Interview with author Lillian Brummet - BK Walker virtual book tour stop

Today, Reviews and Interviews welcomes Lillian Brummet back. This time she is touring with BK Walker's Authors Promoting Authors virtual book tour. Their full schedule is here.

Lillian, welcome back. A few more questions for you about your writing and your writing life with husband/co-author, Dave.

How long have you been writing?
I have been finding comfort with a pen since I can remember. My earliest memories go back to elementary school where I brought teachers to tears with some of my short stories, won awards, and was encouraged to pursue writing. In high school, English was the one class that inspired me to keep returning to class, despite the fact that I was on my own at 13.5 years old, was holding down jobs and paying rent. It wasn’t long before the growing gap between myself and the world my peers lived in became too apparent and difficult for me to deal with, and I left school. In my 20’s I earned a university level of grade 12 (with the advanced courses) – but despite this gap in education, a pen could often be found in my hand along with shoeboxes stuffed full of scraps of paper.

What advice would you give to someone who is interested in writing?
Sadly, many people see the world of writing as a career of leisure – which is actually opposite to the truth. For one thing, writing is a creative process and like any artist, writers need the time and energy to craft their work. This can include brainstorming sessions, research, and learning new writing skills. Any interruption can disrupt the creative process and this can be detrimental to writers.

Time is consumed by office work from book keeping to recording our efforts and results. So as a self-employed person, a writer is actually putting in many more hours than the regular 9-to-5 career demands. Book promotion leads to interviews that can be held at virtually any time of the day. For instance, imagine, that I have an interview booked that airs live at 6 am Atlantic time; this would actually be 1 AM in my time zone, which is Pacific.

Finding a delicate way to create space for yourself and get those around you to understand that you are not available for their needs can be difficult. We actually lost some friends over having to be so strict about them coming by at their convenience. Occasionally, we still struggle over small issues in the house when something needs to be done and it is assumed that because one of us is in the office that day we would have the convenient time line to do the chores. I encourage new writers to seriously consider how they will handle these issues and discuss them well ahead of time with those that may be affected.

Another misconception that often lives in the minds of authors is that they think once their book is written, the work ends there and the royalty cheques will just come pouring in. Again, this is far from the truth. In fact, once the book is actually accepted by the publisher, goes through the editing and proofing processes and is released to the public, the authors’ work has just begun. As much as 80% of an author’s time is for marketing purposes alone; and marketing plans should begin several months prior to the release of a book. For writers, there is a lot of preparation and research involved for each plan of action… and this is something any author or freelance writer should be ready to face.

Can you tell us what editors typically look for in a query letter or project proposal?
Editors want to see that you have done your research, that you really understand their focus, who their readers and advertisers are, that you are aware of the various departments and have taken the time to make sure that your query is received in the right hands and at the right time. Many new writers are not aware that editors work with schedules up to 9 months in advance – so if you want coverage for Earth Day 2010, for instance – you are too late!

What have you learned about working with your spouse (co-writer)?
Compromise and courtesy are two tools we employ regularly. We shared one computer, one office for the first 10 years of our careers as authors. Luckily, I am a morning person – Dave is an evening guy, and as such we are able to find a balance. Just recently we were finally able to afford a second computer and we are excited about the potential for increased productivity. Discovering each other’s strengths and working with those, rather than expecting each other to be able to have skills in all areas – this is a really big thing for couples. My advice for any couple is to stop with the expectations, create a list of to-do’s and have a meeting to arrange a priority list. Once you’ve got the items of the day, or week, lined out in an orderly fashion you can split off and do the work. More often than not one person will be really good at graphics, while another person is good at website maintenance; or one person is better at research, while the other is better at proof-reading. So accept that and outsource where you can.

What are some of your favorite writers’ resources?
My favorite writer’s resources include Rose & Thorne, Writer’s Gazette, Writer 2 Writer, Book Hitch, Funds for Writers, John Kremer’s Book Marketing, Book Marketing Experts, World Wide Freelance, Marketing Guys & Gals, Writer’s in the Sky, Smart Writers Newsletter, Book Crossing & the Savvy Bookmarketer. I encourage your readers to search these helpful resources on their favorite Internet browser.

