Gwendolyn Cease's Blog, page 12

JULY FLASH FICTION - BASED ON A PIC

Hey! Welcome to our picture flash fiction for July. I totally missed last month due to my birthday and working so I'm back stronger than ever this month. Or, at least, I hope I am. Anyway, here's the pic and the story I wrote to go along with it. Hope you enjoy.


Yep, she had obviously overdressed for the destination. The note Cameron sent had given her directions to their date spot. The ass hadn’t mentioned there would be walking. Walking, hell. Hiking. There was going to be hiking involved. She laid her head on the steering wheel and thought briefly about leaving. She didn’t need this shit, not after the totally crap day she’d had. Brushing her hand over the soft material of her dress, she stared down at her high-heels and sighed. Anna opened the car door and slipped the shoes off. If she stepped on a bee or broken glass, she was done. Done with everything. Climbing out, she locked the door behind her and started along the path holding her pretty shoes. The dirt path was hard and cool beneath her bare feet as tall grass swayed around her. Birds sang as butterflies flitted about and, against her will, Anna begin to relax. The breeze was fresh and smelled sweet as the trees moved in languid patterns. Pausing, she closed her eyes and turned her face up to the sky. The sun warmed her skin and stretched out her arms. Okay, maybe this wasn’t such a bad idea after all.Her steps were lighter as she made her way down the path. She brushed her hand over the tall stalks of grass and the feathery texture tickled her palm. Cresting a small hill, she spied a small canopy under a wide tree. Could that really be the date spot? She checked the note and Cam’s bold scrawl met her eyes telling her she couldn’t miss the spot. Smiling, she moved down the hill. Her boyfriend of two years wasn’t known for romantic gestures. He was calm and steady. When they’d first started dating, some people she knew had seemed confused by their paring. Sure, he was handsome, but he was boring, dull, and other words that she’d gotten tired of hearing. So, she’d done the smart thing, and dumped those supposed friends. Of course, he wasn’t like her past boyfriends. They had been BOYS, not a man. Anna had come to that realization during their first date. She loved how he’d treated her, spoke to her, listened to her. “Cameron,” she called, as she approached.    He stepped out into the open and smiled. She slowed just so she could look at him. Blond hair lifting in the soft breeze, clear blue eyes, and a killer smile. Altogether, his features made a handsome package, but it was more than that. He was funny, smart, steady, and totally dependable. He’s always kept his promises and never made a promise he knew he couldn’t keep. “You look beautiful,” he said, leaning down to kiss her. Leading her into the tent, she found a thick blanket spread on the ground. He helped her sit and poured her a glass of wine. Sitting beside her, he picked up his glass, and touched it to her own.“Are you surprised?” he asked.“Yes, this is wonderful. Okay, I have to admit I wasn’t happy when I first got here and realized I had to hike.”He laughed. “Did you curse me?”“A little,” she said, leaning over to kiss his cheek. “Now, I’m here, I love it.”He took her lips in a deep kiss and she sighed into his mouth. She loved kissing Cameron. His kisses were slow and thorough, which always made her toes curl. He slid a hand under her hair and cupped her neck as he deepened the kiss. Pulling back, he watched her with serious eyes. Anna traced his lips with a finger and he shivered. Another thing they had was chemistry, hot combustible chemistry. No matter what they did, she was always satisfied at the end. He made sure of it. Anna felt a low pull in her belly and knew she was wet just thinking about the things they did together. He put his glass down. “I was going to wait, but I can’t.”Her brow wrinkled. “What’s wrong?”“Nothing,” he smiled. “In fact, everything is right. I love you.”“I love you too.” She kissed him again.“Marry me?” She blinked, not sure she’d heard him right. “What?”“Marry me? I want us to belong to one another. Live together. Travel together. Get a cat together. I love you Anna. I know I might not be the person you imagined being with for the rest of your life—”Tears gathered in her eyes as she placed a finger over his lips, cutting him off. “You’re right, you’re not the person I imagined, because there was no way I could see someone so amazing. I love you so much. Yes, I’ll marry you.”
Cameron pulled her close and kissed her. Anna swore she would never forget this incredibly perfect day. 

Now run over and check out what the other ladies have written.

