"Barges" Scout Campfire Song

Sue's Diner: Fruit Fritters

 This week's recipe, fruit fritters, is authentically Victorian complete with a hint of vagueness in its preparation.

This fruit fritters recipe is featured 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.

It's also adapted from Miss Beecher’s domestic receiptbook: designed as a supplement to her Treatise on domestic economy.

This recipe is referenced in the BryonySeries novel Bryony. Here is the explanation from the cookbook:

The Munsonville Times was so impressed by the spread John Simons served for his wedding to Miss Bryony Marseilles that the newspaper listed each item. 

You can try the fruit fritters 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.

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.

Leo Buscaglia on Risks

Graduation, Easter, Birthdays

This weekend was a whirlwind weekend of cooking traditional Easter food, attending Timothy and Daniel's graduation from the University of St. Francis in Joliet, and hosting an Easter picnic and multi-birthday celebration.

Here are thirteen photos that encapsulate this packed family weekend

In the Eastern Orthodox Church, the first week after Easter is called Bright Week. So today is Bright Monday. Even if today is gray, I pray the day shines brightly in your hearts and spirits.

Happy Monday!

Christ is Risen - English/Slovanic

Loveland 2022 Graduation - Irish Blessing

Story Round-Up: Features in The Herald-News, April 27 to May 3

Good morning!

The Herald-News published its "Thank You, First Responders" on 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.

In addition, I have just six news and features stories to share with you this week. But more stories will post over the weekend. So be sure to check back on The Herald-News site: shawlocal.com/the-herald-news.

Next week, I hope to 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 Bicetennial Park Theatre.

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.

In the meantime, it's a busy next few days. This is our family's Holy Week and Easter, Timothy and Daniel are graduating withs their bachelor's degrees on Saturday (and I have family who came into town for the occasion), and a huge Easter/multiple birthday family picnic on Sunday.

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 and seven chapters (and three-fourths of an eighth) and a prologue that are ready for final edits. I hope to complete eight this weekend...but we shall see, since this weekend is sooooo full already. 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 earlier this month, 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.

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'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 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

High school students ‘form connections’ by volunteering at Joliet Spanish Community Center

Dramatization on explorer Louis Jolliet coming to Joliet Public Library: The play is intended for adults

Joliet Township H.S. Foundation to hold benefit golf outing: Event will be held at Inwood Golf Course in Joliet

Lori Bergman honored at CASA of River Valley benefit auction in Bolingbrook: The benefit auction raised more than $200,000 for CASA of River Valley

Pets of the Week: April 29, 2024: Will County rescues have dogs and cats for adoption

Local Scene: Spring Book Sale at Joliet Public Library: 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

Joliet EMS coordinator Leslie Livett keeps humanity inpatient care: Livett: ‘We do great things for the community’

ER team at Silver Cross New Lenox puts patients first in often chaotic environment: Jill Pateros, Silver Cross: ‘Their dedication to patientcare is just incredible’

Morris Hospital ER nurse cares about patient outcomes: Vanessa Read: ‘It’s the best feeling to know you’re part of saving someone’s life’

Illustration by Matt Coundiff for "Visage"

Lovely Notecards from Barbara Eberhard

I've told my daughter that when I retire, I want to be like Lockport artist Barbara Eberhard.

Not only is Barbara a very talented photographer, artist, and storyteller in her own right, she supports just about every art-related event in the Will County area and beyond. Some day, I hope to immerse myself in local art events the way she does.

Barbara attends (and often brings a few friends) to WriteOn Joliet's annual anthology release party, a good many of WriteOn Joliet's mic nights, and nearly every book signing I myself have held.

Last year, Barbara even saw WriteOn Joliet's radio play TWICE. 

Twice, Barbara has invited me to tell a story at her monthly storytelling event at Nik & Ivy's in Lockport. (and I had to take the day off work to make sure I'd get there on time!)

On Saturday, Barbara came out to the Joliet Public Library's Local Author Fair, bought three Bertrand the Mouse books for a gift and then gifted me with a lovely set of her original notecards.

Maybe you could like some of your own. Her email is on the bookmark in the photo.

For more information about Barbara Eberhard. visit barbaraeberhard.com and storiesrus.fun.

Sue's Diner: Best Rice Griddle Cakes

This week's recipe is for Best Griddle Cakes, which is adapted from Miss Beecher’s domestic receiptbook: designed as a supplement to her Treatise on domestic economy.

 The recipe also appears in the BryonySeries cookbook Memories in the Kitchen: Bites and Nibbles from "Bryony."

