Seahorses in the Olive Jar Receives a Five-Star Review from Readers’ Favorite

 

 

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

 

 

4 Stars and a Note in a Bottle

 

There’s a deafening, uncomfortable silence that follows the release of a book when you're an indie author. If you’re truly writing something honest, it’s risky. You tell yourself it doesn’t matter if anyone reads it, but tossing a note in a bottle into the ocean still carries a glimmer of hope. Hope that someone finds it. That your words are understood. That something connects.

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.”

 Read the full review here

Dervish’s Alternate Reality – The Karen Read Trial

 

Dervish and Walter are both trial junkies, glued to every new courtroom circus. This week’s obsession? The Karen Read trial. Walter tends to stick to plausible theories—he’s sympathetic to Karen, suggesting if she did do it, she doesn’t know it. He leans toward a fight in the house, maybe an accident, and a cover-up masterminded by Jen McCabe.

Dervish, naturally, has other ideas. His theories exist mostly to get Walter spun up, then he leaves the room grinning to himself while Walter yells facts into the void.

Here’s Dervish’s version of events:

Neither Karen nor anyone in the house did it. The real culprit? Lucky, the tow truck driver. According to Dervish, John drunkenly set off to confront Karen after she “left him out in the cold.” Hours later, lost and hypothermic, he sat on a curb and began to feel “strangely warm.” Enter Lucky with his plow. Trying to avoid a coyote (Dervish insists Lucky is an animal lover), he swerved and clipped John in the head with the plow blade.

Panicking, Lucky dumped the body on the lawn of his longtime nemesis and ex-pizza shop boss, Brian Albert—because if anyone deserved blame, it was that guy. To cover his tracks, Lucky later claimed he passed by and saw no body.

As for the scratches on John’s arm? Not a dog—just John slicing tomatoes for salsa while conducting Tchaikovsky in the kitchen. Dervish says it’s a well-known fact: John loved classical music, especially after a few Coronas and lemon.

The illustration, compliments of a park squirrel named Picaso-so shows Dervish in a mock cross-examination of the trial judge, Bev Cannone. He originally tried to lure the real judge with a pitcher of his specialty cocktail, “White Claw Crimson” (red Kool-Aid and White Claw), but when she refused, he substituted a Mrs. Beasley doll—citing her uncanny resemblance thanks to her yellow yarn hair.