Story Round-Up: Features in The Herald-News, Dec. 11 through Dec. 17

Good morning!

I have eighteen features stories to share with you today. More will be posted over the weekend, so do watch for them.

If you live locally: Tomorrow My WriteonJoliet co-leader Tom Hernandez and I will be at The Book Market in Crest Hill. The owner had to close the store for a couple of weeks, so we'd like to make the day profitable for her.

Tom will be selling and signing his books from noon to 2 p.m.

I will be selling and signing my books from 2 to 4:30 p.m. I have titles for all ages. Some of the books are just the right size to fit into a stocking, too. You will find a list of the BryonySeries books here.

I will also have WriteOn Joliet anthologies for sale (including our 2021 release), Nine Months of Kindness and the Little Book of Revision, which is perfect for writers of memoirs and fiction.

I will also have FREE hot chocolate bombs with select purchases, so please stop out.

And now, an update on my fiction projects.

I am currently re-reading my scribbled first draft for Call of the Siren (the second book in the BryonySeries Limbo trilogy) and starting to color in the lines. I'm anticipating a late spring publication date, especially since I finall broke through the "word block" wall last weekend.

Rebekah has the cover ready to go. Nancy Calkins created the gorgeous cover art.

Sue Midlock has completed the art for Cornell Dyer and the "Mistical Being" (cover looks great, by the way) and has begun the art for Cornell Dyer and the Calcium Deficient Bones. 

Timothy has nearly completed the outline for the next book in the series, a Sherlock Holmes parody (the main character is Sherman Homes). 

Sarah also had a crazy dream that sounded perfect for An Adventure of Cornell Dyer mystery. But she wants time to draw some sketches, a map, and write the "rules." It's called Cornell Dyer and the House of Broken Portals.

Bertrand the Mouse has "returned," and you can read about it here, here, and here. 

Jennifer Wainright (frontispiece artist for Lycanthropic Summer) has completed two portraits for  "Girls of the BryonySeries" series for tween girls and is currently working on a third. The portraits are beautiful and it shows that artist Jennifer Wainright can draw anything from werewolves to portraits! 

Rebekah Baran has completed cover art for two of "Girls of the BryonySeries" books. They are beautiful! One book in this series of eight books is completely written, a second is halfway written, and the rest are outlined. 

Now back to the eighteen 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 Sunday, we post a new recipe. The recipe is either featured in one of our cookbooks or will be featured in an upcoming cookbook.

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. We also have a marketing arm that's getting longer every year, well, except this 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 support in your writing, I highly recommend this Twitter group: #5amwritersclub. I  joined it last year. Writers support each other on Twitter and meet every three weeks at 5 a.m. (4 a.m. CST - needless to say, I am often late!) on Zoom.

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 Will County Go Guide and Sign up for the LocalLit Short Story and Book Review Newsletter at https://www.theherald-news.com/newsletter/

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 at @BryonySeries. And assorted related content at www.facebook.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-1.

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

Plainfield Lions will deliver gift certificates to 159 families on Saturday: The annual Christmas ‘basket’ program is just one of the many community outreach programs of the longtime club

Channahon senior couple walk 2,021 miles each in 2021: Ron Viano: ‘We’re out there every day, no matter the weather’

Kronos ransomware attack affects timekeeping at 3 area hospitals: Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox, Morris Hospital and St. Joe’s in Joliet use the Kronos system

Shorewood native’s crossword puzzle was featured in Saturday’s Herald-News: Jeff Kremer’s puzzle, titled ‘Garage Sale Pitches,’ also featured in the Nov. 28 edition of The New York Times

Political correspondent Tal Schneider spoke at Joliet Jewish Congregation Registration, facemasks, were required for Monday’s event

Pets of the Week: Dec. 13: Will County rescues have dogs and cats for adoption

Lockport H.S. hosted 1st community giveaway on Sunday: The event was in partnership with ShareFest Will County

Holidays not merry and bright? Help is available: Churches in Channahon and New Lenox offer Blue Christmas programs

Plainfield Moose’s Turkey Drop benefits 2 local food programs: The Plainfield Moose donated $3,000 to each program.

