I was fortunate to spend an amazing two weeks tucked in a quiet little campground along a lazy creek near Hill City, South Dakota, called Crooked Creek Campground. Honestly, I can't think of a better place to be in mid-summer. We had a wonderful vacation with a real mix of events: family, friends, Harley rides, cookouts, campfires, and more.
The real treasure in this type of a vacation though, comes in the setting. An amazing bold, full moon the weekend we arrived, lighting up the nights in a soft glow. Sitting around the campfire with our kids and good friends. The fresh pine scents and simple beauty of the hills. Harley rides through beautiful canyons, creeks and trickling waterfalls nearby. Pink patches of sweet clover poking their heads above the prairie grasses. Majestic giant thunderheads that filled the otherwise blue sky. Cathedrals of granite spires aimed heavenward. All of it brings a deep appreciation for a land once called Paha Sapa, to the Lakota people.
I came home with my spirit refreshed and rejuvenated, ready to dive in head first once again to my writing projects.
Blessings abound,
Barbara
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Eagan Art Festival
I'm excited to be part of the 14th Annual Eagan Art Festival on Saturday & Sunday, June 21 & 22, 2008 on the Eagan Community Center Festival Grounds. This is a large 2-day outdoor festival with crowds estimated at 5,000-7,000 people, featuring both fine and original handmade art, tasteful music and entertainment, art activities, and food--all in one easy-to-find location near Yankee Doodle & Pilot Knob, just north of I-35E.
If there are any Brule'/AIRO fans in attendance, I should have everything they could possibly want: copies of Hidden Heritage...the Story of Paul LaRoche, Brule'/AIRO CDs, the 2007 Holiday Concert Tour on DVD, plus the corresponding photo greeting cards with pictures from the Lower Brule Sioux Reservation & "Paha Sapa", the beautiful Black Hills, in South Dakota.
I will also bring copies of my compilation books, such as Cup of Comfort for Single Mothers, Cup of Comfort for Mothers & Sons, The Groovy Chicks' Roadtrip to Love, God's Way - Christmas, and Finding & Following God's Will.
Hubby John will be my assistant for the event. If you have time, please stop by & see us!
Barbara
If there are any Brule'/AIRO fans in attendance, I should have everything they could possibly want: copies of Hidden Heritage...the Story of Paul LaRoche, Brule'/AIRO CDs, the 2007 Holiday Concert Tour on DVD, plus the corresponding photo greeting cards with pictures from the Lower Brule Sioux Reservation & "Paha Sapa", the beautiful Black Hills, in South Dakota.
I will also bring copies of my compilation books, such as Cup of Comfort for Single Mothers, Cup of Comfort for Mothers & Sons, The Groovy Chicks' Roadtrip to Love, God's Way - Christmas, and Finding & Following God's Will.
Hubby John will be my assistant for the event. If you have time, please stop by & see us!
Barbara
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Devils Tower National Monument National Writer's Residency
I have a "joy" to share...and do so as an encouragement to all of you writers out there. I just found out I am one of two writers selected for the writer's residency program at the Devils Tower National Monument in 2008, based on a sample from my current novel Seeds of Salton. I will get to spend one full week at the monument in Wyoming in October "to pursue my writing under the shadow of the tower."
Here's the cool part: back in November I was on my way to work one morning thinking how cool it would be to go to Montana this fall to research the area where my character "Grady" grew up. Then it hit me...what if I got the Devils Tower residency, I could spend 2-3 days in Montana and then go right to the Tower from there and have a full week to write about the images and ideas from Montana, newly inspired. At that instant, the traffic light ahead turned red and I pulled up to a pickup in front of me and you guessed it...it had MONTANA license plates. To me, it was a sign...a metal one at that! But isn't that how God works...He's with us all the time in our mundane, daily routines.
Anyway, I am thrilled beyond words to think that I will be able to do exactly that...spend a few days in Montana and then have a full week to simply write! Now here's my note of encouragement...last year I had applied for the residency and when I told a lady who lives close to the Tower I didn't get it, she looked right at me and said very firmly, "Well, try again!"...like don't give up so easily. Duh! It was a good lesson for me.
As you can imagine, I can hardly wait to go! My goal is to stay on task all summer and complete my first draft of Seeds of Salton. Happy writing to all!
Barbara
Here's the cool part: back in November I was on my way to work one morning thinking how cool it would be to go to Montana this fall to research the area where my character "Grady" grew up. Then it hit me...what if I got the Devils Tower residency, I could spend 2-3 days in Montana and then go right to the Tower from there and have a full week to write about the images and ideas from Montana, newly inspired. At that instant, the traffic light ahead turned red and I pulled up to a pickup in front of me and you guessed it...it had MONTANA license plates. To me, it was a sign...a metal one at that! But isn't that how God works...He's with us all the time in our mundane, daily routines.
