My First "Bryony" Photo Shoot!

Ah, children! Boy, do they keep you humble.

My seventeen-year-old daughter Rebekah accompanied me yesterday to the P. Seth Magosky Museum of Victorian Life in Joliet where a photographer from the Morris Daily Herald took pictures of me in Victorian dress and on the location where we shot the Bryony trailer and music video.

While I changed in a cold upstairs bedroom from my nice warm jeans into a cold satin gown and tied on my tulle-filled bustle, I graciously accepted Rebekah's well-meaning comments of, "You don't look bad for fifty," and "How could you do this without me?"

To prove her point, Rebekah clasped my borrowed jewelry around my neck and balanced my hat atop my head. Next came the hard part: descending the polished wood stairs in a pair of slippery-soled shoes. Pat Magosky, museum curator, stood at the bottom, shaking his head and laughing at my careful, halting steps.

"If I fall down and break my neck," I told him, "I promise to haunt your house forever."

Pat's wife Andrea Magosky entertained us with stories of Joliet's past until the photographer arrived. Then the real fun began. The photographer decided that, for the first picture, she would position me on a small couch near the grand piano. That's when I heard the soft giggle.

"Stop laughing," I warned Rebekah.

The photographer draped my skirts "just so," which elicited another muffled snicker from Rebekah and additional chastisement from me. We repeated that routine several times.

"My kids aren't used to seeing this side of me," I said.

The photographer smiled in understanding.

Next, the photographer snapped a few pictures of me standing between my "Bryony" displays. Rebekah chuckled, then clapped her hand over her mouth.

"Do I have something taped to my back?" the photographer said looking around her.

I glared at Rebekah.

"Since it's such a key part of the story, let's take a few at the piano," the photographer said.

I sat on the bench and placed curved finges over the keys (Note to self: Have James show me a real chord or two for future shoots). Rebekah fled from the room, laughing, laughing, laughing.

The photographer smiled too and good-naturedly finished up with some additional shots of me on the couch.

"I don't take very good pictures," I said.

"These are fine," she replied, still smiling and snapping away.

She selected two interior "Bryony" illustratons and asked me to email them to her, along with the cover and "Bryony" logo. I thanked the photographer for her time, as well as her patience with the peanut gallery. The photographer, who doesn't have children, graciously dismissed it.

Back upstairs, while I switched back into street clothes and Rebekah repacked my costume, we wondered how messy the warehouse might be on a Monday and whether or not any recycling boxes had arrived. I mentally reviewed the story I would finish writing while she worked and hoped I had brought the right notes.

"Did you pack my flash drive?" I asked.

Rebekah shook her head in mock exasperation. "What would you do without me?"

We had returned to common ground.

Cold or Allergies? Dulcinea Might Have Been Right.

Before dawn on Saturday, my publicist, Dulcinea Hawksworth, called me for an impromptu VampFest meeting. I had woken up congested, which, because I have asthma, food and seaonal allergies, and chronic hives, I attributed to something suspicious in the pizza I had eaten the previous night.

"Sounds like you've got a cold," Dulcinea said.

Forgetting also I have major throat and soft palate itching at a cold's onset, too, I insisted, "No, it's allergies."

I grew more tired as the day lengthened, and I muddled through just half of the work I had reserved for my Saturday. Far too soon, I weakly waved the white flag, showered, and went to bed, confident that an "early to bed" would mean an extra-early rising, which should be plenty of time to complete the tasks I had forsaken.

I awakened nine hours later to a sore throat and general body aches. I chastised my weakness as I fed the cats and made the coffee, and I find myself doing the same psyche-kicking this morning.

As usual, I have a full week planned, but less than a fraction of energy to accomplish it, although I'm cheering inside that my first deadline of the day has been successfully met. Well, it's early.

Today on the list: a church anniversary story to complete and follow-up phone calls for stories regarding a local sound artist, student ambassadors, parent coaching, and concussion treatment.

