"I Can See Their Memories!"

One of my favorite Mother's Day (perhaps THE favorite) was in 2019, when everyone was out of the house except Timothy and me.

I spent most of the entire day listening to Timothy tell me the story of "Cornell Dyer and the Never Robbers."

And I was just enthralled and eagerly waited for the next word, all the while taking notes, so I could draft the story later.

Although I am the official author for all the books in the BryonySeries subseries "The Adventures of Cornell Dyer," Timothy is the creator for most of the story concepts (except for the last book in the series, which he is writing).

In each book of the Cornell Dyer series, Cornell Dyer has a supernatural mystery to solve.

But this simple mystery story for kids (and the young at heart), "Never Robbers" addresses some very existential topics, including the role memory plays in the existance of people, places, and things.

First, the story summary. And then some thought-provking quotes about "memory" from story.

After a band of robbers steal the motor home of supernatural super sleuth Cornell Dyer, time becomes strange and unpredictable. Events replay themselves with variations. Watches and light sources can’t be trusted. People disappear, and a man who claims to know everything suddenly appears. Cornell is certain soot, a tire swing, and his first unsolved case are somehow connected. But will he solve the mystery before he fades from memory?

The quotes:

"We've all experienced something that is, but not anymore, with people remembering it in various ways. But we're stuck with the original memories, all of the original memories in all their different forms."

Danny Tyler placed a gnarled hand on Cornell's shoulder. "Imagination and memories are a potent combination. In my day people said I was wise. So I've formulated this theory. I think Bishop, Mike, and I are in this situation together because we share a similar memory. And I think we're aging fast today because we're disappearing from memory."

"But even for the people who remember Madeline, she lives only on the tip of their memory, jut out of reach. These people have collectively lost their memories. A memory that, as group, they cannot remember."

"Here's the strange part, Professor," Mike Olsen continued. "It felt as if we'd always been together. Not long after that, we started changing people's minds and memories. And we've been doing that for a really, really long time."

Each person, as they walked, left behind soot, which slowly vanished as they walked.

Cornell gasped. "I can see their memories!"

"If you go back, all the good you've done, and all the bad you've done will become undone," Cornell said. "You will return to the places you belong, and you will have no memory of each other, and you will lose the ability to alter memories."

Cornell shook his head. "That's not how the Madeline effect works. I think you're aging because people aren't remembering you. When memories of people fade.."

"...the people stop existing," Danny Tyler murmured.

Mike frowned. "I know we've changed a lot of memories, but how do you have my watch? And why does it look so old?"

            "Your watch?" Cornell said. "This is not your watch. This was my Grandpa Mo's watch!"

            Danny Tyler stroked his beard. "Mo? As in M.O.? As in, maybe, Mike Olsen?"

            Mike Olsen's eyes grew very wide. "Professor, I'm your grandfather?"

            Cornell ignored the question. "Bishop Cafferty had a watch, too. Where did he get it."

            "Don't know," Danny Tyler said, still looking at his own watch. "We never thought to ask."

I have to tell you, I have never looked at footprints - or even photographs - the same way again.

Look at this photo of these footprints.

Every piece of this is a memory.

This photo from 5:32 p.m. September 22, 2018, preserves all these footprints in the sand, the memory of all the people who left their marks, marks that no longer exist, shoes that likely no longer exist, and (maybe) some of people who no longer exist - or, at the very least - no longer exist in the same way.

The moment I took this photo is just a memory - and less than that, because I don't remember taking this photo.

Furthermore, even I have changed since I snapped this phot.

And yet, something of that moment and all those people who contributed to it, still exists in this way somehow, simply because they left something of themselves behind and a random photo captured that.

Are your eyes roaming this photo, too - wondering?

12 Quotes from Cornell Dyer and the Never Robbers

When we were getting ready to release Bryony back in 2011, my daughter Sarah (who did a lot of the marketing for me) suggested I pull thirty teaser quotes from the book that she could post on Facebook, one each day.

We did the same for the second book, Visage, which is also part of the BryonySeries.

But for some reason, I never did the same for another book.

So now I am catching up.

Here is the synopsis and chapter headings for Cornell Dyer and the Never Robbers, followed by twelve quotes, one from each chapter.

