BryonySeries: Juneteenth

Showing posts with label Juneteenth. Show all posts

Friday, June 23, 2023

Story Round-Up: Features in The Herald-News, June 17 to June 23

Good morning!

Today I have just eight features and news stories to share with you today.

I'm still working on a few, and I was out of the office on Friday and Tuesday for bereavement, so I'm also playing a bit of catching up.

So be sure to check back on The Herald-News site: shawlocal.com/the-herald-news.

It's been a very family-focused few weeks, but I did pick at fiction a little. We had my father's Celebration of Life on Saturday and we will have Ron's Celebration of Life this Saturday. I also spent time this past week with a friend who is battling brain cancer.

On another note, if you're a writer, want to be a writer, or know someone in the Will/Grundy counties area that fits that description, be sure to check out this event. It's free but seating is limited and registration is required.

Here's a recap of other my other writing projects:

Last week three members of WriteOn Joliet hung out in the digital media center at the downtown branch of the Joliet Public Library to edit the radio play we presented at the Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park Theatre in Joliet on April 22.

We learned that recording and editing a radio play is very different from performing one (more on that later). A few of us will go back into the studio in next week to edit some more. I'm super excited!

And in the BryonySeries world:

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 that are ready for final edits.

Cornell Dyer and the Howls of Basketville: The next book in The Adventures of Cornell Dyer subseries is ready for production - after the Fourth of July. Rebekah will be traveling and then she's taking a few days off. We can't wait to release it into the hands of readers.

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.

Karla Joins In: The fourth book in The Girls of the BryonySeries series. Eight chapters are completed. I'm hoping to write the ninth on Sunday. But we shall see.

BryonySeries reference/guide book: Welcome to Munsonville: the People, Places, and Things of the BryonySeries. I'd love to have this one ready by the end of the year. Pecking slowly at it.

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.

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 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 on Twitter at @BryonySeries and assorted related content at facebook.com/BryonySeries, youtube.com/user/BryonySeries, and themes of each book in the BryonySeries at pinterest.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.

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

Shorewood family-owned mattress company celebrates 50th anniversary: City Wide Mattress’ most efficient marketing strategy is word-of-mouth from satisfied customers.

Joliet museum hosts Juneteenth event: Toni Greathouse: ‘We are carving out space to find common ground’

Joliet library kicks off interactive STEAM exhibit of popular children’s series: The exhibit is based on ‘The Questioneers’ book series

Joliet D. 86 offers instructions for 2023-2023 registration: District 86 provides additional resources on its registration page

Joliet Slammers, Duly Health and Care raising cancer awareness on Tuesday: A pre-game parade will honor cancer patients and cancer survivors

Fire caused ‘extensive damage’ to Joliet home on Friday: The residents escaped and were uninjured, the Joliet Fire Department said

Pets of the Week: June 19, 2023: Will County rescues have dogs and cats for adoption

5 Things to do in Will County: Taste of Joliet is Friday, Saturday, Sunday: Plus 4 more suggestions for enjoying your weekend

Illustration by Matt Coundiff for "Visage"

Friday, June 17, 2022

Story Round-Up: Features in The Herald-News, June 11 to June 17

Good morning!

I have twelve feature stories to share with you today - and more yet posted, since I'm working straight through to Monday. So do check back on The Herald-News site: shawlocal.com/the-herald-news.

Over the last couple of months, I also wrote an additional nineteen stories for a special "Thank You, Teachers," edition that will ran in print and online on May 5. You can check out all those stories at this link: https://www.shawlocal.com/the-herald-news/thank-you/teachers/

I also wrote a three-part series on the impact of COVID on kids, which you will at the bottom of this blog.

On the fiction side of things, we recently released Cornell Dyer and the "Mistical" Being. It's not available in the BryonySeries bookstore yet, or on Kindle yet, but it is available on Amazon.

I have incorporated three-fourths of the edits for Call of the Siren (the second book in the BryonySeries Limbo trilogy, with gorgeous cover art by Nancy Calkins) from the proof copy and still need to do likewise with Cornell Dyer and the Calcium Deficient Bones (with artwork by Sue Midlock). Despite working this weekend, I hope to finish these edits on off-times this weekend.

I'm currently outlining the final book in the BryonySeries Limbo trilogy: House on Top of the Hill.

And I'm also working on a guide book to the series called: Welcome to Munsonville: the People, Places, and Things of the BryonySeries.

Next up in the series: a Sherlock Holmes parody (the main character is Sherman Homes). Timothy and I (FINALLY!) had a wonderful Cornell breakfast last Sunday, so the story is already in progress. Sue Midlock is already working on the cover and the interior art: Sherman Homes and the Howls of Basketville.

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 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.

Rebekah is also working on updating the BryonySeries YouTube and Pinterest accounts, so watch for those.

Now back to the twelve 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.

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 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.

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

Annual garden walk raises funds for pediatric program at Joliet hospice: Eileen Gutierrez: ‘I think it’s a wonderful way to spend a Saturday

Spare the gas, not the fun: check out 25 fun things to do close to Joliet: With gas prices soaring, here are some free or low-cost options that won’t cause pain at the pump.

New Lenox VFW announces teen winners of T-shirt and flyer design contest: The shirts and flyers are used to market and raise funds for suicide prevention in veterans

Pets of the Week: June 13, 2022: Will County rescues have dogs and cats for adoption.

