 40th Halloween Hallow opens Friday: Will County Inside/Outside Guide offers suggestions for enjoying your weekend

New program gets Joliet 4th graders moving, learning and outside: The program is a partnership with D. 86, the Joliet Park District and the University of Illinois Extension of Will County 

Will County has 3rd highest deer crashes in Illinois: Deer especially active October through December

Lions Club annual ‘Candy Day’ gets an online twist: Supporters can donate to the #Joliet Noon Lions through GoFundMe

Register now for JCA’s free Practice High School Placement Test: Students who attend will receive a free JCA T-shirt 

Longtime orthopedic surgeon joins Morris Hospital Orthopedics & Sports Medicine: Dr. Stephen Treacy will see patients in Morris, Joliet and Diamond

5 Things to do in Will County: Ghouls, haunted prison, scary movies and eternity: Also, Croatian Cultural Club will host an Oktoberfest on Sunday

Illustration by Matt Coundiff for "Visage."



No comments: