Back to the Manger, A Treasure Hunt for the Nativity (Singing River Publications – 2009)

This book was more – way more, than I had originally thought…. I handled each page with loving care as the words lifted from the pages and into my heart. ~ Sheila DeChantal of Book Journey Reviews
https://bookjourney.net/2009/08/03/back-to-the-manger-by-margaret-ann-philbrick/
“This is a lovely, loving, thoughtful story. It is a wonderful Christmas tale with all of things that make the Christmas season so special, especially family traditions. I love that the author and her mother created this beautiful book together with their own family traditions in mind. I would love to give a copy of this book to all of my friends to share with their children at Christmas. Beautifully illustrated and thoughtfully written.” Amazon Review
Between Midnight and Dawn – A Literary Guide to Lent, Holy Week and Eastertide (Paraclete Press, 2016). This collection features Biblical readings, essays and poetry to compliment and enhance your Lenten journey. Poetry becomes more and more important to me as I grow through the seasons of life. I wrote the poem featured in this book, “Miserere,” after visiting the Benedictine Monestary in Florence, Italy. This guide was lovingly created and arranged by Sarah Arthur.
Everbloom – Stories of Deeply Rooted and Transformed Lives by the Women of Redbud Writers Guild. Contributing Editors, Shayne Moore and Margaret Philbrick (Paraclete Press – 2017)

A Minor – A Novel of Love, Music and Memory (Koehler Books – 2014)
“An emotional story…breaks the mold…delicately constructed….nuanced characters…clear prose.” Kirkus ReviewsThis novel features embedded music courtesy of Ingram Distributors
Clive Serkin, a teenage piano prodigy, seeks victory at the Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow, and enlists the help of world-renowned pianist Clare Cardiff. She becomes his mentor and teacher, and even though she is more than twice his age, Clive finds himself falling in love with her. After Clare is diagnosed with early-onset dementia, Clare’s estranged husband Nero takes her away from Clive to pursue further medical testing. Clive is faced with the challenge of traveling to Moscow and performing at the competition without his beloved mentor. Ultimately, he must discover if the music they share is enough to keep them together. Read More All print versions with music streamed at: www.koehlerbooks.com/dropbox/aminor eReader Kindle versions with musical selections included, some original arrangements by the McMakens www.themcmakens.com Just click your favorite icon to purchase or read further reviews:



Just click your favorite icon to purchase or read further reviews:




Product Details |
Mass Public Shootings Video (2019). As a teacher herding my students into the corner of the classroom for drills, I could feel their fear. Could this happen here? We all wonder. We know the inevitable answer is “yes.” The United States is beyond the tipping point with availability of guns to be used as weapons of mass destruction on our own citizens. I created this artistic rendering on the scope of our collective gun crisis. All of the photographic images were taken with my tiny iPod and music used by permission of Ola Gjeilo. Please take a few minutes to view this video, contact your congressional reps – both locally and nationally and ask for change as outlined in the film.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=morLyk5HhLA&t=152s
GG’s rendering of me attempting to work with her C3 hair, a total fail.
Margaret’s Child, a picture book co-created with our Liberian foster daughter for Black kids growing up in white foster or adopted homes whose parents have not the first clue how to care for their hair. This collaboration was such a delight as GG created the book illustrations (seen right) and I wrote the story. Books can be purchased via this website, just message me in “Contacts.”


Articles
In preparation for the holiday season a look at how the Bible contextualizes JOY! (Redbud Post) https://redbudwritersguild.com/a-feast-of-joy/ An interview with filmmaker Janet Craig about her new film Wake Up! which chronicles the horror of human trafficking (Trinity Review) https://www.trinity.edu/news/making-movie-wake Deconstructing faith is trendy, even called “sexy,” but how do we reconstruct faith? (Redbud Post) https://redbudwritersguild.com/the-reconstruction-choice/ An interview with author, Sheila Wise Rowe about her book, Healing Racial Trauma (Patheos) https://www.patheos.com/blogs/redbudwritersguild/2020/01/more-than-just-mercy-a-path-to-healing-racial-trauma/ Crossing the Road – A Path to Racial Healing (READY print) http://margaretphilbrick.com/crossing-the-road-a-path-to-racial-healing/ Seeing God through an iPod, taking time to stop and see the world (Propel) https://www.propelwomen.org/content/seeing-god-through-an-ipod/gkdwph Why Groot is the Greatest Superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (Relevant) https://relevantmagazine.com/culture/film/groot-greatest-hero-marvel-cinematic-universe/ Stop Excommunicating Christians Who Don’t Agree With You (Relevant) https://relevantmagazine.com/god/stop-excommunicating-christians-disagree/ A Reflection on Cancer – Gratitude to the End (The Redbud Post)Gratitude to the EndWhy Mary Matters to all Christians (Relevant) https://relevantmagazine.com/article/why-mary-should-matter-to-all-christians/ Is the Proverbs 31 Woman for real? (The Redbud Post) http://www.redbudwritersguild.com/is-the-proverbs-31-woman-for-real/ How Your Marriage Can Avoid the Seven Year Itch (Relevant) http://www.relevantmagazine.com/life/relationships/how-your-marriage-can-beat-7-year-itch Five Big Picture Takeaways from the Wheaton College Controversy (Relevant) http://www.relevantmagazine.com/current/what-we-can-learn-wheaton-college-and-professor-hawkins Loving my Transgender Brother/Sister. One of C.T.’s top 20 most read articles of 2015: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2015/july-august/loving-my-sister-brother-transgender.html?share=5n6eTxOyYvM8anNmV/w4JXbSbqbEJ9uA C.T. article in Spanish: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/en-espanol/amar-mi-hermana-hermano.html