Enjoy!

After a band of robbers steal the motor home of #supernatural super sleuth Cornell Dyer, time becomes strange and unpredictable. But will Cornell he solve the mystery before he fades from memory?

Prologue: 

The boy turned a page.

A boom sounded in the distance.       

The boy glanced up. An approaching storm? A cannon?

No wind.

No more bell.

No calling of his name or trickling of the stream.

His neck prickled.

The bulb shone with brilliant light.

Chapter 1: Dyer Straights

How dare anyone, much less a group of anyones, steal the motor home belonging to the great Professor Cornell Dyer, supernatural super sleuth of supernatural mysteries?

Just wait until he caught up with them. Just wait.

Chapter 2: The Bank That Wasn't

Cornell hurried to the police officer, who irritably blew on his whistle.

"Where is the bank?" Cornell demanded.

"What bank?" the officer snarled.

"THAT bank! And the four bank robbers!"

 "Bank robbers! We're too far north for bank robbers! We leave that for central Indiana!"

Chapter 3: The Never Robbers

"Eureka!" Cornell cried. "You're talking about time travel!"

Mike Olsen shook his head. "We're not talking about time travel. We're talking about something that isn't anymore, something different people remember differently. But we've hit a little snag."

"What snag?" Cornell asked, pen poised.

"We've all experienced something that is, but not anymore, with people remembering it in various ways. But we're stuck with the original memories, all of the original memories in all their different forms."

Chapter 4: A Curious  Case of Molly Burton

Cornell held his pen over the notebook. "When did the aging begin?"

Mike Olson scratched his gray head. "Around the time we met you. I think."

Cornell wrote that down. "And when did you meet Molly Burton?"

"Today," Mike Olson said.

Danny Tyler held up an arthritic hand. "But it's been a really long day."

Chapter 5: On The Other Side of Time

"I thought we were going to the cemetery, Professor," Bishop Cafferty sneered. "You've been digging through these boxes for hours."

"I didn't mean an actual cemetery," Cornell said.

Chapter 6: It's More Than a Tree

Cornell kicked the tire, and a blinding light shot out, and a great suction pulled him forward, an endless fall into a downward spiral.

Chapter 7: That Ole Dirt Road

"Your device won't work your way here," the man said. "We are nearing our destination, and the sun shall soon set. I have many rooms and you may stay in them."

            

Mike Olsen chuckled. "You own a motel?"

            

"It's something like a motel."

Chapter 8: A Trip to 1879

The man spread out his arms. "Welcome to 1879. Come walk with me."

Mike Olsen hesitated. "It's been a long time."

"Almost a hundred years," the man said. "Mike, in all your travels and in all your time, why did you not come back?"

Chapter 9: Before The Thunder

“We’re not interfering with time travel,” the man said. "We're repairing time. The version you saw has ceased to exist."

Chapter 10: She Was Always Like That

"What went wrong?" Cornell asked.

The man shrugged. "There are far less portals in the world today. And you don't always get to know the endings to other people's stories."

Epilogue

It was a busy morning, even for a Tuesday.

BryonySeries Moment of the Day: Cornell Ditch

My BryonySeries super fan recently pulled over on a highway to snap this picture of Cornell Ditch in Indiana.

She sent it to me over the weekend. It certainly made me smile.

The crazy coincidence about "Cornell Ditch" is that supernatural super sleuth Cornell Dyer had his motor home stolen in Indiana at the end of his"Eerie Lake" book. He then trudges down the hot highway in the opening pages of "Never Robbers."

Apparently, these chapters in Cornell's life are considered historic and marked with a sign.

For your amusement today, here are excepts from those chapters.

"Eerie Lake"

Four hours later and enjoying his favorite Wagnerian opera on his favorite classical music radio station, Cornell was far, far away from Marbleheart and pondering where he might find his next supernatural mystery.

            Up ahead, he saw a car leaning to one side. Two of its tires were flat. Steam was rising from its hood.            

            After parking his motor home safely at the side of the road, Cornell shut off the engine, grabbed his all-purpose fix-up-a-car magic wand, and lumbered to the stranded motorists.

            Immediately a snow gun jammed into his side.  The wand dropped. Cornell froze. He caught a flash of the gun as his assailant rushed away.