But first, I will pack up my "Bryony" displays, costume, makeup, and jewelry, then head over to the P. Seth Magosky Museum of Victorian Life in Joliet, where we shot the "Bryony" trailer and music video.

A digression: We are releasing the trailer on Wednesday, hurray!

At the mansion, a photographer from the Morris Herald will be taking a few pictures for an October 11 "Bryony" story. Then it's off to the warehouse, along with Rebekah and my backpack, for cleaning and writing.

Hoping the coffee kicks in soon!

Bryony Pre-Event, September 11....

....1-4 p.m., the P. Seth Magosky Museum of Victorian Life, 206 N. Broadway Street, Joliet.

Highlights:

* Tours of mansion, which is the historic Hiram B. Scutt home and the setting of the soon-to-be-released Bryony book trailer and music video. (Interesting trivia: Scutt built his mansion in 1882, just 10 years before John Simons built his in Munsonville).

* James Onohan, Bryony's pianist and composer, will perform his music on a vintage grand piano.

* The author, in full Victorian costume, will discuss the upcoming novel, "Bryony," its companion cookbook, "Memories in the Kitchen: Bites and Nibbles from 'Bryony,'" and answer questions.

* Displays, slide show, and more.

Admission is $10. Proceeds benefit the mansion's restoration. For more information, call 815-723-3052.

So, what's up with "Bryony?"

Hopefully, a book by October 14!!!

That's the date of "Vamp Fest: Travel Through Time With 'Bryony,'" a Bryony-themed fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Will and Grundy Counties.

The event runs from 6 to 11 p.m. at Harwood Post, 705 S. Larkin Avenue, Joliet and includes "bites and nibbles" from our cookbook (also a fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters), Bryony-themed vendors, a silent auction, 50/50 raffle, characters from the book, and live music representing the late 1890's and the 1970's, the time "zones" in "Bryony."

In the meantime, "Bryony" has been busy, busy, busy.

This past Saturday, Saturday, "Bryony" participated in the Three Rivers Arts Council's (TRAC) open house, as part of Minooka's annual Summerfest. Then on Sunday, I checked out two Bryony-themed pieces my architect-turned-home-inspector father is creating for Vamp Fest.

One is a large, fish-shaped sign welcoming people to the fictitious Munsonville (where Bryony's action takes place), and the other is a lighted "window" that overlooks the Simons estate (home of Bryony's lead vampire/pianist/composer).

"Bryony" has another pre-release event before Vamp Fest. That will be from 1 to 4 p.m. September 11 at the P. Seth Magosky Museum of Victorian Life, 206 N. Broadway Street, Joliet, the filming site of the soon-to-be-released "Bryony" book trailer and music video.

Not all the details of that afternoon are finalized, but it will include musem tours and music by James Onohan, Bryony's pianist and composer (www.jamesonohan.com). We hope to see you there!

If you haven't yet become a fan on Facebook, check us out at www.facebook.com/BryonySeries. There you will find updates, photos, and quirky posts, all related to "Bryony."

The "Ghost" in the Doll Case at the Magosky Mansion

 Yesterday, I had forwarded the Bryony trailer stills to a friend. He gave them the polite lauds, and I thought that was the end of it.

Last night, as I was burning the 9 p.m. oil (that's late when you customarily rise at midnight), he emails me, asking if we used trick photography on the doll pictures. I told him those weren't "official" Bryony photos, just something Bryony's web adminstrator Sarah Stegall took on her camera phone the day we interviewed her.

He emails back again and asked if I'd seen the face. Busy with editing, I took a sip of warmed over coffee and told him a doll or something had been superimposed on the picture, making it look creepy, and that's why Sarah had posted it on Facebook.

My friend then sent the picture back, rotated, with the face circled, and the words, "She caught a ghost on film!"

So I called Sarah this morning from the route and asked her. She said the face was only museum director Pat Magosky. "I posted it because it looked mysterious," Sarah said.

My friend maintains it still might have a supernatural basis. "The doll room is supposed to be the most haunted room in the house," he said.

So, I showed the picture to my husband Ron. He said, "That's not Pat. If it was, the image would be distorted, and it wouldn't be sideways."

"Well, maybe it has something to with the angle where he was standing," I said.

I showed it to my twenty-year-old son Timothy (who does NOT believe in ghosts), and he said, "That's not Pat's reflection. There's not enough light in that room to catch it."

I called Sarah again. She said, "That's Pat. I'm sure."

"Too bad," I said. "There's been paranormal groups in that mansion, and they're convinced something's going on in there." I paused. "We could forget we had this conversation."

Sarah laughed. "Yeah, let someone else debunk it."
I asked her to post the picture here, anyway. Reader, what do you think?

Making the Bryony Video, Step 4: Wardrobe by Piecemeal

Victorian-style men’s clothing and long blond wigs, I thought, were the least of my concerns.

During one of the Bryony pre-shoot days at the P. Seth Magosky Museum of Victorian Life and Joliet History, museum director Pat Magosky showed me a closet full of clothes, but at my first, untrained eye, they resembled 60’s leisure suits, certainly not the appropriate garments for John Simons. Still, I was not worried.

Since the one costume shop in town had closed its doors, I called the Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park in Joliet, figuring they’d have what I needed, but they steered me right back to the Magosky mansion and to another costume shop miles away. Since one of the fellows I was fitting lived out of town, I didn’t want to take chances on renting a costume that might not fit.

So, I poured out my request on Facebook and contacted Joliet Junior College. The forthcoming suggestions from Facebook were impractical. However, JJC offered to help if I ever needed Victorian women’s clothing. I was about to contact the two local universities on my list when my publicist called to see if I had assembled all props. I poured out my sad tale. She listened somewhat patiently (Dulcinea is patient and kind), and then reminded me Seth had participated in Civil War reenactments.

“There are Victorian clothes in that mansion,” Dulcinea said. “You just have to find them.”

“Maybe,” I hedged, “but I wish Heather could help. I can’t put it together so it looks right.”

Heather Frelichowski of Crafty Mom Inc., who’s making me two Victorian walking suits and a ball gown, is an expert on sewing and fashion, but Heather was sick and couldn’t help.

“What about the wig?” Dulcinea asked.

“Nothing.” LARGE sigh.

Dulcinea, in conjunction with Relentless Iota Productions (a company that specializes in custom set design and fabrication of costumes and props) is experienced in costuming, etc. I don’t have a clue (I only know what I like), so I REALLY needed her help with this.

So, Dulcinea, because she is kind, too, rearranged her schedule and met me at the Magosky mansion the next day. That time, Andrea Magosky, the education coordinator, had laid out an array of Victorian and pseudo-Victorian themed coats, shirts and ties, as well as three top hats. They had probably been in that closet the entire time. So much for 60s leisure suits (Say that three times fast).

Quickly, Dulcinea rejected some items and arranged combinations of others on hangers while my fifteen-year-old son Daniel amused himself by trying on some of them. Photos of Daniel’s experiment here: http://bryonyseries.blogspot.com/2011/04/wigtraption-is-now-word.html

The clothing worry was gone. All we needed was a wig for John Simons’ long hair.

We parted ways, I to re-record an audio interview for Bryony and rescue a hypoglysemic attack with fast food, and Dulcinea for some uneventful wig shopping. Apparently, long blonde hair is not a popular wig item, but Dulcinea had other venues she would hit tomorrow. I wasn’t worried. When Dulcinea needs something, she gets it.

That night, Dulcinea called, pleased with herself. In the past, she had created wigs from human hair and had some blonde remnants. Not knowing the size of “John Simons'” head, she was stitching these to an adjustable headband our actor could wear under a top hat. We were saved!

Well, not quite.

At midnight, fifteen hours before show time, an exasperated and out of patience Dulcinea called again. The wig was shedding on her as fast as she was stitching it. Enough was enough. Tomorrow, no matter what, she was buying a wig.

Making the Bryony Video, Step Three: Finding Melissa Marchellis

Up until this month, Bryony filmmaker Stephen Tuplin had an actress interested in playing Melissa. After we set a production date, the actress had a conflict of interest, so Stephen asked my seventeen year old daughter Rebekah to portray Bryony's main character. He liked her "look," for the role, he said.

I thought Rebekah would refuse. She is very shy, preferring to hang out with one friend at a time rather than a room full of people. To my surprise, she agreed to do it, so I copied the script, and she began practicing "swaying and swooning."

Five hundred miles away, her older sister, Sarah Stegall, Bryony web administrator, was seeking someone to "makeover" Rebekah. Sarah found two people. Vanna Fleetwood to cut and style Rebekah's hair, and Jennifer Wesolowski to do her makeup.

On the Sunday afternoon before the April 20 shoot, Jennifer, Rebekah, her friend, and I huddled in a department store bathroom experimenting. Jennifer strove for a natural look, since "Melissa" would be on her way to bed, but wanted to highlight Rebekah's large, blue eyes.

Meeting in a department store had its advantages. Not only was it a location for us, we had a ready supply of product just waiting to be purchased and tried out on Rebekah's face. Fortunately, Rebekah had brought her own makeup with her, so few additional itens were acquired.

Coversation was mostly, "Watch how I put this one and now you try it," and, "No, we're not line for the bathroom." Rebekah's friend took "before" and "after" pictures with her camera phone to send to Sarah for posting on the Bryony blog and Facebook pages. (We've haven't gotten that far yet, oops!).

Although she exhorted Rebekah to practice at home, Jennifer had so much fun, she offered to come out to the Magosky mansion the night of filming and do Rebekah's makeup. Good thing, too, because Rebekah came down with a nasty cold later that day and didn't feel up to playing with cosmetics.

While we were playing with eyeliner and mascara, Rebekah's older brother, Timothy, was looking for 70s-style pajamas. He had taken Rebekah shopping the other day, found a couple of possibilities, and sent, after having received permission from an employee, photographs from the floor to me for critiquing. ("Excuse me, ma'am, may I please take pictures of women's nightwear?").

Again, we found two pairs that might work, so we sent the images to Stephen and dug through a bin of DVDs waiting for his reply. He suggested buying both. That way, if one didn't work well under the lights, we had options. We paid eighteen dollars total and left the store, feeling like we had an MGM budget.

Now all we needed were a couple of Victorian men's suits and a blond wig. How difficult could that be?

Making the Bryony Videos, Step Two: Finding a Mansion

While I was writing Bryony's initial drafts, I wrote a series of stories for the Herald News in Joliet(http://heraldnews.suntimes.com)/ about the P. Seth Magosky Museum of Victorian Life and Joliet History.

Since its owner, Seth Magosky, died in 2007, his parents have struggled to fulfill Seth's dream of renovating the museum, so they were eager to show it off to me. I declined for two reasons: lack of time and an unwillingness to wander around Victorian mansions until my story was finished. I wanted Bryony's ideas to come from my imagination, not from an actual house.

Once I began querying agents and small presses, I was ready to see the mansion. Amazingly, the layout was exactly as I pictured it, a much smaller and somewhat adapted version of Simons Mansion. It's an interesting place to visit, as it is full of period clothing, furnishings and accessories. One room is devoted to antique dolls; the third floor ballroom has a pipe organ; and the main parlor has a full concert grand piano.

In January, I approached the Magoskys about using the mansion for filming the Bryony videos. They not only enthusiastically agreed, but offered to stage any room with any props we wanted and open up the museum anytime we wanted to film.

Their only request was for me to tune the piano, if James Onohan, Bryony's composer and pianist, felt it warranted it. Stephen Tuplin, our filmmaker, didn't think it was necessary because he wouldn't be using the audio, unless an out-of-tune piano would mess up James' playing. I didn't want to take any chances, so the day before shooting, the piano was tuned.

So, in February, Stephen shot some "B" footage, and in March, when Sarah Stegall was in town for the Big Brothers Big Sisters' Bowl for Kids' Sake (proceeds from the Bryony cookbook will be donated to Big Brothers Big Sisters), Stephen filmed her interview inside the mansion.

Then came a flurry of emails to coordinate filming of the trailer and music video. But before we could do that, we needed pajamas and a makeover for my seventeen year old daughter Rebekah, who would be playing Melissa, and Victorian suits for both our John Simons.

You'd think with four theatres in the Joliet area and one Victorian mansion, period clothing would abound, but we couldn't locate a single one. Blond wigs were even harder to scrounge up and frustration and panic were mounting. Actually, it was Dulcinea Hawksworth, my publicist, who saved the day.

In the eleventh hour, we contrived what we could not find. Our tools? Headbands, human hair, and earrings, along with creative shoppings and pairings. More tomorrow.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Gasps

Long night, short rest, and big deadlines today!

Over the next few days, I'll share the details of last night's filming of the Bryony book trailer and the Bryony music video.

But for today, we'll let the pictures tell the story.



Christopher Blankenship on set of the Bryony book trailer.




A sinister view as James Onohan gets into his role as John Simons.




Josh Siegers working with Rebekah Baran during filming for the Bryony book trailer.




James Onohan as himself in Victorian clothing for the filming of the "Bryony" music video.




Christopher Blankenship as John Simons and Rebekah Baran as Melissa Marchellis during shooting for the Bryony book trailer.




James Onohan Playing "Bryony."

To view the complete album visit http://www.facebook.com/BryonySeries. Click on photos and then the album P. Seth Magosky Museum of Victorian Life.



"Wigtraption" is now a word

 Or so says my publicist DulcineaHawksworth who, armed with photos, has been shopping 'round for the appropriate long locks to transform an ordinary twenty-first century mortal into the nineteenth century immortal John Simons, for book trailer purposes of course.

Yesterday, Dulcinea met me at the P. Seth Magosky Museum of Victorian Life in Joliet and helped me piece together men's period clothing for James Onohan and "John Simons" for Wednesday's shooting of the Bryony music video and trailers.

Dulcinea is full of modification tips and hopes to attend the filming where, with "pins and needles" she can give my pseudo-vampires the right late 1890s look. I sure hope she can make it, because I don't have her "nip and tuck" talent. I can tell if an outfit's right only after assembly.

Joining us were two of my sons, Christopher and Daniel, who received their first tour of the museum, including the awesome view of Joliet from the top floor. Daniel, who fancies himself the reincarnation of Henry Matthews, my dandy vampire, finally had his chance to don some real Victorian clothes.

Pictures to follow from Bryony's web administrator Sarah Stegall, as the author is technologically disadvantaged and hasn't learned (yet) how to do it.

I wouldn't say Daniel's garb is quite as impressive as past Bryony blog guest Sir Frederick Chook (http://www.frillyshirt.org/salon/portraits-of-the-editor/), but I must say he cuts quite the dashing figure. He may just be Henry yet.

As I write this blog, I'm reading a post from my dressmaker regarding my walking suits. One has red shimmer fabric; the other, blue. She has modified the pattern to make them appear "vampire-y" (whatever that means; can't wait to find out), and is currently ruffling twenty yards of satin.

Oh yeah, I'm as excited as Melissa approaching Halloween night!

WHEW!

Deadlines, editing, housework, meals, bills, homeschooling, one sick child, one sick cat, bad modem with subsequent loss of Internet and phone (gotta set up that new voice mail), and Bryony besides.

So where is Bryony in the production line?

*  I'm feverishly working on another round of edits.

*  The orignal actress for the Bryony book trailer is busy with a play this month, so the filmmaker, Stephen Tuplin, asked my seventeen year old daughter Rebekah to be Melissa; he likes her "look." So we rehearsed her script last night, which, despite good-natured heckling from two of her brothers, went fairly well. She's currently practicing swooning and swaying.

*  Yesterday afternoon, we met with a make-up artist friend of web administrator Sarah Stegall. She experimented with eye and lip products on Rebekah, who then purchased a few items to fill in her supply gap.

*  We also went shopping for 70's-style pajamas for Rebekah and found two. Stephen said to buy both, since it's better to have costumes choices. I will remember that today at the mansion.

*  Today, I'm meeting with Pat Magosky, director of the P. Seth Magosky Museum of Victorian Life to piece together costumes for James Onohan to wear in Bryony music video (http://www.jamesonohan.com/) and for the actor playing John Simons in the book trailer.

*  Also today, the USF student and I are re-recording the audio interview. This time, I hope to be better prepared (...as I watch the minutes tick by...).

*  Found and sent three James Onohan song clips that sound vampirey enough for the student's audio project. None of them are James' Byrony music. We're not sharing those until they are officially released. James has created the Bryony theme song and is working on nine extra tracks. I've heard two more, and the are awesome!

*  Some members of the Bryony team are patiently waiting my interview questions, since Stephen his hoping to film those videos this week, too.

* Two thousand Bryony business cards dispersed; another thousand ordered.

And, yes, despite being a little cranky, I'm still having fun!!!

A'Gaming We Will Go

For several months, the Steward of Tara has been hard at work at the first Bryony computer game, and it is ready for a test run.

This Wednesday, after his interview at the P.Seth Magosky Museum of Victorian Life in Joliet, Illinois, Ed Calkins will try out the game with several of my sons, while, in the next room, Stephen Tuplin will film the Bryony music video featuring pianist and composer James Onohan (http://www.jamesonohan.com/).

The Steward's been mum on the details, but he has said it will involve role playing--with Ed Calkins being the strongest and most ruthless character--and strategy, which Ed is certain to win.

His only dilemna is whether or not to release the game now or wait to for the upgrade. My question: If you've created yourself as an unbeatble character, how much upgrading can you do?

The P. Seth Magosky Museum of Victorian Life

By Denise M. Baran-Unland

This story originally ran in the Herald News (www.heraldnews.suntimes.com), December 2007.


When Andrea Magosky of Joliet shared her love of architectural history with her son Seth, how could she have known she would spend her retirement preserving and managing a museum?

“At the time, a good day for us was throwing the kids in the back seat of the car with lunch meat and stuff and going to look at the old houses,” Andrea said.

Because of her influence--which included raising Seth in the Hickory Street home that architect F.S. Allen built for himself—Seth dreamed of the day he would purchase a Joliet Victorian home and convert it into a museum.

Unfortunately, Seth only lived six months in the Hiram B. Scutt mansion at 206 Broadway Street in Joliet when he died suddenly of Marfan Syndrome (a connective tissue disorder) on March 17—St. Patrick’s Day—2007.

But his parents Patrick and Andrea Magosky are determined not to let Seth’s dream die, too.

They have not only assumed the expense of owning the P. Seth Magosky Museum of Victorian Life and Joliet History, they are also managing it and resoring it. Despite local interest in their project, convering an old mansion into a museum is a challening project for them.

“It’s been a lot for us to take on,” Andrea said. “But we just keep going.”

Although events in November and January with the Will County Ghost Hunters Society were sold-out, the museum’s first fundraiser, a Christmas-themed cocktail party, had a scant turnout due to an ice storm and raised only a few hundred dollars. Brutally cold temperatures and plenty of snow days reduced attendance at the mansions monthly Victorian teas and the number of phone calls the Magoskys received for tours.

“We’re getting more calls now that the weather is warming up,” Andrea said. “A senior’s group from Downer’s Grove wanted to have an event here last year and someone told them we didn’t exist. We want people to know that we’re here and that we rent the museum for a number of things like parties, showers, business meetings and small wedding receptions.”