Jessica
Bronwyn
Kris
Kellie
Jessica D
Paige
Kayleigh

See you all on Wednesday! -- Gwen

FAVORITE THINGS: MUSIC (ARTISTS/GROUPS)

Hello! Welcome once again to the randomness that is the Wednesday blog. Here's the hot guy of the day:




Today we're chatting about our favorite musical artists. Jeez Louise, I have a huge list since I love music. Always have. I can't ever remember a time when there wasn't music going at our house. My parents were both older so my sis and I grew up listening to music from the 40s through the 60s. Mostly it was on 78 records (that was the speed in which you played them), but Mom also had regular albums and little 45s. Once I got old enough I started collecting my own music. 

Okay, so these are in no particular order. But here's a list of my favorite musical artists/groups.

1. Led Zeppelin - I've loved them since I was a kid. Of course, when they came to my city I was way too little to go see them. Mom wouldn't have even imagined taking me to see a show. *sigh* So, I listen to CDs and watch my DVDs and just pretend. 



2. Disturbed - I discovered them when I heard Down with the Sickness on the radio. I have all their CDs and I'm so excited since they are finally coming out with a new CD in August. 





3. Katy Perry - I always smile when I hear her songs. They always have such a good beat. My fav is Dark Horse and the video is really cool too.





4. Taylor Swift - yeah I know, but I love the song Shake it Off. Such an awesome beat and so danceable. Plus, it's kind of my anthem now. Anytime something shitty happens I just think shake it off. Then the song pops into my head and I smile. 

5. Jessie J - I heard Bang, Bang on the radio and loved it so I went looking for other songs. I found Burnin' Up and discovered one of my new fav songs. 



6. Elvis - he was my Mom's favorite and I love him. We grew up listening to his music and I can't tell you how many of his songs are on my MP3 player. 

7. Nine Inch Nails - ahhh, Trent Resnor never fails me. I loved to dance to NIN music when I went to the clubs and saw him in concert on the Downward Spiral tour. So much awesome. And so much strangeness.



8. Enya - yeah, I know, but I love her. And I'm sure you're wondering what the hell, Gwen, but I have all her CDs. Her music is so soothing. And she has an amazing voice. 

9. Tori Amos - I have most of her older stuff. My fav CD was Boys for Pele. I could listen to it over and over. I saw her in concert and she is amazing.




I'm sure I could keep going and going like the Energizer Bunny, but I'll stop now. I currently have over over 1000 songs on my Mp3 player and they are all my very favorite songs . . . right now. So, I will let you run and check out who the other girls are loving (I predict Norris is going to say Nickelback). Maybe you can collect some new music.

If you have any suggestions for me to try, just drop them down in the comments. 

Jessica
Bronwyn
Kris
Jessica D
Kayleigh


See you all next week!! -- Gwen

5 WORDS OR LESS: MY WIP, MY CHARACTERS, MY SETTING, MY CONFLICT

Well, it's Wednesday again, which means it's time for Randomness! And it's also time for the hot guy of the week



Wow, so this week we're describing our current WIP (work in progress) in 5 words. The book I'm working on is called Entangled (used to be Soul Bond) and is a MMF.

WIP - Vampires, Menage, Action, Hot, Mystery

Characters - Dangerous, Sexy, Smart, Conflicted, Solitary

Setting - Urban, Vampire Enclave, 

Conflict - Kidnapping, Murder, Vampires/Human menage

There it is. I keep saying I'm half way through, but I'm rewriting a piece I started on ages ago and so much has changed with it I should have scraped it and started fresh. For every thousand words I write, I delete another thousand. 

I figure I'll be finished eventually. Now run out and check out what the other ladies have to say.

Jessica
Bronwyn
Kris
Kellie
Jessica D
Paige

See you all next week! -- Gwen

WHEN I'M STRESSED I RELAX BY . . . .

Hello and welcome to the incredible thing that is the Randomness of Wednesday. Today our topic is all about combating stress. Oh first let me fill your life with awesome. 


Yeah, if looking at him doesn't relax someone, I don't know what will.

Anyway, I have a variety of things I do to cope with stress. The biggie is reading. I love to read and, as time has gone by, I've found more and more genres I like. I especially love nonfiction books and can read two or more of these at the same time. History, science, and social science are some of my favorite topics, also the quirkier the better.

