RECAP: BryonySeries Pre-Halloween Party at The Book Market

On Saturday, we held a BryonySeries Pre-Halloween Party at The Book Market in Crest Hill.

The highlight of the event was when owner Jan Staley picked the lucky winner of the BryonySeries crocheted pumpkin decorating contest.

We entertained people in the store with a three-part reading of the BryonySeries version of the Halloween legend "Stingy Jack."

We also distributed treat bags filled with chef-made werewolf kibbles (thank you, Rebekah), Halloween and autumn-themed ribbits (thank you, Cindy), and select BryonySeries books.

We still two or three crocheted pumpkins if anyone would like to decorate one for Halloween.

Pumpkins are free to make and take.

Scroll one more time for a "sneak peek" at what's coming for November.

And here you go! Next month's theme at The Book Market: gratitude.

We invite you to celebrate gratitude with us.

And we also invite you to help us help Santa.

Stay posted for details.

BryonySeries Pre-Halloween Party is Saturday

Come out to the the BryonySeries "Pre-Halloween Party" at The Book Market in Crest Hill on Saturday.

Several of us will be there from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. telling spooky stories, distributing Halloween treat bags (while supplies last) with fun Halloween "stuff" inside, and drawing the winner of our pumpkin decorating contest (four pumpkins remain as of this writing - pop in and decorate yours!)

Here's how it works.

Simply select one of our Bertrand the Mouse-approved, Cindy-created Ribbit-Ribbit pumpkins.

And then decorate it in the store with sticky back felt shapes and designs, which are divided by shape and design and placed in the plastic Jack-o-lanterns next to the pumpkins.

Leave your pumpkin on the table, so customers can vote "by number." (The pumpkins are numbered).

Write the number of your favorite pumpkin on a sticky note, fold the note in half, and drop it in to the bucket.

Voting ends shortly before 1:30 p.m. October 25 (a the conclusion of the BryonySeries pre-Halloween Book Party), upon which time the notes will be counted and a suprise bookish "prize" will be awarded and all pumpkins may go home.

All pumpkins are free to choose, free to decorate, while supplies last. Decorated pumpkins have an approximate retail value of $25, so this is a free fun way to bring personalized autumn decor into your home.

Questions?

Email us at bryonyseries@gmail.com. Or pop into The Book Market and ask owner Janet Staley before Saturday.

Happy decorating!

One Photo Tells So Much

I recently stumbled across this photo and thought to myself, "What a terrible photo!" Why did a take a picture of this???

Upon closer inspection, I realized this photo told so much about me, kind of like those hidden picture puzzles that amused some of us as children.

I swear what's coming next isn't social media clickbait. You know, the posts that say things like, "let's see how many people will like and share," etc.

This is really a little more fun. And maybe a bit of a cautionary tale about the things we don't mean to share when we post random photos.

Here's the ask: How many things does this photo tell you about me?

Game ends Monday, October 20.

Winner receives a BryonySeries book of choice.

IF THE WINNER SO DESIRES, I'll post the list of "items" and a photo of the winner with the book.

Otherwise, the winner just wins.

And who know? Maybe I'll learn a few more things about myself.

Happy Tuesday!

Name This Bat

Rebekah and I found this beautiful bat puppet puppet sitting by itself on a shelf at a Barnes and Noble store a few weeks ago.

We'd spent a wonderfully lazy Saturday while our carpets were being cleaned, wandering from store to store (those we could reach on foot, since Rebekah had no car) and had circled back to Barnes and Noble for coffee and book browsing.

And there this bat was, just waiting for us to take it home.

Which we did.

And it's now waiting for YOU to name it.

So be sure to stop out at the BryonySeries table at Panic at the Plaza between 5 and 11 p.m. Saturday at Van Buren Plaza in Downtown Joliet.

The bat will be hanging out with us, in the vicinity of the suggestion box.

Just drop your suggestion into the box along with a way to contact you.

We (and the bat) will carefully consider all names and choose the one best suited to this no-name bat.

Can't make it to Panic in the Plaza?

The one who successfully names this best will receive a gift from us, as a thank you for giving this new BryonySeries prop a permanent name.

Send your suggestion to bryonyseries@gmail.com by 11 p.m. CST Saturday.

And if you're interested in winning a free BryonySeries book, check out the green grapes and red grapes.

How and Why We Chose the Byrony Cookbook Name

The winning name of the official Bryony cookbook: Memories in the Kitchen: Bites and Nibbles from “Bryony.”


For the one-year anniversary of the Bryony Facebook page, we offered a, "Name the Bryony Cookbook," contest to fans of the Facebook Page.

We received many entries, Thank You, Fans! The Bryony cookbook team debated them over the weekend. Once we were down to the final few, we struggled to pick, "the one.” Because we had so many good entries, we could not find just one that fit.

As soon as we chose to combine two entries, the winning name stood out! Congratulations to Nola Sawyer (Memories in the Kitchen) and Kathryn Dunlap (Bites and Nibbles).

Bryony, because of the weaving back and forth between two time periods, is full of memories, many of which revolve around the food in this cookbook, which range from delicious to eclectic.

Not EVERY single mention of food is in the cookbook, which is where Bites and Nibbles comes into the title. It's also perfect to pair with a vampire novel, so Bryony-ish!

The Bryony cookbook team did consider all entries without prejudice. We didn't contemplate who submitted what title until the name for the cookbook was decided. Meaning, we studied only the titles, without submitters’ names attached.