            The side of the gun read: Made in Toyland.

            Amateurs, Cornell thought.

            He figured a spell from such a gun would not last long. And he was right.

            He spun around in time to see his motor home speeding away.

            In the back, a girl with curly red hair held up a sign.

            The sign read: HELP ME!

            Cornell waved to show he understood.

            "I'll help you!" he cried. "Just as soon as I have a snack!"

            With that, he headed to the broken-down car and began rummaging for food.

"Never Robbers"

Cornell Dyer felt very miserable indeed.

          For over two hours, he'd trudged down the dusty shoulder of Highway 52, blazer slung over his shoulder, in pursuit of his motor home and the thieves who drove away with it.

          He spun around in time to see his motor home speeding away.

          In the back, a girl with curly red hair held up a sign.

          The sign read: HELP ME!

          The blinding sun stung Cornell's eyes, even as sweat rolled into them from his forehead, and scorched his bare forearms.

          The top of his damp curly black head practically sizzled in the heat.

          His stomach rumbled. The jelly snack cakes and cheese curls he'd rummaged out of the glove box of the thieves' broken-down car were only a memory.

          His dry mouth tasted like a wad of cotton. The bottle of cream soda he’d retrieved from under the car's front seat was also a memory.

          How dare anyone, much less a group of anyones, steal the motor home belonging to the great Professor Cornell Dyer, supernatural super sleuth of supernatural mysteries?

          Just wait until he caught up with them. Just wait.

          His motor home had better be intact. Not not one scratch. Not one dent. Not one fizzy potion or sandwich cookie missing.

          He'd long passed the Indiana border. But the farther he walked, the stranger the landscape became.

          No cars zoomed past.

          No people on bicycles whizzed past.

          No joggers zipped past.

          The air was strangely silent. No hum of an airplane or twitter of birds.

          Cornell reached inside his pocket for his enchanted everywhere map and brought up gloop.

          The gloop smelled bad and smeared the lines of the map into all the wrong directions.

          Cornell had forgotten, again, to throw away the old mayonnaise packets. Well, when one is busying solving important supernatural mysteries, one cannot remember everything.

          He shoved the map back inside his pocket and felt it squoosh against the mayonnaise. But Cornell did not believe in littering.

          Then he squatted, dragged his fingers across a grassy patch to remove the smelly goop, and resumed his trudge.

          He hoped the girl was unharmed, but she, at least, was inside his motor home. Cornell trusted the motor home to protect her.

          As soon as Cornell reached a town, he would go straight to the police. He would report the theft, and he would report the kidnapping.

          If he had known thieves would steal his motor home, he would not have left Larry the Llama in Marbleheart.

          If he still had Larry, he would not be hot, tired, and still walking.

          But, no, the llama wanted to stay with Mrs. Horsehair. Ungrateful beast.

          The view up ahead blurred into squiggles.

          Cornell stopped.

          He shaded his eyes.

          He squinted through the sunlight.

          And then he blinked. Was that a lake?

          Yes, that was definitely a lake, shimmering irresistibly, just past the highway.

 

 

 

Catching Up and Progressing

Just one story to share this week, and I'm not the writer.

Rachel Barks, who interned at The Herald-News this summer, finished this story on our last day of her - hers as an intern and mine before I caught a plane to Raleigh.

She did a great job, and the cause is a worthy one. I've posted it at the bottom of this blog.

This past week has been one of catching up and moving forward with new stories.

On the features side of things, my day is full of interviews, starting at noon and continuing through the evening. I'm also meeting with a group of teens who are creating a newspaper and are looking for practical guidance.

Plus, we are heading into a holiday weekend, so I've got some extra work on that front, too. Bring on the coffee!

Also on the features side of things, but as an independent project, I'm ghostwriting the memoir of a Joliet woman. I've neglected that project the last couple of weeks, but with new ones coming up through the ranks, I hope to finish a draft for her to read this weekend.

I'm also reading through an edgy (and extremely well-written) novel I'm editing for a local author and hope to finish the first reading this weekend, too, as I have at least three more intriguing editing projects this fall as well.

