The official blog of Denise M. Baran-Unland, author. Discover her books for all ages at bryonyseries.com.
Friday, May 31, 2024
Story Round-Up: Features in The Herald-News, May 25 to May 31
Good morning!
Today I start the last three days of first at-home writing retreat of 2024 - and I have six stories to share with you today. More stories will post over the weekend. So be sure to check back on The Herald-News site: shawlocal.com/the-herald-news.
It's been a busy BryonySeries week: we've released TWO new books.
Bertrand the Mouse has a new book, just in time for summer.
And we also released "A Year of Shadows and Moonlight, of Gathering Blooms in the Woods," which is, well, interesting. The story is part journey, part lyrical novelette. Here is its back cover summary:
"A Year of Shadows and Moonlight, of Gathering Blooms in the Woods" is currently available on Amazon.
Next week will be a "recap week."
I will share some post-event thoughts about "Fragments of Time," WriteOn Joliet's second annual radio-style performance, which was held at the Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park Theatre in April 21 and April 22.
I will recap "Ye Olde Mayfest," , also held at the Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park Theatre May 18 and May 19.
Finally, I will share my thoughts about the Joliet Public Library's first Local Author Fair in more than a decade, which was held April 27.
The Herald-News published its "Thank You, First Responders" at the beginning of May, where most of the publication was dedicated to stories about first responders in our community. I was very honored to be part of this project and have seven stories to share.
Finally, here is an update on my BryonySeries book projects:
House on Top of the Hill: Third book in the BryonySeries Limbo trilogy. I now have a good working draft of the entire book, with nearly half that are ready for final edits. I hope to get through chapter fifteen on next week's writing retreat. Wish me luck! We are estimating a late 2024 release date for this book.
The Adventures of Cornell Dyer: Timothy said the next book will be slightly dark ("slightly" because it's for kids, too) and will involve an old toy store. We are also working on the last book in the series (but it's not the final book, if that makes sense). Timothy is actually writing that one. In order to make progress on any of this, Timothy and I need to schedule a "Cornell breakfast." But Timothy and Daniel are very busy with work and school right now. We've scheduled and broke several Cornell breakfasts in 2023 and 2024. Our last one was July 2022. So we are LONG overdue.
Brainy Ann: The fifth book in The Girls of the BryonySeries is outlined and ready for some serious writing in 2024. The first chapter is written, hurray! Jennifer Wainwright, who welcomed her first child into the world in April, has already started working on the cover portrait. The fifth book is called "Brainy Ann."
Jennifer designed the cover portraits for "Julie and the Too-Hard Homework," "Katie and the Big Fear," "Summer Sisters." and "Karla Joins In," as well as the frontispiece for Lycanthropic Summer.
Congratulations, Jennifer, on the new addition to your family!
Rebekah is also slowly updating the BryonySeries YouTube and Pinterest accounts. And she' catching up with Kindles for some of the BryonySeries books. So do watch for those.
And finally...
Ed Calkins, Steward of Tara, has sent me more than a dozen chapters to edit for his third book in his Ruthless trilogy. His first book is "Ruthless," his second is "The Fifth," and he is also the author of "Denise Unland's Irish Genealogy."
Now back to The Herald-News stories 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'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.
Daily updates: I haven't posted anything on Twitter/X (except a daily Bible verse) since September I can no longer schedule posts in advance. I'm not sure yet how to manage the account without that option. But you're welcome to follow me at @Denise_Unland61.
BryonySeries stuff: I used to curated content relating to the BryonySeries on Twitter/X at @BryonySeries and still post assorted related content at facebook.com/BryonySeries, youtube.com/user/BryonySeries, and themes of each book in the BryonySeries at pinterest.com/bryonyseries.
Again, not sure yet about the direction of the BryonySeries Twitter/X account. Still mulling that over.
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
Pets of the Week: May 27, 2024: Will County rescues have dogs and cats for adoption
Local Scene: Star Wars Day in Joliet: Here are 5 things to do this weekend
THANK YOU, FIRST RESPONDERS
Joliet Dr. Adnan Hussain stresses ‘care’ for patients and providers
Morris Hospital’s Dr. Sean Atchison cares about people
Illustration by Matt Coundiff for "Visage"
Thursday, May 30, 2024
Photos of 2024 Mother's Day Feast
We have a standing joke in our family that I don't need to go out to "brunch" on Mother's Day.
