Based on Terri Barnes's award-winning Stars and Stripes column, Spouse Calls features a collection of Terri's best essays on a wide range of topics: motherhood, faith, friendship, family ties, war, current events, sacrifice, PTSD, moving, homecomings, and more. As a wife and mom, Terri highlights important, pivotal moments in her own family's life as well as others', in essays that resonate with both military and nonmilitary families.
From her own kitchen table to Capitol Hill, Terri takes readers beyond the headlines and homecoming videos for an inside look at the day-to-day hardships, victories, and many ways military life shapes, challenges, and enriches its families.
Through poignant personal stories, incisive interviews, and emotive reflections, she creates an historical snapshot of American and world affairs, preserving an important piece of our nation's culture.
Multiple-Award-Winning Book
Midwest Book Awards First Place, Current Events
Foreword Reviews INDIEFAB Book of the Year Awards Finalist
Military Writers Society of America Silver Medal, Best Memoir
Terri's column was also recognized by The National Society of Newspaper Columnists, earning second place in the nation for the best general interest column in a newspaper under 50,000 circulation. NSNC judges commended her for writing "with insight and remarkable sensitivity," calling her columns "masterful" and "powerful."
A well-respected journalist, Terri developed and wrote the weekly Stars and Stripes column Spouse Calls. Appearing in print editions worldwide and online for more than eight years, the column was honored in 2015 by the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, winning second place nationally. Her book Spouse Calls is a select compilation of those columns. Terri continues to be a voice for military spouses and families. She has been a member of the Washington, DC, press corps and has contributed to several other books. Terri is a cum laude graduate of Baylor University in Waco, Texas, where she studied journalism. Her work has appeared in Air Force/Army/Navy Times, The Huffington Post, and Books Make a Difference magazine, as well as newspapers, magazines, and base publications in many of her adopted hometowns around the world. Terri's expertise in military life comes from long experience. Her father was a Vietnam veteran and career military man. Her husband, Mark, retired from the Air Force after thirty years of active duty service. Terri and Mark now reside in Summerville, South Carolina. They have three adult children.
"There are times when an author and a book speak directly to your soul. When the author describes in beautiful language every burden and weight that you didn't even realize you were carrying. When you find yourself nodding at each chapter and saying, 'Yes! Exactly, that's how I feel!' For military spouses, the book Spouse Calls will give you that delightful experience. ... Whether you have been married to the military for most of your life, or are just entering military life, you will be consoled and encouraged by the stories in Spouse Calls." -- The Seasoned Spouse