Author: gwencease

Why My Sister and I are Best Friends

/ gwencease / Leave a comment

Okay, so I’ve been MIA for quite a while and there are reasons really . . . really I swear. My part-time job became full-time which I am totally stoked about, but does require more of my time. I’m also blogging for the museum (where I work) now. More than that life has been . . . overwhelming to say the least. I was going to do some kind of fun light-hearted post about . . . something, but this week really hit home why my sister is my best friend and vice versa.

I’ll start by saying the last 3 years has sucked . . . out loud. And, yes this has everything to do with the title of this piece. Anyway, I’m a teacher that now has a job I looooooove!! The museum I work at is amazing, but 3 years ago I ended up in a school that made me hate teaching. Now, my friends will tell you, this wasn’t the case before. I loved to teach, I couldn’t wait to get to school each day, but the 2nd school I ended up in sucked the fun out of everything. To top is off, my dog Lucy (lab-rhodesian mix) got really sick. She was only 5 and I took her to every vet and specialist I could think of. Unfortunately, nothing worked. I came home from a horrible day at school to discover my dog has passed away while I wasn’t there.

I was devastated. Thankfully, my sister was there waiting for me. The first thing she did was hug me then she asked me what I wanted to do. I said, “Bury her.” I grabbed a shovel and started digging. My mom pulled my sister aside and said, “What are you going to do?” Her reply, “Get a shovel and help her.” Now I have to explain to you that Lucy wasn’t a small dog. She topped 100# easy so burying her was an enormous task, but my sister was right there with me.

To make a long horrible story, short and horrible over the next 3 years my mom shattered her hip and had to go into a rehab facility, my beautiful cat Fiona (who had been sick for nearly 2 years) died, I fell and broke my leg, my Mom died, and my aunt died. If all this wasn’t true I’m sure I’d be laughing by now, but no such luck. All of this leads me to the last month and a half.

My sister’s cat Saoirse (Maine coon calico) got really sick. My sister got her when she was a kitten and she helped my sister get through a divorce and 3 moves. She took her to the hospital where they admitted her and where she stayed for 5 days. After coming home, Saoirse really did act like she was feeling better. She was eating everything and drinking, but then the seizures started. Two days ago I got a phone call at 4:40 a.m., it was my sister and she was crying hysterically on the phone. You got it, Saoirse had had a massive seizure and died. I threw on clothes and raced over there where I picked both of them up and brought them both back to my house. My sister wanted to bury Saoirse right next to Lucy and that’s what we did. There I was at 5:15 on a Wednesday morning digging a grave in the dark of my back yard for my sister so we could bury her cat.

And this is why my sister and I are best friends. I hope for you, that you have a best friend that will go to the lengths that we go to for each other. And I swear, my next blog, will be funny.

–GC

NaNoNeNow . . . Na Nu Na Nu??

/ gwencease / 10 Comments
November is apparently the month in which to write a novel. I know, I know, you’re thinking but people write all the time. But it’s like OFFICIALLY the month. Somebody somewhere a billion years ago declared November the national month to write a book. It even has a spiffy sounding title, though for the life of me I can never remember what it is. The whole point of this is to write 50,000 words in a month. I’ve thought about doing it in the past, but never really got on the bandwagon. My reasons are endless, but the main one was I was a classroom teacher and didn’t have the time or energy to put into anything other than teaching. Now, though, I am a museum educator. I’m still a teacher, but don’t have all those pesky teacher things to deal with . . . say for instance, kids. So this year I could do this. I could, but wasn’t planning on it until the phone call.

Last night, my bestie Jessica Jarman called me and told me she was doing this novel in a month deal. The reason? A challenge . . . she was challenged by her daughters! Her thirteen year old tossed it out first and then the eleven year old joined the fray. Hello? Who wants to be whooped up on by two kids? The oldest asked if I was doing it and Jess asked me to join them. To sweeten the pot we decided to throw a reward out for the one who writes the most words. Each week we are donating money toward a Starbucks gift card to the person who writes the most. Oh, baby, I am there!!! I love Starbucks. I live for Starbucks. So who’s going to be writing a novel in a month? This girl is! Hell, I might even write 2, you never can tell with Starbucks as a motivator. So I will say may the best person win, but I already know it’s me. So I guess the
best person will win. Heh!