What do you do to unwind and relax?
I love to just read, or work in the yard and garden. My joys are to be in nature, spending time with my fur companions (2 rescued dogs, and my husband – lol - ), and doing exercises like drumming, walking… Dave and I get out every weekend to do hiking, snowshoeing, mountain biking or canoeing in the pristine Kootenay/Boundary mountains of BC (Canada). While we are out there we try to pull invasive weeds and bring home refuse, where we take the time to sort it into recyclables, reusables (for donation) and garbage. We’ve found everything from broken glass and machinery to expensive sports gear and children’s toys.

Where can people find out more about you, Dave, and your books?
Our Web site, MySpace, and blog are great places to start.

Thank you for your time. Enjoy the tour!


My next guest for the virtual book tour will be April 19, James C. Wallace II

Interview with Lillian Brummet - Part III

Welcome, Lillian Brummet, to Reviews and Interviews. It's a pleasure to chat with you once again. [This interview is broken into three segments over three months, and this is the 3rd of 3. Part 1 is here, Part II is here.]


Now we’ll focus a bit on your published writing, particularly your third book.

Please tell us about Purple Snowflake Marketing - How To Make Your Book Stand Out In A Crowd

What inspired you to write this book?
Actually, Purple Snowflake Marketing really is our own personal marketing plan. It is what we use to query or promote each piece we write, whether it is an article, poem, story or a book. The basic plan is the same – who you query changes and how long you market the piece changes… but the basically the same steps are taken along the way.

I found that after years of being referred to as the “pink bunny” because our marketing keeps going and going (you know, like the battery-bunny you see on commercials?) and also as the “marketing gal” or a “guru” on forums, I was being inundated with people wanting to know information about the world of writing. Often I was repeating the same answers over and over, so Dave and I then decided to put an e-book together with our own experience in this career for 10 years or more and resources we’ve continued to use in a step-by-step guide format.

Did you enjoy the research process? What did it entail?
The hardest research chore was researching our competition. I bought, borrowed and begged every writer’s advice book I could find from friends, family, libraries, stores and courses that we took over the years and found that many of them had gaps, just briefly described a step but didn’t cover the whole issue and the various ways it could be applied, or the subject matter was scattered all over the book instead of being in a neat chapter all together. With this in mind we knew we could make a much more user-friendly guide in e-book format for today’s writers, who are online a great deal of the time.

What was the hardest part of writing the book?
The organization and especially the appendices took a great deal of time and effort, as such I would have to say that this would be the hardest for me in retrospect – keeping in mind that patience is not my strongest suit. (She laughs).

Did you learn anything from writing your book? If so, what was it?
Purple Snowflake Marketing, both the 1st and 2nd editions, were our first experiences in the world of e-books as writers, as such it meant a whole new realm of research in how to market this genre and following up on all the amazing online resources there are for e-book authors.

After the completely revised edition of Purple Snowflake Marketing was released in the summer of 2009, we embarked on putting all our books in this format to reach this niche market of readers. We are now developing an online bookstore for our website where people can purchase the e-books we’ve written directly from our site. We are also setting up affiliate programs for those who’d like to sell our books on their site, or through their publication and receive a little kick-back each time someone purchases our work through them.

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in this book?
That is an interesting question and brings me to one of the greatest assets of an e-book… it can be updated, revised or edited anytime! As such we intend to update Purple Snowflake Marketing as often as once every 12 to 18 months, with rich new content, new resources and tips that we have learned ourselves.


And now for a few fun questions.

What have you read for fun lately?
You really had me thinking about this question since I’ve just not had a chance to delve into a book in the last week or so. Normally, you don’t see me without a book – I’m not kidding! I’d be holding one while stirring the soup, watering the plants, eating… (she laughs).

Let’s see, the last book I read for fun, that didn’t have anything to do with work or setting up for a guest that I’ll be interviewing or something like that, was Prayer of the Dragon by Eliot Pattison, one of the “keepers” on our bookshelf. I’ve read this one a few times. It’s an interesting adventure involving Tibetan and Chinese traditions during a deadly period of political upheaval when the government was doing their best to eradicate certain religious groups. There is a mysterious murder that involves gold, greed and a desperate attempt to keep a tribal village from being ruined by outside intervention. A traveling Navajo American Indian monk was near the scene of the murder and in his trance was arrested and taken to the village. Two monks who are on the run from prosecution are charged with the solemn duty of solving the murder and help the villagers at the same time.

