By Karolyn Gephart
Local author/teacher/counselor Barbara Gruener has published her fourth book, which arose from deepest despair and love. The book is Birdie & Mipps, and it centers around her relationship with her younger brother, who passed away in 2021 from a sudden heart attack.
“At the funeral of my younger brother, Mark, so many of his friends asked how he got his nickname, Mipps. Since the story went back to when he was little and I was teaching him how to feed a horse from his hand without getting nipped, seems I was the only one who knew,” Gruener said. “As I was walking the painful grief path, several people suggested that writing a book about him, his life, his legacy of love would be cathartic.”
She created a book about treating people the way they want to be treated using nicknames as a touchstone, she said.
Gruener gives the following synopsis of the new book:
Afraid that calling his friend Patty by an unwanted nickname (Patty Cake) might have cost him their friendship, a young Mippers heads to his serenity spot to problem-solve. Enter his sister Birdie, who spots him on the ground and takes him on a walk ‘n talk through nature, not only to lift him back up but also to help him understand the significance of our given names and the kind, respectful use of nicknames. Savor every step of this sweet sibling stroll as they work together to heal a hurting heart. The back of the book includes reflection questions for a deeper dive into the text and some of its symbolism.
Birdie & Mipps has been published by Road to Awesome Publishing and is available at Barnes and Noble and online at bit.ly/BirdieMipps. Wasel Ahmed illustrated the book.
Gruener participated in an Author Visit at the Friendswood Library. She read her new book to those attending and then offered an activity afterward.
This has been a great year for Gruener. She finished her 40th year in education, became a grandmother for the first time (to baby Leah), and completed her fourth book.
She has enjoyed writing all of her life, and during the last decade, she has reflected and grown in her popular blog, The Corner on Character. In 2014, she partnered with Ferne Press to publish her first book, What’s Under Your Cape? SUPERHEROES of the Character Kind. The book earned the Mom’s Choice Gold Award.
In 2020, she collaborated with two other educators and created an e-book, the Virtual Classroom Survival Guide. Its purpose was to assist educators and parents in success through remote instruction and learning.
In 2021, readers of all ages were delighted to read about an unsung hero in the heartwarming picture book Mr. Quigley’s Keys. Published by EduMatch Publishing, the book was illustrated by Audrye Williams. The book also received a Mom’s Choice Gold Award.
Gruener’s books contain life lessons and are gifts from her heart to her readers.
“The one thing that remains constant throughout my writing journey is that words have the power to positively encourage, uplift, support, comfort, calm, energize, warm, and bless people. I pray that my words might do that for you…” Gruener said.
Gruener and her husband, John, live in Friendswood.
To read more about the author and her books and book an author visit her website: barbaragruenerauthor.com.
