Friday, February 18, 2022

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

Good morning!

I have just ten feature stories to share with you today, with a quite a bit more that should go live this weekend. That includes those waiting to be posted and others I'll write on Saturday and Sunday since I'm working for The Herald-News for the next two days.

On the fiction front, I'm still making nice progress on Call of the Siren. I have all but six chapters edited, and I hope to have at least one more in good shape by the end of next weekend.

Call of the Siren is the second book in the BryonySeries Limbo trilogy). I'm anticipating a late spring publication date, with gorgeous cover art by Nancy Calkins.

Sue Midlock has completed the art for Cornell Dyer and the Calcium Deficient Bones, and Rebekah should have the book formatted soon. The proof copy of Cornell Dyer and the "Mistical" Being is here, and Rebekah has already read through it and marked changes. Hopefully, I will finish reading through it this weekend. I'm also currently reediting Cornell Dyer and the Calcium Deficient Bones, since I felt some of the sentence structures were too complicated for the age range.

Timothy has nearly completed the outline for the next book in the series, a Sherlock Holmes parody (the main character is Sherman Homes). We were hoping to make some time for a "Cornell Breakfast" over the holidays, but that didn't happen - maybe next weekend? However, he did finish the bulk of his overhaul of the BryonySeries website. You can read more about that here.

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 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! 

Rebekah Baran has completed cover art for two of "Girls of the BryonySeries" books. They are beautiful! One book in this series of eight books is completely written, a second is halfway written, and the rest are outlined. 

Now back to the ten 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 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.

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

A new app helps deaf and hard of hearing children watch movies: Plainfield East High School senior Brooke Scott helped raise funds for it.

Plainfield man builds igloo in front yard for the 5th time: 'As a kid, I used to make them with my dad and my sister’

An Extraordinary Life: Former Shorewood man was frugal, faith-filled and witty: But Robert “Bob” Gutierrez was known for his kindness and strength.

Pets of the Week: Feb. 14: Will County Rescues have dogs and cats for adoption.

How do I love thee? Let me count the pounds lost: Bolingbrook couple embark on massive weight loss journey together

Pursuing an education in health care? This scholarship opportunity is for you.: Morris Hospital Foundation offers scholarships to students in health care-related fields

Herald-News seeking ‘Women of the Year’ submissions: Entry deadline is April 8

Will County Trail Riders hosting blood drive – but leave the horses at home: No horse photo ops at this event, just plenty of good will

Shoveling your own snow? Silver Cross has 4 safety tips for you: Even pushing a snow blower can significantly raise one’s heart rate and blood pressure 

5 Things to do in Will County: Celebrate the arts this weekend.: And enjoy all-levels yoga and a winter hike on Sunday


Illustration by Matt Coundiff for "Visage"

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