Besides writing, what do you do for fun? What are you hobbies?
My greatest joys in life happen in nature, or when I’m spending time with our dogs. I have a passion for music, lyrics and poetry and I enjoy spending the occasional hour or two pouring over a difficult Suduko or Logic puzzle. Dave and I love to garden and he is really an exceptional cook – whereas I prefer to bake.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
Having way too many screens open on my computer at any one time! This habit can often be helpful when I’m dealing with several programs such as e-mail, ical, and excel while communicating with a radio guest for instance. However, it can also be distracting since I’m notified when an e-mail arrives (which on a busy day is every few minutes) and I can get frustrated if I can’t find a screen buried under the others fast enough.

As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?
Sadly, I didn’t really believe I would grow up. Even when I was a teenager and young adult I always believed I would die young. I guess it came from the upbringing I had, the chronic nightmares and the lack of hope for the future as a child. Looking back though, a memory arises of my dream to pursue a career in biology – I loved biology courses and really felt this was my calling. At the time, however I made the choice to stay and pursue the relationship with Dave – which I do not regret doing.

Yet I have always found comfort with the pen and when I search my vault of memories I can see many instances that point to a career with words. My earliest memories involve elementary classes where I was awarded several times for my writing. Once I remember being shocked that my story could make a teacher cry – it was a bit scary and I stopped writing for a while. The story? I remember clearly – it was about an elderly woman who wore bright gaudy clothing and thick orange lipstick and walked every day about town. I wrote about how meticulous she was in choosing each item that day and how it helped fill the gaping hole of depression and loneliness inside her and helped brighten her day – at least visually. I wrote that story before I was 7 years old, and although I do not have a copy of it – the teacher’s response must have shocked the memory permanently into my mind (she laughs).


And to wrap up…

Would you like to share a little about your blog with the audience?
Sure, I’d love to – Thank you. Well, the Brummet's Conscious Discussions Blog – is where you will find environmentally-conscious tips for every-day living, quote of the day and many resources for green living. You will also find interesting views into the world of writing, literacy, updates on the Conscious Discussions and Authors Read radio shows, prize contests and more.

Would you like to give a little information about your radio shows?
Ok – Conscious Discussions Talk Radio began back in 2007 on the Blogtalk Radio Station – which is now the #1 online talk radio station in the world. Conscious Discussions has now grown to air several times a week – on Tuesday and Thursdays I interview interesting individuals from around the globe who have found a way to make a positive difference. Every other Sunday offers Positive Eco-news Segments and in the growing season (April-September) I also offer a special episode called Sunday Gardening, where I talk about sustainable, organic gardening using bio-intensive, inter-cropping methods and open-pollinated crops. Listeners may hear me speaking about pollination issues one day and then tune in to hear me discuss growing a particular plant variety or giving composting advice the next time. It varies with each show.

Do you have a website where writers can learn more about you and your writing?
Yes, it is: www.brummet.ca - this site has links to everything we do, excerpts from all of our books that you can access for free to see if it appeals to you or not… you’ll find articles, resource links and much more there.

People can easily contact us via that same website address – just click on the “contact” link and follow the instructions on how to email us from there. Its really very easy and we love to hear from people.

Thank you for your time in answering my questions over this three part interview.
It has been a sincere pleasure, thank you for inviting me to be a part of this wonderful project!

Interview with Lillian Brummet - Part II

Welcome, Lillian Brummet, to Reviews and Interviews. It's a pleasure to chat with you once again. [This interview is broken into three segments over three months, and this is the 2nd of 3. Part 1 is here.]


Let's focus a bit on your published writing and particularly your second book.

Please tell us about Towards Understanding, revised edition.
You know, Towards Understanding has to be the most emotional ride I’ve been on as a writer, surpassing the experiences I have ever had in the past in any other career. The revised edition is a collection of 125 non-fiction poems written in chronological order and is available in e-book format. The original version of this book (with 120 poems) is still available in paperback through most online and retail bookstores. Most unusual for poetry books, our publisher released a limited 1st edition in hardcover format in the summer of 2009, we hope to see this repeated at some point in the future.

Anyway, the new revised edition (released in late-July 2009 by Booklocker.com) offers 5 new poems, creating an ending that I am much more comfortable with and has other updated sections as well.

What inspired you to write this book?
This book tells the true-life journey of a young pre-teen female growing up on her own, struggling to survive, breaking the chains of inner issues from childhood abuse and neglect, and finally - growing towards understanding of her value & purpose in life, but not quite reaching it. Thus the title… Towards Understanding.

