Offering writers a venue for sharing their work with a group of like-minded fellows. Providing feedback through discussion and critique.

Barbara Boyd Gorton

Barbara is an insurance consultant which pays the bills, but her passion is writing novels for fulfillment and pleasure. She has four published novels which are available on Amazon and Kindle, and a fifth book is in the works. All of her stories have a romantic thread running through them, but the characters have real life issues to connect the reader to the situation. They are happy ending books because she believes a book should give the reader pleasure and make them feel good.

Barbara was raised in Western Pennsylvania and loves the people and geography of the area, much of which is reflected in her books. Her stories have humor, honesty and a touch of whimsy to make the reader a part of the tale. Her books in print are: “The Past’s Present,” “The Birthday Party,” “The Water Tower,” and “Who Dunnit?” The subjects range from how Mary, Queen of Scots’ is related to a Hollywood actor and his fan who puts the puzzle together, to a milestone birthday and the amazing year that follows for a group of older folks who know age doesn’t matter. Then to a young woman’s journey via a scholarship to France where she learns more about life’s twists and turns than she could ever imagine, to a murder mystery where a miserable guy gets his due.

Barbara enjoys traveling, cooking, swimming, and spending time with friends and family. She is active in her church and serves her community via the food pantry and homeless shelter ministries. She is an avid reader, and enjoys writing letters and poems. She loves driving, and would love to do a cross country trip stopping along the way to see the sights, meet the people, and then write about the adventure.

Author's Portfolio
Who Dunnit? by Barbara Boyd Gorton

Who Dunnit?

By Barbara Boyd Gorton

Ian Mitchell was a forty-year-old man who knew he was destined for greatness……unfortunately, he was the only one that thought so. Jobs came and went because he was far too intelligent to do the menial tasks assigned to him. He didn’t have two nickels to rub together, but he dressed like a mogul and managed to enjoy the finer things in life. How did he do it? Now Ian is dead. The old ME (medical examiner) would have looked at the body, never noticed the pin stick and that would have been that, just another junkie overdose. But, Val is new to town and making a name for herself as the new ME. Jack is one of the detectives assigned to find out who killed Ian Mitchell. The murder has given Val and Jack a chance to get to know each other. As the investigation into the murder intensifies, will their relationship do the same?A list of suspects emerges as detectives question Ian’s family and acquaintances. These people describe a man with a very dark side who had few, if any, friends. He used people to fund his expensive tastes and drug habit. Blackmail, theft, lies, and deceit are all part of his repertoire. So many people had a reason to hate him. Did one of them hate him enough to commit murder? Or, is the culprit someone unknown to his circle of family and acquaintances? Did Ian mess with the wrong person and make a deadly mistake? Did Ian’s lover, who was betrayed and humiliated by Ian do it? What about his family? They knew how Ian terrorized his mother. Was he involved in a suicide decades before? The detectives also have to consider Ian’s drug use. Was he involved in a drug deal gone bad? Who is Scrubs?Answers to these questions are revealed as the detectives check off the suspects on their list, and learn of other associates who could be involved. Why, how and who did it? And what about Val and Jack?

Available at Amazon

Published: October 23, 2020


The Water Tower by Barbara Boyd Gorton

The Water Tower

Angelina and Blake have known each other since grade school. Blake’s goals were to travel the globe and eventually settle down with Angelina in their hometown. Angelina hoped to follow her passion for writing and be the mom every kid wanted to be his or her mom! These dreams are shared when, as kids, they climb the town water tower, and talk about their futures. Angelina loves her town, and is astounded to see the beauty of it from the top of the tower. Blake is happy she enjoys seeing the panorama of their little town, but HE can’t wait to see the world! A scholarship award to study in Paris comes her way. Blake encourages her to go, while he travels and feeds his wanderlust. But his travel is cut short by an opportunity of a lifetime, and Angelina’s time in Paris turns out to be far different than she could have anticipated. As Angelina makes friends, studies and works in Paris, things take a dark turn. Her roommate bails, the new roommate has a baby, and a man is lurking about threatening their safety. There’s a proposal, an accident, a court battle, and greed surfaces, threatening everything folks have come to expect. So much can happen in a year that can’t be anticipated. Some of it is wonderful. Some of it is heartbreaking. In the end, isn’t that what life is all about? We can plan and assume we know what’s to come, but things happen. Relationships are formed, strengthened, then lost. Follow Angelina as she faces challenges that will build her character and break her heart. How does Blake fit into the picture? And what about a surprise trust fund? How will that impact their lives?

Available at Amazon

Published: May 5, 2020


The Birthday Party by Barbara Boyd Gorton

The Birthday Party

By Barbara Boyd Gorton

Woo hoo! A big birthday is coming up. Corrine has no idea what her friends have planned for her. But her friends have no idea what’s planned for them. Their futures are going to change drastically!As three friends enjoy the after party glow, seeds for romance and new adventures are planted. Their pillow talk turns to what could have been and what could be. What was Corrine’s birthday wish? Corrine has always been a visionary, cheerleader and a facilitator. She gave people ideas, encouraged them to keep going, found help when her friends needed it. She provided moral, spiritual and financial help as much as she could. She always “had her friends’ backs.”Now at a pivotal point in her life, her friends are thanking her by way of a huge birthday bash. A dear friend from her past and a newer friend from the present, play a big part in how their lives will be changed, thanks to this birthday party.Corrine may be receiving wonderful gifts and hear fabulous comments about what an important person she has been in the lives of those gathered for the party. But some of her friends will end up with the greatest gifts. What will they be? And what of Corrine’s birthday wish? Will it come true?Join Corrine, Linda, and Olivia as they discover this birthday is the beginning of a new life for all of them, and it’s going to be better than they could have ever imagined, or WISHED!

Available at Amazon

Published: August 13, 2019


The Past's Present

The Past’s Present

by Barbara Boyd Gorton

Bridgette is the mother of adult children whose problems she has taken on as her own, for far too long. As she finally allows herself to stop making their problems hers, she embraces the present and looks forward to finding new interests and doing new things. What she has no way of knowing, is that the timing is perfect for a culminating event dating back hundreds of years. The catalyst for this is an actor, Hunter Stephens. After seeing the latest Hunter movie with a friend, Bridgette confesses to her friend, about the growing obsession she has to learn all she can about Hunter. Her friend suggests there could be an ancestral or spiritual connection that needs to be explored. Perhaps their paths crossed during another lifetime. Over the next two years, Bridgette and her friend put together the pieces of the puzzle. Someone or something from the past is manipulating Bridgette to continue her fascination with Hunter, to accomplish a goal. But what is the goal? When Bridgette learns that she and Hunter might be linked by a present from the past that goes back to Mary, Queen of Scots, she is lead down a mysterious path to find the truth about the gift and, determine whether her destiny is linked, somehow, to Hunter Stephens. In this fascinating tale, a womans inexplicable fascination with a movie actor takes her on a journey to find the truth. Could they be connected through their ancestry?

Available at Amazon

Published: June 1, 2018



Harford Writers' Group | writers@harfordwritersgroup.org