"The Crows of Pearblossom" by Aldous Huxley

For a quick recap on how I developed my love for reading and why I'm sharing these books, read this short post.

One of my favorite books from childhood, "The Crows of Pearblossom" by Aldous Huxley, did so many things for me.

It sparked my love for crows.

It introduced me to Huxley, whom, I'm sure, people typically don't associate with children's literature.

The book, naturally, entertained me - as I'm certain it will entertain you, too. 

And poetry! Oh, I can still hear the sing-song snake's poem in my head and the "voice" of my father reading it quite dramatically.

"I cannot fly- I have no wings;

I cannot run- I have no legs;

But I can creep where the black bird sings

And eat her speckled eggs, ha, ha,

And eat her speckled eggs."

For more of my favorite childhood books, search the "back to the books" tag on the home page of this blog.

For a synopsis and background of how this story came to be, visit this Goodreads page.

Another "fan" of the book read it on YouTube. The link is below. Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYrA9e33C2Y

Five Purple Roses

Sue's Diner: Homemade Pierogies

This week we are featuring a recipe that is a favorite in our family: homemade pierogies.

A pierogi is simply a stuffed dumping. Pierogies are popular in Eastern European cuisine. Some cultures call them pirohi.

Traditional pierogi fillings include potato and saurkraut, but you can use any filling you like.

I learned how to make pierogies from a cookbook when my oldest son, now forty, was about eighteen months old. I always included the kids in making them.

My two preschoolers (Sarah and Joshua) helped me make two hundred of them one afternoon in the 1980s when one of our friends was being ordained to the priesthood.

I even had a regular customer for a short time, which provided some extra money for me.

You can try our pierogi recipe on the Sue's Diner page on the BryonySeries website. 

But try the recipe this week. It will be gone some time next week. A new recipe will take it's place.

By the way, Sue's Diner is only real in the BryonySeries world. But didn't Timothy do a great job making the page look like a real menu at a vintage diner?

Here is the full diner page: bryonyseries.com/sue-s-diner. You can't really order, of course (wouldn't it be great if you could?).

For more BryonySeries recipes, check out our three cookbooks at our BryonySeries bryonyseries.com/general-store.

Please Have Faith in Faith

One October day in 2005, while I was upstairs in my attic office in my Channahon home interviewing someone by phone, Rebekah burst through the swinging door to tell me Daniel was feeding tuna to a stray cat.

The cat turned out to be a nine-month-old kitten. We asked around town and put up fliers, but we never did find the owner. So we named her Frances. We spayed someone's cat. And Frances is still with us.

Two years later, my oldest son Christopher found an abandoned litter of kittens, so he brought them home. He found homes for them all, except for a tiny black one who was skittish and unfriendly. Would we take her?

Even as I objected, I named her Midnight. We picked her up. She was not unfriendly, just scared and sick. She was FULL of tapeworms (think fettucine in size full) and ear mites. We nursed Midnight back to health. The vet would not spay her until her fecal samples showed no tapeworms. 

At nine months, Midnight ran out of the house and got pregnant under our deck. She had three kittens. My husband Ron named them Faith, Hope, and Charity. Midnight tested negative for tapeworms, and we did a mass spay and neuter of four cats. We still have Midnight

Charity (the only male in the group), a penguin used up all nine of his lives in 2013. His escapades could fill another blog.

Hope, our athletic tortie, is living the life (seriously, she is so spoiled) with friends in Morris. Again, another long story.

Faith, our prissy, afraid of her own shadow cat, is also a very loving cat. She loves to be be petteed (I trained her to love it. She used to hate being touched) and loves to pose for the camera.

All our cats are very healthy, and we do nothing special for them except feed them their favorite food off the grocery store shelves, give them fresh water one or more times a day, take them to their annual vet appointments/vaccine, etc. 

We give them their space when they want their space. And we love on them when they want that, too. 

