What I Have To Say.
I tell stories because I can’t not. They come from writing myself to sleep, from attic boxes stuffed with memories, from family noise, fears, hopes, watching the world spin by, trying to make sense of it all.
Chatterbox: Stories from a Noisy Life, Too Tall Alice, and Bedtime Stories: The short, long and tall tales of a sleepwriter are filled with the things that shaped me — tales from my childhood, my dreams, and the people I love.
If you find a little piece of yourself in them, then I’ve done what I came here to do.
Chatterbox: Stories from a Noisy Life
Barbara Worton’s Chatterbox: Stories from a Noisy Life is a vivid, humorous, and deeply human collection of personal essays, memories, and reflections on growing up, growing older, and everything in between. From loud family dinners in Long Island to quiet moments of introspection, Worton captures what it means to be a lifelong observer in a world full of chaos, charm, and contradiction.
With sharp wit, warmth, and an eye for cultural detail, Chatterbox explores everything from pasta sauce and plastic slipcovers to Frank Sinatra, teenage crushes, marching for justice, and the memories we all carry differently. Worton’s storytelling invites readers to find pieces of themselves in her recollections—moments that are by turns nostalgic, poignant, and laugh-out-loud funny.
Chatterbox is published by Susan Schadt Press and is available in print and eBook formats at independent booksellers, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Bookshop.org, Powell’s, and more!
“Taken all together, the essays create a vivid pastiche of mid-to-late-20th century Americana. Worton effectively tells her stories in a breezy style, laced with both humor and poignancy. There’s a steady confidence in her prose as she meticulously observes and comments on her own actions, the world around her, and the occasional esoteric thoughts that have made a home in her brain.”
— Kirkus Reviews“The stories, vignettes, poems, and musings in Barbara Worton’s delightful, far-ranging collection are the outpouring of a writer who has been ‘watching, cataloging, and analyzing’ her whole life. Throughout, Worton employs a keen power of observation, ready sense of humor, and formidable memory to infuse the work with the cultural stuff of the day… You’ll wish this chatterbox would never shut up.”
— Paul Genega“Barbara Worton’s collection of interconnected narratives, Chatterbox: Stories from a Noisy Life, tells the tale of a formative time in the author’s life, written with humor, keen observations, and love. Worton places readers in her childhood site, looking back and forward to stories of trust, relationships, and promises.”
— Maria LisellaBuy the Book
Bedtime Stories: The short, long and tall tales of a sleepwriter
What pops into your head before you fall asleep? For Barbara Worton, it might be five baby pickles, rubber duckies, or dancing cows. Every night, she scribbles down whatever comes to mind—no editing, no overthinking—just three pages of pure, unfiltered thought. It’s a nightly ritual she calls sleepwriting, inspired by The Artist’s Way. And it’s how Bedtime Stories was born.
This witty and wistful collection is a celebration of imagination, memory, and the unexpected poetry of everyday life. These are tales of love and longing, absurdity and nostalgia, sex and growing pains—stories that soothe, entertain, and spark something deep. They’re cocktail parties on the page: funny, surprising, a little wild, and deeply human.
Perfect for readers craving a gentle creative jolt or a charming wind-down before bed, Bedtime Stories is both dreamy and grounding. It’s Barbara’s way of talking herself to sleep—and an invitation for the rest of us to see the world a little differently, one story at a time.
“I enjoyed every delicious page of Barbara Worton’s book, Bedtime Stories, but also found it deeply disturbing, as she writes better half-asleep than I do fully awake.”
— Ed Begley, Jr.“I love Bedtime Stories. The book is a memoir in stories and poems. Barbara writes about the everyday, the mundane, the quirky and makes it beautiful.”
— Paul Rabinowitz“These are not really stories. They’re something else—gossamer, appealing, annoying. And insistent. They jab away at your resistance.”
— Jesse KornbluthBuy the Book
Too Tall Alice
Too Tall Alice is an award-winning children’s book that helps young readers embrace what makes them different, and realize they’re just right. Alice is four inches taller than the other girls in class, and that small difference feels huge. One night, after overhearing the grown-ups talk about “what tall girls can be,” Alice dreams her way into a new understanding of herself.
With playful illustrations by Dom Rodi and a message of quiet confidence, Too Tall Alice speaks to any child who’s ever felt like they didn’t fit in. Whether tall, small, silly, shy, or anything in between, readers will see themselves in Alice’s journey of self-acceptance.
This is a joyful, meaningful read for classrooms, bedtime, or anyone raising self-assured kids in a comparison-heavy world. Too Tall Alice reminds us all that being different isn’t something to hide, it’s something to celebrate.
“It is a wonderful book for us to see how others see themselves and how we, in turn, think about ourselves and how we regard others. What is often unique to us can be unsettling, and then become a question impacting our own self-esteem. Especially in those formative years, that confidence can be shaped. So let Alice start the conversation.”
— Rochelle Udell“Too Tall Alice is a wonderful book to help kids learn to like themselves for who they are. Told with bold illustrations and lively background drawings, Alice struggles with being the stand-out girl in her class and awakens to a new, beautiful day.”
— Teens Read Too“Barbara Worton writes with a keen understanding of how it feels to be different. Through a dream, Alice learns to accept herself just as she is and decides that she can do and be anything she wants. Too Tall Alice is an engaging story with a great message.”
— Library Girl Reads