Art of the BryonySeries: Terri Ellinger

An exhibit of BryonySeries-related art by four of the artists who created book covers and interior illustrations for books in the BryonySeries art is currently on display at the Book and Bean Cafe in Joliet through the month of October.

This week, I'm sharing photos from exhibit's installation on Sept. 3. All four artists are taking commissions.

Today's featured artist is Terri Ellinger. Terri created pen and ink illustrations for Bertrand and the Lucky Clover, Bertrand and the Christmas Surprise, and Bertrand's First Book of Numbers.

Terri Ellinger has a degree in creative arts from the University of St. Francis in Joliet. She specializes in watercolor, gouache, pencil, colored pencil, mixed media and ink. She enjoys doing custom portraits of people, places and pets. She recently self-published several books and created her own covers. Terri has also displayed her work at galleries and festival s in the Chicago area. 

Contact her at terrie123@comcast.net.

To view photos of Terri's exhibit, visit her albumn at  https://www.facebook.com/BryonySeries/.

To view more photos of Terri's work, visit www.terriellingerfineart.com.

Photo of Terri Ellinger by Timothy Baran

Unexpected Event, Sold Five

On Saturday, my youngest three adult children and I worked our church's annual spaghetti dinner.

It's a bit of an unusual fundraiser as fundraisers go: we attract mostly customers who have attended over the last few decades and we raffle off mostly afghans made by one amazing woman in the parish.

This year, to add something different to table, Rebekah suggested I raffle off a few books. Recalling the one visiting priest's dismay that I write vampire literature, I left the trilogy at home and brought some of the cookbooks and children's books.

I gave away a few of each (winners could use either books or afghans; yes, I was thrilled when books were chosen), but that wasn't all.

One woman insisted on paying for one Bertrand and the Lucky Clover and one Memories in the Kitchen: Bites and Nibbles from Bryony, because she had to leave and she didn't want to risk not having her name called.

A friend of hers loves mice, she said, and she really wanted the first book for her. She had also flipped through the second book and found a couple recipes she wanted to try. I tried giving the books to her since we were raffling them off anyway, but she insisted on paying for them. I didn't feel comfortable arguing with her at that point (at the raffle table with people milling around), so I sold them.

The other three sales were made to a former member of the church who attends the dinner once a year. Her first question, when she saw the books, was, "Where's 'Bryony?'" 

I explained why I didn't bring any copies. She then proceeded to put in an order for the Bryony/Visage/Staked! trilogy (she wrote her address on a napkin and went looking for me to be sure I had it) and the proceeded to win a copy of the cookbook and one of Cornell Dyer and the Missing Tombstone. 

Essentially she wound up with five books for the price of three, not a bad deal.

Probably the sweetest moment of the night was toward the end. One of the customers was talking to me, and her little girl kept alternating between flipping through her copy of Bertrand and the Lucky Clover and clutching the book to her heart.

Made my night, that's for sure.

Oh, and I left the event with an idea for the next Bertrand the Mouse adventure. I took photos and even wrote it yesterday. And our small church is a few dollars richer and a few hugs closer. Can it get better than that?

Have a great Monday readers, writers, and vampire fans! :)

Bertrand (and I) Go to Art Camp

On July 17, Bertrand the Mouse and I were the special guests at an art camp offered by Dottie's Art Studios in Plainfield.

Bertrand visited one class; I visited three, with students ranging from the very young to teens, depending on the class.

At each class, I read for fifteen to twenty minutes from one of my books (Bertrand and the Lucky Clover, Cornell Dyer and the Missing Tombstone, and Staked!) and then gave the books away.

This was a terrific idea (not mine). As an author, I can't express how gratifying it was to see the resulting artwork, all based on scenes from the books.

And, of course, Bertrand had a great time being passed around, checking out the kids' drawings, and meeting everyone.

Here is a brief pictorial recap, compliments of the art studio.

My First Children's Book is Now Available

"Bertrand and the Lucky Clover" is the first book in the Bertrand the Mouse series.

The idea for the series came from two ideas.

The first is my love for the Dare Wright books and her enchanting photography, despite this mixed review here: http://nyti.ms/2fRrDJA.

The second was from a remark made by my second editor for "Staked!" "Bertrand is the cutest red herring I've ever seen."

Indeed.

Now the photography in Bertrand has none of the professional polish Dare Wright gave hers. I am not a photographer and my camera is my cell phone. The result is less enchanting and more whimsical.

But I'm having fun creating these books. I hope reading them makes you smile, even for a moment.

Purchase "Bertrand and the Lucky Clover" here: http://www.bryonyseries.com./  Just click on the icon of the book cover.

Happy Monday, vampire fans! :)

Weekend Writing Summary

The muse is back, and it's hot!

With Rebekah leaving early for work on Saturdays now, I got going almost as early as I would on a weekday (four-ish),finished the morning routine fairly early (including walk and coffee), and settled in at the PC to write.

Eight hours later with ideas still flowing, I reluctantly stepped away from the computer to rejoin life. I did come back later to add some finishing details to Cornell Dyer and the Missing Tombstone, which should be in formatting stages by next week.

On Sunday afternoon while I worked on calendars for The Herald-News, Rebekah wrapped up Bertrand and the Lucky Clover and then uploaded it to Createspace. It really turned out well. We made some minor adjustments and re-uploaded it. Proof copy is on the way. If Createspace doesn't flag any issues, it should be available by the weekend.

Betrand book #2 is already in progress. :)

Writing tip: Keep stoking the muse. It will always flare back up.