Inside Looking Out Part 4

/ gwencease / Leave a comment

Okay, so I was going to whine . . . I mean write all about how hard writing is. But I got sidetracked and decided to share with you that I lead a double life, a secret life. Mild mannered writer by day and by . . . ummm, other day I’m a spy. Yep, that’s right I am a spy. I know it’s unbelievable and pretty cool, but there you have it. And who you ask am I a spy for? Or should that be whom? Whatever, I am a spy for the Union and the Confederacy. I’m sure you’re wondering how the heck I ended up being a spy for two groups that haven’t really existed for 150 years. It’s all about the history museum. So we’re opening our new exhibit entitled Civil War: My Brother, My Enemy and I happened to be riding the elevator with one of our curators. She and I were talking and I told her if she needed help to let me know. That’s when she gave me my assignment: Be A Spy. I shrugged and said, “Sure.” Heh. We spies are cool like that.

She brought me two replica cypher wheels, one from the Confederacy and the other Union. My task was to create three messages for each one and then put them into code. I didn’t want them to be incredibly long since I knew visitors were going to try and break the code, but I didn’t want them to be super easy either. It took a good hour or so to come up with them and put them into code. I had one of the people I work with check them all to make sure they were right and whammo I had created 6 secret messages.

So, if you happen to come by the museum and run into those cypher wheels you can see what a writer/spy does during the day. You can also try your hand at decyphering them, but just know I’m watching you. You may not see me, but I can always see you. We spies are tricky like that.

–GC

Inside Looking Out Pt. 3

/ gwencease / Leave a comment
Have I mentioned that most of us working at the museum are total history geeks? Well if I haven’t, let me just say that we are. And we aren’t just your typical history geeks we’re . . .unique, unique history geeks. To illustrate this point, let me tell you about the “fight” that’s currently going on between some of my geeky co-workers. These people will of course remain anonymous to protect their identities, blah, blah, blah. For the sake of the story they shall be dubbed Jodi and Kelly, because those are sooooooo totally random names. Anyway, so Kelly, um wait . . . “Kelly”is one of the absolutely fabu curators that work here taking care of artifacts and creating exhibits. Jodi . . . sorry, “Jodi” is a really good friend and she’s also my boss in the education center.

To start out the story, the museum is currently prepping for an exhibit entitled Civil War: My Brother, My Enemy which opens in October. Part of the prep calls for the creation of text panels, which of course contain photos. One of the photos that’ll be used is of a man named Major John Davidson whose family lived here in Kentucky. Oh, his picture is to the left so you can get a look at him. Anyway, there’s a mock-up of the panel with him on it downstairs across the hall from the curators’ office. Next to his photo is a sticky note that reads something like “Back up off him you Ho. He’s my man.” This was written by Kelly . . . wait “Kelly,” apparently in answer to some email that had been sent claiming ownership of said man. Next to the sticky note is another one in the shape of a heart that reads “J.L. + J.D. = True Love.” Who, you ask, rendered this scathing reply to the Ho note? Jodi . . . “Jodi” of course. Under all that, is another sticky note that reads: “He doesn’t want either one of you. He loves me. M” I’m sure you are wondering who the mysterious M is. It’s another person who works in the exhibits area named Monty . . . wait “Monty” who figured he might as well jump in and add his dog to the fight, as it were. Now “Monty” is married with a baby daughter, but that never stopped a history geek before right??
Personally, I think he’s handsome, but not worth all the carrying on and threats. And, truly, my man could whoop him any day of the week. To top it off, he is a much higher rank that a mere major. Finally, he truly is desperately in love with me. So notes of congratulation can be sent to me and General Ulysses Grant (left) at my email addy. I’ll certainly keep you all apprised of our budding romance and how the “Ho” fight eventually ends.
–GC

Hysterical Paroxysm or Hell to the Yeah!!!!

/ gwencease / Leave a comment

So I’m sitting here watching this show called Curiosity on the Science Channel. Because, as you know, I am wildly interested in furthering my knowledge on any subject. Additionally, I am a life-long learner, as it were. Okay, whatever, I also waste a ton of time when I should be writing. I’m the queen at finding other things to do other than write. But this is totally research, I swear. The show I am now watching is all about the orgasm. See . . . I’m an author of erotic romance so I’m gaining knowledge to use in my books.

I discovered that there is a museum in New York that contains the very first vibrators. These came about because doctors decided that women needed a “hysterical paroxysm” to keep them healthy. So women would go to the doctor to receive one of these. *snicker* Because it got hard . . . I mean difficult for these doctors to get all these women off so vibrators were developed to make it easier to give women the paroxysms quickly. Can you imagine? Going to the doctor’s office to pay a doctor to give you an orgasm?? Soon though these handy-dandy machines were being offered in catalogs like Sears.

