BryonySeries Throwback Thursday: Meet Bertrand

Thursday, August 22, 2013
Meet Bertrand

In Staked!, I introduce you to a new character: Bertrand, a gray attic mouse. And what does a mouse have to do with a vampire story?

Ah, well, hmmm....

Anyway, Sarah Stegall, web adminstrator emeritus for BryonySeries, suggested a series for children based on Bertrand and his adventures. All the stories will begin with Bryony telling Anna a story about Bertrand.

And yes, there's a very good plot reason for all of the above.

So Sarah shared the idea with a friend that crochets animal ornaments. The friend was very happy to make two Bertrands, one for me and one for Sarah.

Our Bertrands should arrive next week. Once they do, Sarah and I will begin photographing Bertrand in a variety of scenes and circumstances, ala Dare Wright. Anyone remember her Lonely Doll series from ages ago?

My grandson Lucas has even suggested a few story ideas. We can't wait to begin.

Editor's note: Bertrand the Mouse now has six titles that are currently published with several more waiting their turn. Here is a link to his latest on Amazon. 

For more Bertrand the Mouse adventures, follow him on Instagram at @bertrand_bryonyseries.

Posted by Denise M. Baran-Unland at 6:37 PM 

More Productive Than I Thought

Saturday was so restful, I didn't realize how much creative work I accomplished until I reviewed my weekend list and checked off the boxes.

The third installment of Before the Blood is copyedited and ready for reformatting.

A special "cheetah" anthology for WriteOn Joliet is also ready for reformatting and upload.

A very short story called The Witches Spell is in the hands of my WriteOn Joliet collaborator, who liked it and is taking the concept from there.

Three to five-minute selection for WriteOn Joliet's next open mic on April 1 is selected.

A brand new Bertrand book (Bertrand Spends the Night) is uploaded, ordered, and (fingers crossed) available for purchase on Saturday.

Timothy is still reading Cornell Dyer and the Eerie Lake. But then, he did frame all that artwork. ;)

I'll expound on the cheetah anthology and the collaborative project for another post, closer to May, which is when WriteOnJoliet will host a special event.

I also walked nearly 20 miles between Saturday and Sunday. :)

But it felt good to start Monday mentally recharged.

When Creativity Fills the House

What a wonderful weekend on so many levels!

First, I had only about four hours of work carryover into Sunday, the first time in a very long time, and I actually took all of Saturday off. The last couple days were not only restful, they were creative, for me, and for others, too.

I finished the WriteOn Joliet cheetah anthology (more on this later) last night and sent it to Rebekah to give it a fresh look. After we receive the cover art, we can upload it.

We spent a good 90 minutes on the phone with KDP with a wonderful representative who fixed almost all of our issues. A HUGE THANK to Daniel's girl friend Cindy for getting curious about my box of still unpacked books and reading through all the Bertrand ones. She's the one who found the printing errors.

I finished Cornell Dyer and the Eerie Lake and sent it to Timothy to read. So far, he said, it reads like the story he envisioned.

I wrote, and shot, Bertrand Spends the Night. If all goes well, I will have copies available at the March 23 book signing at The Book Market in Crest Hill.

Jasmine showed Rebekah and Cindy over a two-day period how to make gum roses for cakes, etc.

And while I finally unpacked, and put away, my box of books, Jasmine and Rebekah baked four different kinds of Irish soda bread (and some cookies) for my Herald-News food page on Thursday.

A few quick photos below: