Gwen Smith Wilcox is a merchant of words, a photographer, an artist, a people watcher, a poet, a story teller and a grandmother. She loves animals and nature with a passion, and has raised many kinds of exotic birds, plants and other animals.  She collects rare ferns and begonias, does her own landscaping and gardening, and gives lectures on horticulture.

Gwen majored in Journalism and Art while attending Murray College and Oklahoma State University. She graduated Phi Theta Kappa from Bacone University with an AB degree in Art after studying two years under internationally famous Indian Artists, Ruthe Blalock Jones and Richard West. She says she is still a student in the University of Life.

The author has traveled extensively, collected coral from the Great Barrier Reef, photographed the sunset painting its colors on Ayer's Rock and watched the moon rise over Singapore and fade away with first light over Tokyo. She has heard Big Ben strike the hour in London, and stood in Times Square amid the cacophony of noise and motion, tasted the salt of both the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans, and walked the paths of Canyon de Chelly. She has also visited Canada and Mexico.

She has designed and published commercial greeting cards, written numerous articles for her church.  She was fourth place winner in the World Book of Poetry.   She is a past columnist for the Denison Herald Newspaper and is currently a regular columnist for National Poultry News. Her photos and biographical sketch was featured in a Durant Daily Democrat edition as a local talent.

The story behind the Bramble Bunny Story is a story unto itself.  This wild Oklahoma Cottontail rabbit chose to become friends with the author.  The rabbit allowed herself to be photographed and even hand fed by the author.  This rabbit lived among the author's fowl in her chicken yard for over a year.  From the trust of this wild animal who was free to come and go was born the Bramble Bunny story.