Story Round-Up: Features in The Herald-News, March 13 through March 19

Good morning!

It's been a few weeks since I shared an update on my fiction projects. But I will keep that brief because I have twenty-five stories to share with you today.

I am currently working on the second book of the new BryonySeries trilogy called Limbo. The heavy dediting for the first book, The Phoenix, is done. 

Rebekah is learning a new that she wants to use in the creation of this book only, so the formatting is take a little bit of time. When the formatting is done, we'll order a proof, and I'll give it one last copyedit.

I'm only slowly working on a very basic draft of the second book in the BryonySeries Limbo series. This one is called Call of the Siren. I'm using a slightly different structure for this book, and, to also change my perspective a bit, I've signed up for an intense, three-day writing retreat with the 5 a.m. writer's club for the end of April. 

Although I've taken one-person, in-home writing retreats in the past (and most likely will do at least one this year), this is my first writing retreat that is not organized or led by me and also includes other people. I am really looking forward to it.

I'm also working at finishing up Cornell Dyer and the Whispering Wardrobe and Cornell Dyer and the Miraculous Pot of Coffee is in very early outline form (Timothy creates the basic story, so it's simmering in the back of his mind).

I'm also, and also very slowly, giving the original BryonySeries "drop of blood trilogy" (Bryony, Visage and Staked!) another copy edit. Rebekah didn't like the original formatting on them (she didn't do those books) and redid them earlier this year. 

But because I know the books do contain some typos, I asked her to hold off on re-uploading them until I can give them another look. I'm doing that very slowly, hoping to catch any lingering errors.

Nothing new on the Bertrand the Mouse front yet - but I am planning on releasing three more of his books this year.

So back to the twenty-five 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.

And have a great Friday!

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.

New lounge with European flair comes to Plainfield: BeAttitudes strives to portray an atmosphere of ‘supreme blessedness’

Music connects students with seniors who have cognitive decline: L-W Central in NewLenox participates in AliveInside program for the 2nd year 

Bring beauty to your life with plant sale, art exhibits 

District 86 in Joliet announces its students of the month for February: Accomplishments of students from 7 schools recognized 

D. 86 in Joliet announces its students of the month for January: Accomplishments of students from 7 schools recognized 

Hello spring? Not so fast: Winter weather makes an appearance in Will County on Monday

LocalLit book review: ‘Memories from Margaret’ is full of Joliet history: Author Sue Shetina paints vivid picture of life in the south and in the Joliet of decades past

To help ‘restore a really intact ecosystem’ in Will County: Funding will be used at cluster of 3 preserves commonly known as Braidwood Sands 

Photos: Some of the rare species at Braidwood Sands

Pets of the Week: March 15: Will County rescues have dogs and cats for adoption

‘Love of Lincoln-Way’ generates over $30,000 in net proceeds: Proceeds Lincoln-Way Foundation’s virtual gala exceeds expectations 

‘My hope is that my work will be an encouragement to someone’: Zonta Club of Joliet named Denise Winfrey its Woman of Distinction for 2021 

Shorewood Lions recognizes students for citizenship, positive, participation: Troy School District 30-C announces its students of the month for January

Joliet high school students recognized for character, responsibility, academics: D. 204 in Joliet announces its students of the month 

Plainfield man faces insurance woes, rising bills after out-of-state accident: Family and friends raising money for Anthony Ortega’s medical and living expenses

Noticing little tunnels in your yard as the snow melts? You’re not alone: Will County master gardener says they may be caused by voles — and these mammals may be long gone

JCA students successful at school and in the community: Joliet Catholic Academy announces its students of the month for January 

DuPage Medical Group acquires Joliet Oncology-Hematology Associates, Ltd. (JOHA): Oncology and hematology care, infusion services to continue at Joliet, Morris, New Lenox locations

LocalLit book review: ‘Plainfield’ by Timothy and Michelle Smith: Couple’s illustrated book on Plainfield through the years makes local history come alive

