Today we’d like to introduce you to Barbara Howard Phipps.
Hi Barbara, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’d love to say that my story has been a straight path to overwhelming success. Like most creatives, it’s been fraught with fits and starts with moments of insecurity and self-doubt. My love for reading and storytelling started in early childhood. My parents filled my life with books, audiobooks, and reading clubs at school. My favorite day of the week was Wednesday because that’s when my class visited the school library. The librarian challenged us to memorize and recite a poem each week. I was always prepared. Sidebar: the hero in the first book of my trilogy, Final Harvest, is a librarian. My mother enrolled me in a creative writing course at The Fairmount Center for Performing and Creative Arts. I was about fourteen, a child among a circle of adults. It was intimidating (and the critiques brutal), but the instructor gave me solid encouragement that I carry until this day. When it came time to graduate high school and select a college, my mentor strongly recommended Sarah Lawrence College. My heart said Yes, but it was so far away from home. I opted to attend Kent State University and study Political Science. And that began the bumpy ride of sorting out life as a young adult, paying bills, and trying to make some kind of impact on the world.
I moved to the Washington, D.C. area because, of course, where else? And became enamored with the culture and influence. Recognizing immediately that information is power, I switched to Information Technology as a career and eventually became a Program Manager for a large Department of Defense contract (the Pentagon) and later a Project Leader/Eastern Region for KPMG, one of the Big 4 finance and accounting firms with an office in Georgetown. Life was grand in a 24/7 on-call, overstressed, hard-charging, highly competitive, over-caffeinated, limited family life, and no downtime kind of way. Looking back, the question is, “Who would choose a life like that?” The amazing answer is it chose me.
Nine-eleven.
I can split the timeline of my career in thirds. September 11, 2011, knocked my world off its axis. I found myself, after having lost people “in the building” and everything scattered, back home in Cleveland, Ohio. It was a time of trying to locate people and reassemble my life while becoming reacquainted with family and people from my past. The word ‘surreal’ doesn’t truly paint the picture, but it’s close.
Our elders.
During the first few years of being back, our family began witnessing the elders pass on and my generation coping with more loss and navigating our new identities. It was so hard. But one clear message remains: my family is my first call. So, I didn’t return to my previous lifestyle and, reluctantly, my body acclimated to the slower pace and shift in priorities.
Manuscripts.
I don’t know when exactly I started writing again, but I did. I began studying craft and loading up on classes, tools, and resources. Mystery genre is my kink, and I can’t shake it. I think the analytical nature of story building is a distant cousin of computer networking. Of course, I can’t prove it, but I stick to that when people ask how I chose crime fiction. Besides, it chose me.
The pandemic of 2020 (and its echo that we are currently living through) pushed one theme through the fog of ‘new normal’ living: If not now, when? So, I garnered all the knowledge and network currency I could muster and became an Indie author. In 2020, I published my 3-part novella series Finding Home, under the pen name Barbara Howard. I’ve been published in three crime fiction anthologies. My next release, The Taste of Rain, is June 6, 2023. I presented during a Self-Publishing roundtable at the Cuyahoga County Library William N. Skirball Writers Center. And I’m a member of several professional organizations, Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and Gamma Xi Phi, along with Crime Writers of Color, Great Lakes Fiction Writers, and Literary Cleveland.
The traces of doubt regarding my identity as a writer have dwindled to mere shadows now. Because the truth is simple: Writers write.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The only struggle has been learning and accepting that boundaries are necessary to incubate your ideas safely. Once I realized that every member of Team Life, family, friends, and colleagues, doesn’t get an all-access pass. My sensitivities calmed down, and my writing routine became as natural as breathing.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m an author of crime fiction/mystery. The sub-genres would be female sleuth, amateur sleuth, and cozy mystery. Also, I publish a podcast across most streaming platforms about the writing life and craft. I’m most proud of the responses from readers that state how much they enjoy my stories and accept the characters as real people in their lives, especially when they want more. Perhaps what sets me apart is that I published as a second life after a full career. And I want the well-rounded characters and sense of place that I’ve built into my stories to be my hallmark. I’m working on that.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs, or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I read everything by K.M. Weiland (she also has a podcast) and James Scott Bell. Stephen King’s, On Writing is a jewel. There are tons of writing craft books and tools stacked on my shelves. Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America provide invaluable online resources for members, including interviews by subject matter experts on crime investigation, weapons, and police procedure. Unrelated to writing but equally important, I enjoy nature. So much so, I completed Ohio State University Extension Master Gardener Certification and became a volunteer in Cuyahoga County. Although I’m no longer active in the community gardens, I still study bug books and answer questions about tree rot. In addition, I’m a quilter and binge-watch tutorials by Missouri Star Quilt Co.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.authorbarbarahoward.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/bhowardphipps
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/barbarahowardauthor
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/barbarahoward
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/@barbarahoward
- Podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/barbara-howard333