Only Frances takes medicine and it's not really medicine. She takes glucosamine for joint support, and it's made a huge difference for her. She jumps onto "things" like a kitten.

Our vet marvels at the health of these senior cats. The sheen of their coats. Their bright eyes. Their energy and agility.

All that changed three weeks ago.

Rebekah and I were sick (not COVID, but we got tested to be sure) for a week. During that week. I felt Faith was losing weight. But it was just a vague feeling when I was petting her. I couldn't be sure. So Rebekah made a vet appointment for the following week. Faith was due for shots anyway.

On that Monday, two weeks ago, the day before Faith's appointment, she was suddenly VERY sick. The vet saw her, ran bloodwork, gave her an anti-nausea shot, an appetite stimulent, and fluids. Faith had also lost two pounds from the previous year.

Bloodwork was normal on Tuesday. Faith went for an X-ray on Wednesday. She was worse - and had dropped another half pound.

X-ray had an area of concern, so the vet did an ultrasound. From there, Faith went to the hospital.

Details of her treatment are on the GoFundMe page Daniel began.

While Faith was in the hospital, the vet called several times a day because Faith's situation kept changing. I always brought up the question of what was in Faith's best interest. 

But once we could visit Faith (no lie), her situation dramatically improved. She was discharged twenty-four hours earlier than anticipated.

She is continuing to improve (the photo below is from Friday), but she is not out of the proverbial woods yet.

The vet has faith in Faith's recovery.

So we have faith in Faith's recovery.

Can you have faith in Faith's recovery, too?

Any help (thoughts, prayers, donations) are very, very appreciated.

https://gofund.me/3440aeb1

Byzantine Catholic Resurrection Matins

"Celtic Hymn" on Tin Whistle in D--Original Composition

Story Round-Up: Features in The Herald-News, April 16 to April 22

Good morning!

I have just nine feature stories to share with you today and more yet posted. So do check back on The Herald-News site: shawlocal.com/the-herald-news. 

It's been a busy week of of finishing up some large projects on the features side and turning the challenges of last week into blessings on the personal side. Our family is Eastern Orthodox and this is our Holy Week, so the timing for everything is perfect, wouldn't you agree?

On the fiction side of things, the drafts and initial edits of the remaining chapters of Call of the Siren are complete as are the first round of edits for a client. I'll be busy on Saturday with some of my kids preparing traditional Easter food and I have a dentist appointment (routine), but I plan to slip in some time on the novel in pockets of time, especially since I work next weekend and fiction time will be minimal.

Call of the Siren is the second book in the BryonySeries Limbo trilogy. I'm anticipating a late spring publication date, with gorgeous cover art by Nancy Calkins.

We plan to release Cornell Dyer and the Calcium Deficient Bones and Cornell Dyer and the "Mistical" Being very soon. Both Rebekah and our artist Sue Midlock have gone through health issues this past year, which has caused publication delays. But I'd rather have delays and healthy collaborators. Please send up good thoughts for them both.

Next up in the series: a Sherlock Holmes parody (the main character is Sherman Homes). Timothy is ready for a Cornell breakfast to share his ideas. He and I just need our time off schedules to sync. But that won't be this week as he is leaving this morning for a week-long business trip out of state. 

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 Baran 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. 

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.

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 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.

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

5 Things to do in Will County: Earth Day, ‘Forest Fitness’ and music: Plus, St. Mary Immaculate Parish in Plainfield will host an Eucharistic Miracles Exhibit Saturday and Sunday

Sen. Dick Durbin toured future NICU at Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox Wednesday: During a press conference, Durbin shared his affinity for newborns who need care 

Roger ‘Zeke’ Gates’ 20-year Easter basket ministry is still hopping: Gates gave up his partying ways in 1985 when he found God. And the community supports Gates’ efforts to help others.

Will County residents turn expired surgical drapes into waterproof sleeping bags for Ukranian refugees: Greg Aimaro: ‘They’re waterproof and also good at containing heat’

Pets of the Week: April 18: Will County rescues have dogs and cats for adoption.

