The Daraga series (and other things!) by Colleen Robbins

Open Mic Night 2023: Ed Calkins & Denise M. Baran-Unland

Open Mic Night 2023: Duanne Walton

Open Mic Night 2023: Nancy Calkins

Open Mic Night 2023: Denise M. Baran-Unland

Open Mic Night 2023: Ed Calkins

Open Mic Night 2023: Sue Midlock

Open Mic Night 2023: Tom Hernandez

Open Mic Night 2023: Cynthia Martis

Open Mic Night 2023: Steve Cordin

Open Mic Night 2023: Diana Estell

Open Mic Night 2023: Crystal Lawson

Open Mic Night 2023: Colleen Robbins

Open Mic Night 2023: Dale Hansen

Story Round-Up: Features in The Herald-News, Dec. 2 to Dec. 8

 Good morning!

Today I am sharing just eight news and feature stories. But more will be posted over weekend. So be sure to check back on The Herald-News site: shawlocal.com/the-herald-news.

Next week FOR SURE, I plan to (finally) share a recap Local Author Fair at the Downers Grover Public Library next week and the second The Timbers of Shorewood held a second "Meet The Author" night. It was a busy family (but also under the weather) week for me AGAIN. So please stay tuned!

What a wonderful turnout for WriteOn Joliet's anthology release party on December 7 (last night at the Black Road branch of the Joliet Public Library). The even included free chef-created appetizers, free photos with Santa, and quite a few anthologies sold (and books by individual authors, too).

The anthology release party is WriteOn's main open-to-the community event of the year. And each year, we try to make it more festive and more joyful, a way to connect with people who support us year after year and to meet new friends who might be interested in learning more about what we do. I'll share more next week.

We have recently published three new BryonySeries books: "Cornell Dyer and the Howls of Basketville," "Karla Joins In," and "Welcome to Munsonville: The People, Places, and Things of the BryonySeries."

The fun and good will of Bertrand's Back-To-School Birthday Bash, which happened in August at The Book Market in Crest Hill, is continuing this fall at The Book Market in Crest Hill with a special display to help Santa distribute books to children and special needs adults this holiday season.

So please consider a gift for Santa this year. For bulk rates (or if you live out of the area), message us at bryonyseries@gmail.com.

No updates (yet) on the WriteOn Joliet radio play recording, which we recorded at digital media center at the downtown branch of the Joliet Public Library in the beginning of August.

WriteOn Joliet almost finished editing the radio play that eight members (including me) presented at the Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park Theatre in Joliet on April 22.and at the Joliet Public Library on Sept. 9.

One section didn't save and needs to be re-edited. So if the emergencies would just settle down, please and thank you, I will get back to the downtown branch very soon and finish the project.

Speaking of radio plays, Bicentennial Park actually scheduled WriteOn Joliet's radio play for TWO days in 2024: April 19 and April 20 (mark your calendars).

We also have more exciting news in the works. Stay tuned!

Here is a quick recap of BryonySeries projects in progress:

The Fifth: This is the second novel by Ed Calkins, Steward of Tara, author of the BryonySeries novel Ruthless. He has sent me all chapters except one, which I hope to start editing the beginning of November. He is hoping we can release the book in time for Calkins Day on February 13, so I have my work cut out for me.

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 two chapters and a prologue that are ready for final edits. Writing on this book is paused until I finish editing "The Fifth.". We are estimating a 2024 release date.

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 had scheduled a "Cornell breakfast" for Halloween morning, but...well, you know. We do plan to schedule one over the Christmas holidays.

You can find other titles in the series here. Timothy has not yet added our latest titles to the BryonySeries bookstore. But all titles are also on Amazon. 

Brainy Ann: The fifth book in The Girls of the BryonySeries is outlined and ready for some serious writing in 2024. Jennifer Wainwright has already started working on the cover portrait.

