Covered Bridge Publishing
Karen Mocker Dabson and Brian Dabson formed Covered Bridge Publishing in 2014 as an artisanal enterprise based in Columbia, Missouri.
Karen Mocker Dabson, The Muralist's Ghost (2014, 2022). In 1941, MAXO VANKA is commissioned to paint murals in a tiny church near Pittsburgh. The job is perfect until a ghost that only he can see returns to terrify him in the deep midnight hours as he works. It is the second time that the artist has been invited to create murals by the local priest, who has become a good friend. Father Žagar, a progressive clergyman, gives the artist free rein. Despite his fears, Maxo pours out his passions on the walls, especially his hatred of war as the Nazis encroach across Europe and into his beloved Yugoslavia. Soon, frightening scenes in vivid strokes and ominous colors reel from the church’s surfaces, but they cannot rival the chill, silent oppression wrought by the tall, faceless spirit when it appears without warning. Maxo vows to solve the mystery of the specter alone and does not tell the priest that the ghost from four years ago is back. Instead, he explores his own past for clues about why the spirit descends upon him and only him. However, when one of his paintings is ravaged and the church sustains damage, Maxo realizes that he may face a much graver danger than he first imagined.
Available on Amazon, Kindle, and B&N eBook
Karen Mocker Dabson, The Muralist's Ghost (2014, 2022). In 1941, MAXO VANKA is commissioned to paint murals in a tiny church near Pittsburgh. The job is perfect until a ghost that only he can see returns to terrify him in the deep midnight hours as he works. It is the second time that the artist has been invited to create murals by the local priest, who has become a good friend. Father Žagar, a progressive clergyman, gives the artist free rein. Despite his fears, Maxo pours out his passions on the walls, especially his hatred of war as the Nazis encroach across Europe and into his beloved Yugoslavia. Soon, frightening scenes in vivid strokes and ominous colors reel from the church’s surfaces, but they cannot rival the chill, silent oppression wrought by the tall, faceless spirit when it appears without warning. Maxo vows to solve the mystery of the specter alone and does not tell the priest that the ghost from four years ago is back. Instead, he explores his own past for clues about why the spirit descends upon him and only him. However, when one of his paintings is ravaged and the church sustains damage, Maxo realizes that he may face a much graver danger than he first imagined.
Available on Amazon, Kindle, and B&N eBook
Karen Mocker Dabson, Tarentum (2022). In 1915, Tarentum bustles with activity. One of a string of river towns supplying the flourishing steel industry of greater Pittsburgh, Tarentum means everything to the people who live there. But that doesn’t mean the work is easy, and many toil long hours just to make ends meet. For town resident Arthur Gluck, the stakes become even higher when fate intervenes. Struggling to support his large, growing family, Arthur is involved in a mysterious streetcar accident that renders him partially disabled. As the trolley driver, Arthur compounds his woes when he believes he needs to take in Charlie, a boy orphaned by the disaster. Challenges mount for the beleaguered Glucks at a time when they have no safety net. His wife’s poor health, more mouths to feed, a friendship badly betrayed, and continual pain feed a depression that threatens to swallow Arthur and his family. How to clamber back falls to the two young people, Charlie and eldest daughter Mary Gluck, who come of age as this bittersweet saga unfolds.
Available on Amazon and Kindle
Karen Mocker Dabson, Tarentum (2022). In 1915, Tarentum bustles with activity. One of a string of river towns supplying the flourishing steel industry of greater Pittsburgh, Tarentum means everything to the people who live there. But that doesn’t mean the work is easy, and many toil long hours just to make ends meet. For town resident Arthur Gluck, the stakes become even higher when fate intervenes. Struggling to support his large, growing family, Arthur is involved in a mysterious streetcar accident that renders him partially disabled. As the trolley driver, Arthur compounds his woes when he believes he needs to take in Charlie, a boy orphaned by the disaster. Challenges mount for the beleaguered Glucks at a time when they have no safety net. His wife’s poor health, more mouths to feed, a friendship badly betrayed, and continual pain feed a depression that threatens to swallow Arthur and his family. How to clamber back falls to the two young people, Charlie and eldest daughter Mary Gluck, who come of age as this bittersweet saga unfolds.
Available on Amazon and Kindle
The Winter of My Summer: Poems and Prose by Karen Mocker Dabson (2023).A collection of poems, flash fiction, and short stories published as a tribute to Karen Mocker Dabson after her death in 2022.
Available upon request.
The Winter of My Summer: Poems and Prose by Karen Mocker Dabson (2023).A collection of poems, flash fiction, and short stories published as a tribute to Karen Mocker Dabson after her death in 2022.
Available upon request.
Brian Dabson, Rural Well-Being and Ingenuity: Claiming Our Rural Future (2026)
Available November 10, 2026
Available November 10, 2026