New Lenox resident hopes he can safely return to the Ukraine next month: Greg Aimaro has plans for giving back to the people of Ukraine.

Visitation and Aid Society in Joliet hosting Spring Elegance Brunch on May 1: Deadline to purchase tickets is April 25

Karen Pastell receives Woman of the Year award from Zonta Club of Joliet Area: Pastell has belonged to the club 14 years

7 providers from Morris Hospital & Healthcare Centers recognized for excellent patient care: Awards based on patient experience surveys from 2021

Illustration by Matt Coundiff for "Visage"

Back to the Books: "The Troll Music" by Anita Lobel

For a quick recap on how I developed my love for reading and why I'm sharing these books, read this short post.

One of our favorite books from this club was called The Troll Music by Anita Lobel.

Here is its synopsis: 

A troll casts a spell on a group of musicians, causing their instruments to make only animal sounds. Ultimately, a group of barnyard animals come to the aid of the musicians.

Here is a video of someone reading the book, if you're interested. 

The book is super fun and available on Amazon if you're interested. 

Although I'll be willing to bet some of its subtler themes wouldn't show up in kids books today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifEBthvrmR8

Groovie Goolies - "Gool School" - 1970

Purranormal Activity (with my cat OwlKitty)

Project Easter Hat

Happy Easter and a day for those who celebrated over the weekend.

Our family is Eastern Orthodox, so we ae entering Holy Week this week. And I have a fun post to share with you today.

Anyone who's followed this blog for some time knows I rarely post photos of myself, mostly because I want to post interesting content, and photos of me typically aren't very interesting.

Today is an exception.

Fun fact: I love hats. I also have a large collection of hats, most of which were gifts.

In 2017, I needed a new Easter hat for my favorite blue dress. The dress is as old as child number four (Timothy), making the dress thirty-one years old. So to extend the life of the dress, I usually only wear it a few times a year and always at Easter.

So while trying different hats, Rebekah started snapping photos, and I got into the mood with goofy expressions. We could only afford one hat at the time, so none of the ones in the photos came home with me, not because they weren't good hats but because they didn't go with the dress.

The first photo is of actual hats I currently own.

Happy Monday and keep smiling!

Natalie Raynes: Christ the Lord Is Risen Today

Grace - Jim McCann - The 1916 Easter Rising...beneath a Dublin Sky

Story Round-Up: Features in The Herald-News, April 9 to April 15

Good morning!

Here is what I had planned to post yesterday:

I am posting my weekly story roundup a day early and then taking a blog holiday until Monday.

Timothy and I are flying out late tonight to visit out-of-state family. My father, who was working up until the start of the pandemic, has since developed Alzheimer's, cannot walk, and now lives in a nursing home, all in the past few months.

So Timothy, quite spontaneously, booked the tickets. My oldest daughter Sarah is thrilled because she lives near my parents and will spend the first holiday with some of her birth family in more than a decade.

This year, Timothy and I will celebrate two Easters. We are Eastern Orthodox, so we will back in Illinois the following week to do it all over again. Hurray!

But it will be a busy few days. We are flying out late again on Sunday but working on Monday. So I will see you then. Happy Easter!

Here's the reality:

Timothy has COVID, and I was exposed (yep, as I'm recovering from a non-COVID virus - at least according to two negtive COVID tests).

My calico Faith became suddely ill and is in the hospital. She's had tests, two biopsies and now has a feeding tube and some pneumonia (she went into the oxygen tent last night). She was supposed to come home today, and we were supposed to get feeding tube training today. But we're in the thick of it now. I'd rather they get that pnemonia under control than prematurely release her. I'll know more this morning.

And that is on top of a slew of emergencies our family has addressed all of 2022 so far. But 2022 stepped up its game on March 29, and we can't seem to catch out breath.