Anyway, I am thrilled beyond words to think that I will be able to do exactly that...spend a few days in Montana and then have a full week to simply write! Now here's my note of encouragement...last year I had applied for the residency and when I told a lady who lives close to the Tower I didn't get it, she looked right at me and said very firmly, "Well, try again!"...like don't give up so easily. Duh! It was a good lesson for me.
As you can imagine, I can hardly wait to go! My goal is to stay on task all summer and complete my first draft of Seeds of Salton. Happy writing to all!
Barbara
Sunday, April 27, 2008
New Release: Cup of Comfort for Single Mothers
I'm happy to announce the release of another Cup of Comfort book, this one in honor of Single Mothers. If you or someone you know is a single mother, this heartfelt collection of stories just might be the perfect Mother's Day Gift.
"A Cup of Comfort® for Single Mothers is a celebration of the millions of mothers who go it alone. Suitable for single mothers of all kinds, the book contains sixty heartwarming stories of the unbreakable bond between mother and child. " (Edited by Colleen Sell, from Adams Media.)
As you may have guessed, I do have a story included in the book. "A Home Built for Three" shares the time in my life when I was living in Wadena and purchased my first home. As a fairly new single parent with two young daughters, Karli 8, and Emily 5, this was my first chance to establish “our new home” after moving from Tennessee back to Minnesota. (Soft cover. $10)
If you are interested in purchasing a copy, feel free to email me. The book cover can be seen on my Articles/Stories page, and costs $10, (soft cover), plus $2.50 S&H to have it mailed. Or check out all the great Cup of Comfort themed books at http://www.cupofcomfort.com/
To those of you who qualify, Happy Mother's Day!
And to everyone,
Many blessings,
Barbara
"A Cup of Comfort® for Single Mothers is a celebration of the millions of mothers who go it alone. Suitable for single mothers of all kinds, the book contains sixty heartwarming stories of the unbreakable bond between mother and child. " (Edited by Colleen Sell, from Adams Media.)
As you may have guessed, I do have a story included in the book. "A Home Built for Three" shares the time in my life when I was living in Wadena and purchased my first home. As a fairly new single parent with two young daughters, Karli 8, and Emily 5, this was my first chance to establish “our new home” after moving from Tennessee back to Minnesota. (Soft cover. $10)
If you are interested in purchasing a copy, feel free to email me. The book cover can be seen on my Articles/Stories page, and costs $10, (soft cover), plus $2.50 S&H to have it mailed. Or check out all the great Cup of Comfort themed books at http://www.cupofcomfort.com/
To those of you who qualify, Happy Mother's Day!
And to everyone,
Many blessings,
Barbara
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Bloomington Writers Festival & Book Fair
Saturday was the 5th Annual Writers' Festival & Book Fair in Bloomington, MN. Held at the beautiful Bloomington Art Center, it was a wonderful day of celebration of the literary arts. There were over 45 writers in attendance, with several more giving workshops throughout the day. Faith Sullivan, a well-known Minnesota author, was the keynote speaker...a great way to kick-off the day!
Once again, it was a great opportunity to network with other writers and meet new people. And as often the case, I also ran into a few friends...Milt Adams from Beaver's Pond Press, Gillette from Borealis Bookstore in Wadena, and a few other familiar faces.
I tried something new this time to help stimulate book sales. For each book sold, I gave away one of my photo notecards. People always have such good comments about the cards, and I felt it added something special to the sale. Plus it gave me a chance to share a little bit about the places where the proceeds from the card sales are sent, such as the Lower Brule Boys & Girls Club in South Dakota and Missions to Latin America in Guerrero, Mexico.
To top it off, my hubby John stopped by with a salad from Byerly's and had lunch with me, which is always appreciated!
The snow has finally melted...April showers are gently coming down as I write. Mmm, the fresh scent of spring rain just outside my window!
Blessings,
Barbara
Once again, it was a great opportunity to network with other writers and meet new people. And as often the case, I also ran into a few friends...Milt Adams from Beaver's Pond Press, Gillette from Borealis Bookstore in Wadena, and a few other familiar faces.
I tried something new this time to help stimulate book sales. For each book sold, I gave away one of my photo notecards. People always have such good comments about the cards, and I felt it added something special to the sale. Plus it gave me a chance to share a little bit about the places where the proceeds from the card sales are sent, such as the Lower Brule Boys & Girls Club in South Dakota and Missions to Latin America in Guerrero, Mexico.
To top it off, my hubby John stopped by with a salad from Byerly's and had lunch with me, which is always appreciated!
The snow has finally melted...April showers are gently coming down as I write. Mmm, the fresh scent of spring rain just outside my window!