The reason behind the release of this raw and emotional book was to show other victims of abuse, violence and neglect that they can live a wholesome life without baggage from the past. Second to that Lillian wanted to provide a roadmap that showed the healing process that victims go through, letting others know they are not alone. People who are involved with victims can learn what that person is going through or will go through and therefore they might be able to provide a better support system.

Did you enjoy the process of putting this book together? What did it entail?
Well, the exploration as a poet was the most enjoyable part; the reaching beyond what is comfortable to my pen and creating new sounds, new rhythms – trying to create different effects with words. It is a beautiful process.

I had numerous poems published in anthologies, won contests or magazine publications or local print publications that gave me the spark of the idea that maybe there could be a book here. Dave helped a great deal in choosing from the more than 300 poems, narrowing them down to those I felt most comfortable sharing with the public and having Dave help me select those that keep with the story-line and focus of the book was incredibly helpful. Dave created the cover, which the publisher loved, based on a photo he took of me on a beach, during one of the many introspective nature walks.

What was the hardest part of writing your book?
There were several really monumental emotional curves when it came to this book’s creation. Going through the piles of poems initially was really heart-wrenching. To see again the self-hate, the suicidal thoughts, the rage; it was really shocking to see it there in raw words. But then as we went through the pile of contemplative creations I noticed a thread of hope was strung throughout, and love… and then a spark of an expectation for a better life. After the book was released I had an immediate sense of regret, a fearful “what have I done?” ringing in my head. This was soon soothed by reader’s reviews and wonderful comments from those the book gave hope to. Poets and poetry critics had very kind, insightful observations about my work and I began to feel validated as a poet as well.

Did you learn anything from writing your book? If so, what was it?
Yes, I learned a great deal. I learned that even when we are afraid our little story of survival one of life’s issues after another could be a valuable gift to someone else, sharing could make a difference and have an impact we might never had expected. Here’s one of the poems that I wrote about this very thing after the 1st edition of Towards Understanding was released:

Tiny Treasures

The past seems so distant
So very far away
It feels like another tread
That path of dismay

My heart is resistant
To thoughts of Yesterday
The Pain is now sated
Stone memories fade to gray

Crying out, so insistent
Words moving years away
Was it I who wrote them?
And what do they mean today?

Years lost in crazed emotion
Time eroded while pain healed
Here am I a new person
Only tiny chains revealed

Moments of horror are defeated
Melted down to fine gold
Gifts of tiny treasures
To those who need them most.

Crying out, so insistent
Words moving years away
Was it I who wrote them?
And what do they mean today?

©Summer, 2007
Published in Literary Spot Magazine’s January 2008 issue.


What can we expect to see from you in the future?
Well, Dave and I both have several short-story projects that have been on the back burner for a few years that we are both aching to get back to. We also have a garden book and a cookbook that we’d like to see reach a publisher’s hand one day in the near future. Currently though we have enough on our plates just handling the marketing for these three books in all their formats, and manage our bi-weekly newsletter, daily blog, weekly blog and two radio shows.

What ways have you found effective for promoting your book(s)?
Initially we focused on creating a platform to work from and thinking about branding – meaning how we want to be seen or how we want people to feel when they think of us. New writers rarely come into the career knowing that it takes a lot of time and energy, sometimes many years, to build name recognition and an online presence. I’ve worked with print media, online and radio media – but my favorite activities are interviews like this one where I appear on blogs, newsletters and e-zines or radio and answer questions that challenge me to respond in a way that interests their readers.


And to wrap up…

Would you like to share a little about your blog with the audience?
Sure, I’d love to – Thank you. Well, the Brummet's Conscious Discussions Blog – is where you will find environmentally-conscious tips for every-day living, quote of the day and many resources for green living. You will also find interesting views into the world of writing, literacy, updates on the Conscious Discussions and Authors Read radio shows, prize contests and more: http://consciousdiscussions.blogspot.com

Would you like to give a little information about your radio shows?
Ok – Conscious Discussions Talk Radio (www.brummet.ca/conscious.html) began back in 2007 on the Blogtalk Radio Station – which is now the #1 online talk radio station in the world. Conscious Discussions has now grown to air several times a week – on Tuesday and Thursdays I interview interesting individuals from around the globe who have found a way to make a positive difference. Every other Sunday offers Positive Eco-news Segments and in the growing season (April-September) I also offer a special episode called Sunday Gardening, where I talk about sustainable, organic gardening using bio-intensive, inter-cropping methods and open-pollinated crops. Listeners may hear me speaking about pollination issues one day and then tune in to hear me discuss growing a particular plant variety or giving composting advice the next time. It varies with each show.

