"Reflections of Love" by Alan Hines

I'm currently reading an poem (or two or three a day, depending on size) from a poetry book that was gifted to me on Calkins Day.

You could say I'm reading it like a devotional, to better focus on and appreciate each poem - and to focus on the topic of love for a few weeks.

The poet, Alan Hines of Chicago, drove down from Chicago to gift TWO copies of his book (one Ed and one to me), after learning about Calkins Day from the owner of The Book Market in Crest Hill.

Alan Hines doesn't have a website that I could find. But he does have a Facebook page. And I know it's the right page because my photo is on it and because he recently accepted my friend request.

I also found his few dozen poetry books on Amazon. If you like poetry, please check them out.

Ed's first writing love is poetry. So I'm guessing he's already read his copy.

Gonna Flood Social Media With Fish Photos

When I was in second grade at St. Bernard Catholic School in Joliet, I was very fortunate to take a class field trip to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.

I only have vague impressions of that trip. But all of them are magical, and I couldn't wait to return.

Well, I had to wait a handful of years, fifty-four to be exact, due to a myriad of circumstances and "life" things in the background.

So this year for Christmas, Jasmine gifted me (and Bertrand The Mouse and his Uncle Barty) with a day at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago and lunch in the city.

I took lots of photos of fish, which will appear on social media for months to come on my various platforms, along with explaining why I love fish and water so much.

At any rate, Jasmine took lots of photos of me taking photos of fish.

And Jasmine also took lots of photos of Uncle Barty and Bertrand having a magical time.

But that's for another post.

Chicago - Hard To Say I'm Sorry (Piano Cover by Riyandi Kusuma)

Irish Reel Medley (Tin Whistle)

Story Round-Up: Features in The Herald-News, Feb. 18 to Feb. 24

Good morning!

Today I have just eleven features and news stories to share with you today with more to be posted over the weekend as I will be working. 

I've also been working on stories for a new edition The Herald-News will begin in March and a new "Thank You, Teachers" edition in May.

So be sure to check back on The Herald-News site: shawlocal.com/the-herald-news.

Also, here is a "save the date" event for people in the general Will County area:  WriteOn Joliet will host its first radio-style reading on April 22 at the Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park in Joliet. 

I'll share details as they jell - and they are jelling. We worked on the readings last night and realized we need more practice. 

But for now, read this post. 

We held our annual Calkins Day celebration on Feb. 13 at The Book Market in Crest Hill. If you don't know what Calkins Day is, read this post and then read this post.

This year, we built our celebration around the local authors and independent authors in order to help build up Ed's library of such authors and provide a little exposure for these authors.

Authors were invited to gift Ed Calkins, Steward of Tara with one of their books. In turn, they could take home any one of five books Ed either wrote or appeared in. Readers could talk Ed out of a book.

Over the next few weeks, I'll dedicate separate posts to these authors and give them additional exposure on social media. Here is one such post from earlier this week.

So please watch for these posts. They may just lead you to your next favorite book.

Fiction projects are coming along very slowly, but they are coming along. I'm also working simultaneously working on five books (and a new Bertrand book), a first for me.

So here's the latest update:

I now have completed rough drafts for the first eleven chapters of the final book in the BryonySeries Limbo trilogy: House on Top of the Hill and hope to get another done this weekend.

I am in the process of fleshing out the next book in The Adventures of Cornell Dyer subseries: Cornell Dyer and the Hounds of Basketville and made some progress on that story on Monday. Timothy and I drafted it months ago, and I currently have three solid chapters. Sue Midlock sent all the interior art and it is stunning! Sue is currently working on the cover.

I have also completed three chapters for the fourth book in The Girls of the BryonySeries series.

You can find other titles in the series here. Timothy has not yet added our latest titles to the BryonySeries bookstore. But all titles are also on Amazon. 

I'm also working on a guide book to the series called: Welcome to Munsonville: the People, Places, and Things of the BryonySeries.

And I'm also working on a novella. I have written and edited a fourth of it. But that's all I'm sharing about it for now.