On the creative side of things, a solid structure for my werewolf story (Lycanthropic Summer) is nicely taking shape. I did a lot of mental writing in Raleigh during my alone times at Falls Lake. I did bring some excerpts to WriteOn Joliet two weeks ago, but we ran out of time before I shared them. But there's always next time (or the time after that).

At times, ideas come very quickly, but always at the wrong time, like when I'm falling asleep or on deadline. Why do these type of thoughts, so strong when they arrive, fade to wisps when I have time to write them down?

Timothy has also outlined Cornell Dyer and the Flu, so I need to tackle that soon. Just not not this weekend. Cornell Dyer and the Never Robbers was released while I was in Raleigh.

He's also designed a new BryonySeries card. The former "drop of blood" card that's perfect for the original trilogy isn't going out of print - Timothy is calling it the "legacy" card.

But this new card will be more representative of all the books in the BryonySeries (the "drop of blood" trilogy, the Before the Blood prequel, the Adventures of Cornell Dyer chapter book series, the Bertrand the Mouse children's book series, the cookbooks, the Limbo series (in slow progress), and the standalones (Emporium Orphans and Lycanthropic Summer).

The card is very attractive, and I can't wait to see more than a concept in his computer.

In addition to that, Rebekah and I have a checklist of chores we need to complete in preparation for VampCon Chicago next month.

And Colleen Robbins is done with the copyedits for WriteOn Joliet's third annual anthology, which she'll hand off to me at WriteOn Joliet's next meeting on Sept. 5 at the Joliet Public Library, Black Road branch.

Below is Rachel's story, and below that are websites and social media sites for connecting with The Herald-News and the BryonySeries (including Bertrand the Mouse).

Have a great Friday and long weekend!


The search for a donor and a cure
A Plainfield teen with severe aplastic anemia is hopeful for both
By Rachel Barks

Aplastic anemia is a condition that results when the body stops producing enough new blood cells.

This can cause severe fatigue and a weakened immune system with a high risk of infection and uncontrolled bleeding. The only cure for aplastic anemia is a blood stem cell transplant from a matched donor.

"It changed everything about my life, changed how I think, changed my personality; it changed everything," Gardner said.

https://www.theherald-news.com/lists/2019/08/16/0ed15a97aa26424b92a272644889715e/index.xml

Non-bylined features:

Monday through Saturday I assembled my non-bylined works - brief posts and calendar listings - into one convenient file and posting them on Facebook in the evening, so readers can easily choose the ones they want to read.

One can also find those event listings, the Gotta Do It calendar, as well as the pets, health, faith, and arts and entertainment calendars, under the sections tab on the left hand side of http://www.theherald-news.com/. Click on "features" and the topics drop down.  Gotta Do It runs under "people."

Community news? Again, under the sections tab, under features, and by topic. Updates are posted on these days in print and web (and some only on web on other days as I have the time): 

 Social media:

Daily updates: I do post the briefs and calendars 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.

If you're a writer anywhere in the world, you're welcome to jon WriteOn Joliet's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/writeonminooka/?ref=bookmarks. We're based in Joliet, Illinois, but we love to meet and interact with writers outside our area, too.

Upcoming events:

Once Timothy Baran is done updating this page, these will listed here: https://www.bryonyseries.com/fetes-and-feasts.

Check out the progress he has made so far. Each square is hand-built. And be sure to "hover" your hand over the first square. Note: this only works (so far) with the desktop version.

But he's also made A LOT of changes to the website. So be sure to roam around a bit.

Books and Such

Information on my books (including where to buy) along with upcoming events is at www.bryonyseries.com. Again, Timothy is in the process of updating the website, so all titles may not appear. If you have any 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.

Illustration by Christopher Gleason for "Staked!" Follow him at artworkbytopher.com.

Thank You For Checking In

Over the last week and a half, I was "off radar" while spending time with family in North Carolina.

But as I caught up with email and social media this past weekend, I was stunned and humbled to read how many people still visited this blog and read past posts.

In fact, this post was the second most read and has amassed over 1,100 total views since its original posting. If you're new to the BryonySeries, this gives you a free introduction to my fiction.

http://bryonyseries.blogspot.com/2018/12/all-eight-bryonyseries-christmas.html

And here was the most-visited post this past week:

http://bryonyseries.blogspot.com/2015/08/twenty-questions-with-ed-calkins.html

And for fans of The Adventures of Cornell Dyer series, the fourth book became available while I was gone:

https://www.amazon.ae/Cornell-Never-Robbers-Denise-Baran-Unland/dp/1949777081

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

Illustration by Christopher Gleason for "Staked!" Follow him at artworkbytopher.com.