These are, indeed, some delicious griddle cakes. But are they really "the best?" Try them and see.

The cookbook is available on Amazon and is a permanent fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Will and Grundy Counties.

This recipe is also referenced in the Bryony, the first book in the young adult "drop of blood" vampire trilogy. 

Here's what the cookbook said:

As much as Melissa enjoyed playing Bryony, she found some of Munsonville’s Victorian foods difficult to stomach, especially when they appeared on her breakfast tray. Here are the recipes for Melissa’s initial breakfasts at Simons Mansion.

Try this 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. 

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.

Thankful to the Joliet Public Library

On Saturday, five WriteOn Joliet authors were part of the Joliet Public Library's first author fair in eleven years.

The Joliet Public Library and WriteOn Joliet has undergone many changes during that time. But as a member of WriteOn Joliet, I'm still very thankful for the group's continuing partnership with the library.

The library provides meeting space and lets the community know we are available to serve local writers.

And WriteOn "seeded" the the library's local author collection approximately five years ago with donations of our anthologies and individual books by our authors.

We created a collaborative display in 2019 that remained in the lobby of the downtown branch through Star Wars Day.

We held a performance of last year's radio theatre performance at the library's downtown branch in September. (Photo by David Kump)

We host our annual anthology release party at the library and invite the community to celebrate with us.

The great thing about partnerships is that they often turn the impossible into possible.

Would you agree?

'The Hush of a Thousand Prayers'

Remember the actress June Lockhart of "Lassie" and "Petticoat Junction" fame?

Well, June Lockhart wrote an extremely lovely piece for Guideposts in May 1958. Apparently, she had also worked for Guideposts early in her career.

I stumbled upon her essay quite by accident one day while searching online for something else. In this piece, she eloquently sums up why people pray in church when God hears prayer anywhere. 

And she finishes with this paragraph: 

That is what I feel, whenever I enter a church. I feel the hush of thousands of prayers steal over me. I feel the impact of the words of Christ. "It is written," He said long ago, "My house shall be called the house of prayer." (Matthew 21:13).

"The hush of a thousand prayers." I had never thought of church as a place where thousands of prayers had been said.

People refer to certain spaces as holy places. And it's true that God hears prayers anywhere, that one doesn't need to go to church to prayer.

But...

Think of it...

An ordinary church building, any ordinary church building, is a place where fallible people like us stood and sent up, over time, thousands or prayers.

Incredible.

The link to the full piece is below. May it inspire you this day.

https://guideposts.org/prayer/how-to-pray/guideposts-classics-june-lockhart-where-to-pray/

"That's Where Her Heart Will Always Be"

Ed Calkins: "Time Piece"

Story Round-Up: Features in The Herald-News, April 20 to April 26

Good morning!

I have just six news and features stories to share with you this week, since I took two days off for a colonoscopy. But more stories will post over the weekend. So be sure to check back on The Herald-News site: shawlocal.com/the-herald-news.

If you live in the Joliet/Will County area, consider popping into the Joliet Public Library's Local Author Fair tomorrow. You will meet local authors of many genres, including quite a few who are part of WriteOn Joliet (including moi).

Next week, I hope to 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 Bicetennial Park Theatre.

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 and seven chapters and a prologue that are ready for final edits. I hope to flesh out chapter eight this weekend. 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 earlier this month, 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.

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'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 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

Lewis University honors Keith White for life dedicated to theater, education: White, on average, oversaw five ‘high quality’ productions a year

Joliet’s ‘Jojo the Boxer’ wins Chicago Golden Glove in his class: Joseph Awinongya Jr. said next big goal is the 2028 Olympics

Joliet cafe is new gathering spot for local artists: Features include paint nights, networking, exhibits

Joliet hospice offering grief workshop series in May: Register by May 1

Pets of the Week: April 22, 2024: Will County rescues have dogs and cats for adoption

The Local Scene: Rock Circus Featuring Hairbangers Ball: Here are 5 things to do this weekend

Illustration by Matt Coundiff for "Visage"

Radio Play Flowers

Last weekend, nine members of WriteOn Joliet held its second annual radio-style theatre performance at the Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park Theatre in Joliet.

A friend's daughter, also a writer, gave me the bouquet on the left before Friday night's show, along with a lovely card and an even lovelier note that said I was her role model. And she emphasized that point in person after the performance.

Timothy and Jasmine, who both know I love fresh flowers (although I can't inhale too deeply due to my many allergies) gave me the next two bouquets respectively after the Saturday event. Jasmine stressed that her flowers had "BryonySeries purple" and Rebekah, who put all three bouquets in vases, chose the purple one on purpose for Jasmine's flowers.

