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Jillian Duchnowski

Born:
Connection to Illinois: Duchnowski lives in Bloomington.

Biography: Jillian Duchnowski never received her letter to Hogwarts, but she still believes in magic. These days, coffee is her pixie dust and a somewhat outdated and beat-up laptop is her trusty wand. She's built a career out of observation, often seeing what others don't see, from inside city halls and courtrooms as a journalist to fairies and dancing statues during a walk through an estate garden. In her latest work, she hopes to spark children's imaginations while growing their vocabularies and their appreciations for one of the gems of Central Illinois.


Awards:

Primary Literary Genre(s): Fiction; Non-Fiction

Primary Audience(s): Adult readers; Children

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillianduch/
WorldCat: http://www.worldcat.org/search?q=Jillian++Duchnowski


Selected Titles

The Lost Fairy of Allerton (Cassidy's Illinois Adventures)
ISBN: 1734906332 OCLC: 1351439386

BlackJack Wordsmithing & Publishing 2023

Cassidy is bored. Very bored. None of Mommy’s and Daddy’s ideas sound fun, certainly not taking a walk in an elaborate park full of art and colorful flowers. When no one else is looking, though, Cassidy spies a fluttering fairy peeking out from an evergreen hedge. Can Dayana help Cassidy see all the beauty and excitement around her? This fairy tale is set in the beautiful Allerton Park & Retreat Center in Central Illinois. It will spark the imaginations of children and young readers age 4-8.

The Traveling Mermaids of Starved Rock (Cassidy's Illinois Adventures)
ISBN: 1734906359 OCLC: 1390651738

BlackJack Wordsmithing & Publishing 2023

Mommy is excited to talk with an old friend she bumps into during a hike at Starved Rock State Park, but it just reminds Cassidy that she will have to leave her friends when she starts a new school in the fall. The more she walks, though, the more she’s entranced by the park’s natural beauty. When she peers into the pool at the bottom of a rushing waterfall, she finds more than she ever expected. This magical tale is part social-emotional learning, part tribute to Starved Rock State Park, and part mermaid fun. The last few pages offer some history of the state park, as well as photographs of places readers can actually visit!

Yorkville (Images of America)
ISBN: 1531670504 OCLC:

Arcadia Publishing Library Editions 2014

Yorkville's population has boomed in recent decades, but its most defining landmarks today would be familiar to its earliest settlers. Earl Adams built the area's first log cabin in 1833, near the prominent hill that is the site of Kendall County's historic courthouse, which early residents fought to rebuild after a devastating fire in 1887. Similarly, the Fox River and Blackberry Creek supported the community's early commerce, from the sawmill John Schneider built in the 1830s to the state's only man-made white-water course. Yorkville often fostered leaders who believed in making big contributions. Dennis Hastert, the longest-serving Republican speaker of the US House of Representatives, taught sociology, economics, and speech at Yorkville High School from 1965 to 1980. Glen D. Palmer oversaw the state's first game farm before serving as the state's conservation director from 1953 to 1961. Robert Mitchler, a Navy veteran who served as a state senator from 1964 to 1981, flew a large American flag day and night in his front yard off of Route 34.

 

 

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