On the plus side:

Timothy's COVID appears to be mild (for COVID). That doesn't mean his symptoms are mild or that he's feeling pretty good. It means his COVID is mild.

Faith is responding to the oxygen cage and has started eating some, in addition to her feeding tube.

My fatigue is less every day. Because whatever that virus was, it tired me out.

No one has died.

Story-wise, I have just five feature stories to share with you today and a few yet posted. So do check back on The Herald-News site: shawlocal.com/the-herald-news.

The reason for so few stories is that I just finished up working a huge nineteen-story project for The Herald-News. And I must say, with all of these "life" things happening in the background, I'm really happy with myself that I saw the project to the end, that I finished what God blessed me to start.

Read more about Shaw Media's special Thank You, Teachers edition here.

Here's an update on my fiction.

For an update on Call of the Siren, read this post.

We plan to release Cornell Dyer and the Calcium Deficient Bones and Cornell Dyer and the "Mistical" Being very soon. Both Rebekah and our artist Sue Midlock have gone through health issues this past year, which has caused publication delays. Like the rest of us, Rebekah just needs a few moments to catch her breath to complete production and post online.

Next up in the series: a Sherlock Holmes parody (the main character is Sherman Homes). Timothy is ready for a Cornell breakfast to share his ideas. He and I just need our time off schedules to sync and, as I said, to catch our breaths.

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 Baran 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. 

Now back to the five 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.

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 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.

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

5 Things to do in Will County: 3 ways to celebrate Easter: Other activities: Mobile Museum of Tolerance in Minooka H.S. in Channahon and showing of ‘Cassablanca’ at Rialto in Joliet.

Plainfield sixth grader learned the Heimlich maneuver from social media and saved a life: Sergio Escobedo’s friend started choking at the school lunch table. But Serigio knew what to do. 

Pets of the Week: April 11: Will County rescues have dogs and cats for adoption.

Tickets available for Joliet Junior College’s ‘Night of Stars’ on April 28: The event will include heavy appetizers and a cash bar.

Joliet Junior College’s Sustainability Union plans Earth Day events for April: Plan to attend one or more events. Some are virtual, some are in-person, some are both. 

Illustration by Matt Coundiff for "Visage"

Back to the Books: "The Witch of Hissing Hill" by Mary Calhoun

Where do children develop the lifelong love for reading?

I think, for me, it's because my father read to my sister and me A LOT. 

And what did he read?

Well, my parents, most likely my mother, started a subscription to the Weekly Readers Children's Book Club for us.

Each month, we received a new hardcover book in the mail. The types of titles we received grew with us.

When my sister and I were young, our father read these books to us, over and over. He'd sit in the middle, and we sat on either side so we could see the pictures and follow the text.

One of our favorite books from this club was called The Witch of Hissing Hill by Mary Calhoun, the author of the Katie John books, which I also loved.

Here is its synopsis: 

Sizzle was a witch with a reputation for raising outstanding witch cats: they knew how to spit and scratch and slink with the best of them, how to yowl, and (most importantly) how to stare unblinkingly at a bubbling pot, thereby ensuring the success of the potion in brew. Witches came to Hissing Hill from all over, sure of finding the sort of cats they needed. And then one day, a little yellow kitten named Gold was born - a true disgrace to her clowder of black cats. Was this the end of Sizzle's famous cat-breeding? Would her cats now be (horrors!) nice!?!

And an excerpt:

Far back in the hill country is Hissing Hill.

It's a bare lonely spot, with one twisted house

and a tall fir behind it.

Once upon a time the hill was aswarm

with black witch cats.

Cats arching their backs on the rooftop,

cats chasing up the fir tree,

cats yowling on crooked fence posts,

cats hissing in every corner of the shackly house.

And all of them black, black, black.

Here is a video of someone reading the book, if you're interested.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4UMlZOBMUM

Call of the Siren: The Hardest Part is Behind Me

I spent an intense day last Saturday finishing up the hard edits for Call of the Siren, the second book in the BryonySeries Limbo trilogy.