There's an old saying that says, "friends are the flowers in the garden of life."

I only need to step into my kitchen to know it's true.

Have a beautiful Thursday.

Sue's Diner: Recipe for Happiness

In honor of today's procedure, I'm leaving the jelly cakes recipe up on the Sue's Diner page of the BryonySeries website for another week.

I featured this week's recipe on the BryonySeries blog back in 2012. And I'm featuring it here today.

This recipe does not appear 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.

It's simply my wish for you today.

 A Recipe for Happiness (author unknown) is neither Victorian nor 1970's, but the following is appropriate for all people, of all eras.

 1 large sense of humor

1 warm, wide smile

1 generous handful patience

Dash of courtesy

Plenty of love and humility (you can never add too much).

Mix all ingredients together and press through a sieve to strain out lingering amounts of unkindness. Serve to everyone, everywhere.

Yield: No limit to its servings.

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.

Spiritual Spa Day

Our family's had more than its share of medical unicorns prancing into our lives.

One might think, considering we've survived them all (so far), we'd be filled with great awe and admiration for modern medicine.

But we're not.

Instead, we're often filled with anxiety over what modern medicine might do to us (some of those unicorns are in the drug reaction club) or what new and strange malady might befall us.

Seriously.

Popular buzz words in our home include pheochromocytoma, mast cell disorders/chronic urticaria, Steven Johnson Syndrome, hidradenitis suppurativa, Hashimoto's disease, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), familial polycythemia (without the vera), hyperhidrosis, and inappropriate sinus tachycardia mixed in with the rather normal diabetes, asthma, Asperger's, depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, dyslexia, allergies (seasonal, food, and drug), white coat hypertension, irritable bowel syndrome, diverticulosis, and diverticulitis (which actually might not have been diverticulitis after all - which really doesn't surprise me).

The awe/anxiety seesaw is a real spiritual pushmi-pullyu in our lives.

People used to comment on my patience for homeschooling my six children. I'd reply that patience is developed by enveloping ourselves in situations that cause impatience.

The same is probably true with overcoming medical anxiety. So I've worked really hard this past year to reframe my thinking with more and less success. Fortunately (?), God has provided plenty of opportunities, too.

This doesn't mean every situation will go well or every provider will be fantastic. But it does mean to have a little faith that the Holy Spirit is present in every situation and will guide us (and those around us) in that moment.

So...

Today I am happily on a clear liquid diet in anticipation of tomorrow's colonoscopy. I say "happily" because the procedure has already be rescheduled four times this year for various medical reasons that weren't sedation friendly.

In these weeks, I've learned an appreciation for the procedure, which - although it has its risks (of which I cannot completely control), is a privilege many people in the world simply cannot access. 

I'm going to try to keep this in mind as the day progresses.

I've already set myself up for success on the back end (no pun intended) by setting up the day, the diet, and the timing of these next two days with all weird health issues factored in. Because realistically, grumbling about being hungry really is the least of my concerns.

The undercurrent of this post is not intended to be whining. It's to address fear. And we all come face-to-face with fear in our lives, even if the situational cause is not identical.

If you're facing fear today, I'm facing it with you. And I hope that helps you.

All that's left is for me/us today to untie the boat and sail out to the middle of the lake and meet the uncertainty, where the real spiritual growth happens.

What's the old saying? A boat is safe in the harbor. But that is not the point of the boat (paraphrased).

So anchor lifted, here I go.

With a big bowl of quivering lemon Jell-O (not blue Jello-O) sitting in the refrigerator with a big spoonful already gone.

Because I've already embarked.

And because blue Jell-O is not allowed 

Joliet Public Library's Local Author Book Fair is Saturday

It's been eleven years since the Joliet Public Library held its last local author fair (I know; I was there).

So I was thrilled when the library scheduled one for Saturday - and gave WriteOn Joliet its own space at the event.

How far WriteOn has come since then!

At the time WriteOn Joliet was scarcely a year old. And our first mic night at the Book and Bean Cafe inside the Joliet Public Library (where we met then and still meet) wouldn't happen for another six months.

We never considered publishing an anthology - and certainly we never considered performing our original works onstage at the Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park Theatre in Joliet.

We've grown in so many ways: in members, in members, in books published, in genres represented, and in experiences that have helped us grow as writers and as people.

If you're a reader and want to check out locally written words...or if you're a writer and interested in support from other writers...come check us out on Saturday. We'd love to meet you.

