Cooking Through "The Baker's Man": Black Sticky Gingerbread

Uncle Remus said, “You can’t run away from trouble. Ain’t no place that far.” Anna, from The Baker’s Man, would be the first person to agree with him. She’s tried to be a good girl, follow the rules, keep everyone around her happy, but she's in over her head with an aching heart.

In Chapter 10, titled Black Sticky Gingerbread, Anna is being hit with wave after wave of complications. There are many decisions to be made, and, unfortunately, none of them are simple.

Author Interview — Hank Buchmann

Today I'm honored to have the opportunity to interview the accomplished author Hank Buchmann. Hank is well-traveled, articulate, creative, and has years of experience as a writer. I'm so happy he agreed to share his time, writing, and thoughts on the craft with me. Thanks Hank! Now on with the show.

You’ve published a literary novel for the Kindle. Quick! Give us the title and genre of your book and a 30-word or less tagline.

The Steady Running of the Hour is about Edmund Ellicott, age 92, retelling his life to a 16-year-old high school girl. But Edmund’s experiences cover far more than just WWI—a gripping, tangled web of adventure and dangerous liaisons, assassins and love. 

How did you come up with the title of your book?

It is a line from WWI war poet, Wilfred Owen, who was killed seven days before the armistice was signed, ending the war. It was Owen’s words that finally put a realistic face on the horrors of war. The title also, more or less, represents the scatter-shot way a mind—Edmund’s old  mind—recalls memory, jumping back and forth, yet dragging on. 

Edmund Ellicott is a collector of souls. Are you a collector of anything?

Besides books, I would say I collect the significance of memory. Our attic and my writing office—the Crow’s Nest—could suffice as an Indie Bookstore, in appearance, anyway. But my father, who is still alive at 96, was a great inspiration and resource in describing Edmund Ellicott’s drifty memory. The book contains no chapters, only breaks, and it could, I suppose, resemble someone trying to capture a spilt bag of marbles rolling across the floor.

I love the comparison of memory to a spilt bag of marbles. Lovely imagery! I think I chase my marbles around at least once a week.

Cooking Through Fiction: The Sea of Monsters — Country-Fried Stymphalion Bird

Thomas Wolfe wrote a novel called You Can’t Go Home Again. I'm pretty sure this phrase isn't meant to be taken literally. Have you ever returned to a place only to find that it wasn’t exactly as you remembered? Maybe the grass wasn’t as green, the trees weren’t as tall, and the mist across the lake wasn’t as magical.

Maybe the roller rink where you hosted your birthday parties was torn down and now it’s a pet store. Maybe the football stadium looks dingy, and you can’t imagine hiding with anyone beneath the bleachers without wanting a tetanus shot.

Cooking Through "The Baker's Man": Mirror Glaze

The origin of the word mirror comes from the Latin word mirare meaning “to wonder at.” This brings to my mind mirrors used in fiction and how characters wondered at the reflections they saw. Alice steps through the looking glass into a wonderland. Harry Potter obsesses over the reflection of his parents that he sees in the Mirror of Erised. The Wicked Queen is consumed by who the magic mirror reveals to be the fairest in the land.

One of the definitions of mirror is “an object that faithfully reflects or gives a true picture of something else.” But what one sees in a reflection is often subjective. Sometimes we see what we want to see, especially when it comes to reflections of ourselves.

Cooking Through "The Baker's Man": Lady Fingers

Having best girl friends is like having sisters. These girls know you, love you even though you’re crazy, and answer the phone when you call them at 3 a.m. for any number of reasons. They share inside jokes with you, they encourage you, and they can get away with making fun of you to your face.

My best girl friends are lifesavers. They are a necessity in my life, but I can admit that girls aren’t always the easiest creatures to understand or to get along with. Girls can be competitive with each other, and at times they might even compete for the affections of the same guy.

Fortunately, my girl friends and I have different taste in men. Chapter 8 in The Baker's Man is titled Lady Fingers, and Anna is having rotten luck when it comes to girl friends and men.

Cooking Through Fiction: The Lightning Thief — Blue Waffles

The teenage years can be awkward. Sometimes you have a bad perm and bangs that are full of so much hairspray not even gale force winds could move them. Sometimes you’re in desperate need of braces (which you get only after you’ve entered high school). Most likely all of these unfortunate events happened to me.

Being a teenager is also difficult because it’s a time when you’re trying to figure out who you are while desperately trying not to stick out from your peers. During these times, you need comfort and support, and Percy Jackson is no different.

Cooking Through Fiction: The Wyrm King — Star Wars Pizza

Some items just go together. They’re soul mates. For example, peanut butter and jelly; chocolate and peanut butter; rainbows and unicorns; and cookie dough and slumber parties are all matches made in heaven. 

Today I’d like to add: Star Wars and pizza. Both are certifiably awesome. Who doesn’t love pizza? Who doesn’t love Star Wars? I’m sure those people exist who do not love either, but not in my house!