That joke arose from a mixture of sources: the enormous popularity of Mother's Day brunches at local restaurants, an unwillingness to stretch an already stretched-thin budget, the fact my three youngest children worked in restaurants, and the fact that all of us work very hard and don't need another obligations for the day.
Now, for Mother's Day 2012, Timothy planted our one and only real vegetable garden (a wish of mine since 1981) and that garden thrived, partially because he had the help of two neighbors that were outstanding gardeners. But he WANTED to do that, and it didn't feel like work to him.
The next year, Timothy was super busy with college and work. He planted a garden and the weeds overtook it.
So when May 1 rolls around, I remind the kids that my Mother's Day wish is for everyone to rest on Mother's Day. I underscored that message this year because the previous week was exceptionally busy.
Timothy and Daniel had earned their bachelor's degrees the previous weekend (which was also our Easter weekend, complete with lots of cooking and a huge family picnic and egg hunt at a local park), and they were already steep in homework for their master degree classes.
And Rebekah, along with her regular job, produces books for clients, and does a lot of unpaid work for the BryonySeries.
So my message on Mother's Day, is, "Please rest.."
Besides, this year I was scheduled to work that weekend. And this year, Mother's Day turned out to be a huge weekend for breaking news. I started work at six a.m. on Mother's Day and never signed off until eight p.m. I scarcely noticed the hours since the time just flew past me.
In the meantime, Rebekah decided "brunch" for dinner would be something different for us. So she went shopping and then she and Timothy whipped up this feast. When the "dinner is ready" message was sent to me along with the question, "Did I want a plate brought to me?" I decided to come downstairs and see for myself.
What a feast it was!
The menu was sausage, hash browns, three kinds of pancakes (plain, blueberry, chocolate chip), fruit salad, a Sangria-type drink (which I forgot to try), and cinnamon rolls.
Timothy and Rebekah cooked/baked everything from scratch except the sausage. Daniel handled the cleanup.
We even had flowers, for Timothy surprised me with a lovely bouquet in a lovely vase the previous night (also a working day).
They cooked so much food, we had it for dinner through Tuesday, a gift of rest indeed.
Feast your eyes on these photos. Yum, right?
Wednesday, May 29, 2024
Sue's Diner: Fish Salad
Here is an unusual salad to try now that warm weather has returned
This recipe for fish salad is slightly modified from the Bohemian-American Cookbook by Marie Rosicky, published by the Automatic Printing Company (www.autoprintomaha.com).
The version of the cookbook I had was published more than one hundred years ago. The Automatic Publishing Company is still publishing it today. The recipe is used with written permission.
This recipe for fish salad also appears in the BryonySeries cookbook "Memories in the Kitchen: Bites and Nibbles from "Bryony."
Background on where this week's recipe falls in the BryonySeries novel Bryony:
Although
You can try the recipe for fish salad 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.
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.
Tuesday, May 28, 2024
Recap of My First At-Home Writing Retreat of 2024
Last week, I took my first at-home writing retreat of 2024, which I will pick back up on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday when it's my turn for a three day weekend (I worked Memorial Day).
The book I'm currently writing is called "House on Top of the Hill." It's the third book in the BryonySeries Limbo trilogy and the trilogy's tagline is this: What happens when time stops in a fishing village in Northern Michigan? The supernatural reigns.
The entire book was loosely drafted when I began my retreat and ready for editing through chapter eight. So my goals for this retreat was to complete one chapter a day with the larger of goal of having the book ready for final editing by the end of summer.
Some of these chapters from the retreat will need heavy editing. But others are nearly ready to go. Overall, I wrote approximately 2,500 to 3,000 words a day on the retreat, in addition to re-reading some of that work and getting some good editing done on those words.
Read this post to see what these retreats typically look like. You will see why I am always happy to return to work.
Below is a synopsis, chapter titles, and cover concept. The chapters in italics are the ones ready for editing. I made it through chapter sixteen on the retreat and plan to get through chapter nineteen (chapter twenty if the last three days go better than I planned).
Wish me luck for this long weekend!
Change comes slowly to Munsonville, and for Steve Barnes, who spends his entire life in the village, that's just fine. From boyhood to manhood, he savors the slow pace and friendly smiles, even while working by his parents' side from sunup to sundown to run the family diner.
The only blight is this fishing village's preoccupation with an empty mansion in the woods, whose tales of former glory and catastrophe fueled a rampage of ghost stories. Steve doesn't believe them, but some do – and no no one can deny the power the crumbling old building holds over them.
