Barbara Peterson

Barbara Peterson

Barbara Peterson is the author of 3 books, including Full Circle, The Button Boy’s Journey, Johannes and Berta, and The Button Boy -- all part of The Button Boy Trilogy. 

Barbara grew up by the Four Mile Creek and picked blackberries in the woods around her Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin home. Many of her stories focus on memories of her early beginnings in the central Wisconsin area. If you are from Wisconsin, you may notice many of the cities and place descriptions are real, but the characters in her books are all fictional.

Barbara moved from Wisconsin Rapids to Wausau, Wisconsin after high school and studied business at Wausau's technical college. She worked for many years as an assistant administrator, worked in healthcare customer service, and owned her own cross stitch design company. Her love for thrifting, antiques, and cross stitch thrust her into the world of online selling, which is one of her favorite pastimes today.

She also loves nature walks and gardening. Now retired, she spends her days daydreaming and writing. She is married, has two grown sons, and one grandson. Their cat named Mosey can be a thorn in her side, but she still loves her mischievous ways. 

You can sign up to get updates about her writing here.

Books

The Button Boy (The Button Boy Trilogy Book 1)

Book #1 from the series: The Button Boy

Josiah Howard lost his parents to the Spanish flu and became an orphan at age five. After five turbulent years in foster care, the desperate ten-year-old Josiah ran away. During the Great Depression, he finds himself alone on the streets begging for food. So desperately hungry that first week, he takes off again, this time to the woods to...

Johannes and Berta (The Button Boy Trilogy Book 2)

Book #2 from the series: The Button Boy

It is 1879 Germany, and 19-year-old Johannes Schmidt is a button maker in the small town of Bollen, Germany. It’s hard work, but three generations of Schmidt men have supported their families making buttons. Suddenly, between losing his father and the Long Depression in Germany, Johannes is faced with hard decisions about his button making in...

Full Circle (The Button Boy Trilogy Book 3)

The Button Boy's Journey
Book #3 from the series: The Button Boy

In the sweeping conclusion of The Button Boy Trilogy, we are reminded of how, during the Great Depression, a runaway boy named Josiah Howard was given a home by the kindhearted Schmidt couple. Josiah was taught the old-world trade of clay button making that had been in the Schmidt family for generations in Germany and America.


As the boy grew, he...

Praise

The Button Boy is a heartwarming story of a talented craftsman and his family during the time of the Great Depression. A young boy with a difficult upbringing finds his life changed forever after meeting a master button maker from Germany. The narrative is moving, humorous and offers a detailed account of a unique craft, building a business, as well as a beautiful family. This debut novel from Barbara Peterson will give inspiration and hope to readers of all ages.

– Brook

Having received this paperback as a gift, I hadn’t planned a starting a new book. After a brief preview I knew early on I would finish reading it as soon as possible. The Button Boy is a sentimental, thought-provoking look into the trials and tribulations of life and running a business in and around the days of the Great Depression and WW2. With subtle humor and descriptive text, Peterson keeps the reader wondering and excited to learn each character’s life story and next stages. Book-lovers of many ages and styles are bound to find enjoyment and life lessons throughout.

– Wiscokid

Latest Updates

I have accounts on several social media and online accounts:

X -- Under Barbara Peterson, Author. I've been on this account for five years. There are a lot of author...

I love playing with ad creation for social media. Here are more ads I've created in the past few weeks.

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Blog

Just wanted to let my readers know about this:

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I can give you the title, but that's it. The title is Under the Broccoli Canopy, and will be a young adult/fantasy novel. I think it's pretty sweet. I hope to have it released by year end.

If you sign up for email notifications, I can keep you posted with details.

Barb


When I wrote book one, The Button Boy, I had no idea there would be a book two or a book three. With book one finished, there were just too many ends hanging. Johannes and Berta deserved their own story and I felt a prequel was in order.

Writing this book was prompted knowing a bit about my own father's background. He was German and his family immigrated to America in the late 1800's. Johannes and Berta's story in America is loosely based on the struggles my parents had as newlyweds.

I loved...

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