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 novella in the second person. Half of it is written and edited and another half is loosely written. Rebekah is also playing around with art for the cover. We are estimating a late 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 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 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 pageant for Black girls returns after 15-year hiatus: LaTonya Warren, coordinator: ‘It was so rewarding to see their excitement’

Adults-only Joliet ‘Drunk’n Gnome’ show returns on Saturday: This live comedy show is for those 18 and older

Baran-Unland: Joliet cafe was community gathering space: I don’t know of another place like it in Joliet

Joliet Noon Lions collecting coats, hats and gloves forlocal charities: Donations accepted through Dec. 14

Lockport teen writes, publishes faith-based novel: Josiah Posey started writing the novel when he was 15

Will County horse group riding into New Lenox Walmart toring bells: Members of the Will County Trail Riders will collectdonations for the Salvation Army

Pets of the Week: Dec. 4, 2023: Will County rescues have dogs and cats for adoption

The Local Scene: Joliet American Legion Band Christmas concert: Here are 5 things to do this weekend

Illustration by Matt Coundiff for "Visage"

WriteOn Joliet Mic Night is Thursday

If you missed WriteOn Joliet's radio play on Saturday, WriteOn Joliet has another entertaining option for you.

Members of WriteOn Joliet will present a mic night on September 14 at the Book and Bean Cafe, right inside the Black Road branch of  the Joliet Public Library, 3395 Black Road in Joliet.

We will share short excerpts of their original fiction, essays and poems. The event is free to attend.

The event will be from 6 to 8 p.m...although you may arrive as early as you like.

Food and beverages will be available for purchase at the Book and Bean Cafe.

For more information about WriteOn Joliet, visit writeonjoliet.com.

We hope to see you there!

The Servant's Cottage

When I saw this artwork by Terri Ellinger on Facebook, I wanted it immediately.

To me, the scene leaps right out of the pages of Bryony, since it suggests so many elements: the old remodeled servant's cottage behind Simons Mansion near the woods and Melissa's bicycle, her main form of transportation.

So I reached out to Terri, and she sent me a digital copy I could use for marketing, since she wanted to sell the matted version. 

This was very kind of Terri. But I really wanted to buy the matted version to hang on my wall.

If you're not familiar with Terri's art, she created the pen and ink drawings that are part of several books in the BryonySeries Bertrand the Mouse subseries.

I have more pieces in this album of Terri Ellinger's work on the BryonySeries Facebook page, back when I hosted an art show at the Book and Bean Cafe in Joliet for four of the BryonySeries artists.

So Terri sold the "servant's cottage" piece to me and then shipped it to me. It arrived yesterday, and I'm very, very happy with it.

To see more of Terri's artwork, visit sites.google.com/view/terriellingerfineart. 

Quick Saturday Gratitude: Book and Bean Cafe

This photo was taken at the Book and Bean Cafe in Joliet in WriteOn Joliet's very last open mic night on Calkins Day 2020 (February 13) before the pandemic shut down the "regular" way to live.

And we hope Tammy Duckworth, the cafe's owner, has room for us again this year.

BTW, the cafe is located inside the Black Road branch of the Joliet Public Library, which is a community partner of WriteOn Joliet.

But tonight, April 22, at 7 p.m., eight of us members of WriteOn Joliet will present “An Evening With WriteOn Joliet: Readings to Entertain and Inspire You” on April 22 at the Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park Theatre in Joliet.

Admission is $5.

Performers are Denise M. Baran-Unland, Maureen Blevins, Edward Calkins, Holly Coop, Steve Cordin, Diana Estell, Cean Magosky, and Duanne Walton.

And no, this blog isn't just one last marketing push (although it's that, too).

A portion of the show toward the end will pay tribute to the person who encouraged us to perform this open mics at the Book and Bean, without which, we could never stand on Bicentennial Park's stage and speak our original words into a microphone tonight.

As I said, this will be near the end of the show. So don't worry if you are a few minutes late.

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

This Marketing Professional Saw the "Collaborativeness" of the BryonySeries

So 2022 was a challenging year for my family and me on lots of fronts. We battled one emergency after another for the bulk of the year, with emergencies sometimes happening while addressing an emergency.