Just Had to Share

I wasn't going to post again until Sunday or Monday.

I have a few days off and a few writing projects I'd like to accomplish: reading through and formatting the submissions for WriteOn Joliet's 2019 anthology (spent yesterday working on it), Phyllis' memoir, the werewolf story, and Cornell Dyer and the Never Robbers.

But then my BryonySeries "super fan" tagged me in her review of the fourth installment of Before the Blood this morning, and I didn't feel like waiting to share. Enjoy!

5.0 out of 5 stars

This precursor to the Bryony series solves some mysteries and creates even more

July 3, 2019

Verified Purchase

Before the Blood – Henry Matthews” (BTB) is one of five sequels to the author’s “Bryony” trilogy - a series I’ve read multiple times.

Of all of the author's books I've reviewed, this one required the most thought. BTB is so many things and so filled with ideas that make you think it's difficult to summarize the book.

In the Bryony trilogy, Henry Matthews was a minor character with major influence, both on protagonist Melissa Marchellis and the reader. Though it’s technically correct to say Henry was a Victorian vampire, the term doesn’t come close to describing his complexity. Superficially, he’s charming, intelligent and debonair. Henry played the pretty boy well. However, his façade conceals a man with depth and unusual loyalty.

BTB solves the mysteries of Henry Matthews quite satisfactorily. It explains the dichotomy between his sophistication and his in-your-face brashness. In Bryony, the reader is given the impression that Henry is a well-to-do ladies’ man who hails from old money. And while that’s the truth, it’s certainly not the whole truth. This, I believe, is the crux of the book.

The prequel opens with a wealthy, young girl - Louisa Girard - being spirited away from her doting brother by a gypsy street musician. One moment, she’s there; the next she’s gone. Her brother, Lawrence Girard spends the remainder of his life immersed in guilt, blaming himself for the abduction and obsessing over her fate.

Meanwhile, Louisa and her gypsy, Harold Matthews, produce offspring who know nothing of their mother's illustrious past. She calls herself Caroline and never confides the circumstances surrounding their birth. In other words, their lives are a mystery and maybe a lie.

The Matthews family lives in abject poverty and Carolyn grows old and worn before her time. Yet, everyone who knows her describes Carolina as “always happy.”

Why the privileged child of a filthy rich family would voluntarily seek out a life of penury is part of the great mystery of this book. This very conundrum is shared in “Before the Blood: John Simons.” Still, in John Simons’ case we have a background story that provides a solid reason why he rejected his father’s fortune. In this tale, the reader is left to piece together nebulous clues.

Henry is born a sickly baby who grows into a sickly child. He's doted upon by his sisters and mother, as they struggle to keep him from safe from the Grim Reaper. The future is bleak for the family, and especially so for the scrawny, asthmatic boy.

Lawrence Girard never gives up on trying to find his sister. And one day, life changes drastically for young Henry. He learns his true identity and the circumstances of his parents’ “courtship.” He evolves into the Henry Matthews from the Bryony trilogy.

The tone and mood of this biography differs from the other three prequels. It’s a story that peels away the veneer of civility and gentility to reveal the animal nature that drives us all: rich and poor. Henry's appearance belies his depth. He hobnobs, flirts and immerses himself with the richest of the rich. In some respects he appears as nothing more than a flippant pretty boy. Yet, there are clues that reveal great depth and compassion. Henry is never exactly what he seems. He's always torn.

And like all primary characters in the series, Henry makes a fatal mistake.

The author brilliantly demonstrates that there really is no such creature as “The Good Old Days.” Societal issues we face today are no different from those of yesteryear. The book boldly and shamelessly addresses homosexuality, statutory rape, exploitation of the poor and other social issues that remain unresolved today.

Philosophically, this may well be the prequel with the most depth. There is nothing pretty or romantic about the poverty portrayed or the lengths some will go to escape. On the other hand, there are also those, like Carolyn, who just as desperately flee from a seemingly idyllic life. For that alone, this book is well worth a read for its own merit. As part of the larger Bryony series, it's absolutely priceless.

