Today, I have the honor to be talking with Harry Thurgood, Magnolia Bluff’s Man of Mystery. He’s the owner of the Really Good Wood-Fired Coffee Shop, in beautiful Magnolia Bluff, Texas.
So, without further ado, let’s get started.
CW: Welcome, Harry. Glad you can be with me here today on the blog.
HT: My pleasure, CW. Thanks for having me. Everyone likes free advertising.
CW: That they do. To start, just what, exactly, is wood-fired coffee?
HT: (chuckles) It’s how coffee used to be roasted, back in the 1800s. Before the invention of the gas-fired roaster.
CW: That’s it?
HT: That’s it. Of course, the type of wood used, how hot you get the fire, length of roasting time — all that has a part in the finished product.
CW: Thanks for clarifying that.
HT: I thought you would have known, being the creator—
CW: (I hold up my hand to cut him off.) No. I’m not the creator. I’m simply the amanuensis recording what happens. You, Ember, Reece, Scarlett, Mary Lou, and all the others, you all are telling the story.
HT: Amanuensis, eh? (Shrugs) Okay. Thanks for letting me know.
CW: You guys are the storytellers.
HT: (laughs) Okay.
CW: There are nine books chronicling the lives of the people in Magnolia Bluff, along with some unfortunate murders that take place. You show up in most of these books, so I’d like to find out more about you.
HT: Okay. Go ahead and ask. I’m not an open book. Man of Mystery, you know. But the covers open far enough so you can riffle the pages.
CW: All right, then. You want to keep your past in the past. (Harry nods.) Can you tell me why you decided to move to Magnolia Bluff?
HT: I was looking for a place far away from where I was, that was relatively quiet, and where I could just blend in.
CW: It doesn’t seem like you quite succeeded in doing that.
HT: Not quite. But I don’t regret moving to the town. That is where I met the love of my life.
CW: You’re referring to the Reverend Ember Cole.
HT: I am.
CW: How did you two meet?
HT: We both moved to Magnolia Bluff about the same time. I, to start my new life. She, to pastor the Methodist Church. One day, not long after I opened the coffee shop, in she walks. I thought the silent film star Louise Brooks had come back to life. And to my mind, Louise was the perfect It Girl.
CW: Swept you off your feet, in other words.
HT: She did. And just like Louise, she has “It”. But she also has so much more. She’s warm and caring, so very giving, funny.
CW: She’s the one.
HT: That she is.
CW: So now that you’ve found the love of your life, what’s next?
HT: I’d love for her to marry me. Are you sure you’re just the amanuensis?
CW: Very sure.
HT: Well, I’d love to marry Ember and just settle down to a very comfortable and quiet existence. But our town seems to be plagued with murders and that disrupts the tranquility. Makes life more complex than it needs to be.
CW: Reece Sovern and Mary Lou Fight, especially Mary Lou, seem to thrive on the excitement.
HT: Mary Lou definitely. Reece is just doing his job. I think he’d rather have nothing but boring days until he retires. Mary Lou, though, I think really needs to get a life.
CW: She probably thinks she has one.
HT: Probably does at that.
CW: Do you have any hobbies? Or things you are especially passionate about?
HT: I’m not an artist, but I appreciate fine art. It has the capacity to transport the soul to a better place than the here and now. And even though I’m not a musician, I enjoy fine music. Because it too has the ability to enrich the soul. As for hobbies, I’m not a sportsman. Although I do enjoy target shooting and the game of chess. Just the other night, I battled Capablanca. Lost, of course.
CW: I take it that was in a book.
HT: (smiling) Yes, his match with Lasker for World Champion. Although, with computers nowadays, you can play the greats.
CW: Very true. We’ll have to play a game or two sometime.
HT: The internet is a wonderful invention.
CW: That it is. Do you have a favorite artist or composer?
HT: I love the paintings of Albert Bierstadt and Grant Wood. And I think the music of Arthur Foote and Sir Granville Bantock is just divine.
CW: I like those artists and composers as well. Such beauty.
HT: You sure you’re just the amanuensis?
CW: Yep. Aside from Ember, do you have any friends in Magnolia Bluff?
HT: I wouldn’t say I have any close friends in town. I do like Scarlett Hayden. She has an “I don’t care” attitude that I like. And I think she’s a very caring person at heart. And if it wasn’t for Ember, I think she and I might have eventually gotten together. I also like Graham Huston. He’s well read, pensive, and, like me, is trying to leave his past in the past. Elder Smythe and his wife are very nice people. I admire their simple lifestyle. And quite honestly, I like Reece Sovern. He’s a good man. Honorable.
CW: What’s the one thing you like most about living in Magnolia Bluff?
HT: It is a pretty little town in the middle of a gorgeous part of Texas. And I love the fact that it is quiet and peaceful. At least most days.
CW: Sounds like a great place to live.
HT: It is. Just keep looking behind you. (Gives me a questioning look.) Amanuensis, you say?
CW: I do. Thanks for talking with me today, Harry.
HT: My pleasure, CW.
And you can get in on all the Magnolia Bluff action by visiting the Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles series page on Amazon. Nine books for your reading pleasure, and Book 10 comes out next week.
Comments are always welcome! And if you have a question for Harry Thurgood, drop it below in the comments section.
Until next time, happy reading!
CW Hawes is a playwright; award-winning poet; and a fictioneer, with a bestselling novel. He’s also an armchair philosopher, political theorist, social commentator, and traveler. He loves a good cup of tea and agrees that everything’s better with pizza.
If you enjoyed this post, please consider buying me a cup of tea. Thanks! PayPal.me/CWHawes
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