I now have to work very hard on some of the new characters in this book, for many of them will appear in the third book of the Limbo trilogy: House on Top of the Hill. But good character development now will save me much time and regrets later. 

And with one of my sons currently battling COVID (which, means, of course, we all might eventually get sick again, too), Orthodox Easter next Sunday, working the following weekend, and then Mother's Day after that - well, I can't envision finishing this last major part of the novel until Memorial Day weekend.

True, I'll be working on these characters in fits and starts. But pieces of time isn't the same as a stretch of hours for focused work. Concentrations gets broken and then I lose more time in the reconnection. 

So I think Memorial Day is realistic, both for putting the finishing developments on these new characters and reading through the novel. 

At that point, I will give novel a good read and then send to my editor. Then comes cover design, formatting, reading through the proof, and tweaks.

This puts an estimated publication date in July, perhaps in time for my birthday.

I'm not sure why this book challenged me so much. I think some of the struggle was about "voice." 

The book itself had a voice that, much like my main character, I could "hear" but found really difficult to translate into words. Parts of it had an elusive, lyrical quality that I finally captured.

And then speaking of the main character, I cover forty years of her life. So although her voice changes, it still sounds like her.

But as I re-read through the chapters, I'm satisifed that I churned out the story I wanted to tell..

By the way, isn't the cover art gorgeous? Nancy Calkins, wife of Ed Calkins, Steward of Tara, created it for the book - last year. But she works much faster than I do.

Sue Bass is haunted by dreams of her father, who died in a boating accident before she was born, alluring dreams of water and song. But then a soft-spoken outside man with an inside plan comes to town, and Sue's sleepwalking stops, only to resurface with greater magnetism when he leaves.

Two voices beckon. Which one will she heed?

It's Not Easy Dyeing Eggs Green (Here's How)

If you've check out our homemade Easter egg dyes on the BryonySeries website this week, you've noticed we don't have a recipe for green.

Apparently green dye is not easily made with food. And the internet is apparently not much help.

But Timothy figured it out. So if you want to dye Easter eggs green, naturally and from food, follow his directions.

First, prepare the dyes according to the directions on the BryonySeries "Recipe of the Week" on the Sue's Diner page.

Green: 

1) Take hard-boiled egg and dip into the yellow dye for a couple seconds.

2) And then dip into the blue dye for a couple seconds.

3) Then back into the yellow for about five minutes.

4) Then into the blue for a minute or two.

5) And then go back to the yellow for a couple minutes.

6) And back to the blue for a minute. 

7) Panic because it's not turning green. 

8) Pray and dip it into orange. Watch in terror as it turns into a dark, sad color. 

9) And dip into yellow to try to lighten it up. At this point, it's the color of smog. 

10) Go back to blue for a minute. Dip it into the orange, then the blue, and finish with yellow. 

Congratulations! You've beaten the internet. 

Sue's Diner: Homemade Dye for Easter Eggs

Sue's Diner was temporarily closed due to illness (Rebekah and I were sick and didn't wind up cooking anything for the page), but we are feeling better each day. 

No, we didnt't have COVID, at least according to the tests we took (one rapid, one PCR apiece).

This week's recipe is actually several recipes, all for creating your own Easter egg dyes from food.

We will be leaving this recipe on the Sue's Diner page for two weeks, in honor of both dates of Easter (Eastern Christians will celebrate April 24).

For more photos, check out this story I wrote for The Herald-News in 2019 on the same topic.

And have fun! 

By the way, Sue's Diner is only real in the BryonySeries world. But didn't Timothy do a great job making the page look like a real menu at a vintage diner?

Here is the full diner page: bryonyseries.com/sue-s-diner. You can't really order, of course (wouldn't it be great if you could?).

For more BryonySeries recipes, check out our three cookbooks at our BryonySeries bryonyseries.com/general-store.