Especially when it changes everyone, including Steve, forever.
Prologue
Chapter 1: The Traveling Salesman
Chapter 2: Roundtable
Chapter 3: Bottle of the Red Stuff
Chapter 4: Cracking Open the Nest Egg
Chapter 5: Scrawls on the Wall
Chapter 6: Whispers of the Heart
Chapter 7: I Run at Night
Chapter 8: Laid to Rest:
Chapter 9: Necking
Chapter 10: Spider and Fly
Chapter 11: Death Heard Round the World
Chapter 12: Mine
Chapter 13: Second Sight
Chapter 14: Chop, Sizzle, Broil, and Bake for it and some against it.
Chapter 15: The Rage
Chapter 16: Hard Choice to Make
Chapter 17: Through the Camera’s Eye
Chapter 18: Words Enough For Me
Chapter 19: The All-Hallowed Albatross
Chapter 20: Dancing in the Past
Chapter 21: The New Professor
Chapter 22: Enigma in Residence
Chapter 23: Rain
Chapter 24: From Fry Pan to Factotum
Chapter 25: Nutty Tina Swanson and Kellen
Chapter 26: Preternatural Guest
Chapter 27: The News That Changed Everything
Chapter 28: A New Lease on a Very Old Dream
Chapter 29: Journey of a Thousand Heartaches
Chapter 30: Severed Links
Epilogue
Cover art concept for "House on Top of the Hill " created by Timothy Baran
Monday, May 27, 2024
"Memorial Day and Unfinished Stories" By James Pressler
Tomorrow I will recap my first at-home writing retreat of 2024.
Today I am working - yes, I actually volunteered to work - just so I could cover local Memorial Day events. It's my way of honoring and respecting the reason for the day.
Also, today, I'd like to direct you to the blog of writing comrade and WriteOn Joliet member James Pressler.
In his Memorial Day post, he wrote, "Memorial Day is about the stories not finished, the pages left empty, because someone put service to country before themselves."
And in this post, James shares some of those stories - and our responsibility toward those stories after we hear them.
This is likely the best Memorial Day post I've ever read. I hope you take a few minutes to read it, too.
http://www.writingandtheprocess.com/2019/05/memorial-day-and-unfinished-stories.html
Sunday, May 26, 2024
Saturday, May 25, 2024
Friday, May 24, 2024
Story Round-Up: Features in The Herald-News, May18 to May 24
Good morning!
I'm in the middle of my first at-home writing retreat of 2024 - and I still have six stories to share with you today. And, if you can believe it, a couple more stories will post over the weekend. So be sure to check back on The Herald-News site: shawlocal.com/the-herald-news.
Bertrand the Mouse also has a new book, just in time for summer.
Next week will be a "recap week." I hope to FINALLY share some post-event thoughts about "Fragments of Time," WriteOn Joliet's second annual radio-style performance, which was held last weekend at the Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park Theatre. And I will recap "Ye Olde Mayfest," too.
I also hope to share my thoughts about the Joliet Public Library's first Local Author Fair in more than a decade, which was held April 27.
The Herald-News published its "Thank You, First Responders" at the beginning of May, where most of the publication was dedicated to stories about first responders in our community. I was very honored to be part of this project and have seven stories to share.
Finally, here is an update on my BryonySeries book projects:
House on Top of the Hill: Third book in the BryonySeries Limbo trilogy. I now have a good working draft of the entire book, with nearly half that are ready for final edits. I hope to get through chapter fifteen on next week's writing retreat. Wish me luck! We are estimating a late 2024 release date for this book.
The Adventures of Cornell Dyer: Timothy said the next book will be slightly dark ("slightly" because it's for kids, too) and will involve an old toy store. We are also working on the last book in the series (but it's not the final book, if that makes sense). Timothy is actually writing that one. In order to make progress on any of this, Timothy and I need to schedule a "Cornell breakfast." But Timothy and Daniel are very busy with work and school right now. We've scheduled and broke several Cornell breakfasts in 2023 and 2024. Our last one was July 2022. So we are LONG overdue.
Brainy Ann: The fifth book in The Girls of the BryonySeries is outlined and ready for some serious writing in 2024. The first chapter is written, hurray! Jennifer Wainwright, who welcomed her first child into the world in April, has already started working on the cover portrait. The fifth book is called "Brainy Ann."
