Get Your Serving of Southern Fried Sushi

Congratulations to the book winner - Carol N Wong

Releasing Saturday is this wonderfully fun women's fiction title by Jennifer Rogers Spinola. It is a coming back to America, back to family, and back to God kind of story, and like all good Barbour books, there is a touch of romance too.

Click the blog title to go to the trailer video.

Ride the rollercoaster of Shiloh Jacobs’s life as her dreams derail, sending her on a downward spiral from the heights of an AP job in Tokyo to penniless in rural Virginia. Trapped in a world so foreign to her sensibilities and surrounded by a quirky group of friends, will she break through her hardened prejudices before she loses those who want to help her? Can she find the key to what changed her estranged mother’s life so powerfully before her death that she became a different woman—and can it help Shiloh too?

Jennifer writes with a lighthearted look at life, but there is a depth to her characters and their working through the questions of life that make for a memorable journey. Her experiences growing up in Virgina and the Carolinas and living abroad in Japan and Brazil have more than qualified her to tell Shiloh's story.

Two more books will follow Southern Fried Sushi as Shiloh explores the new dreams and goals God gives her.

Leave a comment here on the blog (not on Facebook) for a chance to win the newly released book.  I'll draw a winner around 4:00 pm on Friday the 30th.

Do check back, as I'll need to be sure I can contact the winner for a mailing address.

This Is a FIRST!

How many first time authors do you know who hit the New York Times bestseller list with their very first story? Well, a couple of our authors have done just that. Liz Tolsma and Michelle Ule had novellas included in the 9-in-1 collection titled A Log Cabin Christmas, and this week the book hit the New York Times fiction bestseller list at #34. I'm so thrilled for these authors as well as the other authors in the collection. See the full list of authors and stories below.

Snow Angel by Margaret Brownley
The Christmas Secret by Wanda E. Brunstetter
Christmas Traps and Trimmings by Kelly Eileen Hake
A Star in the Night by Liz Johnson
The Courting Quilt by Jane Kirkpatrick
Under His Wings by Liz Tolsma
The Dogtrot Christmas by Michelle Ule
A Grand County Christmas by Debra Ullrick
                                                            Christmas Service by Erica Vetsch

Historical Research Gem

Hey, historical writers, have you stumbled onto this site yet? Maybe you have, and I'm just behind times.

Farm, Field, and Fireside Agricultural Newspaper Collection

They have copies of Prairie Farmer paper dating back to 1841.

Have fun!

Food Friday

I'm always looking for quick and easy but nutritious breakfast ideas. When I saw this recipe for Egg and Veggie Cupcakes in Barbour's Quick and Easy Freezable Meals cookbook, I was intrigued. My 3.5-year-old Jodi doesn't normally love eggs, but she does love broccoli and she, of course, adores cupcakes. So we tried them. I love them, my 1-year-old Lilly loves them, but unfortunately even "cupcake" in their name didn't convince Jodi to love them. Oh well. :)

I do recommend trying these out. I wasn't impressed with the texture of them after re-heating in the microwave, but that can be expected with anything heated in the microwave, I guess. I still think they taste great and are an easy, yummy way to pack some protein and veggies into your morning meal...or anytime!

Here's the recipe:

Egg and Veggie Cupcakes
2 cups mushrooms, chopped
1 small sweet onion, chopped
3 tablespoons butter
2 cups broccoli florets
Salt and pepper to taste
10 eggs
1/ 8 teaspoon water
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Sauté mushrooms and onion in skillet with butter. Add broccoli and stir for 5 minutes over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper. Fill greased cupcake pans half full with mixture. In separate bowl, beat eggs with water. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Pour over vegetables in pans and sprinkle with cheese. Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Place each cupcake in sandwich bag, seal, then place a dozen in large freezer bag.

To serve: Microwave frozen cupcake on high for about 90 seconds.

Feedback Friday

Check out this cool  review on Amazon for one of Barbour's great non-fiction titles, The Complete Guide to the Bible by Stephen M. Miller:

"I was not raised in a religious household, nor was I taught about religion in any way shape or form. I needed somewhere to begin, other than the bible since it's difficult to read by myself, and it's very intimidating. I found this book walking through the aisles at Barnes & Noble, and I it turned out to be very useful! The visuals, and design are very clean and appealing. The writing is straight forward and simple, and the content is great. It really gave me somewhere to begin exposing myself to the different stories in the bible, and how everything is broken down. He highlights some main points, and his timelines are very easy to follow. I definitely recommend this to anyone who is trying to learn."

This book would make for a great Easter gift, especially for new Christians and those who are seeking!

Don't Miss These

I'm sorry I haven't done well to keep you up on new releases, especially since our Marketing team has been working hard on some awesome new book trailers.

Videos don't seem to conform well to our blog layout, but I'll post them anyway.