Henry(Super Junior) & SHIN JIHO (Violin and Piano Perf.)

Irish Spring Soap 1978 TV commercial

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

Good morning!

I have just twelve feature stories to share with you today and a few yet posted. So do check back on The Herald-News site: shawlocal.com/the-herald-news. Not only have I been sick this week 9not COVID), I'm also working on two big projects that are also taking up some time.

Here's what I wrote last week:

I can't recall the last time I welcomed Friday with such glee. I worked straight through last weekend and took Monday off because Sarah was in town for the weekend and leaving Monday afternoon. So I was thankful to spend some time with family.

And then midweek took a dive with a major family emergency. 

So I am especially happy to spend some extended period of time with the last two chapters of "Call of the Siren" and then tackle some of the more nuanced aspects of its editing (most of has gone through hard edits).

Well, by Friday afternoon, Rebekah and I realized we were both sick. And so we spent the weekend curled up with blankets and watching "Hill House" and "Bly Manor" - both of which Daniel had already watched and loved and really wanted us to find time to see. And so...

However, I finished the drafts and initial edits of the remaining chapters of Call of the Siren on Sunday. They need more because I wasn't at the top of my focus, but I have all of tomorrow with no interruptions to work on those - or, at least, that's the goal from this morning's point of view.

And then on Sunday, I will finish the first round of edits for a client.

Call of the Siren is the second book in the BryonySeries Limbo trilogy. I'm anticipating a late spring publication date, with gorgeous cover art by Nancy Calkins.

We plan to release Cornell Dyer and the Calcium Deficient Bones and Cornell Dyer and the "Mistical" Being very soon. Both Rebekah and our artist Sue Midlock have gone through health issues this past year, which has caused publication delays. But I'd rather have delays and healthy collaborators. Please send up good thoughts for them both.

Next up in the series: a Sherlock Holmes parody (the main character is Sherman Homes). Timothy is ready for a Cornell breakfast to share his ideas. He and I just need our time off schedules to sync. But that won't be this week as he is leaving this morning for a week-long business trip out of state. 

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 Baran 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. 

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.

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 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.

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

Silver Cross invites community to ‘celebrate new beginnings’ at its baby shower April 28: Proceeds will benefit its proposed neonatal intensive care unit 

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

Joliet university offering summer program for students interested in teaching careers: High school students who have completed their sophomore year may apply.

Troy teacher receives marriage proposal while reading online to her students: Ryan’s students wondered when Ryan’s boyfriend would propose. They soon found out.

D-86 in Joliet announces its students of the month for March: Students at 13 buildings were recognized 

Providence Catholic H.S. to host Hall of Fame Dinner on Friday: The New Lenox high school will induct 8 honorees into its Green & White Hall of Fame 

Mystery Diner: East-side Knights serve up some of the best fish in Joliet: Don’t like fish? Then try one of the Knights’ chicken dinners 

Lockport gallery seeks entries for 2022 photography competition: Entries for Gallery Seven’s Open Lens XII due by April 30

CITGO donates $5,000 to Silver Cross Hospital’s new NICU: The New Lenox hospital plans to open the level 3 neonatal intensive care unit this spring 

5 Things to do in Will County: Easter egg hunts for kids and adults, STEM Fest 2022: Plus, enjoy a British romantic farce at Joliet West H.S. and comedy and Dave Landau and Peppa Pig Live! at the Rialto in Joliet

Bolingbrook principal named 2022 Illinois Middle School Principal of the Year: Keith Wood: ‘I consistently promote a culture of high expectations where students are expected to learn and grow’ 

Registration open for NAMI’s BeActive 5K and Yoga Cool-down event on June 11: Main focus is to raise awareness of the importance of mental health

Illustration by Matt Coundiff for "Visage"

House on Haunted Hill (1959) VINCENT PRICE

The Titanic in under a minute by Chinpals

Perfect Timing

One common theme I often hear when I write my "An Extraordinary Life" features for The Herald-News is that the subject of the story "never complained" when fighting cancer or other devastating illnesses.