Jennifer designed the cover portraits for "Julie and the Too-Hard Homework," "Katie and the Big Fear," "Summer Sisters." and "Karla Joins In," as well as the frontispiece for Lycanthropic Summer.
Congratulations, Jennifer, on the new addition to your family!
A Year of Shadows and Moonlight, of Gathering Blooms in the Woods: A rather unusual, poetic novelette in the second person is completed and just needs final copyediting. Rebekah is still experimenting with cover art for this and made good progress this past weekend. We are estimating a mid-2024 release date.
Rebekah is also slowly updating the BryonySeries YouTube and Pinterest accounts. And she' catching up with Kindles for some of the BryonySeries books. So do watch for those.
And finally...
Ed Calkins, Steward of Tara, has sent me more than a dozen chapters to edit for his third book in his Ruthless trilogy. His first book is "Ruthless," his second is "The Fifth," and he is also the author of "Denise Unland's Irish Genealogy."
Now back to The Herald-News stories 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'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.
Daily updates: I haven't posted anything on Twitter/X (except a daily Bible verse) since September I can no longer schedule posts in advance. I'm not sure yet how to manage the account without that option. But you're welcome to follow me at @Denise_Unland61.
BryonySeries stuff: I used to curated content relating to the BryonySeries on Twitter/X at @BryonySeries and still post assorted related content at facebook.com/BryonySeries, youtube.com/user/BryonySeries, and themes of each book in the BryonySeries at pinterest.com/bryonyseries.
Again, not sure yet about the direction of the BryonySeries Twitter/X account. Still mulling that over.
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
Pets of the Week: May 20, 2024: Will County rescues have dogs and cats for adoption
Local Scene: Turtles of Will County: Here are 5 things to do this weekend
THANK YOU, FIRST RESPONDERS
Joliet Dr. Adnan Hussain stresses ‘care’ for patients and providers
Morris Hospital’s Dr. Sean Atchison cares about people
Illustration by Matt Coundiff for "Visage"
Thursday, May 23, 2024
Wednesday, May 22, 2024
Sue's Diner: Roast Stuffed Opossum
This week's recipe is featured for the first time on the Sue's Diner page.
The reason it's a "first" is because we've no inclination to try it. Ron actually grew up eating opossum and never liked it, too greasy, he said. So we have a photo of bacon to share (because bacon is used in the recipe) but no actual photo of the completed dish.
This recipe for roast stuffed opossum was first published in the Ford Motor Company’s, The Ford Treasury of Favorite Recipes from Famous Eating Places. From the collection of The Henry Ford.
This recipe also appears in the BryonySeries cookbook Memories in the Kitchen: Bites and Nibbles from "Bryony," which is a permanent fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Will and Grundy Counties.
My mother actually owned the little cookbook where this recipe first appeared and lent it to me when I was creating the BryonySeries cookbook. The cookbook is out of print, but I still reached out to The Henry Ford for permission to use some of the recipes and written permission was granted.
Many of those "famous eating places" no longer exist. So it's kinda cool that we preserved a piece of culinary history in a cookbook that pays homage to history.
Here's where roast stuffed opossum is referenced in the BryonySeries novel Bryony,
Although
You can try the recipe for roast stuffed opossum 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.
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.
Tuesday, May 21, 2024
Not Your Typical Box of Mother's Day Candy
Anyone who feels a box of candy for a Mother's Day gift is cliche has never received a box of candy from Jasmine.
On Mother's Day, she presented all the mother figures in her life with a custom-packed box of sweet treats.
I don't know what the other women received. But in my box were:
1). Hand-dipped strawberries in as close to my favorite shade of blue as Jasmine could get.
2. Dark chocolate.
3. Dark chocolate with hazelnuts (I gave these to Rebekah, actually).
4. Very smooth, very premium white chocolate.
5. BryonySeries-ish purple flowers
6. A custom-made chocolate spoon with edible glitter with custom-made letters that spelled "Mom."
How can anyone not feel loved or special with a gift like that?
When a giver gives a gift like this, it tells something about the giver. It says the giver sees you as an individual person, is observant enough to to notice the things that resonate with you, and takes the time to prepare and present something you will value.
Anyone who feels a box of candy for a Mother's Day gift is cliche has never received a box of candy from Jasmine.
Monday, May 20, 2024
First At-Home Writing Retreat of 2024
Today I begin my first at-home writing retreat of 2024, and I couldn't be happier.