Rebekah is also slowly updating the BryonySeries YouTube and Pinterest accounts, so watch for those.

Now back to the 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 Wednesday, we post a new recipe. The recipe is either featured in one of our cookbooks, will be featured in an upcoming cookbook, or is just an "extra" we want to share with you.

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 and two ways to attend meetings. We also have a marketing arm that's getting longer every 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 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 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

Joliet’s UCP’s Great Chef’s Tasting returns March 5: Tickets available now.

United Way of Will County urges local agencies and nonprofits to apply for Emergency Food & Shelter Program Funds

Young Joliet boxer winning awards, wants to pursue nursing: At 15, Joseph “Jo Jo” Awinongya Jr. is competing and attending Joliet Junior College.

Enjoy the Herald-News roundup of Joliet-area fish fries this Lent: Here are ten fish fries you can try.

Joliet club to host women-centered film festival Joliet’s Renaissance Center: The event also raises scholarship funds for women.

Citizens form committee to support bond referendum for Joliet schools: The referendum question needs 50% approval along with one additional ‘yes’ vote. 

Plainfield School District 202 approves building security upgrades: This work is part of District 202′s 5-year strategic plan.

Joliet woman killed in car crash Wednesday morning 

Silver Cross president and CEO named New Lenox’s Citizen of the Year: Ruth Colby: ‘Since 2005, it’s been the most amazing journey for me personally.' 

Pets of the Week: Feb. 20, 2023: Will County rescues have dogs and cats for adoption 

5 Things to do in Will County: Enjoy comedy on Saturday in New Lenox and help 4 animal rescues.: Plus, 4 additional ways to enjoy the arts this weekend.

Illustration by Matt Coundiff for "Visage"

Friendship

I snapped this photo on February 25, 2018, two days short of five years ago.

The little girl in the photo was the first super fan of Bertrand the Mouse - and she had brought one of her little stuffed animals to meet him.

If you use your imagination to study the little animals, you can see the little girl's animal giving Bertrand a hug. And you can see a happy Bertrand looking straight into my camera.

Her mother had actually experimented with crocheting mice and other animals. Yet she could never reproduce Bertrand.

That's OK. 

Because that little girl's mother impacted Bertrand (and me) in a real and lasting way. You can read about it here. The original post is way more fun than a quick summary here.

I don't know if this little girl, who is not quite so little anymore, remembers her love for Bertrand the Mouse and still likes books.

But I hope she never loses her creative slant to life.

So if you want to know what a happy writer looks like, it looks like this photo.

And I would take one photo like this over a hundred book sales.

Sue's Diner: Recipe for Happiness

Someone shared this week's recipe with me a long time ago. I am not its original author, which is anonymous, as far as I know.

This recipe isn't featured any BryonySeries cookbook. But with all the indulging over the holidays, a zero-calorie recipe that tastes sweet and can be enjoyed all day is a good recipe to post this week.

Besides, just about everyone can use a little more happiness. Wouldn't you agree?

Just so you know, the official BryonySeries cookbook Memories in the Kitchen: Bites and Nibbles from "Bryony," is a permanent fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Will and Grundy Counties and features all the recipes referenced in the novel Bryony. 

The cookbook makes a great gift for people of all ages who like to cook, love history, or are simply curious as to the foods people once liked to eat.

Back to this week's recipe.

You can find the recipe on the Sue's Diner page on the BryonySeries website. 

But try the recipe this week. It will be gone some time next week. A new recipe will take it's place.

By the way, Sue's Diner is only real in the BryonySeries world. But didn't Timothy do a great job making the page look like a real menu at a vintage diner?

Here is the full diner page: bryonyseries.com/sue-s-diner. You can't really order, of course (wouldn't it be great if you could?).

For more BryonySeries recipes, check out our three cookbooks at our BryonySeries bryonyseries.com/general-store.

"The Bad Mood Monster" by C.D. White

Isn't it awesome when the right book crosses your path just when you needed it the most?