No one willl ever say that about me.

Nothing kicks up anxiety for me and for some of my children like illness. Maybe that's because we've been blessed/cursed with some of the most unusual maladies out there: pheochromocytoma, Steven Johnson Syndrome, refractory diseases.

For those of us who complain (I'm raising my hand over here), the complaining is not whining. The complaining serves as a reality check as to what is and is not typical and whether or not someone should act, whether the guard should go up or down.

Too much of the time, getting sick for us is not a simple thing. Too much of the time, going to the doctor is fraught with stress because the only reason we are seeking medical help is because we either couldn't figure out the issue or the issue is too great for us to fix on our own. Too much of the time, the doctor can't get it right on the first try, either.

Two weekends ago I worked. It was a quiet weekend and accomplished a lot. So I was really looking forward to tackling some fiction this weekend.

But on Friday, both Rebekah and I came down with some sort of viral bug.

So on Saturday, we did the responsible thing: we broke open our first home COVID test. Both test results were negative.

On Sunday, we did the next responsible thing: we went for PCR testing. We got the results back yesterday, actually immediately after I told my supervisor I was sick. Both results were negative.

This morning, we are starting to feel better. And the timing was perfect, really.

Daniel has wanted to carve some time out to watch The Haunting of Hill House. Well, since I didn't feel up to anything else, we blew through it this weekend. We're also halfway through The Haunting of Bly Manor. See what happens when you don't have the energy to work out or clean house?

On Sunday, I was starting to feel better and wound up finishing the last two chapters of Call of the Siren after all. Hurray! I'm on the right side of getting well.

But Sunday night, the virus showed its teeth and kept me up half the night.

On Sunday night, I fretted about a big project at work - which I finished on Monday.

On Sunday night, I fretted about some "life" things coming up that this virus might take out only to wake up at 4 a.m. and realize the virus was barely whimpering.

This morning, I'm feeling more assured that some bugs are simply some bugs, and we do get over most of them. The timing of this one was perfect, really, with COVID cases at an all-time low.

I'm a planner, and it's good to plan. I'd never get much accomplished without planning.

I also like protecting my health. I spent the first two decades of my life not feeling well most of the time. And my efforts at wellness have served me well for most of my adult life.

But when plans go sideways, it opens the door for other opportunities.

When the timing is perfect.

Illustration by Sue Midlock for "Cornell Dyer and the Flu"

Bits and Pieces

It's been a topsy turvy couple of weeks with all sorts of things going sideways (weekend shift, out-of-town family in town, illness, life and death-type emergencies: you know, the "life" stuff we all have).

So here's a quick recap of things happening in the BryonySeries world. The above statement explains why we're delayed.

1) Sue's Diner: Yes, I know we haven't posted a new recipe in two weeks. And we do have one to post. I have the photo. Rebekah has the recipe. The two just need to meet. Maybe tomorrow, even. But the old one is still up, if you haven't checked it out yet.

2) Updated calendar of activities: That's on my list for next weekend. In the meantime, all the old activities are still up (ignore the banner; that's Timothy being efficient).

3) New Cornell Dyer books: We have two ready to go. Rebekah doesn't the final production and she's been swamped. And Timothy has a third idea ready. He and I just need our schedules to sync up to work on it. In the meantime, you still have plenty of titles to read.

4) Call of the Siren: This is the second book in the BryonySeries Limbo trilogy. All of it, I'm happy to say, is written and fairly edited. However, it needs quite a bit of work on some of the minor characters and some nuanced editing that I've (sort of) invented, a first for me. Still, I'm happy with the progress as this book challenged me quite a bit.

5) In-Person Events: We've discussed doing more of these this year.

And that's it! I hope each and every one of you reading this is having a fantastic start to your day. :)