The Local Author Book Fair will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Black Road Branch of the Joliet Public Library, 3395 Black Road.

Jim Croce - Time In A Bottle (Piano cover)

WriteOn Joliet Radio-Player: Denise M. Baran-Unland

WOW!

Nine members of WriteOn Joliet presented “Fragments of Time," an original radio theater production, last night at the Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park Theatre in Joliet.

And what an opening night it was!

Not only did the performance go well, we had approximately thirty people attend, which was about twenty-five more than we expected for a Friday night with an unknown group of writers performing in a community theater.

We heard some high praise in the lobby from  few people who took a chance on it, who are already making plans for the 2025 event and asking for flyers so they can tell their friends.

If you missed it, we have one more show tonight...and one more opportunity to experience a really unusual and enjoyable production.

Admission is just $5. 

One of the author/performers is, well, me!

And even I have an official biography:

Denise M. Baran-Unland is the author of the phantasmic BryonySeries, which includes the “drop of blood” vampire trilogy for young and new adults, a Gothic prequel for adults, the Limbo trilogy, a standalone werewolf novel, the Adventures of Cornell Dyer mystery series for grade and middle school students, the Girls of the BryonySeries series for tween girls, and the Bertrand the Mouse series for young children.

She has six adult children, three adult stepchildren, nineteen total grandchildren, six godchildren, and four cats.

She is the co-founder of WriteOn Joliet and has published several anthologies for the group.  She previously taught features writing for a homeschool coop, with the students' work published in the co-op magazine and The Herald-News in Joliet.

Denise blogs daily and is currently the features editor at The Herald-News. To read her feature stories, visit theherald-news.com.

For more information about Denise's writings and to follow her on social media, visit bryonyseries.com and dmbaranunland.com.

The other authors and performers tonight are Maureen Blevins, Edward Calkins, Holly Coop, Steve Cordin, Diana Estell, Cean Magosky, Jennifer Russ, and Duanne Walton.

Director is Rachel Veres.

Lobby doors open at 6 p.m. Concessions and drinks will be available for purchase. WriteOn Joliet books and anthologies will be available for purchase one hour before the show, during intermission and immediately after the show’s conclusion.

The Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park Theatre is at 201 West Jefferson Street, downtown Joliet, 60432.

For tickets and more information, visit bicentennialpark.org or contact the office: 815-724-3761 or bipark@joliet.gov.

For more information, visit writeonjoliet.com.

Story Round-Up: Features in The Herald-News, April 13 to April 19

Good morning!

I have just ten news and features stories to share with you this week. But more stories will post over the weekend. So be sure to check back on The Herald-News site: shawlocal.com/the-herald-news.

What a year it's been so far! In addition to work and battling malady after another since January, I've also been involved with this event...and opening night is tonight!

So if you live reasonably close to the Will County, Illinois, area, consider attending on one of the two nights. You will not only be entertained, you can meet Ed Calkins, Steward of Tara in person! And you can browse books by some of WriteOn Joliet's authors as well WriteOn's anthologies.

Also, WriteOn Joliet is dedicating the event to our co-founder Tom Hernandez, who died from brain cancer on Monday. We will also have a limited amount of Tom's books for sale. 

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 and six chapters and a prologue that are ready for final edits. I scrapped most of chapter seven, restarted it a few times, and now finally have all but one scene ready for editing.. 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. We had a tentative "Cornell breakfast" scheduled for last weekend, which didn't happen...and we have no opportunity for another for at least a couple more weeks. We've scheduled and broke several in 2023. 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 has already started working on the cover portrait. That one 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.

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.

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'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 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

Joliet Junior College Repair Cafe brings new life to broken items: Repair Cafe events originated 15 years ago in Holland

Will County Old Timers baseball group goes to bat to support youth baseball, softball: The association raises money in three ways.

‘The Voice’ of Plainfield District 202 died Monday morning: Tom Hernandez’s legacy ‘is one of compassion and community’

Registration open for NAMI Will-Grundy’s BeActive 5KWalk/Run: Dressing up as a superhero strongly encouraged

Will County Animal Protection Services offers pet adoptions

Beatles tribute band coming to Joliet’s Rialto Theatre: 1964 – The Tribute was founded 40 years ago

Joliet man arrested after high-speed crash

Joliet police searching for missing man

Pets of the Week: April 15: Will County rescues have dogs and cats for adoption

The Local Scene: Explore ‘Fragments of Time’ at Joliet Bicentennial Park: Here are 5 things to do this weekend

Illustration by Matt Coundiff for "Visage"