Today I'm planning to order two copies of The Bad Mood Monster by author C.D. White for grandchildren in two separate households.

And I never knew this book existed until White walked through the doors of The Book Market in Crest Hill on Calkins Day (Feb. 13), book in hand.

You see, Ed Calkins, Steward of Tara, really wanted to give some books away on his birthday. And  ever since he's published his first book, he's been slowly building up his personal collection of books by local and independent authors (and giving those books as gifts, too).

So why not extend the offer to other authors, too? Bring a book to give and take one of ours home. 

To our surprise and delight, some authors took a chance on this out-of-the-box idea and came out with their books.

I had never heard of C.D. White before Calkins Day. But when I looked up details about her book, I knew it was perfect for two of my grandsons, who are really going through some tough times.

Here is the Amazon description for The Bad Mood Monster:

A bad mood can be a horrible sight, turning some of us into monsters overnight. Mansfield Malcolm Marcus White discovers just how his bad mood can transform him into someone unrecognizable. We can all be a little monstrous now and then, and there are times our bad mood can make us appear as monsters to ourselves and others. The Bad Mood Monster is an insightful, colorfully illustrated, rhyming book, which gives children a lighthearted look at emotions and encourages the positive act of being kind.

So White gave one book away on Calkins Day - and will make two sales today.

And, hopefully, she and the other authors at The Book Market that night made a few friends, too.

Order The Bad Mood Monster on Amazon.

For more information, visit C.D. White's author page on Facebook.

The Opportunity in Presidents' Day

My six children used to joke about all the subjects they studied during the twenty-four years we were a homeschooling family.

You see, every time I thought they should know more about a particular topic, I created a course.

We studied old math (and some really old math). We used Abeka and Ray's Arithmetic. We conducted timed math drills once a week and solved plenty of word problems daily.

Language Arts was broken into six separate subjects: Reading, literature, grammar, spelling, penmanship, and writing. Most (not all) of the materials came from Abeka.

We studied history (old world history, new world history, art history, music history), current events, and geography. We used Abeka for the first two and supplemental materials for the last two.  We used The Herald-News for current events and labeled LOTS of maps.

We studied science from textbooks and did LOTS of science experiments. We used  Abeka, Bob Jones, Backyard Scientist, and quite a few supplementary texts.

Drawing was its own separate class as was art and art appreciation. We had workbooks for these.

We studied the Bible, the saints, church history, catechism, and the church councils. We used children's Bibles, the One Year Bible (once the kids could read well, about third grade or so), several saint books, and a fairly comprehensive book on church history.

We listened to classical music nearly daily (on cassette tapes, mostly). 

My children knew all fifty states and capitals (Sarah and Christopher won a contest on WCSF 98.7 for their knowledge when they were kids).

And they could name all U.S. presidents.

In order.

And give a brief biography about each.

So maybe President's Day has a different meaning for us.

My rationale for all of this?

1) Math teaches indisputable facts and how to tackle problems.

2) All the different components of Language Arts helps children be fluent in their own language; every person should be able to communicate well in his or her own language. Anyone who can read can learn just about anything - and enjoy just about anything.

3) History teaches us where we've been; current events teaches us where we are. Geography orients us, in context, and helps us to understand the physical makeup of our planet.

4) Science helps us to understand the entire world in which we live (including the bodies we inhabit).

5) Drawing teaches hand/eye/mind coordination.

6) Art allows us to express our creativity.

7) Art appreciation allows us to appreciate the creativity of others - as does classical music.

8) Studying our faith helps to develop our souls, without which the rest has no meaning.

Now, I'd be surprised if any of the six could still name all the U.S. presidents in order (well, maybe Christopher can).

But they could brush up on it fairly quickly.

And talk about any one of them quite knowledgeably.

If this doesn't seem very important, watch this video.

The point is not to brag about what we did, but to make this point: the world is filled with so much knowledge just waiting to be explored.

A day like President's Day gives the opportunity to do just that in a very focused way.