Right now I'm reading a few books. One is called My Planet by Mary Roach (she's awesome and funny). Another is called The Invention of Murder: How the Victorians Revelled in Death and Detection and Created Modern Crime by Judith Flanders (Yes I swear that's the title). The Unleashing by Shelly Laurenston (an author that makes me laugh out loud)

I'm also a knitter. This gives my hands something to do when I'm watching TV. I hate sitting through commercials. If something is really bothering me I'll read through the commercials because I don't like to give myself time to worry and worry and worry. It's useless and often doesn't solve anything. If I can't read because my mind is running a million miles an hour I love to do word search puzzles. I have a big book of them and will drag them around with me from room to room.

Another relaxing thing is computer games. I like hidden object games and also match 3 deals. I have a couple of them on my computer I can open up whenever the need hits. When I'm doing this I'll either listen to music or a book on my MP3 player. I love listening to audio books. Right now it's Nalini Singh's Psy/Changeling series I'm going through. 


If everything else fails, I go out for a drive.  I don't go huge distances, usually to the Starbucks about 20 minutes away, but a drive will help clear my head. Plus, the yummy coffee drink doesn't hurt either. 

One thing I never, ever do is go to places such as Target. Stress will make me fill up my cart with stupid stuff that I don't need and I'll roll out with a huge bill. Nope, been there, done that and don't want to go back. So shopping isn't an option. 

I also don't craft when I'm stressed. I need to be able to concentrate when I'm doing something like making jewelry. I've discovered stress and concentration do not go together. Though, I will go through Pinterest to look for crafting ideas. Right now, I'm planning for Halloween. I know, don't judge, so I'm looking around for decoration ideas.

Now run over and check out what the other girls do to alleviate stress.

Jessica
Bronwyn
Kris
Kellie
Jessica D


See you all next week! -- Gwen

THE DUGGAR SITUATION AND CHILD MOLESTATION

I've been following this whole Duggar situation. Not as if I consciously want to, but it's there, in my face, day in and day out. I've really tried to ignore it, but I just can't anymore. Not when assinine people comment shit like "he was just a kid" and "he's really sorry" and "it happened so long ago" and my favorite "well he just touched them over their clothes, while they were sleeping."

My response to all of this is Really Fucktards?? Really?? So because he was "just" a kid -- he was 15 -- what he did was okay? And that it happened "so long ago" it should be ignored? So "he's really sorry" . . . that and a nickle will get you shit. And finally "he just touched them over their clothes, while they were sleeping" is another excuse in a long line of excuses.

As a survivor of childhood sexual abuse by someone who was considered "just a kid" I am furious! My molester was 11 . . . did you catch that . . . HE WAS 11 and I was 6. So are you going to stand there and tell me what happened to me wasn't abuse because he wasn't "old enough"? Or, it was just experimentation?? No, no it wasn't. He touched, fondled, and tried sexual penetration. Once again, he was 11 . . . so does that make what he did okay?? 

Josh Duggar is a child molester, sexual predator, pedophile. It doesn't matter what age he was. He didn't perpetrate once or twice, hell no, it was more like 5 or more times that we know of. He just kept doing it over and over. People like this don't stop. They can't. It's something hard-wired into them. 

The recidivism rate for child molesters is extremely high. They are 4 times more likely to reoffend. 4 TIMES! No one got Duggar any help what-so-ever, his family, like most swept it under the rug and closed ranks. It happened in my family. Once again, sexual predators don't stop. It would be like asking a lion or tiger not to hunt. It's never going to happen.

So, they've closed ranks and protected their precious son. You can't tell me he didn't continue to offend. It's not possible. As I've said, people like this don't just stop. He molested little kids and he'll continue to do it. He had a clear field because they will protect and hide him. I feel so, so horrible for his children and the other children he has contact with. 

I only hope his victims actually come forward. You know his sisters won't, since they've been brain-washed into the whole idea that either it was their fault or what happened wasn't a big deal. Hell they were on TV defending him. 

Oh and another thing. People are acting as if the release of this information is the big bad in this whole situation. As if, releasing the information is worse than sexually molesting children. NOT! Yeah, there's such a thing as the freedom of information act. The magazine requested the information and it was given to them. The case wasn't sealed. It was out there for everyone to find. 

*taking a deep breath* I understand that everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion, but when the opinion is so fucking stupid you need to shut up. Sexual abuse isn't a life experience someone just get's over. It leaves a mark. It changes you in ways you can't even understand unless you've lived through it. Sexual abuse shapes your whole entire life and you may go through tons of therapy and move beyond the event, but it's always there. Waiting. It only takes one thing to trigger a memory and you're right back there again. Then you're working to claw your way back out again. To be okay again. 