Because I was recovering from mild COVID on January 1, 2023, I was leery 2023 might be more of the same.

But then I was interviewed by a book marketing specialist in New York (whose blog I've followed for a couple of years). He posted the interview on his blog and gave me a thirty-minute free consultation.

During the interview, I asked for a list of services and prices (BryonySeries has a limited marketing budget), which he sent. 

After an initial review of those services and prices, we are considering the possibility of hiring him for one particular service and see how we work together.

My reasoning for this has less to do with the interview, the services, the fees, and even the initial consultation - and more for what he did with my interview post on the blog.

You see, when we talked on the phone, he pointed out a glaring error on the BryonySeries website, which Timothy maintains. This isn't assigning blame to Timothy.

BUT, because Timothy and I are in and out of that site so often, we both missed it. And we are thrilled this book marketing specialist spent some time on the BryonySeries website, getting a feel for the series, before we talked.

This is where it gets fun.

So when the book marketing specialist sent me the link to my interview on his blog, I saw he didn't run the author photo I attached with the interview questions, a photo he requested.

He actually swapped the photo for one from the BryonySeries website and we're thrilled.

The one he swapped was actually a photo featuring me and Ed Calkins, Steward of Tara.

This means the book marketing specialist spent enough time on my website to pick up AND understand what we're doing, in terms of the project being extremely collaborative among authors, artists, the productions team, the marketing team, the venues in which we appear, and, yes, even the characters turned authors.

Granted this are small teams, consisting of a few people, who often cross over into other teams. We're not a huge corporation. We're just us.

And yet, I honestly couldn't have been more pleased.

Here is the blog post.

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2023/01/interview-with-journalist-turned-author.html

The reason I chose the photo below for this past.

You see, I purchased those gift cards you see below from the Book and Bean Cafe in Joliet last year to give as a "thank you" gift to people who bought BryonySeries books at  Joliet Public Library event.

The Book and Bean Cafe is very gracious to local artists, including the BryonySeries, including members of WriteOn Joliet.

So I want to return it, too.

Stay tuned for a super broadcast from 2018 from inside the Book and Bean Cafe that was played on a local TV station.

I'll share that tomorrow.

Save The Date: WriteOn Joliet "Radio Play" at Bicentennial Park in Joliet

Back in 2011, a local writer had the idea of starting a writer's group and repeatedly pitched the idea to me until I said yes.

We held our first meeting in February 2012.

About a year and a half later, this writer had to step back and my current co-leader Tom Hernandez stepped up.

In the fall 2013, Tom approached Tammy at The Book and Bean Cafe about hosting an open mic event at her venue. Tom felt that we, as writers, should develop the skill of reading our pieces in front of a microphone to an audience.

We continued holding open mics at The Book and Bean a couple times a year until COVID. And we hope to schedule one later this year.

In September 2022, about a dozen of us stretched our confidence a bit further by reading in a large ballroom at The Timbers of Shorewood book club, which had read two of our anthologies.

We now have an opportunity that will stretch us even further.

At 7 p.m. April 22, eight of us will present our works in a radio-play format at the Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park and Theatre in Joliet in a yet unnamed event.

In addition to me, the following WriteOn Joliet members will participate: Maureen Blevins, Ed Calkins, Holly Coop, Steve Cordin, Diana Estell, Cean Magosky, and Duanne Walton.

The eight of us met at The Book Market last week to decide which pieces to read, what order to present them, divide speaking parts, lightly discuss sound effects, and read through the pieces a couple of times.

Except for WriteOn Joliet and Bicentennial Park, you, as reader of this blog post right now, are the first to hear about this event. We haven't event take a group photo yet.

It is a huge leap for people who are most comfortable sitting behind a computer to stand in front of a mic on a large stage. 

But we promise to work really hard so you will laugh with us (and not at us) as we strive to entertain and, maybe, inspire you.

WriteOn Joliet meets at the Joliet Public Library.

For more information, visit writeonjoliet.com.