Last night when I showed Timothy this blog, he immediately launched into the details of James A. Garfield's horrible death and the time Teddy Roosevelt was shot while giving a speech, complete with his famous quote.

There now. Aren't you curious to know more?

Pictured below is my son Joshua Paul in 1994.

Alexey Shor, Childhood Memories/ Elisey Mysin/ Dubay

Calkins Day 2023: A Few Photos

The BryonySeries held its annual Calkins Day celebration on Feb. 13 at The Book Market in Crest Hill.

We even had the parade to prove it (and we will prove it, as soon as Rebekah uploads the video to the BryonySeries YouTube page).

 If you don't know what Calkins Day is, read this post and then read this post. And here are three good reasons why you should celebrate Calkins Day next year, too, read this post.

This year, we built our celebration around local authors and independent authors in order to help grow Ed's library of such authors and provide a little exposure for these authors.

You see, Ed is a real person and a ruthless dictator/Irish vampire in this book, this book, and this book in the BryonySeries, is also an author in the series. After he published his first novel, he joined WriteOn Joliet and was/is overjoyed to meet so many authors on the local level and buy and read their books.

So authors were invited to gift Ed Calkins, Steward of Tara with one of their books. In turn, they could take home any one of five books Ed either wrote or appeared in. 

Readers (anyone else who hadn't written a book) could talk Ed out of a book. One woman, who hadn't written a book yet, gifted Ed with her one large writing project: her dissertation. And it turned out Ed had some interest and knowledge on the topic and was thrilled to receive it.

Over the next few week, I will spotlight all authors who gifted their books to Ed in separate blogs, along with links to their books (if applicable) and on social media. So do watch for them. You just might find your new favorite book.

I am also working on a Calkins Day 2023 on the Bryony Facebook page. But the program kept freezing. At 10:30 last night, I gave up for the night.

But I am not getting up. I'm going to be "ruthless" about it.

When Ed Calkins distributes candy to the guests at The Book Market. When Ed held is parade in a warehouse in Joliet that distributed newspapers, he would have another worker pull his around on a pallet jack "float" while Ed tossed candy to the other workers.

Also pictured are WriteOn Joliet members Duanne Walton, Colleen Robbins, and Janet Staley, owner of The Book Market.

Helen Hicks, who is gradually branching into creative writing, gifted Ed with a copy of her dissertation.

After learning about Calkins Day from a Yorkville writers group, author C.D. White drove down from Kendall County with her husband to gift Ed with a copy of one of her children's books and take home a BryonySeries book.

As C.D. White chats with Ed, Janet Staley and Ed's wife Nancy Calkins chat in the background. It was Nancy's first trip to The Book Market and Ed was eager for her to see it and meet Janet.

Colleen and Janet take some time to catch up. Colleen is a founding member of WriteOn Joliet and author of quite a few books, which are for sale on Amazon.

Author Lindsay Lake publishes most of her books on Kindle only. And Ed has gifted friends and family with the one book she published in print (although I'm not find the print version online, but it does exist) because he loved it so much.

So Lindsay could only do one thing...

...gift Ed with a hard copy from one of her novels, complete with comments from one of her friends.

Sue Midlock found a fun "read" at The Book Market on Calkins Day: a parody cookbook called 50 Shades of Chicken.

Ed Calkins poses with author Dale Hansen, who gifted Ed with his devotional on living with Parkinson's. The photo where Ed turned the book around to see the cover is for another post about Dale and his books.

Nancy and Rebekah also spent some time catching up, since they had not seen each other since WriteOn Joliet's anthology release party in December.

Ed Calkins, who's first writing love is poetry, peruses a book by Chicago poet Alan Hines, who drove down from Chicago to gift TWO copies of his book (one to Ed, one to me), after learning about Calkins Day from a flyer at The Book Market.

Alan not only took home a free book, he actually bought a copy of this one.

I will share more about Alan Hines and his few dozen poetry books he's published on another post.