Blessings,
Barbara
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Lakeville Book Club
This past Tuesday night I was invited to share at the monthly meeting of a book club in Lakeville. I must say they are a delightful group of ladies! Cindy Korpela hosted the event in her home with scrumptious appetisers, wine, coffee, and treats. How can you go wrong there! The book club consists of: Sheri O'Shaunassey, Sandy Woker, Nora O'Leary, Barb Becker, Claudia Nelson, Bev Wood, Kathy Culp, Cindy Korpela, Rosemary Mikkelson, and Jane Hotzler. They meet once a month and discuss their current book selection, reading a wide selection of genres throughout the year.
On Tuesday the group came together to discuss, Hidden Heritage...the Story of Paul LaRoche. Typically most people who read Hidden Heritage are fans of Paul and his music, or simply know either Paul or myself. These ladies, however, chose to read the book as "readers." I couldn't help wonder what these true readers would think of the book or my writing.
Not to worry, each of the ladies said they enjoyed the book, and wanted to know more about Paul & Kathy. Since most of them had not heard Paul's music, I brought my collection of Brule'/AIRO CDs and no surprise, they loved the music right away. It was a unique chance for me to share some things that I did as a writer, and ask for their reaction as the reader. The intimate setting of Cindy's home made it easy to talk openly about a number of the issues that took place throughout Paul's journey. As often the case, different ones picked up on different things in the book. It was a wonderful opportunity to answer their questions and also share more about the process of writing the book.
A great big "Thank you" to Jane for inviting me, to Cindy for hosting the event, and to the entire book club for choosing Hidden Heritage as one of their selections.
Blessings,
Barbara
On Tuesday the group came together to discuss, Hidden Heritage...the Story of Paul LaRoche. Typically most people who read Hidden Heritage are fans of Paul and his music, or simply know either Paul or myself. These ladies, however, chose to read the book as "readers." I couldn't help wonder what these true readers would think of the book or my writing.
Not to worry, each of the ladies said they enjoyed the book, and wanted to know more about Paul & Kathy. Since most of them had not heard Paul's music, I brought my collection of Brule'/AIRO CDs and no surprise, they loved the music right away. It was a unique chance for me to share some things that I did as a writer, and ask for their reaction as the reader. The intimate setting of Cindy's home made it easy to talk openly about a number of the issues that took place throughout Paul's journey. As often the case, different ones picked up on different things in the book. It was a wonderful opportunity to answer their questions and also share more about the process of writing the book.
A great big "Thank you" to Jane for inviting me, to Cindy for hosting the event, and to the entire book club for choosing Hidden Heritage as one of their selections.
Blessings,
Barbara
Friday, March 7, 2008
Upcoming Events in the Twin Cities
I have two fun events coming up in the next several weeks. First, I've been invited to be a guest speaker with a book club right here in my hometown of Lakeville. Long time friend Jane Hotzler is hosting the book club event, Tuesday, March 25th, at her home (which just happens to be only a few blocks from mine!) The ten ladies in this book club have all read Hidden Heritage and are meeting to discuss the book. This is the first time I've participated in this type of a more intimate venue and I'm really looking forward to hearing from all the ladies and finding out their thoughts. Of course a setting like this has to have Paul's beautiful music playing in the background, so I will make sure to bring along the Brule'/AIRO CDs!
Also on the horizon is the Bloomington Writers' Festival & Book Fair, Saturday, April 5, 2008. This is held at Bloomington's beautiful new Arts Center and runs all day Saturday with numerous events going on throughout the day. Classes, speakers, workshops, readings, book sales, and more! Keynote speaker Faith Sullivan will kick-off the day at 9:30 am. It's a wonderful chance to network with the 46 published authors in attendance and check out all the different types of genres represented. Once again, it'll be a great day to celebrate the literary arts!
The other upcoming event I am awaiting with desperate anticipation is the arrival of spring! The view out my window is still completely white, I had to shovel several inches of snow this week, and I'll have you know it was below zero again last night. When, oh when, I wonder, will spring make its grand appearance??
Barbara
Also on the horizon is the Bloomington Writers' Festival & Book Fair, Saturday, April 5, 2008. This is held at Bloomington's beautiful new Arts Center and runs all day Saturday with numerous events going on throughout the day. Classes, speakers, workshops, readings, book sales, and more! Keynote speaker Faith Sullivan will kick-off the day at 9:30 am. It's a wonderful chance to network with the 46 published authors in attendance and check out all the different types of genres represented. Once again, it'll be a great day to celebrate the literary arts!
The other upcoming event I am awaiting with desperate anticipation is the arrival of spring! The view out my window is still completely white, I had to shovel several inches of snow this week, and I'll have you know it was below zero again last night. When, oh when, I wonder, will spring make its grand appearance??
Barbara
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