Period antiques are scattered throughout the house and the Magoskys have taken great pains to use only color schemes from the time period. They recently replaced four chandeliers and their hardware because "they just weren’t right for it," Andrea said. A donated pipe organ has found a home on the third floor and a concert grand piano resides in main floor’s double parlor.

They have also made a number of repairs to the home, including plastering holes in the walls and the ceilings in the lower level servants’ quarters--where the original kitchen and dining room are located-- and on the main floor. Any boards missing from the hardwood floors were replaced. Boards of lesser quality than those in the man floor were used in the servants’ quarters, Andrea said.

Athough the lower level rooms are now used for parties, the Magoskys would like to see the original dining room and kitchen restored to its correct use. Presently, the only available kitchen is on the second level, but, although it has a commercial refrigerator and a commercial sink, it can only be used to warm foods. Scutt’s bedroom was converted into the museum’s main dining room.

There are three bedrooms on the third floor as well as a work area and a library of Seth’s books. A collection of 20 or so dolls, from the Civil War period through the 1950s, reside in the lady’s bedroom, but Andrea hopes to create a special area for them on the fourth floor. She would also like to convert unused space on the third floor into a ballroom.

All that takes money the Magoskys just don’t have. That is nothing new to Andrea. Lack of money is what nudged her love of architectural history in the first place.

When Andrea was a little girl, her family was so poor they could not afford a car. This meant if Andrea needed to go somewhere, it was often on foot. She varied her routes from her Hacker Avenue home, just to look at all the big houses on that part of town. That love of architecture spilled later onto Seth.

“Seth would go out and walk all over different neighborhoods, looking at the houses. He always said he wanted to own a house on Eastern Avenue and when he grew up, he did just that,” Andrea said. “When I worked as a visiting nurse on the south side of Chicago and Seth was off school, he’d ride with me to look at the houses. He became very familiar with that area.”

At 13, Seth, then a student at St. Patrick’s Catholic Grade School, delivered his first architectural presentation, an extra credit project for him. He later majored in the History of Architecture at the University of Illinois in Chicago. He wrote a regular column about local historic homes for the Herald News and authored “Historic Impressions: The History and Architecture of Joliet Homes.”

Seth was also nationally known for his expertise on the Civil War era and did a number of historic portrayals, most notably John Wilkes Booth and Marshall Field. “He had been booked until the end of the year,” Andrea said.

Tours of the museum are by appointment only. Call (815) 723-3052. Visit http://www.museumofvictorianlife.org/.

Every House Tells a Story.

I stepped back into history last Saturday morning when I stepped forward into the P. Seth Magosky Museum of Victorian Life. With the exceptions of brownies in the parlor and the filmming equipment in the sitting room, nothing appeared to have been changed in over 100 years! Pat Magosky even offered me tea!

A few members of the Bryony team, author included, were there for the filming. I felt like such a celebrity being fitted with a microphone and sharing news about the first book in the Bryony Series. And lets face it, I did fly almost 2,000 miles in two days to bowl in the fundraiser for Big Brothers, Big Sisters and for this book interview. After wrapping up the final take, I got to explore this beautiful house. Ever hear every house tells a story? Well this one can fill its own library.

In the basement you had the servant's quarters and what was once the kitchen, now boasting a bar with tables around the fireplace. On the main floor, when you enter, is the gorgeous staircase, the parlor, sitting room, the porch, a modernish bathroom, and the dining room which features a grand piano (I played it). On the second floor there are three bedrooms a sitting alcove, the library and a bathroom. I spent more time than I should have ooohing and aaahing.

On the third floor, I was enthralled in the "doll room." It might have once been a toy room from the look of it, but now it features dolls from all over, most of them very old. In the ballroom, I played Bethoven's "Ode to Joy" on the pipe organ (coincidentally the only song I've ever been taught) and imagined what life would have been like over 100 years ago.

