Meet "Girls of the BryonySeries"

More than a decade ago, Sarah suggested I tell the back story of the teen female characters in the BryonySeries to introduce those characters to younger girls.

As you can see, I didn't jump right on it.

But I did, over time, develop the concept by asking mulling over some key questions:

Which girls?

What stories?

To what end?

What about art?

I'm happy to say I've found the answers. So here's what I've got.

The "Girls of the BryonySeries" is an eight-book subseries of the BryonySeries world.

Each book features one eleven-year-old girl with a seemingly insurmountable problem to solve that the people in her immediate world do not understand.

I wanted the art simple: a portrait, a style I loved in the many "girl books" I read when growing up.

I wanted three written before I launched the series.

The artist for these portraits is Jennifer Wainwright, whose creative skill obviously extends beyond werewolf art.

Rebekah is designing all the covers.

One book takes place in the late nineteenth century and is a slight repackaging of a chapter from this BryonySeries novel.

Six books take place in 1969.

One book takes place in 1998.

I have back cover summaries for all eight.

I have outlines for all eight.

I have covers for three.

Three are edited and in various stages of production, which means they are in Rebekah's hands. The third was completely written and edited last week during an at-home writing retreat. Rebekah has a rough draft of the cover and is revising it this week.

I plan to have three books ready for sale (along with other BryonySeries books) at WriteOn Joliet's anthology release party on Dec. 8, 2022 at the Black Road branch of the Joliet Public Library.

Of course, these books will also be available for sale after that date on Amazon, Amazon's distribution partners, and the BryonySeries website (when Timothy has time to update that as he's super busy at work).

So for now, I present the eight summaries and the reveal of three covers below that.

Thank you for reading this far. Have a marvelous Thursday!

Summer Sisters: Eleven-year-old Bryony Marseilles and her strict father live alone in a big house. Bryony doesn’t realize she’s lonely until she spends three months with a large family of girls at their farm. For the first time, Bryony can run free and enjoy the company of her peers. She learns people and situations aren’t always what they seem – and that people, even Bryony, change.

A Room  for Laura: Eleven-year-old Laura Jones lives in a small house with her large family. No one seems to mind, except Laura, who loves to draw and dream. Laura is frustrated with her lack of privacy and jealous of her friends who have their own bedrooms. But then Laura comes face-to-face with the one person in the world who can help her – and things begin to change.

Katie and the Big Fear: Eleven-year-old Katie Miller has lots of fears. She’s afraid of the dark, strange noises, strong winds, and thunderstorms. And Katie is especially afraid of the big house in the woods. The villagers say it’s full of ghosts, and the stories they tell gives Katie nightmares. So Katie decides to stay home, where she thinks she’s safe  – until fear comes looking for her.

Changes for Shelley: Eleven-year-old Shelley Gallagher loves both her parents equally. That’s the problem. Shelley’s parents fight a lot. They scream and throw stuff at each other, which scares Shelley and makes her cry. Even worse, they expect Shelley, an only child, to choose sides. One day, someone really gets hurt. Now Shelley must decide whose side she’s really on.

Julie and the Too-Hard Homework: Eleven-year-old Julie Drake impulsively chose “psychologist” as her lifelong career after becoming fascinated with one in a thriller she wasn’t allowed to see. But despite studying hard, Julie only makes so-so grades – and college isn’t in her family’s budget. Even worse, Julie’s mother is pressuring Julie to take piano lessons, which Julie hates. Julie doesn’t know what to do – until she gets her first client.

Melissa and the Hidden Treasure: Eleven-year-old Melissa Marchellis has a terrible life. Her little brother is too annoying. Her father is too old and too sick. Her mother is too busy working and caring for Melissa’s father to pay much attention to any of them. And way too often, Melissa can’t hang out with her friends because she must entertain her brother or sit with her father – literally sit with her father, since he hates television and conversation. One day, she finds a dusty old box. And life is never the same again.

Brainy Ann: Eleven-year-old Ann Dalton has everything a girl could want. She is pretty and smart. She has her own room with bookshelf walls filled with her favorite books. Her parents are loving and kind; her friends are trustworthy and loyal; she’s teacher’s pet; and even her little brother isn’t bad for a brother. But her support is collapsing, and everyone says it’s Ann’s fault. Ann thinks they’re just jealous of her. Is she right?

Karla Joins in: Eleven-year-old Karla Dyer has one goal in life: to be like everyone else. But that’s hard to do when your father was killed slaying a vampire, and your mother is making it your mission to take his place in the world. Karla and her mom live in his old motor home, which is rotting away, and Karla must study grimoires and crystal balls after a full day of school. Karla just wants to hang out with her friends. Is that too much to ask?