Timothy sets out the cheese and crackers he brought for the event while Daniel looks on. Rebekah made Irish soda bread and cookies. 

We also served some very special "Ed Calkins" cookies, which I will share on another post.

The captions are center aligned because Blogger is defaulting to that. Just so you know.

Duanne and Ed share a hug in honor of the day.

Ed and local author/photographer Mauverneen post for a photo. Ed already had a copy of Mauverneen's first book. So she just came out for the fun.

I also bought a nearly complete set of the books written and published by Tom Hernandez, WriteOn Joliet's co-leader, who is battling cancer. Janet rings up the sale and Rebekah waits to pay.

Author Diana Estell poses with Ed before she leaves. Diana gifted Ed with a copy of her book, too.

And then Ed gave Diana a big "goodbye" hug while Colleen and Nancy look on.

Nancy and Lindsay give each other goodbye hugs, too. Calkins Day is a day to celebrate laughter, imagination, and generosity. We certainly hit those notes, I think.

And, finally, no Calkins Day celebration would be complete without updating our Ed Cakins/Bertrand the Mouse photo. I'm adding the caption here because Blogger won't let me add it below the photo.

More photos and author information to come!

Story Round-Up: Features in The Herald-News, Feb. 11 to Feb. 17

Good morning!

Today I have just ten features and news stories to share with you today with more to be posted over the weekend. I've also been working on stories for a new edition The Herald-News will begin in March and a new "Thank You, Teachers" edition in May.

So be sure to check back on The Herald-News site: shawlocal.com/the-herald-news.

Also, here is a "save the date" event for people in the general Will County area:  WriteOn Joliet will host its first radio-style reading on April 22 at the Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park in Joliet. 

I'll share details as they jell. But for now, read this post. 

We held our annual Calkins Day celebration on Feb. 13 at The Book Market in Crest Hill. If you don't know what Calkins Day is, read this post and then read this post.

This year, we built our celebration around the local authors and independent authors in order to help build up Ed's library of such authors and provide a little exposure for these authors.

Authors were invited to gift Ed Calkins, Steward of Tara with one of their books. In turn, they could take home any one of five books Ed either wrote or appeared in. Readers could talk Ed out of a book.

Tomorrow I will recap the event. And over the next few weeks, I'll dedicate separate posts to these authors and give them additional exposure on social media.

So please watch for these posts. They may just lead you to your next favorite book.

Fiction projects are coming along very slowly, but they are coming along. I'm also working simultaneously working on five books (and a new Bertrand book), a first for me.

So here's the latest update:

I now have completed rough drafts for the first seven chapters of the final book in the BryonySeries Limbo trilogy: House on Top of the Hill and hope to get another done this weekend.

I am in the process of writing the next book in The Adventures of Cornell Dyer subseries: Cornell Dyer and the Hounds of Basketville and made some progress on that story on Monday. Sue Midlock sent all the interior art and it is stunning! Sue is currently working on the cover.

I have also completed two chapters for the fourth book in The Girls of the BryonySeries series.

You can find other titles in the series here. Timothy has not yet added our latest titles to the BryonySeries bookstore. But all titles are also on Amazon. 

I'm also working on a guide book to the series called: Welcome to Munsonville: the People, Places, and Things of the BryonySeries.

And I'm also working on a novella. I have written and edited a fourth of it. But that's all I'm sharing about it for now.

Rebekah is also slowly updating the BryonySeries YouTube and Pinterest accounts, so watch for those.

Now back to the 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 Wednesday, we post a new recipe. The recipe is either featured in one of our cookbooks, will be featured in an upcoming cookbook, or is just an "extra" we want to share with you.

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 and two ways to attend meetings. We also have a marketing arm that's getting longer every 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 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 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

‘Comedy for the Critters’ benefits animal rescues in Will, Cook counties

Traveling exhibit at Isle a la Cache Museum in Romeoville shows how mobility shaped the U.S.: Sara Russell: ‘It’s so important to know where we came from.’