Minooka traveling nurse to appear on Wheel of Fortune on Tuesday: Peggy McEvilly-Reed said auditioned for the show due to the urging of her mother Ann McEvilly, a longtime fan

Get in the holiday spirit, help the homeless with concert on Dec. 19: Joliet American Legion Band will perform its annual “Sounds of Christmas” concert at the Rialto Square Theatre

2 Troy Middle School students make All-Illinois Junior Band: Students in the All-Illinois Junior Band will perform together in January

Joliet Area Historical Museum receives award for Old Joliet Prison event: Area organizations honored at 2021 Illinois Governor’s Conference on Travel & Tourism celebration

Hang onto your hat! Winds up to 55 mph expected this evening: If storms move into the area, those winds can be as high as 75 mph

An Extraordinary Life: Shorewood man embodied ‘respect, politeness and deference’: Christopher Wright: ‘I don’t know if Mark realized just how many lives he touched’

5 Things to do in Will County: Santa Send-Off, DIY holiday lights tour, winter hike: Enjoy 2 twists on the holiday concert: classic rock and spoken word

Make the holidays brighter for twin boys who lost both parents 2021: GoFundMe page started by MomsClub of New Lenox surpasses $21,000

Holiday spirit 2 sizes too small? Try these 3 family friendly events: The Rialto Square Theatre in Joliet is showing 2 classic films, hosting Joliet American Legion Band concert

Illustration by Matt Coundiff for "Visage."

BryonySeries Throwback Thursday: Commentary on "The Dark Side of the First Christmas" by Robert Arakaki

Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Commentary on "The Dark Side of the First Christmas" by Robert Arakaki

On Christmas Eve, I read an article that really resonated with me: "The Dark Side of the First Christmas" by Robert Arakaki.

Arakaki began by describing the elements many associate with Christmas: the scent of pine, happy songs, children excited with anticipation, Christmas shopping, eggnog, candy canes, twinkling lights, etc.

There's nothing wrong with these elements, although some people do feel out of step if they aren't "feeling it."

But maybe the people feeling "less merry and bright" have more in common with the nativity than those full of Christmas cheer.

Arakaki elaborates on the each of these: Joseph's doubt, Mary's illegitimate pregnancy and its potential scandal, Jesus being born into occupation territory and having no rights as a Roman citizen, his political refugee status (flight into Egypt), Herod's paranoia, the slain children,

Jesus is born into a dark world bringing a promise of resurrection. So maybe the ultimate Christmas message is this:

"So evil murderous rulers, political refugees, grieving mothers, brave fathers are all part of the Christmas story.  They represent the dark side of Christmas often overlooked.  Let us remember that our suffering and the sufferings of the world are among those “light affliction” which God even now might be working for great and unimagined Glory."

 Arakaki's article reminded me that we don't pack Christmas away with the tinsel and lights; we use them as props to welcome the True Light into our hearts and then carry Him with us into a weary world.

Read the full article here: http://blogs.ancientfaith.com/orthodoxbridge/the-dark-side-of-christmas/#comment-28498

Christ is Born! Let us Glorify Him!

Story Round-Up: Features in The Herald-News, Dec.11 through Dec. Dec. 16

The week began on a sad note and ended on one, too.

On Saturday, our family unexpectedly lost a good family friend, but thanks to a very understanding new boss, I was able to get to hospice, even though I was the weekend editor for two newspapers. Today is the funeral, and the weekend I had planned in a nearby town with my daughter-in-law and two of my grandsons will likely be usurped by low funds and a winter storm, not the way I wanted extra fiction time. But we shall see.

On a glad note, I made all deadlines early again for The Herald-News, but with no reserves of work. Next week will be most interesting trying to catchup.

Last night was the WriteOn Joliet Christmas party at Cemeno's in Joliet, and we had a wonderful time. The staff accommodated last minute, no extra charge dietary restrictions of several of our members (including me) and provided terrific food and service.

As for us, well, to prove we are truly the geek squad, conversations in all corners turned to writing, editing, publishing, and great story lines. Truly a fabulous evening.

And now...

First, the non-bylined work: the health, faith, and arts and entertainment calendars. Three of them can be found at the link below. http://www.theherald-news.com/lifestyle/ Gotta Do It, runs each Sunday and often stays on the home page throughout the week.

Feature briefs for Tuesday (health), Thursday (faith), Friday (Arts and Entertainment), and Sunday (People) are also edited (texted and photos) by the lady of this blog, but only the stories have bylines.

