Barbara DeMarco-Barrett

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Barbara DeMarco-Barrett

Goodreads Author


Born
in Altoona, PA, The United States
Website

Twitter

Genre

Member Since
June 2007


I host "Writers on Writing," podcast wherever you get your podcast and on www.penonfire.com. My first book, Pen on Fire (originally published by Harcourt; reprinted by Mars Street Press). Short stories USA noir: Best of the Akashic Noir Series, Coolest American Stories, 2023, Rock and a Hard Place, Literary Hatchet, and more. My most recent book is Palm Springs Noir (Akashic), which I edited and contributed a story to. I teach at Gotham Writers Workshop, Saddleback College's Emeritus Institute, and privately. My short story, "Rowboat," (Kelp Journal, Dec. 2023) was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. My book of short stories, POOL FISHING, was released by Kelp Books on Sept 15, 2025 ...more

Popular Answered Questions

Barbara DeMarco-Barrett I do freewriting. I pick a couple of words, set the timer, and don't stop until the timer goes off. Works every time.…moreI do freewriting. I pick a couple of words, set the timer, and don't stop until the timer goes off. Works every time.(less)
Barbara DeMarco-Barrett I have to start writing to get inspired. Once I'm in the chair (or on the sofa, as it were), and I start working, I'm inspired to continue. Inspiratio…moreI have to start writing to get inspired. Once I'm in the chair (or on the sofa, as it were), and I start working, I'm inspired to continue. Inspiration is rarely flung at me from some unnamed source. Writing begets more writing.(less)
Average rating: 3.98 · 945 ratings · 173 reviews · 13 distinct worksSimilar authors
Pen on Fire: A Busy Woman's...

4.02 avg rating — 560 ratings — published 2004 — 8 editions
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USA noir: Best of the Akash...

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3.76 avg rating — 325 ratings — published 2013 — 2 editions
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Palm Springs Noir

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3.92 avg rating — 196 ratings — published 2021
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Orange County Noir

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3.52 avg rating — 136 ratings — published 2010 — 8 editions
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Pool Fishing

4.49 avg rating — 45 ratings
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The Savage Waves of Spring

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4.64 avg rating — 11 ratings — published 2026 — 3 editions
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Writing in Place: Stories f...

4.44 avg rating — 9 ratings2 editions
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Orange County noir

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it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 2010
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Pool Fishing: Stories

it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating2 editions
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Knitting through it: Inspir...

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More books by Barbara DeMarco-Barrett…

Hospital reading material

I'm going into the hospital tomorrow for surgery and a short stay and I'm contemplating reading material. Do I bring what I'm reading now (Orhan's Inheritance, which isn't dark but it's serious fiction and I love it), something light and perky (though the lightest and perkiest books on my shelf are by Elinor LIpman and I've already read them), or magazines?

The ARC for Abigail Thomas's new memoir j Read more of this blog post »
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Published on February 08, 2015 07:45 Tags: hospital-reading-material
Yellow Pine
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The Master and Ma...
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Barbara’s Recent Updates

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Yellow Pine by Claire Vaye Watkins
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The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout
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This one is one of my two favorite novels I've read thus far this year (the other is Cassandra Neyenesch's A LITTLE BIT BAD). I've enjoyed other Strout novels, especially Olive, but this one...big wow. So good. A tearjerker. Unexpected twists. I can ...more
Barbara and 102 other people liked Chris's review of The Things We Never Say:
The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout
"THE THINGS WE NEVER SAY is a devastating book: devastatingly beautiful, devastatingly smart, and devastatingly kind. Meet Artie Dam, revered high school history teacher in a Boston suburb in 2024, who is just starting to lose his grip. His grown son'" Read more of this review »
Barbara marked as on-hold-i-ll-get-to-it-again
The Desert and the Sea by Michael Scott Moore
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Fly, My Darling by Lisa K. Richter
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Lisa is such a beautiful writer and this is such a heartfelt, emotional love story, an unexpected pairing that upends her life. There is heartbreak and there is renewal, a new love. I love how chapters are short and there is white space around the pa ...more
Barbara rated a book really liked it
Beast In View by Margaret Millar
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Strangers by Belle Burden
"I’m confused as to why this book was so jaw dropping and shocking to most readers. I got scammed by a tiktok video saying they called an emergency book club meeting bc this book was so shocking. There literally isn’t anything shocking that happened. " Read more of this review »
Strangers by Belle Burden
"I feel terrible rating anyone’s memoir so low but… it’s just unrelatable to me and so many other people in this day and age. Rich people divorce. Oh no, I might have to sell one of my two homes in some of the most exclusive zip codes in the country. " Read more of this review »
Strangers by Belle Burden
" You were happier with the book than me. I gave it two stars. "
Barbara wants to read
The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne by Ron Currie Jr.
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Quotes by Barbara DeMarco-Barrett  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“When you travel with your family, you may not get the volume of work done you would if you were alone, but you can still do something while recharging. If nothing else, you can gather your own thoughts, write down ideas, observe people around you, and reflect on experiences. Working doesn't always mean putting words on paper.”
Barbara DeMarco-Barrett

“Rituals help us change modes.”
Barbara DeMarco-Barrett

“Sound is so important to creative writing. Think of the sounds you hear that you include and the similes you use to describe what things sound like. 'As she walked up the alley, her polyester workout pants sounded like windshield wipers swishing back and forth.' Cadence, onomatopoeia, the poetry of language are all so important. Learn all that you can about how to bring sound into your work.”
Barbara DeMarco-Barrett

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“I have a terrible memory; I never forget a thing.”
Edith Konecky

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
H. Jackson Brown Jr., P.S. I Love You

“Any emotion, if it is sincere, is involuntary.”
Mark Twain

“A novel is a mirror walking along a main road.”
Stendhal, The Red and the Black

“The reason that fiction is more interesting than any other form of literature, to those who really like to study people, is that in fiction the author can really tell the truth without humiliating himself.”
Eleanor Roosevelt

7263808 Theology, Meaning, and Morality — 221 members — last activity May 29, 2026 02:00PM
A space for thoughtful discussion on theology and beyond: meaning, morality, and the depths to understanding human life. This group welcomes diverse ...more
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Daniel
Barbaea, I've added your book Pen on Fire to my to-read list.


message 1: by John (last edited Aug 25, 2016 01:01PM)

John Hi Barbara,

I checked out your podcasts...They are GREAT! Your style of interviewing brings out the best in your guests and offers the listener a treasure trove of insights into writing...making the somewhat nebulous craft of writing a little less enigmatic...

Keep up the GREAT JOB!!!


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