Illinois Native Plant Society seeking students for paid internship opportunity" The internship give students ‘ground level’ experience in plant science.

Joliet fire chief says today’s home fires are deadlier than 50 years ago: Top causes of fires are cooking, heating, electrical, smoking and candles

Get 15 free seed packets from the Will County extension office on Saturday.: The extension office has given away more than 75,000 packages of free seeds since 2016.

Wanted: Will County fish fries: The Herald-News invites churches and organizations to submit their fish fry information

Diocese of Joliet seeking organizations or parishes to apply for anti-poverty grants : The process is now open to parish-based projects.

Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie in Wilmington seeking applicants for 2023 Youth Conservation Corps: Registration closes March 18.

Pets of the Week: Feb. 13, 2023: Will County rescues have dogs and cats for adoption

5 Things to do in Will County: Joliet theater to host performances of ‘She Kills Monsters’: Plus, local churches offering a chicken dinner, pancake breakfast

Illustration by Matt Coundiff for "Visage"

Thoughts. I Haz Them: 2022 (Part 3)

Sue's Diner: Vampire Kiss

We don't often post a recipe with alcohol on Sue's Diner. But this Vampire Kiss was too good to pass up for the Valentine's Day season - even if you don't have any vampires currently in your life.

This Vampire Kiss drink is not featured in any of the BryonySeries cookbooks, including Memories in the Kitchen: Bites and Nibbles from "Bryony," which is a permanent fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Will and Grundy Counties and features all the recipes referenced in the novel Bryony. 

However, you can try this recipe for Vampire Kiss on the Sue's Diner page on the BryonySeries website. 

But try the recipe this week. It will be gone next week. A new recipe will take it's place. 

If you have any troubleshooting questions or comments, email us at bryonyseries@gmail.com. 

By the way, Sue's Diner is only real in the BryonySeries world. But didn't Timothy do a great job making the page look like a real menu at a vintage diner?

Here is the full diner page: bryonyseries.com/sue-s-diner. You can't really order, of course (wouldn't it be great if you could?).

For more BryonySeries recipes, check out our three cookbooks at our BryonySeries bryonyseries.com/general-store.

A Time to Love

One, two, three - GO!

That was my tag-shout for more than a dozen times in February 1991 when Sarah and I were helping six-month-old Timothy participate in our annual Valentine-making afternoon.

Each year my children made shoebox mailboxes for themselves.

And they made homemade Valentines to give to each other, and their parents and grandparents, etc.

For Timothy's contribution on this particular year, the kids cut out large red hearts and glued a white doily in the center. Then, while I held Timothy under one arm, Sarah painted his little hands black with kids-safe watercolor paint.

Then Sarah and I each pried his little fingers open and, to the shout of those opening words, we'd swiftly press his hands flat on the doily for a pair of his baby handprints on the card.

We ruined a lot of Valentines.

For Timothy inevitably curled the fingers on one or both hands just as he reached the doily. And then we started all over again.

Some people think Valentine's Day is a greeting card day, a day dedicated to romance, or an obligation of one partner to another.

We at our house think it's a day to give love.

Below are some of the handmade Valentines Rebekah received from her siblings over the years. How can she not look at them today and feel their love?

All the kids are grown now, and no one can take an afternoon off from work to make Valentines.

But Rebekah has kept that spirit.

Every Valentine's Day, she surprises everyone in her immediate household with a small chocolate gift she's assembled. This way of giving is embedded into the holiday for her. I don't think she can envision the day without it.

Let that sink in a moment. Valentine's Day is not Valentine's Day to Rebekah is she cannot show love.

So take a moment today to show love to someone.

The gesture can be simple. Just be sure it's sincere.

Because the glow will remain in the other long after you've forgotten it.

Happy Calkins Day! (Amid Frustrating Technology Woes)

I could spend this post grumbling about the time I lost this past week to a technology issue that just won't resolve itself, no matter how many hours of lost time trying and the large amount of in-house expertise we've thrown at it.