Endings, Beginnings, and To be Continued...

An extremely productive weekend in lots of areas!

Read the proof copy of Cornell Dyer and the Eerie Lake, made the changes, and then Rebekah tweaked the cover and reuploaded the book. Waiting for approval from KDP.

Incorporated the copy edits into the fifth and final installment of Before the Blood. Rebekah uploaded it. Waiting for approval from KDP. This one is a little bittersweet.

Except for homeschooling my children, this has been the most time-consuming of all my projects, eight years in all for the BryonySeries prequel, from concept to outline, to research, to writing, to editing, to all the rest. It's weird, but extremely, satisfying to see it end.

However, I did begin writing Lycanthropic Summer in earnest on Saturday. And then on Sunday, I put my notes from Timothy for Cornell Dyer and the Never Robbers in a workable format. I hope to get some serious writing done on both these stories accomplished next weekend.

I also created a handout guide for the BryonySeries for events.

I worked a bit on Saturday and Sunday since I have two doctor's appointments on Monday and Tuesday.

I did some serious housecleaning.

I took care of a few bills and a whole bunch of filing that had piled up.

Joshua, and Amber the kids came over for dinner on Saturday night (Rebekah bought the ingredients, Joshua cooked), and I spent some time assessing Ezekiel's reading (Joshua and Amber are homeschooling him next year) while Rebekah made cookies with Jessica and Riley. I also made some curriculum suggestions to Joshua and Amber.

Not to digress too much, but poring through old school materials and helping to structure a program for my grandson made me realize just how much road the kids and I have traveled over the years. I found myself marveling at the realization I taught my kids how to read, do math, etc. It felt routine and natural in the moment.

Oh, yes, and I sent out the monthly letters to nine of the grandchildren.

Finally, I also watched some of the first season of Soap (Friday night and Saturday night) with Daniel and Rebekah (a Mother's Day present from Daniel).

I did not (yet) get to see my friend with lung cancer (mostly due to lack of a ride and too much rain to walk, but we did text a bit), and I did not make it down to Morris to see Ron in the nursing home (same reason, but more due to the fact he is not adjusting well).

I also didn't get much work done on Phyllis' memoir, so that goes to the top of my list for next Sunday afternoon.

For all of you reading this blog right now: I hope you had an ever better weekend, and I hope today is the start of a week that's even better than that!

An Exchange of Ideas

Sunday night, as I drifted off to sleep, it occurred to me that my son Timothy and I spent many happy hours this past weekend engaged in nothing more than the verbal transfer of ideas.

Now, we did spend a few dollars on breakfast Saturday morning and Gloria Jean's coffee Sunday afternoon. But even if we'd skipped these activities, we still could have spent that same time.

For hours, Timothy verbally shared his scene-by-scene outline for the fourth book in the Adventures of Cornell Dyer series: Cornell Dyer and the Never Robbers.

For hours, I transcribed his thoughts into a note file on my phone.

Occasionally, Timothy checked the notes on his phone.

Occasionally, he asked if the plot was too complicated for kids.

Occasionally, I had a question from a reader's perspective.

We only made it to chapter five (about halfway) in the approximately six hours we spent on it.

No gadgets (except the notes stores in our phones and the above mentioned refreshments).

And now I have to wait until this weekend (at least) to pick the story back up and see what happens! (argghhhh!).

All this from a person who once needed help from me to support his little infant neck!

We seem to live in an age where people bemoan social media and the lack of in-person conversation (especially among the generations), especially when people bemoan it on social media, and where technological entertainment appears to prevail.

And yet these tools, too, are just one more means of sharing the thoughts of one to another: for edification, enjoyment, or both.

It's really sublime, isn't it?

Mother's Day Weekend Snapshots

I had just five plans for Mother's Day weekend: work, stopping at The Book Market for Jennifer Russ' book signing (which went extremely well, eleven copies sold), Phyllis' memoir, working on my werewolf story, and copy editing the fourth installment of Before the Blood, as it was due on my doorstep on Saturday.