I know the abuse shaped my life. Made me who I am. In the beginning, I often wondered who I would have turned out to be if my cousin wouldn't have existed. After a while, I realized it was a useless exercise and all it did was make me angry. So I had to put it and whoever I would have been away. She doesn't exist. I'm here and I'm all I have to work with. 

I just cross my fingers and hope all of Duggar's victims can heal and move beyond. As for him, I hope he rots in a jail cell where he belongs. Oh and his daddy needs to go with him since he's the king of the family and makes the decisions. 

Angry? You better fucking believe I'm angry. I doubt I'll ever get beyond that emotion when I hear stories like this. The sad thing is until we, as a society, quit protecting predators and take responsibility to instead protect our children we'll continue to hear stories like this. I just hope that people gain more understanding instead of shooting their mouths off about stuff they can't begin to relate to. 

FAVORITE THINGS: QUOTES

Happy Gwensday! I wish I could tell you I have some deep, indepth quotes to toss your way. Words that would totally change your life, make you think, or amaze your brain. Yeah, I don't have any of those. I do have a hunky man pic, though.


And, now, onto my favorite quotes.







And, there you have it!! Now run over and check out what everyone else loves. I'm sure they'll be more inspiring than mine. LOL!!

Jessica
Bronwyn
Kris
Kellie
Jessica D
Kayleigh
Paige

See you all next week!! -- Gwen

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY - A WEEK IN PICTURES

Hello and welcome to a week in pictures. Yeah, yeah, it's supposed to be wordless, but whatevs. I cannot NOT say anything. Thankfully, we did stuff this past weekend so the images aren't all kitten pics. You're so lucky. Enjoy!!















Now run over and check out what the other Blogger Girlz did this week. I bet they were way more exciting.

Jessica
Bronwyn
Kris
Kellie
Jessica D


See you all next week!! -- Gwen

THE HARDEST THING I'VE EVER WRITTEN

When I first saw this post idea I thought everything I write. LOL! Because at some point every single book is a struggle in its own way. Maybe the characters aren't doing what I want or I'm doing massive rewrites, but something happens to make me think, "Gah, it should be easier than this."

On further and deeper thought though, the books aren't the hardest thing I've ever written. Because ultimately the books bring me joy and I hope they do the same to the people who read them. Nope the hardest thing I ever wrote was a letter.

*okay so here's your trigger warning. I'm going to talk about an abuse situation. so if this is something you can't read then I'm so sorry.*

Here's a hot guy pic for you to look at then you can go to Jessica's blog post. Ohhhh look he's a Spartan warrior. Yippy!





If you stayed with me, I was sexually molested when I was a child. 
An older cousin is the perpetrator, which I think makes it harder. He was, what most people would term a child, but he molested me.

Anyway, after about a blue billion years of therapy I finally found an awesome therapist. She was so amazing and with her I could get my life back on track. One day she suggested I confront him. This was so terrifying for me, but I agreed. She suggested I write him a letter and that's what I did. I wrote him to let him know that I knew what he'd done, it wasn't my fault, and I was giving it back to him to carry since I'd been dragging this weight around all my life.

I still remember mailing the letter. I was terrified and almost went and got it, but my friend Jennifer wouldn't let me. So that letter went out. I didn't know if he'd get it or read it, but that one act made me feel better.

When I was a kid four of my dad's siblings lived side-by-side. This older cousin lived in one of the houses. So, about two weeks after sending the letter, I got out of my car after I got home from work and looked down the street and who did I see getting out of a car? Yep, it was him. He turned and we looked at each other and I'll never forget it, but he ran. He ran from me. Left his car door open and a kid strapped in the car seat, while he ran for his mom's house. I realized right then that he's nothing but a coward. 

I've seen him since and every time he dodges me. That's good. Because he's carrying the guilt now because I won't ever do it again.

Now you can check out what the other Blogger Girlz have to say. Oh and if you have a comment, question or whatever just drop it down in the section.

Jessica
Bronwyn
Kris
Jessica D
Kellie

See you all next week! -- Gwen

MAY SONG FLASH FICTION

The song this month is "Family" by Noah Gunderson. If you're interested here's the video.