I'm behind in "life" tasks, housework, responding to social media, and my own personal fiction writing goals.

So now that you know why I've appeared to recently "ghost" any of the above, I'm moving onto something happier, cheerier, and with a tone that I hope is close to your heart, too.

Happy Calkins Day!

And what does exactly does this mean?

Despite the multiple posts I've written this week about the BryonySeries holiday that Ed Calkins, Steward of Tara, invented for himself before the series existed (here, here, here, and here) the heart of Calkins day is not about attending any event or a ploy to market books.

If Ed Calkins (a real person turned Irish vampire in the BryonySeries turned author for the series) can "steal" my characters for his writings I can "steal" his holiday for the sake of positivity.

Calkins Day, which is celebrated every year on Feb. 13 (by us), is Ed's birthday.

It's the day after Lincoln's Birthday and the day before Valentine's Day.

Ed thinks it should be a three-day holiday. And why not? 

Here are three good reasons:

1) No matter how anyone in 2023 considers Abraham Lincoln, few people would argue the world today needs strong leaders.

2) Calkins Day represents laughter, imagination, and generosity. Few people would argue the world needs all three today, perhaps more than ever.

3) Valentine's Day represents love, all love, not just romantic love, which is capricious by nature. Do you know anyone who doesn't need to give or receive more love? No? Me, neither.

So to those points:

1) Let's resolve to be worthy examples of people who follow us.

2a) Let's laugh a whole lot more and smile more often than that. 

2b) Give yourself permission to imagine and create without expectation that the result isn't "good enough" by some expert's standards. I mean, you can't bake a delicious cake without spilling some flour.

2c) Adopt of spirit of generosity, first with yourself and then with others. If you're generous with the time you need for yourself, you'll be more happily generous with the time you can give others.

3) Finally love a whole lot more. 

Love yourself with all your flaws.

And love others in the same manner.

Happy Calkins Day!

Variations on the Kanon by Pachelbel - George Winston

Will you Take Home a Power Smokeless Grill on Calkins Day? Only the Steward of Tara Knows for Sure

In one final "spammy" push for Calkins Day 2023, I'm here to tell you about a last minute element to our annual celebration.

On Thursday, Ed Calkins, Steward of Tara, sent me this message and photo: "How about an in-store limerick contest? We have a prize for it."

Now, while the contest won't look anything quite as grand as the limerick match we held at the Book and Bean Cafe in Joliet for Calkins Day 2019, we did briefly discuss a couple ways to manage that.

We do know for certain that no purchase (or gifting) is necessary to participate.

If you want to know, or possibly take a Power Smokeless Grill home, you'll have to come out to The Book Market in Crest Hill sometime between 6 and 8 p.m. Feb. 13.

If you need more reasons to attend, you should read these posts: "Five Reasons Why You Should Attend Calkins Day 2023 on Feb. 13 at The Book Market in Crest Hill." and Authors: Help Build the Steward's Library on Calkins Day (And Take Home a Book for Yourself).

Note: Being an author is not a requirement for coming home with a free book. Anyone who attends is welcome to talk Ed out of one (it probably won't take much effort. Ed is very generous and eager to for the world to know and love the BryonySeries, more eager than even me).

If you're not quite sure what Calkins Day is (whoever is really sure about that?), we invite you to read this post, which includes links to past events, information about Ed, and to our "Guide to Becoming Un-Serious."

Yes, I'm very serious about that.

You see, Ed always says he's "stolen" my BryonySeries characters for his own writing.

Well, the BryonySeries has stolen his invented Calkins Day holiday and turned it into so much more.

Calkins Day is a day to celebrate laughter, imagination, and generosity.

You may not find our event packed wall-to-wall with attendees. In fact, you might find you are our only attendee.

But you will find laughter, imagination, and generosity when you walk through the doors of The Book Market sometime between 6 to 8 p.m. Feb. 13. We guarantee that or you will get your pombec back.

The Book Market is located at 2365 Plainfield Road in Crest Hill.

We hope to see you there.