Anyway, out of this entire hour it comes down *giggle* to it just feeling good and being good for you. Really? It took a bunch of scientists and even more money to come up with this conclusion? Hell, I could have told them that and they wouldn’t even have to pay me that much. I mean, look at how well romance novels sell. Who wants to read about a woman who never has an orgasm? Or whose love life is so boring you’d just prefer to eat a bowl of ice cream? Yeah, me neither. We want . . . no we need to read about people having mind-blowing sex usually contained within a relationship. So, hell yeah it’s good for us.

But I think this shows us that sex, for women, is all in the mind. In fact, there was a woman in the show who thought herself to orgasm. She didn’t touch herself or use a vibrator, nothing, she just thought it. Wow, can you imagine doing that? Sitting on the bus or at our desk and whammo we have an orgasm. Hmmm, now that is a good way to spend some time.

Inside Looking Out Pt 2

/ gwencease / 1 Comment
Okay, so I’m back again to talk about my totally cool job at The Frazier History Museum. One of the coolest things about the museum are the tableaux that you can find all throughout the floors. I’m sure you are asking about now, “Gwen, what is a tableau?” And I am here to tell you that they are life-like figures that represent moments in history. Such as the one to the left, which represents the Battle of Towton. They are made from fiberglass, but let me tell you if you couldn’t touch them (which you can’t cause you don’t work here) you’d think they were real. 🙂
I often get children that come up and tell me the figures move. My first response is the pat thing about not having a cool Egyptian tablet like Night at the Museum so they can’t move. They are fake, blah, blah, blah. But sometimes I get those persistent kids that listen, somewhat impatiently, to this line of bull and still tell me the figures moved. One kid told me that a figure winked at him even after I explained that there was no way since the figures are not alive. When he still kept tell me it winked, I of course did the totally adult things and said, “Well did you wink back?” He thought briefly and said, “No.” My reply, “Well next time just wink. He gets bored and likes to make friends.” He’s satisfied, I’m satisfied, life moves on.
So the next time you go into a museum and find they have tableaux. Wink at them. They get lonely and just want to be noticed.

Inside Looking Out

/ gwencease / 1 Comment
By the title of this post you might think I’m going to talk about how I spent my time in the big house, the pokie, the . . . ummm, whatever else people call prison. Yeah, but I’m not because I got nothing for you on that score. But what I can talk about, at great length is what it’s like to work in a museum.
When I’m not churning out tales of erotic romance I am an educator at a history museum, which has got to be one of the coolest jobs ever! The museum contains artifacts that date back to the Bronze Age (3000 BCE) and all the way up to the early 20th Century. This makes for a huge mish-mash of knowledge and fun facts I have stored up in my brain. I can’t always access those facts, but they’re there all the same. I swear! Or as the older people say around here, “I swanee!”
Anyway, Our newest artifact on display is the 18th Century Samurai armor (pictured left). This is ten kinds of cool and what’s even cooler? I got to touch it!!!! One of the curators offered me a glove so I could actually handle this amazing piece of history. What girl would turn that down? Yeah, nobody I know. So I touched. *g* Now I’ve got ideas for a book churning in my head. What else would a writer who works in a museum do, but come up with stories to go along with this stuff? That’s the beauty of working here. I never feel as if I’m “wasting” time when I could be writing since my mind is going constantly.
I am someone who can truly say that I love my job!

Resolutions!

/ gwencease / 1 Comment

Hmmm, can one make resolutions in August? Ah well I never claimed to be a normal citizen so I’m walking my own walk and making my resolutions now. I guess I feel it’s time to get up and get moving. My Mom died a year ago in July and to say this past year has been difficult is putting it mildly. A list of my accomplishments for the year is sad at best. I gained 25 pounds (yah Gwen O_o), started 6 books, but didn’t finish any and the only exercise I got was walking to the refrigerator. *sigh* Not anything to be proud of, that’s for sure. Last Thursday, August 2nd, is when I decided enough is enough. I am now exercising. I’ve done Tae Bo almost everyday, gave up all soft drinks, and am eating better. This Wednesday I am flying to Philadelphia to attend the Authors After Dark Conference where I will meet up with my writing partner in crime, Jessica Jarman. Together we are going to jump into writing and get moving. I have other things I want to accomplish this year, but so far I am pretty happy with the path I’m on.

Congrats!!!!!!!!

/ gwencease / 1 Comment
GRAND PRIZE WINNER
Erin Cavin
2nd PRIZE
Theresa Angelosanto

3rd PRIZE
Tracey D

Congratulations!!

We’d like to thank everyone who entered. We were thrilled at the response and are so excited. The above winners will be contacted via email and will need to respond to Jessica (jessica@jessicajarman.com) within three (3) days to claim their prize, otherwise a new winner will be chosen.
Congratulations to all the winners!
Jessica, Devon, Bronwyn, Gwendolyn, Kris and Suzanne