There was one thing I would not partake in. On the third floor, there is a spiral stepping, (no banister) which has lots of movement. Pat Magosky offers all guests the opportunity to climb up and see the view of Joliet, IL. It's about twenty feet up... I climbed a third of the way up, but I was overwhelmed with more than nagging thoughts about my little boy who I was already missing. I didn't want to put myself in any conflicting situations so I climbed down. (This does say quite a bit about my changed character, because a decade ago I would of raced up those stairs, high heels and all).

As I made my descent down from the third floor I felt a bonding with Bryony's main character, Melissa Marchellis. I could easily see myself living between two time periods. As I felt the polished banister beneath my hand, an overwhelming sense of sadness enveloped me. This house boasts a beautiful history and I wonder how many people will never see the inside, where the rooms come alive, their stories lingering on every object.

Sarah Stegall

"Every man shall give as he is able." Deuteronomy 16:17

*On Friday night, Bryony did just that. In the entire scheme of Bowl for Kids' Sake, the annual fundraiser of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Will and Grundy Counties (http://www.bbbswillgrundy.org/), ten bowlers' efforts for the two Bryony teams--Just Steve and Stake and Blade--seem small and insignificant, but it will make the difference for one child. *We made our fundraising goal of $1,000, the amount it takes to match one child from a single parent home with one positive adult mentor. *To be sure, we sweated it, and we reached the eleventh hour not certain if we would make it. Everyone we know (including us) is broke, so soliciting those donations was hard work. *Still, most people were happy to help, even if all they could offer was a dollar. My fifteen year old son obtained a solicitor's permit and went door to door. We even had a donation post online at midnight, just as the bowling ended. The next day, we received a cash donation. *Besides, we had a blast. My mother bought my daughter, Sarah Stegall, Bryony's web administrator, a plane ticket from North Carolina to Illinois. Sarah like a rock star by flying into town for twenty-four hours for a fundraiser and a taped Bryony interview at the P. Seth Magosky Museum of Victorian Life (http://www.museumofvictorianlife.org/). *Anyway, Sarah deserved to feel like a rock star. She designed and maintains the BryonySeries Facebook page, has been instrumental in solicting recipes for the Bryony cookbook, set up the BryonySeries blog, and is the entire creative force behind the BryonySeries website. Moreoever, she raised several hundred for the cause (all this while caring for a four-year old at home). *During the bowling, my twenty-year-old son performed a ridiculous turkey dance, which Sarah videotaped on her phone and plans to upload soon. *My seventeen year old daughter Rebekah bowled with a case of hives and fell asleep between turns due to the antihistamine and a very long day at work. *It was the first time I had seen my adult godddaughter since she lost over a hundred pounds. She's had a makeover, works out, and looks so great, I stood in admiration of her all evening. *We even will have a souvenior of Bryony's first bowling fundraiser. My adult son Christopher bid on and won a blank bowling pin, which a local artist has agreed to decorate in whatever theme the winner requested. *Naturally, Christopher told her he wanted the Bryony logo. He also took a bet that other team members would have some money in their pockets, because he bid more than he had in his wallet. *The high point for the author, fundraising goals aside, was spending a lighthearted evening with all six of her children. With one living out of town and conflicting work and school schedules amongst the rest of them, this hasn't happened in year. *And yes, we got an updated sibling shot. Look for Sarah to post soon at www.facebook.com/BryonySeries.

We Have a Mansion!

Pat and Andrea Magosky, owners of the P. Seth Magosky Museum of Victorian Life in Joliet, Illinois, are "loaning" us the mansion for filming purposes. Stephen Tuplin has already shot some initial footage and plans to use the location for the Bryony trailer, interviews with the Bryony team, and the Bryony music video. The museum even has a grand piano! Bryony web administrator Sarah Stegall will be in town this weekend for the Big Brothers Big Sisters Bowl for Kids Sake, so she will be the first person interviewed and photographed on location. Lucky! I'll share more about the P. Seth Magosky Museum of Victorian Life in future posts. For now, a brief history and some photographs can be seen here: http://www.cityofjoliet.com/business/museum.htm