Do you have a website where writers can learn more about you and your writing?
Yes, it is: www.brummet.ca - this site has links to everything we do, excerpts from all of our books that you can access for free to see if it appeals to you or not… you’ll find articles, resource links and much more there.
People can easily contact us via that same website address – just click on the “contact” link and follow the instructions on how to email us from there. Its really very easy and we love to hear from people.

Thank you for your time in answering my questions.
It has been a sincere pleasure, thank you for inviting me to be a part of this wonderful project!

Look for part III of this interview on March 10.

Interview with Lillian Brummet - Part I

Welcome, Lillian Brummet, to Reviews and Interviews. It's a pleasure to chat with you. [The interview is broken into three segments over the next three months.]

Let's start with some introductory questions.

Where are you from?
Originally I was born and raised in a variety of communities in California and Nevada (USA), moved to a rural farm in BC (Canada), lived in upper BC for a few years and then was on my own in a small city by the age of 13. I lived in three or four different communities before settling down in Kelowna where I met Dave. Dave was born and raised in the Okanagan region of BC (famous for its vineries and lakes), and we lived there for about 11 years before moving to a smaller city of only 6,000 or so residents. Here we have stayed for about 10 years.

Do you write full-time?
Well… I work full time as a writer. Do I WRITE full-time? – No. (she laughs). It is a common misconception that being a writer involves writing. Far from it. First we must discover the idea, scope out the readership for that topic, hunt down magazines or publishers who are looking for written work in those genres… query them, and all the interaction in setting things up with them. Then you research and write the topic, edit, proofread and submit for rewrites… which you then do. And after all this is done – the real work begins! Especially in the case of books. For authors/poets we have to continually market the book – actively seek out publicity every day for the life of the contract that we have with that book. So what I mean by this is, if we have a contract for 7 years with a publisher for the first edition of the book… we need a marketing plan that will last 7 years. If we decide to take that book further with revised or new editions, we will have to take that into account as well. For freelancers, as each job is confirmed we begin looking for the next job – why? Because when a project is completed and submitted the author doesn’t actually receive payment for it until it is published – which can be 3-9 months after the editor receives the completed article. Therefore you must have exceptional office skills and the self-discipline to have up-to-date records and take the time for follow-up activities.

If you have a non-writing job, would you tell us a little bit about it?
I don’t have a job beyond promoting our work and writing – however, Dave does. His income is what keeps the household going through the slow sales periods that every writer is familiar with. The place that he works at does a very interesting thing with old mine slag – they make insulation out of it. Apparently this is an incredibly safe insulation that is being used in submarines and marine boats as well as average everyday building construction or pipe insulation. It is not a job he loves doing; it is hard work that involves long hours and shift work – but it is necessary to make things run smooth at home.

What made you decide to tackle the genre(s) you write in?
After having survived an abusive childhood, being on my own at just over 13-years old, having put myself through school and taken some college courses – I eventually ended up running my own business for about 6 years before a really bad car accident put me in physiotherapy full-time for over a year. I had chronic depression then; I felt like my whole life all the work all the pain all the recovery was for nothing because all I had worked for was so easily swept away. I also became very aware of my own mortality, which is not something one usually considers when they are in their mid-twenties. So with the life-altering injuries that would plague me from then on (mostly headaches and muscle spasms) I had to look at a new career… a new life. And this time – I wanted it to mean something. And so it has.


Now we’ll focus a bit on your published writing.

Please tell us about Trash Talk - An Inspirational Guide to Saving Time and Money through Better Waste and Resource Management.
Trash Talk began as a column that was published internationally every two weeks from 1999 to 2004, and then intermittently until early 2009. The book, by the same name, was released in 2004 in paperback format and the publisher did a special limited hardcover edition in 2009. We hope to see that happen again! In the meantime the paperback book continues to receive sales from all over the planet. We decided to release this book as a new e-book series (2-books) with totally updated, revised information and many new chapters – we also have a huge resource section for the closing of the e-books for people to network or access more information. The release for the e-book series is expected to be January 2010.

