Book Nook: The One that Got Away

 Meet the dysfunctional characters and laugh your way through this romantic comedy, The One That Got Away, (Page Publishing, Inc.) by author Clint Hofer.

On the eve of the Great Mississippi River Flood of 1993, Terri Zimmerman returns to her childhood home in South St. Louis, and her life is changed forever. When she was growing up, Terri lived with her parents above the Zimmerman Bakery, which is now a tavern named the Stag Club. Terri becomes friends with Dinty Smith, the proprietor of the Stag Club. She also gets reacquainted with Glen Wunsch, a childhood friend who is the last member of a once-prominent St. Louis brewing family. Glen's grandmother is Anna Grosse, the infamous Lavender Lady who once dominated St. Louis high society and who again finds herself in the spotlight as the namesake of a new floating casino called the Belle of Calhoun. Terri sells perfume at the Famous-Barr store in Crestwood Plaza, and one of her customers is Barbara Grogan, who does a television program about the sport of fishing. Barbara is known as the Happy Hooker. Terri and Barbara become friends, but they eventually have a falling out. Terri's best friend is a girl from the Philippines named Paz Militante. The two girls work together behind the Estée Lauder counter at Famous-Barr. This is a lighthearted, humorous, romantic story that moves dramatically to the cataclysmic conclusion as the great flood sweeps through South St. Louis, destroying everything in its path.

I had a chance to interview the author to learn more.

Where did you get this idea for your book?

The idea for my novel came to me because I love the rich history of St. Louis, and I knew I could create a good contemporary story with flashbacks to the past grandeur of St. Louis.

 What was the most surprising thing about writing this book?

The most surprising thing about writing this novel was how I could go for months without writing a word, and then suddenly the words would flow freely.

 What do you like about the writing process?

I love writing because I am in total control and can say anything I want.  I love doing research and I am constantly thinking about what I will write next.  The publisher did not change one word of my "The One That Got Away" manuscript.

About the Author:

Clint Hofer has lived in St. Louis his entire life.  He attended the University of Missouri at Columbia, where he received a bachelor’s degree in journalism.  He loves the rich history of St. Louis, and his writing reflects that.  He also loves the outdoors, and he has incorporated his love of nature into his novel.  For many years, Clint has written about amateur baseball in the St. Louis area.  St. Louis is one of the best baseball cities in America.  Clint played baseball for the Stag Athletic Club, and he uses the name, Stag Club, in his novel.  The One That Got Away is Clint’s first book and he worked on it for many years.  The idea for the book first came to him while driving by a deserted brewery in South St. Louis.  Because of the Anheuser-Busch, St. Louis is the beer capital of the United States.  Clint lives down the road from Grant’s Farm, the ancestral home of the Busch family.  He grew up hearing about the rich brewing heritage of St. Louis, and he has made use of that information in his novel.  Although The One That Got Away is a comedy, Clint is actually a very serious person.  Comedy writing is something that comes naturally to him.  Comedy is a serious business.