I also have a list of Santa Sightings in the Joliet area at https://goo.gl/Hq06Hr.

Also, a few weeks ago, The Herald-News began a weekly Mystery Diner feature, a goal of mine that was finally approved. I had promised to post those links this past Monday, which I didn't, so I will do so this Monday. This week's Mystery Diner is below.

Another option: I do post the briefs and calendars on Twitter during the week, so you're welcome to follow me at @Denise_Unland61. And of course, I post curated content relating to the BryonySeries at @BryonySeries.

Just an FYI: On free days, holidays, and Sundays I'm not on call, I only post the blog to my "real" Twitter account, as my company insists we do take time off. I'm less reasonable, so unless I'm on a real vacation, I still post to the BryonySeries accounts.

FYI: videos have not been attaching to my Herald-News stories, although they do run for a time on the home page. If you'd like to watch a video, and it's not showing up for you, message me, and I'll manually attach it.

Thank you for reading The Herald-News.

Joliet churches united last night for community Christmas singalong  (VIDEO EXTRA)

Churches United for Christ hosted ‘Sounds of Christmas Community Sing’ on Saturday

“Christmas songs have a tendency to do something to your spirit,” John L. King, organizer,  said. “They make you feel everything is not so bad, especially people who have suicidal or depressing thoughts around the holidays. We try to bring them out of that low spot. It’s a spirit of giving, the singing, the giving away of free stuff – like a desktop computer and a laptop – and the hot chocolate and the apple cider.”

http://www.theherald-news.com/2016/12/07/joliet-churches-united-last-night-for-community-christmas-singalong/am240ry/

An Extraordinary Life: Plainfield teacher's lessons for good living immortalized in book
‘Trip’s Tips’ give young people 17 ways to live full lives

Jim  Brown said he’s probably given away more books than he’s sold, but he never intended “Trips Tips” to be an income source, which is why people can download the book for free on its website.

http://www.theherald-news.com/2016/12/02/an-extraordinary-life-plainfield-teachers-lessons-for-good-living-immortalized-in-book/a3jc4r8/?page=1

Joliet area churches, organizations address grief, loneliness during the holidays

Blue Christmas services, workshops and senior facilities ease loss during the holidays

But some people may feel isolated regardless of their life situations, Anna Walters, director of health services at Senior Star at Weber Place in Romeoville, said. This perceived isolation – feeling alone in a crowded room – also increases health risk, she added. Part of the solution in all cases lies in creating new opportunities for socialization and new life goals.

http://www.theherald-news.com/2016/12/12/joliet-area-churches-organizations-address-grief-loneliness-during-the-holidays/a10a11u/

Mystery Diner: Chicago Street Pub a festive place to eat, drink downtown

Now back to the tacos. I was pleased with my opening choice (two chicken, one pulled pork). For sure, they were a little messy. But I knew I was going all in on this. So I poured on a little hot sauce, ordered some wings for later and dove in.

When the wings arrived, it was immediately clear they don’t skimp on sauce.

http://www.theherald-news.com/2016/12/06/mystery-diner-chicago-street-pub-a-festive-place-to-eat-drink-downtown/altmoz9/

Joliet church premieres 'jazz-infused' cantata composed by 1 of its own

‘Advent for All’ is an original cantata with traditional choral as well as jazz elements

“First of all,” Ken Myers, choirmaster, said, “he’s a jazz guitarist and a very good one. Basically, he started with that jazz background and projected that with what he wanted to do with his music. It gives it very different rhythmic elements from a lot of things I might do. The tonalities of the piece – some are very traditional and some have very definite jazz/blues elements. It’s a neat mix of the two styles.”

http://www.theherald-news.com/2016/12/13/joliet-church-premieres-jazz-infused-cantata-composed-by-1-of-its-own/agtklnf/

Bolingbrook dance company participates in Pearl Harbor 75th commemoration

Nonprofit dance company pays tribute to Pearl Harbor survivors

“Every day, the hotel was filled with people sitting around and listening to the stories of these heroes,” Emaley Losic said. “The gentlemen were very warm and encouraging of the girls to ask questions and talk about the fateful day in our history.”

http://www.theherald-news.com/2016/12/15/bolingbrook-dance-company-participates-in-pearl-harbor-75th-commemoration/a84wil/