What inspired you to write this book?
Initially, the idea began when I saw two things happening around me. Let me share a story of walking down the street to see someone’s garbage bags that had been put out long before the pick-up time and because of this were torn overnight by wildlife or pets in the neighborhood… and there mixed in with the waste were returnable bottles and cans, recyclables by the pound, and most of the waste I was seeing there was compostable… all of which could be diverted from the landfill so easily. Of course this is a single scenario to show that there is a lack of participation… but here is another. One day, one of my wealthy clients (from my previous business) said to me she wouldn’t dare be seen taking in returnable containers for a deposit, she would be afraid as well to purchase Halloween costumes at a used shop in case someone she is associated with would see her… I saw this is false pride. Ironically, this same person (and yes, this is a real person) insisted that her blue box recycling bin was placed where all the neighbors could see that she was actively participating – because THAT was “in” or “cool”. So by these two examples I just shared, the thing I wanted to convey the most was that I was seeing a real need for people to view waste differently.

There were several reasons why we decided to write the book, which I think are best summed up by the following excerpt from the Introduction section of the e-book series: “When society is constantly bombarded with negative information about the environment, finances and natural resources, individuals begin to feel powerless, and they might even fall into apathy. Certainly, especially these days with the widening gap between the rich and poor, we are seeing that a declining number of us can afford to donate cash or time to a cause. However, we can choose to step away from feeling overwhelmed by the immense environmental problems our world faces and realize that each and every one of us can do something to help our world - starting right where we are, right now.

Dr. Jane Goodall's E-newsletter (2004) reported that 66% of Americans polled would do more to conserve energy and protect the environment if they knew it had a measurable impact. Psychologists have long known that simply performing one small step will aid in defining a positive outlook on life and will inspire further participation from the individual.”

Did you enjoy the research process? What did it entail?
Yes, the writing process was immensely enjoyable – this is a subject I knew well and had many connections in the waste management industry and so there was rarely a time when I searched for content or struggled for resources. The Internet played a huge role in this book, as it does in most aspects of any writer’s life, but proved especially useful in finding environmental groups, networking with people who reuse their “waste” prior to recycling, people who are interested in gardening issues or water conservation, etc.

What was the hardest part of writing this book?
The hardest part without a doubt for this, the first book that Dave and I wrote, was the hardly-durable waiting periods and the seemingly never-ending research that had to be done. The marketing is by far the longest, hardest chore of all – since an author must do some form of marketing every single day, it can be draining at times.

Did you learn anything from writing this book? If so, what was it?
Trash Talk’s publication was a new experience for us, since we were freelance writers in the past, and so we learned every step along the way. Sometimes we felt incredibly overwhelmed by all that had to be done, and we had to do it ourselves since we did not have the budget to hire help.


And to wrap up…

Would you like to share a little about your blog with the audience?
Sure, I’d love to – Thank you. Well, the Brummet's Conscious Discussions Blog – is where you will find environmentally-conscious tips for every-day living, quote of the day and many resources for green living. You will also find interesting views into the world of writing, literacy, updates on the Conscious Discussions and Authors Read radio shows, prize contests and more: http://consciousdiscussions.blogspot.com

Would you like to give a little information about your radio shows?
Ok – Conscious Discussions Talk Radio (www.brummet.ca/conscious.html) began back in 2007 on the Blogtalk Radio Station – which is now the #1 online talk radio station in the world. Conscious Discussions has now grown to air several times a week – on Tuesday and Thursdays I interview interesting individuals from around the globe who have found a way to make a positive difference. Every other Sunday offers Positive Eco-news Segments and in the growing season (April-September) I also offer a special episode called Sunday Gardening, where I talk about sustainable, organic gardening using bio-intensive, inter-cropping methods and open-pollinated crops. Listeners may hear me speaking about pollination issues one day and then tune in to hear me discuss growing a particular plant variety or giving composting advice the next time. It varies with each show.

Do you have a website where writers can learn more about you and your writing?
Yes, it is: www.brummet.ca - this site has links to everything we do, excerpts from all of our books that you can access for free to see if it appeals to you or not… you’ll find articles, resource links and much more there.

People can easily contact us via that same website address – just click on the “contact” link and follow the instructions on how to email us from there. Its really very easy and we love to hear from people.

Thank you for your time in answering my questions.
It has been a sincere pleasure, thank you for inviting me to be a part of this wonderful project!

Look for Part II of this interview on February 10.