Noah stood with his hands in his pockets staring at his older brother. How did things get so fucked up? Noah thought Dan had it all figured out. He’d gone to college, graduated top of his class and was working as an accountant for a big company. The last time they’d spoken, Dan had talked about how great his life was and how he was so glad, he’d gotten out. He wanted Noah to do the same, but sitting around in a business suit just wasn’t what he wanted to do. And now it didn’t matter.Tilly staggered up to stand next to Noah. “Look at him. He was so desperate to get away and he didn’t end up any better than the rest of us.”Shit, he could smell the liquor on her. “What are you doing here?” He didn’t look at her. He knew if he did, he’d say stuff he couldn’t take back.“He’s my son and I have a right—”“Right,” he whispered, “you have a right? Great, so what, you decided to show up to his funeral drunk? You couldn’t even manage to stay sober long enough to come and pay your respects.”“I’m grieving.”“The only thing you’re grieving is your lost pay check.” He spun on her and forced her back. “I know Dan sent you money every month so you could take care of your children. Instead, what do you do? You drink it and drug it away. So don’t come here and start talking about rights and grieving. You don’t know what that means.”“I’m your mother—” “You’re nothing to me.” A large hand landed on Noah’s shoulder and he took a deep shuddering breath. Callan Monroe, Dan’s best friend, leaned in. “Is everything okay?”“Fine,” Noah said, stiffly, “she was just leaving.”Tilly smiled at Callan. “Well hello, who are you?”Noah looked away in embarrassment. Shit, the bitch was going to flirt with someone at her own son’s funeral. Adopted, he told himself, they all had to be adopted. There was no way this woman gave birth to them. He almost started laughing since it was something he’d told Dan all the time when he was a kid. Tilly had kidnapped them from their real parents and one day they’d find them and take them home. Dan had always laughed, but Noah hadn’t been joking. Not really. Deep down, he always hoped someone would come and rescue them.“Stay here,” Callan murmured, as he escorted Tilly away.Noah closed his eyes and leaned against the wall. He didn’t know what he would have done without Callan. When the police had come to notify Noah of his brother’s death, he’d fallen apart. He was barely twenty-two and struggled to take care of himself and his younger half-siblings. The only positive in the world had been Dan. Dan, the big brother who'd sent him money, so he could take care of himself and his younger brothers. Because he’d known their egg donor wouldn’t use it to take care of them. Callan had shown up to offer his condolences and let Noah know he was Dan’s sole beneficiary. Thankfully, the man had ended up helping Noah make the million decisions a sudden death demanded. Tomorrow was the funeral, then they were going to Dan’s house to go through his things. After that, Noah would be alone. Callan would go back to his life. And the last link to Dan and normal life would disappear. Callan stepped up to him. “She’s gone.”“Sorry.”The older man put his arm around Callan’s shoulder. “Don’t apologize for something that’s beyond your control.”Noah nodded. “Right. Okay.”Callan studied him. “Let’s get out of here. Before you say anything, Dan would be the first one to tell you to take care of yourself. Staying here isn’t doing that. Besides, he’d not here.”Noah looked toward his brother’s casket and blinked away tears. He was right. That wasn’t Dan. No matter how long Noah stayed, it wouldn’t become Dan again. Fuck, he just never imagined it would turn out this way. Dan was the one who should have lived. He had so much promise and so many plans. “Noah,” Callan spoke softly, “let’s go. We’ll go back to my place and you can crash.”
He nodded and let Callan steer him out of the room.

Now run over and check out the other stories.

Jessica
Bronwyn
Kris

THE LIE AMONG THE TRUTHS

This past Wednesday we did three truths and a lie. If you remember my stories were about growing up in the catholic schools, dancing on a bar in New Orleans, riding roller coasters, and hiking through a Mexican jungle.

The lie was *drum roll please* The evil roller coaster!! I hate roller coasters. They scare the stew out of me. I couldn't ride one once, much less multiple times. So, if you guessed that one, go you!!

I did go to catholic schools up through and including college. The reason, I got a full time job at the college and part of my benefits were 2 free classes a semester. I was so not turning that down. I got my undergrad in Liberal Studies for free and half off my Masters tuition.

I did dance on a bar in New Orleans. LOL! Like I said, our bartender was hot and had an awesome Cajun accent. Who am I to turn that down? Besides, free drinks!!

And yep, hiked through the Mexican jungle. So flipping hot. It was like 98 degrees and a billion percent humidity. The more I walked the more I thought, I have to get something out of this. So I wrote the opening scene to Quest for Fire using the experience. The book is no longer available, but it's in the pile to be rewritten. When it is, I'll let you know.

See you all on Monday for Flash Fiction based on a song!!

Gwen