Julie A Barker

I hope that everyone had a wonderful day full of fun and celebration on the 4th. My family certainly did. The fireworks that we watched with our family and friends in our community were amazing as usual. I love the kids faces as each firework bursts. My little Bowen was absolutely stunned when they first started, but shortly after, he got used to the noise and began falling to the ground with each pop pretending like he'd been shot. Needless to say I would catch myself watching this funny little scene more than watching the gorgeous display in the sky!  I love this time of year and I am so proud to be an American, which is one of the reasons I chose the 4th of July as the center of my next Hitchin' Post book.  Now obviously I'm not a marketing or business major or otherwise I would've had this book hot off the press and ready to purchase with a huge marketing campaign leading up to the 4th! But....I'm not.  I do however, think this is one that the ki

Putting words down on paper has always seemed to come naturally to me. Rhyming especially, though I'm not sure why, but true interest in writing all started during my sophomore year in English class.  I had one of my favorite teachers of all time, Ms. San Jones. She was so interesting and fun.  She was the teacher that lit that "spark" in me. You know that teacher. The one that provides that special and significant encouragement. The one that provides a part of the mold that shapes a little part of the road you travel down in life.  All she simply did was praise one of my creative writing assignments.  It was titled The Shady Pastures Buttercup Corporation. She gave me an A+ and wrote that it was "absolutely MOOVOLOUS", because for some reason it was a story about cattle too...hummm...was I forshadowing my future with that one?!   That was when I first realized I might have a talent for writing. It has taken me long enough to put that talent into action, bu

I love this time of year for so many reasons.  The warm air, the end of the school activities with the anticipation of upcoming summer fun, and also because it is rodeo time.  I grew up in Vernon, Texas, just 30 miles down the road from my current hometown of Quanah.  On May, 17-20th, Vernon will be celebrating their annual Santa Rosa Roundup.  If you are traveling through on Wednesday the 17th, stay for the Santa Rosa parade, then head on out to the rodeo grounds for the amazing BBQ meal provided by the local Lion's Club.  There is absolutely nothing like good ole Texas BBQ!   After the BBQ, walk over to the Santa Rosa arena to watch the first night of rodeo action and enjoy the talent of the historic Santa Rosa Palomino Club.  These talented riders give all they have to entertain the crowd, and they never disappoint!  My little boy Brady sure couldn't take his eyes off of them!   Rodeo is such a wonderful tradition.  I'm very nostalgic, so to go each ye

N ational Small Business Week is April 30th-May 6th , so in honor of this week, I wanted to highlight a few of my favorite small businesses in my area.  I am blessed to live in a rural community that is full of people wanting to better our little town.  I live in Quanah, Texas, located about 90 miles east of Wichita Falls, on Highway 287.  In our little town, we have entrepreneurs that see the importance of bringing businesses and travelers to our area. Ladies, who doesn't like to shop???  I know I do, which is why I'm proud that Quanah boasts two wonderful dress shops that provide the latest fashions we are all looking for. Rustics and Rhinestones is located directly on Hwy 287 across from the Best Western hotel, making shopping convenient for travelers on the main road.  Owner, Joycelyn Smith, has clothing, home decor, baby items, Junk Gypsy paint, furniture, Tyler Candles and much, much more.                                                                     Pho

" His brothers were all here, Gene, Donny, Tommy and Tim - the one a head taller than Hitch. Then stepping through the crowd with his 10-gallon hat, was the youngest little brother named Mitch." I am excited to say that the follow-up to Hitchin' Post, is almost complete, therefore I wanted to give you a little snippet of what's to come!  In this next book, we get to meet a few of Hitch's family members.  He has five brothers that have come to visit, and Hitch is so excited!  They get to experience working alongside their brother on his beloved 6Bs Ranch, and get to attend the biggest celebration of the year - the 6Bs 4th of July Rodeo!  Get ready for some rodeo fun and celebration as we head back to the 6Bs Ranch.   I am so glad that my mom, Carolyn Altman, will continue on this journey with me as my illustrator. She and I have enjoyed writing, drawing and creating Hitchin' Post and the other characters, as well as sharing how we feel about our Texa

As 2016 has come to an end, I feel a huge need to say in a BIG way, "THANK YOU!", to everyone who has supported me and the release of Hitchin' Post.   What an incredible year it has been.  I have received such amazing support from my hometown of Quanah, Texas, as well as my original hometown, Vernon, Texas, and the support continues to come.  My goal was to write something with a purpose and with a lesson that children could learn from, and I hope that  Hitchin' Post  did that. Hearing from parents, grandparents, and especially the children, that they loved Hitchin' Post , has been a dream come true.   One of my favorite "reviews" that I have received was from a very special little girl whose mom sent me this picture: I'm not sure if you can see it clearly, but she listed the "6Bs" as one of her favorite summer reads! I could not ask for a better review than that! This has been such a fun journey to go on with my mother, who I could