My Books

Welcome to my page; I’m glad you’re here.

My name is Barbara Gruener and I’ve been a writer for as long as I can remember. My earliest recollection is during my formative years back on our family’s dairy farm, when we would be visited by seed-company sales reps who would leave little notebooks that I would commandeer and frantically fill with my thoughts and feelings. I recently uncovered and dusted off those little gems and they were hilarious!

In the middle grades, I also started to collect PenPals so that I could write not only for myself, but to other people. Four decades later, I still exchange Christmas cards with three of them. After journaling for a quarter of a century, blogs came along and I’ve spent the last decade reflecting and growing over at The Corner On Character.

In May of 2014, I partnered with Ferne Press to publish my first book, What’s Under Your Cape? SUPERHEROES of the Character Kind, which subsequently earned the Mom’s Choice Gold Award distinction.

In the summer of 2020, I was blessed to collaborate with Dr. Jean, Teacher Toni, and Laura Buonadonna to create an e-book, the Virtual Classroom Survival Guide, to help educators and parents survive (and thrive!) through remote instruction and learning.

In 2021, my picture book, Mr. Quigley’s Keys, showcasing the illustrations of the beautifully-talented Audrye Williams, was published by EduMatch Publishing on my 60th birthday! We are so excited to put this heartwarming story of an unsung hero into the hearts and hands of children and adults alike.

We are grateful to announce that Mr. Quigley’s Keys has also been chosen a Mom’s Choice Gold Award recipient.

My latest project found me weaving a tale about the healing powers of knitting after losing my mom in 2024; so grateful to have partnered with talented Art educator McKenna Giamfortone to bring Knit Back Together to life. Get your copy {here}.