A Powerful Baker’s Dozen
Short story collection proves that brevity does not lack empathy, grit, or substance
BC author Ace Baker is stretching his wings upon the literary scene with his thirteen-story collection, How to Make a Killing Jar; a poetic, compelling, and sometimes shocking set of fables that unpack snapshots—both light and dark—of the human experience. With stories that span the globe from Vancouver to Columbia to New York City to Puerto Rico to Singapore and more, this immersive assembly of settings and characters is sure to appeal to readers of all genres.
As a high school English teacher, Baker is always reading, always writing, and constantly inspired by the students he gets to mentor. It was, in fact, one of his creative writing students, who pushed him towards short fiction, pointing out that he had such good ideas for their short stories and should be writing his own. “Short fiction was added to my list of passions, just like that.”
With mentoring, feedback, and instruction from past Poet Laureate of British Columbia, Evelyn Lau, Order of Canada recipient Patrick Lane, UBC professor and poet Carl Leggo, and countless others, Baker has learned to find the gold in his writing, going on to win several poetry and short fiction contents. How to Make a Killing Jar is the culmination of more than twelve years of writing, and includes some of those winning stories. Diana Gabaldon, author of the hugely successful Outlander series, has said Ace’s writing contains “overlapping layers of depth and meaning,” while the late Jack Whyte, celebrated for his historical novels surrounding the stories of King Arthur, has said Baker’s prose “left me breathless and awed by the indelible images it thrust into my awareness... terse, taut, and terrific in its brilliant intensity.”
With palpable settings and unforgettable characters, How to Make a Killing Jar is going to inspire introspection and deep discussion. “For more than twenty years, I’ve been able to teach creative writing classes in the public school system here in British Columbia,” Baker says. “In that time, I’ve had the pleasure of seeing hundreds of my students find publication and prize money for their poetry, flash fiction, short stories, op-eds, magazine articles, personal and academic essays, and yes, novels (even an award-winning one). I’ve been able to teach technique to other teachers and other creative writers at professional development days and at writer conferences. I am now in a position where I can give back, after all that I have received.”
His gift to the literary world launches on August 30 and is available to order anywhere books are sold.
Please join Baker on Sunday September 17, 2023 from 6-7 p.m. EST via Zoom for a live reading and discussion about the book with opportunity for attendees to interact and ask questions. RSVP at chickenhousepress.ca/calendar
Store owners and distributors are invited to register with Chicken House Press as a retailer of titles to enjoy a wholesale discount on copies of the book.
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-990336-54-6
For a downloadable copy of this release, including images, please contact the publisher at info@chickenhousepress.ca.
