Story Round-Up: Features in The Herald-News, May 7 to May 13

Good morning!

I have fourteen feature stories to share with you today and more yet posted. So do check back on The Herald-News site: shawlocal.com/the-herald-news. 

Over the last couple of months, I also wrote an additional nineteen stories for a special "Thank You, Teachers," edition that will ran in print and online on May 5. You can check out all those stories at this link: https://www.shawlocal.com/the-herald-news/thank-you/teachers/

On the fiction side of things, I'm working on the final development of the minor characters in Call of the Siren. My goal (from a Friday morning point of view) is to complete that process this weekend. 

Call of the Siren is the second book in the BryonySeries Limbo trilogy, with gorgeous cover art by Nancy Calkins.

Now that our slew of family emergencies (2022) is an adventure: here is one of our emergencies), Rebekah is planning to dedicate two days in May to catching up with BryonySeries projects she's had to let go for a while.

That includes formatting Call of the Siren and do the finishing production touches of Cornell Dyer and the Calcium Deficient Bones and Cornell Dyer and the "Mistical" Being, along with some other behind-the-scenes projects, such as updating the BryonySeries Pinterest and YouTube pages.

Both Rebekah and our artist Sue Midlock have gone through health issues this past year, which has caused publication delays (both books were written last year. But I'd rather have delays and healthy collaborators. Please send up good thoughts for them both.

Next up in the series: a Sherlock Holmes parody (the main character is Sherman Homes). Timothy is ready for a Cornell breakfast to share his ideas.

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 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 fourteen 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 on Twitter at @BryonySeries and assorted related content at facebook.com/BryonySeries, youtube.com/user/BryonySeries, and themes of each book in the BryonySeries at pinterest.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

11 students at D. 202 in Plainfield honored for creative works: Mediums include ceramic and glass, sculpture, digital art and short stories.

Literacy efforts spark love for reading in Troy students: Book clubs, literacy programs and book donations encourage kids to keep turning the pages

Watch for these 10 signs of hepatitis in children: Parents should also vaccinate their children against hepatitis viruses A and B. 

Silver Cross celebrates nurses week with kindness as its theme: Nurses became ‘like a second family’ to patients during the pandemic

D-202 in Plainfield names 3 new principals: Their roles begin July 1. 

Silver Cross Hospital earns 15 As in a row for patient safety: Binder: ‘This community should be proud.’ 

3 international teachers share why they love teaching at District 86 in Joliet: Quiroz-Cardenas: ‘I think this is the best country for education and the best place to be a child to grow up’ 

2 Troy Shorewood teachers were once students in the same building: Vicki Petrovic and Kristine Kennedy both became teachers because of their great experiences at Troy.

Multilingual program at D-201 in Minooka recognized by the state of Illinois: Erika Martinez: ‘Our numbers are getting high, especially with the Spanish-speaking population’ 

A slip on ice was lifesaving for preschool teacher at Minooka Primary Center: Tonya Best: ‘I miss my students, more than I ever thought possible’

Joliet Central music teacher founded nonprofit to bring arts to low-income kids: Don Stinson also is the author of ‘Teaching Music to Students from Underserved Backgrounds.’ 

Lewis University professor teaches about the realities of the incarcerated: Christie Billups: ‘Crime harms people, including the person who does the crime’ 

New housing community for adults with disabilities opens in New Lenox: Dykstra: ‘From a program perspective, you’re facilitating independence.’

Spanish teacher at Providence Catholic H.S. in New Lenox teaches love for cultures through language.: Lara DeVries: ‘You never know where life will take you’ 

Illustration by Matt Coundiff for "Visage"