Chill out this week – your health depends on it: Too much fun in the sun isn’t a good idea for the next couple of days

To James McElroy of Morris, every day is Flag Day: McElroy said it’s a ‘privilege’ to be an American

2 ways to celebrate Juneteenth on Sunday in Joliet: Celebrating Juneteenth is a good way to start building empathy

Joliet Township High School Foundation to host online auction Thursday through Monday: Proceeds benefit JTHS students, faculty, and staff

Joliet Wild Birds celebrating grand reopening on June 24, June 25 and June 26: Wild Birds sells products for backyard bird feeding,

5 Things to do in Will County: Treat dad to a picnic at the Croatian Cultural Club on Sunday: Take the kids to a petting zoo at the Joliet Public Library on Saturday.

How we actually stay cool in the heat - and are we doing it well?: Silver Cross ER doctor said people should use common sense.

New Lenox quilting group has made and donated thousands of quilts in nearly 30 years: Dircks: ‘It’s just a matter of passing our love along’

Kids and COVID

COVID-19 didn’t leave kids unscathed: Aschinberg: ‘Like any negative social event, kids who are most at risk bear most of the brunt’

The pandemic was a lonely time for kids: Loss of in-school experiences, sports affected many youth on some level.

Facing the post-pandemic: ‘We know when something is off with our children’: Showing kids how to talk about feelings is a good first step toward protecting their mental health.

Illustration by Matt Coundiff for "Visage"

Friday, June 18, 2021

Story Round-Up: Features in The Herald-News, June 12 through June 18

Good morning!

I have twenty-one feature stories to share with you this morning - with another fifteen that haven't posted to The Herald-News website yet, so watch for them over the weekend.

I'm working on a couple big features projects today and Sunday, so the rainy weather in my part of the world is perfect for getting the words out.

Here's a quick summary of where I'm at, fiction-wise.

The next book in The Adventures of Cornell Dyer chapter book series: Cornell Dyer and the Whispering Wardrobe should be available for purchase this weekend at the earliest and beginning of next week at the latest.

I know I said that last week, but Rebekah had an especially busy week at work and didn't have time to finish the Wardrobe's Kindle. But we are nearly there, I think.

Timothy's been busy, too, so while I'm waiting to schedule a time to meet to outline Cornell Dyer and the Calcium-Deficient Bones, I have two other Cornell Dyer projects in the very early works.

One is a Cornell Dyer book I'm "sort of" co-writing with Rebekah. Many, many years ago, this dyslexic daughter of mine started her own Cornell Dyer and actually had about 4,000 words down. We read through it last weekend, and she laughed a lot at her choice of word spellings, etc.

That said, she's got some great stuff there, and we're even incorporating some of those spellings and turns of phrases into the book. It's called Cornell Dyer and the "Mistical" Being, and I've did get a tiny bit of work on it last weekend - tiny because I did sleep away quite a bit of it (first COVID shot).

Also, Sarah had a crazy dream that sounded perfect for An Adventure of Cornell Dyer mystery. This one may take a while, but I've added it my list of projects for this year. And she is working on a couple drawings, the rules, and a map to go with it and help me out. It's called Cornell Dyer and the House of Broken Portals.

Bertrand the Mouse still has not come home. Sarah reached out to his "real mom" this past week to see if she can possible remake him. She has a lot of health issues, but she is going to try to make two - in case he runs off again.

The first book in the new BryonySeries Limbo trilogy The Phoenix is now available in the BryonySeries store.

I'm hoping to get some work done on the second book of the Limbo trilogy - Call of the Siren - but because of the abundance of new characters and situations, I am pretty much starting from scratch, so progress is still very, very slow. But I'm hoping to peck at it a bit, if my energy allows it.

I scratched the surface of a new series in the BryonySeries this past weekend. It's an idea Sarah suggested to me over a decade ago. It's aimed at tween girls, so if you have a tween, are a tween, or will have a tween someday, this might interest you.

And if you missed it, I had a really nice review on Bryony recently and also one on Visage. Both are from the same reader, which is now also reading Staked!

Now back to the twenty-one feature 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.

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

Blood donors desperately needed - especially if you have type O blood: Here’s how you can donate locally

Pets of the Week: June 14: Will County rescues have dogs and cats for adoption

WIC recipients will receive increased benefits this summer: Increase will help eligible families receive more fresh produce

He’s just 6 but he’s already an honorary police officer and a superhero: Supporters planning car show in honor of #Channahon boy battling cancer

LocalLit book preview: a 40-year journey to forgiving the man that killed her friend: ‘Miracle: The Long Journey Home’ by Maureen Kincaid is a ‘personal narrative of tragedy and loss’

And the review is here.

D. 202 students in Plainfield earn Seal of Biliteracy, receive scholarships: Eight students earned the State of Illinois Seal of Biliteracy, 23 students received scholarships

LocalLit book review: an armchair journey into serenity: ‘Barns of Will County’ is well worth the look

Nominations now open for Distinguished Alumni Award: The University of St. Francis plans to honor five alumni during its homecoming celebration this fall

A virtual event on Monday for those who are grieving a father or father figure: Joliet hospice offering 2 opportunities for paying tribute this year

Diocese of Joliet seeking volunteers for medical/construction mission: Volunteers will spend 2 weeks in the Philippines in January