Tag Archives: Mimi Barbour NYT author

Have you ever met people who instantly make you feel good?

Posted on by — 1 Comment ↓

Meet Marius and Nick holding my spoilt dog, Charli.

I was very fortunate recently to have met these two young fellows who’d put a post on Facebook looking for temporary employment on Vancouver Island. They were from Germany and wished to see our beautiful province of British Columbia. Of course, they needed a source of income to support their travels. And the only way they could make money for the year they’d planned to stay was to take on small jobs.

My son happened to see this enquiry on his stream and knew I was hoping to get my fence painted before the end of the summer. Unfortunately, he was totally inundated with work himself and didn’t have the time. Not that I would have asked because he’d painted with me and a friend the last time that old fence needed it.

On my behalf, he made an offer to them, and they agreed to come and spend the better part of two days to get it done. Thrilled to know I could cross that chore off my to-do list, we bought the supplies they’d need before the big day.

What I wasn’t prepared for was just how nice those boys were.  

Because I wanted to get to know them better, I prepared some special meals for them, delayed their painting time by striking up different subjects about their home and their travels…basically getting to know what wonderful boys they were. It was a huge treat for me because they were more than happy to share, and we had some great conversations.

I was happy that they’d be leaving with their bank account refilled and hopefully with more good memories of kindness from the people of B.C.

Berry Pie that is Amazing.

Posted on by — 1 Comment ↓

Near to where I live are bushes absolutely brimming with fresh blackberries

Every day as I walk Charli – my toy American Eskimo doggy – we stop while I gather enough of those wonderful blackberries for my breakfast.

Then my son’s girl was going to be celebrating her birthday, and I knew she liked pies much better than cake. So… I got a brilliant idea.

I found a recipe online, messed with it just a little and ended up making a wonderful dessert for her special day. As you can see, I’m not the best crust former. But it did taste fine. You should try this pie too. Trust me, you’ll love it.

Amazing Berry Pie

Ingredients:

I made my own pie crust from an old recipe of my father’s.

I used 7 cups of berries including strawberries, blueberries, and those delicious blackberries.

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

***

4 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons butter

1 egg white

Place these berries in a saucepan, add the sugar and lemon juice. Cook on low for 5 – 10 mins until simmering nicely.

Take out ½ cup of the liquid and add in the cornstarch. Then put it back into the mixture and continue to cook for 3 minutes longer.

Set this mixture aside, add the butter, and let it cool for 15 minutes.

Then spoon it into your pie shell. I made mine with a latticed top and it looked wonderful.

Bake at 400 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Let it cool and then bring out the ice cream!!

***Everyone praised my efforts so much that I’ve now filed this recipe as a keeper.

Why I chose to write about such a controversial subject?

Posted on by — Leave a reply

After watching so many “Breaking News” reports about school shootings, I got to wondering what I would do if I was on public transport like a bus and saw a young boy acting strange, looking scared, and yet defiant. I imagined him  fiddling with his backpack in a weird manner, and then as he stood to get off at a stop near a high school, I saw a rifle barrel poking out from the bag’s flap.

In today’s world, one might just use a cell phone and call it in. In fact, that would probably be the smartest thing, but what if a person thought that it might take too long? Maybe a warning at the school would be best? Yet if the kid knew he’d been seen, would he start shooting right away?

Seriously… the more I got thinking about it, the more I knew it had to be the beginning of one of my  books. And so I wrote Special Agent Walker. In my story, Lori Page is an FBI profiler on her way to a job interview.

She deals with the situation…. in her own way.

~*~*~*~

Agent Walker drops his beloved goddaughter off at the same school where minutes later a shooter begins the devil’s work.

Lori Page, an FBI profiler, spots a boy on a bus who’s acting strange. When he disembarks, she notices what appears to be a rifle in his backpack. Suspicions triggered and her instincts screaming, she follows him into his school where all hell breaks loose.

Intrigued by the weird behavior of a mysterious beauty, Beau follows her into the school and they both find themselves at the same crime scene. He eventually pairs up with her to stop the coming violence.

After the first incident, these two are forced to work together to stop more of these bizarre school shootings.

Too bad…

Too late.

~*~*~*~

Amazon International Link: https://mybook.to/specialagentwalker

***August sale – 99 cents and FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

Do you bother to talk to people anymore?

Posted on by — 1 Comment ↓

Yesterday, I was in the doctor’s office and as soon as I got a seat, I pulled out my phone and began checking my emails. Being a rather busy author, there’s always work I can do, so I began flipping through the new messages.

Suddenly, I realized there was an older woman (older than me so let’s say Methuselah 🙂 sitting next to me, and I could sense she was stressed and tense.

A wave of shame overcame me, and I knew that a few years earlier, I would have begun a conversation with her, made sure to leave her with a smile and a kind word. But with these new priorities, and certainly, since Covid, I’d shut myself off from that type of interaction… to my own detriment.

I quickly slipped my cell into my purse, turned, and grinned. I spoke as if we had been friends for years. “Darn things are a menace… right?”

She looked a bit shocked, then a bit shy, but answered, “Guess it’s the way of the world now.”

“Not a good way, “I admitted, shamefaced.

“No. It’s kinda lonely for those who don’t have one. Used to be able to chat with others when I came here.”

“I know what you mean.” I pointed out the window. “We have a lot to talk about today… look at that sunshine?”

Her face lit up, her smile crooked. “Isn’t that nice? I think spring might be right around the corner.”

We chatted for the next ten minutes about gardens, kids, summer… and not once did we run out of things to say. If the conversation stopped, I’d initiate another topic. Finally, her name was called, and she hustled so as not to keep the nurse waiting. But she smiled my way and that was enough. I knew she’d appreciated having someone to talk to.

I let my very active imagination loose and pictured her as a widow, living alone and seldom seeing others. It made me very glad that I had taken the time to be courteous. But suddenly I knew… I wasn’t being courteous.

Just human.

~~~* Last days to get Special Agent Maximilian at this 99-cent price tag*~~~

http://myBook.to/specialagentmaximilian