Someone saved Wenora Johnson’s life. Now she’s repaying the favor: Joliet woman’s mission is advocating for colonc cancer screening

New Lenox Community Park District cancels annual 4-day festival for 2021: No decision made yet on Taste of Joliet, Channahon’s Three Rivers Festival is making plans for annual event

‘I just feel like God has given us the ability to adapt as humans’: Charles Thompson of #Joliet shares his experiences 1 year after severe COVID 

Area libraries have plenty of free activities: check out some good ones: Will County Inside/Outside Guide offers more tips for enjoying your weekend

Skip the cellophane variety: Grow your own Easter grass with a $5 kit: Will County master gardener will give presentation March 23 on Zoom

Illustration by Matt Coundiff for "Visage."

After-Dinner Activities or What Would a Vampire Do? (Part Two)

So assuming a vampire doesn't need all night to sup, what would he/she do for the rest of the night?

It was a question, I think, many vampire novels don't address. Most of them are written from the victim's perspective, where the emphasis is on the attack. Or even if they are from the vampire's perspective, it's about the stalking and then the attack.

But what happens when the attack is finished? Then what?

That was the question I asked myself a couple years ago when writing the second novel of Before the Blood, my five-novel prequel to the BryonySeries trilogy.

The protagonist, Kellen Weschler, is a poor seventeenth century German farmer who is turned while dying from the bubonic plague. During his miserable years of life, Kellen was one joy.

He can read.

Now his only reading material is his grandmother's “Straf Mich Gott” Bible. But now that he is immortal with the ability to teleport through time, and now that he has plenty of middle of the night time on his hands, why he would read.

And so he does.

But the problem with reading a good book is that one gets lost in a good book. What if Kellen got so engrossed that he lost track of time and someone found him, or, worse, dawn sneaked up?

So I answered that, too. Like this. A bit raw and unedited, but I'm still drafting.

Oh, and if you're wondering what comes next, that's the bit I'll be reading sometime between 6 and 8:30 p.m. Nov. 2 at the Book and Bean Library, 3395 Black Road, Joliet.

That's the date and time for WriteOn Joliet's semi-annual open mic night. Well, open mic for members. Entertainment for attendees. Please join us.

And now, here's what THIS vampire does after dinner.

During the initial century after his turning, Kellen was content simply to experience a new pleasure: leisure. Freed from the minute by minute struggle to survive another trip around the sun, Kellen, once he had destroyed and imbibed,  had the long hours of night to enjoy.

                Now Kellen didn't care about soft evening winds brushing his icy skin, the stunning stars under which he pranced, warm summers and brisk winters, or the dew kissing his feet good morning and reminding him to dig a deep hole for the day.

                No, Kellen seeped through the cracks of library walls and read.

                At the Codrington Library of Oxford University, Kellen huddled in the recess at the north end of this narrow building, a curious meld of gothic exterior and classical interior, and studied law. Inside the remote El Escorial in Spain, Kellen sat beneath vaulted ceilings and amongst the frescoes of the seven liberal arts, pouring over ancient manuscripts in their original Arabic, Greek, and Latin, and never wondering at his natural ability to read them.

                Kellen infiltrated the General Library of the University of Coimbra in Switzerland and feasted on manuscripts dating back to the eighth century. At the Admont Abbey Library in Austria, Kellen studied the frescoes depicting human knowledge and enlightenment.

                At the library inside the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Kellen perused through all seven million items, including the sculptures and frescoes. The Albrecht Altdorfer Danube landscapes particularly fascinated him, and Kellen did not know why.

                Yet, it was a simple inscription outside this library that Kellen would always say held the most sway: “In quo omnes thesauri sapientiae et scientiae,” or "In which are stored all treasures of knowledge and science.”

                Because now they were stored inside Kellen.

                While Kellen read, a lone crow kept watch at the window and warned him of advancing dawn, much as he and Ilsabe once kept watch for Metta when they read from Straf Mich Gott.