A collection of tales, illustrations, and musings where crows are the messengers, but the story is human.
Living in the city, they were the birds I had. Not rare, not exotic...just present. They allowed me to practice my skills as a photographer. This book grew out of those everyday encounters. It’s part photo journal, part love letter to the ordinary. If you’ve ever paused to watch a sparrow fluff its feathers or squabble with a neighbor, you might find something familiar in it.
You can find it on Amazon if you're curious
I’m honored to share that Seahorses in the Olive Jar received a five-star review from Readers’ Favorite. Their kind words and thoughtful take on the story truly meant a lot to me — here’s the full review below:
Seahorses in the Olive Jar by Barb Kirpluk follows Walter, a puppet
crow unable to fly, who struggles deeply with acceptance and
emotional vulnerability. He develops a strong, idealized devotion to
Gypsy, a real crow introduced to him by Dervish, a bold and scheming
puppet crow who often stirs trouble with his antics. Walter’s
artistic expression and emotional world revolve around his
complicated feelings for Gypsy, who carries her burdens and affects
Walter’s life in unpredictable ways. Meanwhile, the flamboyant Hank
provides support within the chaos. Walter attempts to connect with
Gypsy, juggle the consequences of Dervish’s disruptive behavior,
and cope with loneliness and rejection while surrounded by a mix of
quirky characters and legal battles. Throughout, Walter confronts his
inner fears and desires while managing his relationships and artistic
identity.
Barb Kirpluk’s Seahorses in the Olive Jar is a
sharp, playful book that mixes a large helping of whimsy, balanced by
some moments of genuine feeling. Among the quirky cast, Dervish
steals the show with his massively unpredictable and disorderly
conduct made me laugh the most. I mean, he made a certain bombastic
real-life TV attorney come across as reasonable and levelheaded,
which is no small feat. On the flip side, Loki, the endearing
Shetland sheepdog, quietly won my heart with her gentle persistence
and loyalty, becoming the very tender counterpoint to the madness.
Barb Kirpluk’s talent shines in crafting a wide range of characters
who feel alive and flawed, with hilarious interactions. In her bag of
humor, subtle social commentary, and offbeat scenes, Kirpluk proves
that there are no limitations to storytelling when it is done well,
and there is no question she succeeded here. Very highly recommended.
Review by Asher Syed, Readers' Favorite
When a few people buy your book and the world stays quiet, you push the project to the back of your mind. You tell yourself you did all you could. You finished something. That has to be enough.
And then, the first review comes in. There’s a moment of fear, that it’s a one-star review, that maybe you really are just a person with no business pecking out words on a keyboard. But will you stop? No. This is just what you do. You’ll heal, and you’ll move on to the next thing.
So it is with real relief—and joy—that my very first review turned out to be thoughtful, generous, and insightful. I’m honored that my book was chosen as the debut for a new project called First Past the Post, where the reviewer seeks out books with no reviews and becomes the first to share their thoughts.
“The thing I enjoyed most overall, however, was just the sheer joy and passion radiating from every word in this book.”
“It is so clear that Kirpluk writes from a place of pure creative pleasure and truly loves the characters she has created.”
“What a weird, wacky, silly, lovely gem to stumble upon for the first review of this new series.”
A little throwback to Whistler the budgie, who once perfected his cowboy routine. He’d say “Giddyup, horsie,” make his own clip-clop sound effects, then throw in a “Whoa, Nelly!” before galloping off again.
If he’d ever had a horse, we definitely would’ve named it Nelly—though of course, I wouldn’t have let him ride it in the house. And yes, that clip-clop sound? All him. He was quite the performer.
I was walking past the music room when I heard singing. At first, I thought it was The Joker by Steve Miller, but something was…off. The words weren’t quite right.
I peeked inside and found Dervish, deeply engrossed in what appeared to be a self-portrait—scrawled with his own revised lyrics. Apparently, the song needed a few improvements to better suit his worldview.
Here’s the full version of Dervish’s rewrite. I take no responsibility for the liberties he’s taken with the lyrics:
Some people call me a con artiste
some people call me the gangster of junk
some people call me Derveeeeeesh!
cause I reek of the pompitous of skunk
I'm a squawker, I'm a talker
I'm a trash bin stalker
I steal your bacon then I run
I'm a joker, I'm a croaker
I'm a back room broker
Sure don't wanna hurt no one
I'm a trickster, I'm a fixer
I'm a double dose elixir
I peddle nonsense just for fun
The haunting melody and mysterious lyrics of Gypsy inspired the name of a character in my book. Naturally, Dervish couldn’t resist rewriting the song—to make it all about him. It seems publishing didn’t close the chapter on Dervish and his antics.
Is it any surprise that my book features talking crows when I once had a budgie who could sing the Mr. Ed theme? Much like Dervish, he had a knack for twisting the lyrics into his own unique version! His rendition wasn’t perfect, but it was pretty amazing for a little bird.
Though Whistler is now waiting for me at the Rainbow Bridge, I’m grateful to have recordings of his many ramblings. I’ll be sharing more of them here in the future—stay tuned!
"A horse is horse a course, no talk to a horse, a horse a course, horse, horse, horse,
famous Mr. err Mr. Head."