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"