Garza-Mayberry publishes series of children’s books based on experiences

NOTE: The annual Evening with the Authors’ fundraiser for the Dr. Eugene Clark Library was held Saturday night with several authors. Among those was Luling’s Joann Garza-Mayberry, a longtime game warden for Texas parks and Wildlife. Proceeds from Evening with the Authors add print, audio and E books through Overdrive to the library.

By Kyle Mooty

LPR Editor

A Texas Parks and Wildlife game warden since 2004 — she recently retired, but is still commissioned with the department — Joann Garza-Mayberry saw through her interactions during public service outings around children I need for informative books in her area of expertise.

“We do a lot of public programs for schools,” Garza-Mayberry said. “We are also asked to do a lot of reading, and they asked us to come with a children’s book at a Lockhart elementary school.

“You could find police books and paramedic books. I thought surely there were game warden books. So, I got on Amazon and googled it. I couldn’t find anything on game wardens. I found a conservation officer book, and they even had a park ranger. So, I thought, I’m gonna write some books.”

Garza-Mayberry said there was a long stretch of time between making that decision and it finally happening. Aside from the research, she had to go through legal channels as an employee of Texas Parks and Wildlife.

One day, Garza-Mayberry got a call from her legal department that said everything was OK and she could go through with it.

“I thought, go through with what?” Garza-Mayberry said.

Her first book was a fishing book — Callie Catches a Lunker — number one of three so far in the “Warden Caldwell, Wildlife Conservation Officer” series.

Her second book in the series was “Joey Takes a Shot at Hunting,” in the third “Will and Emma go Boating.”

The books, she said, are for ages 6 to 10.

Garza-Mayberry and her husband, Mark Mayberry, live in Luling. They have a son, Job, who is a freshman at Texas State University, and a daughter, Vida, in the eighth grade.

She hopes to do a fourth in the first series, either on dove hunting or duck hunting.

in the works is also a book for even younger kids, perhaps ages 3 to 6, called “The ABCs and 123s of Conservation.”

Ironically, her books use a male game warden, but for good reason. Garza-Mayberry said only 9 percent of game wardens are women and she felt the male game wardens would not buy the book since it didn’t identify with them.

Pleasing to many visitors at the Evening with the Authors event at the library were the illustrations in Garza-Mayberry’s books. She said she found the illustrator from Pakistan on an app.

Garza-Mayberry said when she reads the books to kids, showing the illustrations and discussing matters, they only take about eight minutes to go through.

Garza-Mayberry does not use the word “Texas” in the books so they can be used anywhere, although she certainly used her experiences in the Lone Star State for her background.

Her books are all self-published.

Garza-Mayberry grew up in San Antonio in a family that didn’t hunt, although did enjoy camping and fishing.

“Most game wardens grew up hunting and shooting,” Garza-Mayberry said, “I was open to it. I just didn’t have anybody that would say, ‘Hey Joann, let’s go hunting.’

“I was always drawn to law enforcement. I went through the Police Academy in Brownsville. When I was there, I saw all of these other agencies. I would do all of these ride-a-longs, and then I did the game warden ride-along.”

The game warden ride-along was at the beach on South Padre Island. Garza-Mayberry was hooked.

“That’s when I decided this is for me,” she said. “So, I applied, and I got in. I ended up being the only female in my class. That was challenging because I grew up with all sisters.”

Game wardens are assigned to a county and Garza-Mayberry would work all of Caldwell County. As a state police officer, a game warden primarily works in the hunting, fishing, and boating areas. But they enforce all laws.

Public service was instilled into Garza-Mayberry at an early age. Her father was highly decorated in the San Antonio Fire Department.

“I grew up in a household that spoke Spanish and English, and when I became a game warden, when you speak bilingual, they pay extra, so that was nice,” Garza-Mayberry said.

Today, aside from still being involved with the game wardens, Garza-Mayberry works part-time as the Executive Director of the Luling Watermelon Thump.