I also couldn't already be more behind.
I overslept (a poor way to start), and I am losing part of the day because Bertrand and I are reading two of his books to my youngest granddaughter's class (a very sweet and much anticipated way to lose part of the day as I've pushed this opportunity out all year).
Although I do work on my BryonySeries on projects throughout the year, I shoehorn most of that writing on weekends I'm on weekends I'm not working and among the activities of family life.
So it's a real blessing that vacation time at The Herald-News does not carry over from one year to the next. It gives me the perfect opportunity to just focus on and immerse myself into one story for a great length of time.
Read this post to see what these retreats typically look like.
The book I'm currently working on is called "House on Top of the Hill." It's the third book in the BryonySeries Limbo trilogy and the trilogy's tagline is this: What happens when time stops in a fishing village in Northern Michigan? The supernatural reigns.
The entire book is loosely drafted. So my goals for this retreat is to get one chapter completed a day and ready for final editing by the end of summer. I'm done through chapter eight already, so I should be halfway through by the time I return to work on Memorial Day.
Below is a synopsis, chapter titles, and cover concept.
Wish me luck and full cooperation of my muse!
Change comes slowly to Munsonville, and for Steve
Barnes, who spends his entire life in the village, that's just fine. From
boyhood to manhood, he savors the slow pace and friendly smiles, even while
working by his parents' side from sunup to sundown to run the family diner.
The only blight is this fishing village's
preoccupation with an empty mansion in the woods, whose tales of former glory
and catastrophe fueled a rampage of ghost stories. Steve doesn't believe them, but
some do – and no no one can deny the power the crumbling old building holds
over them.
Especially when it changes everyone, including Steve, forever.
Prologue
Chapter 1: The Traveling Salesman
Chapter 2: Roundtable
Chapter 3: Bottle of the Red Stuff
Chapter 4: Cracking Open the Nest Egg
Chapter 5: Scrawls on the Wall
Chapter 6: Whispers of the Heart
Chapter 7: I Run at Night
Chapter 8: Laid to Rest:
Chapter 9: Necking
Chapter 10: Spider and Fly
Chapter 11: Death Heard Round the World
Chapter 12: Mine
Chapter 13: Second Sight
Chapter 14: Chop, Sizzle, Broil, and Bake for it and
some against it.
Chapter 15: The Rage
Chapter 16: Hard Choice to Make
Chapter 17: Through the Camera’s Eye
Chapter 18: Words Enough For Me
Chapter 19: The All-Hallowed Albatross
Chapter 20: Dancing in the Past
Chapter 21: The New Professor
Chapter 22: Enigma in Residence
Chapter 23: Rain
Chapter 24: From Fry Pan to Factotum
Chapter 25: Nutty Tina Swanson and Kellen
Chapter 26: Preternatural Guest
Chapter 27: The News That Changed Everything
Chapter 28: A New Lease on a Very Old Dream
Chapter 29: Journey of a Thousand Heartaches
Chapter 30: Severed Links
Epilogue
Cover art concept for "House on Top of the Hill " created by Timothy Baran
Sunday, May 19, 2024
Saturday, May 18, 2024
Friday, May 17, 2024
Story Round-Up: Features in The Herald-News, May11 to May 17
Good morning! And...WHEW!
It's been a super, super, super busy week!
I have fifteen news and features stories to share with you this week since I worked a busy, breaking news weekend over Mother's Day weekend.
And more stories will post over the weekend - and through next week while I'm on an in-home writing retreat. So be sure to check back on The Herald-News site: shawlocal.com/the-herald-news.
Last night, eight members of WriteOn Joliet attended the public reading for three finalists for the city of Joliet's first poet laureate, which will be announced Saturday at "Ye Olde Mayfest."
To our joy and surprise, WriteOn received a shoutout in the introductory remarks for our strong participation and promotion of the literary arts in Joliet. I was so happy that eight of us (including two other original members who've been part of the group since its inception in 2012) were present to hear revel in those remarks.
I believe last night's poet laureate reading was the first non-WriteOn event that some of us attended together as a group. But it was also the first real Joliet-hosted celebration of literary arts that I can recall - and it was a joy to attend. We hope this was the first of many more opportunities!
Speaking of "Ye Olde Mayfest," BryonySeries and WriteOn Joliet will be part of the "Merry Merchants Row" at Ye Olde May Fest at the Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park Theatre in Joliet. Two other WriteOn members (Holly Coop and Cean Magosky) will also be vending.