And walking, but that's a given. And I had a tentative breakfast with Timothy on Saturday to plot out the fourth book in the Adventures of Cornell Dyer series.

Here's what really happened.

Timothy and I did meet for an early breakfast on Saturday morning. After a couple hours, we were still in chapter three of Cornell Dyer and the Never Robbers. But we did pick it up for about four more hours on Sunday afternoon. We are still not through chapter five. And we had a great time!

Then I went home and worked for a few hours, and Timothy ran errands. When I found a ride to take some photos for a story in Monday's Herald-News, I also stopped at The Book Market to take photos of Jennifer Russ for the WriteOn Joliet Facebook page.

When I'd met all my deadlines for work, I turned my attention to the memoir for a couple of hours. Unfortunately, I did not pick this back up the rest of the weekend. So I did not accomplish as much as I'd wished.

When I went downstairs to reheat my coffee and check the mail, the Amazon truck was pulling up. I am now halfway through the proof copy of a book that's over 90,000 words. BTW, the font isn't crooked, the cover is now curled from frequent handling and resisted staying in place for the photo.

After Jasmine and Rebekah got off work, we went to my oldest son's house in Mazon for an impromptu birthday party for one of my grandsons, who turned 7 on Friday and did NOT want to smile for my camera.

On Sunday, while I accompanying Timothy on some of his errands, I received this "BryonySeries" sweet from mall staff. I saved it to split with Rebekah. It's actually a Rise Krispies treat.

In late afternoon, I forsook my usual Sunday work (I usually spend the afternoons working to get a jump on Monday) in favor of a long "Cornell" talk with Timothy (and to drink the Gloria Jean's coffees he bought for us, and to eat up nearly an entire loaf of the banana bread with chocolate chips Rebekah baked after the birthday party) and housework after he left with Jasmine for a Mother's Day celebration on her side of the family.

But I also received another Gloria Jean's coffee from the Rebekah and Jasmine when they arrived (so now I have leftovers for today). I should also mention Timothy bought me a dark roast from Brewed Awakenings in Morris on the way to Mazon (the dark roast of the day was from Honduras. And it was delicious).

Along with this card and gift card:

And plenty of flowers: from Jasmine, Rebekah, and Daniel. Don't judge the plastic pitcher/makeshift vase, LOL. The baggie on the left is the remaining banana bread. BTW, We had banana bread because Rebekah made two loaves as a Mother's Day gift for a woman at her work. She also made two pumpkin pies on Saturday night, one for us and one for another woman at work, also for a Mother's Day present. I just wanted to add this because Rebekah and Jasmine have worked twelve to fourteen hour days since Thursday because of the holiday. 

I also talked to my own Mon via phone and twice with Sarah (Saturday and Sunday). And her son Lucas called me to wish me a Happy Mother's Day.

After I did housework, I popped popcorn, Rebekah grated cheese, and we sat down to hear about her day. Then Daniel came home with more flowers (we were out of vases, having lent one, so we used the pitcher) and a gift from him and Timothy.

I foolishly abandoned the Sunday work for the evening and settled down to watch four episodes with Daniel (whose favorite character is Bert), Rebekah (who also loves the show), and Timothy (who was mildly surprised we started without him) when he returned from his event.

From time to time, we had to pause the viewing for one last lovely surprise: updates on the cover for Cornell Dyer and the Eerie Lake (the third book, which is just waiting for art), from illustrator Sue Midlock, which I kept showing to Timothy for his comments, too.

I woke up this morning to a nice Mother's Day text from Joshua. And I received (and sent) texts from other mothers I know and love.

I did not get any work done on the werewolf story, but one can't have everything. But I DID have a lovely writerly weekend filled with family time and sprinkled with delightful surprises.

I didn't write this post to brag about the terrific weekend I had. But I did want to give those who follow this blog a glimpse what I value in life: giving and receiving love. And this past weekend was filled with examples of it.

Because, yes, even my books qualify. My ability to write is a talented I've worked hard to develop to ultimately inform, inspire (my feature stories for The Herald-News, Phyllis' memoir), and entertain (readers of the BryonySeries).

And now Monday is tightly packed because I didn't work yesterday.

But I will have plenty of Gloria Jean to help me through it.

Have a blessed Monday, readers, writers, and BryonySeries fans! :)