Then, we went back and looked at who provided the compilation for the official title. Runner up was," Miss Bessie Beasland's Guide to Domestic Cookery," (Suzy Staley Baker), which will be incorporated into the final book of the Bryony series.

Thank You again to anyone who participated. Don't forget: ALL Bryony cookbook proceeds are being donated to Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Will and Grundy County. Cookbook purchase is pending until its release later this year.

Sarah C. Stegall

Time is Running Out!

You have exactly seven days to submit a title suggestion for the Bryony cookbook. To get your creative juices flowing, here are the entries (contest rules follow below):

"Deadly Delights"

"Savory Bites"

"Timeless Recipes"

"The Table Is Set"

"A Bit of This, A Bit of That"

"Love at First Bite"

"Some Like it Hot"

"Some Like it Hot, Not Congealed"

"Secret Recipes of the Victorian Era"

"on’t be a Vampire: A Guide to Eating Like a Human"

"Taste of Munsonville""

"Vampire Delite"

"Recipes from the Dark"

"Food from the Darkside"

"Hold the Garlic"

"Deception in the Kitchen"

"Bloody Delights"

"Stakes and Snacks"

"Bloody Good Temptations"

"Sink Your Teeth into These"

"Bloody Good Recipes To Sink Your Teeth Into"

"Bloody Tempting Recipes"

"Human Digest"

“Prey Before You Eat”

"Chicken Soup for the Souless," "When Blood Won't do, Byrony Culinary Treats for the Earth Bound..."

"Heart, Hold the stake!!!"

"Delectable Toothsome"

"A Collection of Munsonville's Timeless Recipes"

The contest will run through May 31, 2011 until 12:00 am (midnight) EST time (North Carolina time). This gives all fans the opportunity to vote. However, there is a catch. You must be a Bryony Facebook fan to vote.

No, this isn't a ruse to up the fan count, but rather, some fun, with a perk, for those who have been faithfully following the page, in honor of Bryony's one-year Facebook anniversary earlier this month.

Other details are: You must comment on the Bryony Facebook page to enter a name or title; you can comment as often as you like; no foul language (posts will be deleted at admin discretion); and all entries will be reviewed by the author, who will decide the title from the entries.

Prize: A free copy of the cookbook signed by as many Bryony team members as possible at the time of publication.

Profits from the Bryony cookbook will be donated to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Will and Grundy Counties (http://www.bbbswillgrundy.org/).

To fan the Bryony Facebook page, visit www.facebook.com/BryonySeries

Happy Naming!

Contest Selections (So Far)

Initial submissions for the Name the Bryony Cookbook contest are in:


"Taste of Munsonville""

"VAMPIRE DELITE"

"RECIPES FROM THE DARK."

"FOOD FROM THE DARKSIDE"

"Hold the Garlic"

"Deception in the Kitchen"

"Bloody Delights"

"Stakes and Snacks"

"Bloody Good Temptations"

"Sink Your Teeth into These"

"Bloody Good Recipes To Sink Your Teeth Into"

"Bloody Tempting Recipies"

"Human Digest"

“Prey Before You Eat”

"Chicken Soup for the Souless," "When Blood Won't do, Byrony Culinary Treats for the Earth Bound..."

"Heart, Hold the stake!!!"

"Delectable Toothsome"


"Hold the Garlic"

"A Collection of Munsonville's Timeless Recipes"


The contest will run until May 31, 2011 until 12:00 am (midnight) EST time (North Carolina time). This gives all fans the opportunity to vote. However, there is a catch. You must be a Bryony Facebook fan to vote.

No, this isn't a ruse to up the fan count, but rather, some fun, with a perk, for those who have been faithfully following the page, in honor of Bryony's one-year Facebook anniversary.

Other details are: You must comment to enter a name or title; you can comment as often as you like; no foul language (posts will be deleted at admin discretion); and all entries will be reviewed by the author.

Prize: A free copy of the cookbook signed by as many Bryony team members as possible at the time of publication.

To fan the Bryony Facebook page, visit www.facebook.com/BryonySeries

Happy Naming!

Details for the "Name the Bryony Cookbook" Contest.

In honor of Bryony's one-year annivesary on Facebook, we have initiated a contest to name the upcoming cookbook.

This cookbook will be an eclectic compilations of (mostly) Victorian-era and '70s stylish recipes, complete with story teasers (appetizers) and Kathleen Rose Van Pelts (http://www.imaginarylinesstudio.com/) signature pen and ink drawings (treats) Recipes will be arranged according to events in Bryony and will not be grouped by subject.

However, there is a catch. The contest is only open to Bryony Facebook fans. To "like" the page and submit your suggestion, visit www.facebook.com/BryonySeries. All (any) profits from the Bryony cookbook will be donated to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Will and Grundy Counties (http://www.bbbswillgrundy.org/).

Contest rules: You must comment to enter a name or title; you may comment as often as you like; no foul language (posts will be deleted at administrator discretion); and all entries will be reviewed by the author.

The winner receives a free copy of the cookbook with the signatures of as many members of the Bryony team as possible at time of publication.

Name the Bryony Cookbook contest will run until May 31, 2011 until 12:00 am (midnight) EST time (North Carolina time). This gives all fans the opportunity to vote.

We've already received a number of clever/intersting/amusing title possibilities. Tomorrow, we will post them.

Happy Naming!