If you're in the area, pop in and see us. And please enjoy the rest of the event. Rebekah and I were invited to be part of the planning committee. Rebekah wrote a fun "quest" for attendees to enjoy (with a gift for those who complete it). And the committee has a great two days of medieval-style family fun ready for attendees to enjoy.
Next week, I hope to FINALLY share some post-event thoughts about "Fragments of Time," WriteOn Joliet's second annual radio-style performance, which was held last weekend at the Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park Theatre. And I will recap "Ye Olde Mayfest," too.
The WriteOn Joliet Radio Players had a wonderful recap dinner last. We talked about what went well, where we can improve next year, and ways to present our first two show (or parts of the show) at other venues until then; lots of ideas poured out.
I also hope to share my thoughts about the Joliet Public Library's first Local Author Fair in more than a decade, which was held April 27.
The Herald-News published its "Thank You, First Responders" last Thursday, where most of the publication was dedicated to stories about first responders in our community. I was very honored to be part of this project and have seven stories to share.
Finally, here is an update on my BryonySeries book projects:
House on Top of the Hill: Third book in the BryonySeries Limbo trilogy. I now have a good working draft of the entire book, eight chapters, and a prologue that are ready for final edits. I hope to get through chapter fifteen on next week's writing retreat. Wish me luck! We are estimating a late 2024 release date for this book.
The Adventures of Cornell Dyer: Timothy said the next book will be slightly dark ("slightly" because it's for kids, too) and will involve an old toy store. We are also working on the last book in the series (but it's not the final book, if that makes sense). Timothy is actually writing that one. In order to make progress on any of this, Timothy and I need to schedule a "Cornell breakfast." But Timothy and Daniel are very busy with work and school right now. We've scheduled and broke several Cornell breakfasts in 2023 and 2024. Our last one was July 2022. So we are LONG overdue.
Brainy Ann: The fifth book in The Girls of the BryonySeries is outlined and ready for some serious writing in 2024. The first chapter is written, hurray! Jennifer Wainwright, who welcomed her first child into the world in April, has already started working on the cover portrait. The fifth book is called "Brainy Ann."
Jennifer designed the cover portraits for "Julie and the Too-Hard Homework," "Katie and the Big Fear," "Summer Sisters." and "Karla Joins In," as well as the frontispiece for Lycanthropic Summer.
Congratulations, Jennifer, on the new addition to your family!
A Year of Shadows and Moonlight, of Gathering Blooms in the Woods: A rather unusual, poetic novelette in the second person is completed and just needs final copyediting. Rebekah is still experimenting with cover art for this and made good progress this past weekend. We are estimating a mid-2024 release date.
Rebekah is also slowly updating the BryonySeries YouTube and Pinterest accounts. And she' catching up with Kindles for some of the BryonySeries books. So do watch for those.
And finally...
Ed Calkins, Steward of Tara, has sent me more than a dozen chapters to edit for his third book in his Ruthless trilogy. His first book is "Ruthless," his second is "The Fifth," and he is also the author of "Denise Unland's Irish Genealogy."
Now back to The Herald-News stories 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'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.
Daily updates: I haven't posted anything on Twitter/X (except a daily Bible verse) since September I can no longer schedule posts in advance. I'm not sure yet how to manage the account without that option. But you're welcome to follow me at @Denise_Unland61.
BryonySeries stuff: I used to curated content relating to the BryonySeries on Twitter/X at @BryonySeries and still post assorted related content at facebook.com/BryonySeries, youtube.com/user/BryonySeries, and themes of each book in the BryonySeries at pinterest.com/bryonyseries.
Again, not sure yet about the direction of the BryonySeries Twitter/X account. Still mulling that over.
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
3 people seriously injured in crash Friday in Joliet
Motorcyclist injured in crash Saturday in Joliet
Joliet police investigating murder/suicide: Man and woman found stabbed in the street
Pets of the Week: May 13, 2024: Will County rescues have
dogs and cats for adoption
Local Scene: Joliet’s Ye Olde May Fest: Here are 5 things todo this weekend
THANK YOU, FIRST RESPONDERS
Joliet Dr. Adnan Hussain stresses ‘care’ for patients and providers
Morris Hospital’s Dr. Sean Atchison cares about people
Illustration by Matt Coundiff for "Visage"