The Crossing by Gilbert Morris -- book 1 of The Last Cavaliers series.
This first book gives a fictionalized peek into the life of General Stonewall Jackson.


Raider's Heart by Marcia Gruver -- book 1 of the Backwoods Brides series
In this book, Marcia takes unique history in North Carolina following the Civil War and builds a terrific story on remarkable characters.


Rugged and Relentless by Kelly Eileen Hake -- book 1 of the Husbands for Hire series
A nice twist on advertising for a marriage partner.


Digitalis by Ronie Kendig -- book 2 of the Discarded Heroes series.

A New Journey Begins in Kentucky

National bestselling author Wanda E. Brunstetter starts a new romance trilogy with THE JOURNEY, book one of the Kentucky Brothers series.

Titus Fisher has often made poor choices. But moving from Pennsylvania to Christian County, Kentucky, is the best decision he’s ever made. There he finds a rewarding job using his new-found woodworking skills. . .and leaves behind a broken romance. But is he ready to consider love again when he meets two very different women: one who seems perfectly suited for any Amish man and one who challenges long held ideas of a woman’s role? Can a heart once torn by love’s rejection find new life and choose between two women who are as unique as night and day?



Coming soon, the journey continues with The Healing and The Struggle.

Feedback Friday

We received some really great feedback last week for A Promise Forged by Cara Putman. First, you need to know a little about the story, set in 1943:

When Kat Miller makes All-American Girls Professional Softball League, she struggles with long road trips, grueling practices, and the challenge of making time for God. Not only that, but older teammates are jealous of her success and an irritating reporter, Jack Raymond, has a knack for getting under Kat’s skin.

When I opened up this package, I was instantly intrigued by its contents, especially the black and white baseball card autographed for Cara and the autobiography with a photo of a female softball player on the cover.

The letter begins:

Dear Cara,

I just finished reading the book called "A Promise Forged". A friend gave me the book because she knew I had played in the All-American Girls' Professional Baseball League in 1954 for the Grand Rapids Chicks. As I read the book, it was like I was walking in Kat's shoes, reliving my life again.I am enclosing a book I wrote about my ball playing days, and a signed baseball card....

Thank you for the great story!

Sincerely,
Rosemary Stevenson

What better feedback for a historical book than for someone who lived that life to feel like it truly took her back in time to relive those days? Great job, Cara!

Introducing Emily Morelli

Today we have Emily Morelli, a production/layout artist for Barbour, here to tell us about herself.

How long have you worked at Barbour?

About five months

What do you do in your current role at Barbour?

I make books beautiful.  Really.  Isn’t that a fabulous job?  Officially, I am a Production/Layout Artist and I design book interiors and cover layouts.

What brought you to Barbour?

I was researching freelance opportunities for graphic design and discovered Barbour had a full time opening.  I had heard great things about the company from people in the community and decided to rejoin the workforce for the first time since my daughter was born.

What interests you about the publishing industry?

I have a fascination for anything printed and collect samples of unique paper plus I am an avid reader and a frequent visitor to my local library.  I love browsing through shelves of books and discovering new ideas and adventures, getting inspired and motivated or learning new things.  Now I get to be a part of the creation of something I love and experience the thrill of watching a digital design turn into a solid three-dimensional object.  Awesome!

Family/Home Life? I am so very fortunate to have a helpful and supportive husband who has the decidedly rare ability to put up with my neurotic tendencies and still love me madly.  I am also blessed to be the mother of the most beautiful, charming, funny, imaginative, mischievous, and intelligent four-year-old on the planet (though I may be biased). Plus, I am lucky to have a stunning and sweet stepdaughter who is making her way through her first year of college and isn’t afraid to give me honest fashion advice that I hardly ever heed.

What are your hobbies?

I love food. I adore cooking and obsess about it a little - especially when it comes to creating tasty, wholesome food for my family.  I can spend hours researching recipes, planning a menu and choosing just the right combination of dishes - okay, I obsess about it a lot.  

I believe cooking is an art and food is beautiful. I love food packaging, and have food art on the walls of my kitchen. I dabbled in catering for a while and love having dinner parties to show off my passion for the taste and beauty of food. I enjoy wandering the aisles of a grocery store, discovering interesting ingredients, and researching ways to use them. Food packaging fascinates and inspires me. My husband thinks I collect an excessive number of condiments and seasonings, but lovingly offers to run to the store for the one tiny thing I need to make my dish perfect. I love visiting restaurants but can be hard to please, though when I find a good one, it’s worth raving about. I would have loved to be a food critic (for the eating part, not the writing). I almost went to culinary school instead of art school, but decided to make my living doing something I love and keep food as pure pleasure.  I have never regretted the decision. Maybe someday I’ll write a working mama’s cookbook and I know just who I’d want to publish it. 

Thanks for joining us, Emily!