I'm excited to welcome authors Dave and Lillian Brummet to Gather today. Thank you for stopping by to discuss your latest book, PURPLE SNOWFLAKE MARKETING. You also have your own radio show that sounds interesting. We'll hear about that in a minute. Let’s start with your writing.
Q. Please tell us about PURPLE SNOWFLAKE MARKETING. What gave you the idea for the book?
Well, the e-book is really based on our personal marketing plan that my husband (Dave) and I used to promote our own written works, published books and to create name recognition. I was actively involved on various writers’ forums and after freely giving advice to others – I became known as both the “guru” and the “pink bunny” of marketing (because our book promotion successes keep “going & going”). After repeating the same advice over and over, I discussed the idea of compiling a very affordable guide for other authors to use to develop their own unique marketing approach.
The marketing plan that we continue to use is derived from many years of intensive research and hands on application. Knowledge gained from dozens of writing resources and discussions with other authors can also be found in the 151-page guide. Dave and I made sure that information we gained through several business courses as well as our experience in running two successful businesses was included.
Dave and I wanted this project to be published as an e-book so that authors can access more than 500 links, located in the 21 appendices, to gain instant promotion opportunities with just the click of a mouse. The other key criteria we held for this project was to keep the price as low as possible so that authors on a fixed budget can afford the investment. We are proud to say that our publisher agreed to this reasoning and offers the e-book at only $6.50 US).
Q. You have other books published that are quite different from this one. What is the story behind each of them?
Trash Talk was the first paperback book we wrote, and this book is based on the first 5 years of the bi-weekly column by the same name, which ran from 1999-early 2007. I conceived of the column idea after realizing that society needed to change their thinking about waste management. Trash Talk discusses the 4-R’s of waste management and the proper order for them. This being Refuse, Reduce, Reuse Then Recycle… before we even consider sending the item to the trash bin. The 192-page book is co-written with my husband, Dave, and focuses on the third R, Reuse – which also saves people a lot of money and provides a way to make a real and measurable contribution towards a healthier planet. But more than this, Trash Talk is about the legacy we choose to leave behind. It is about living a conscious life, and realizing that waste is actually a valuable resource.Towards Understanding is a collection of 120 non-fiction poems written in chronological order. It is a true story of my life as a pre-teen female growing up on my own at the age of 13, struggling to survive, breaking the chains of inner demons caused by an abusive home and unstable upbringing. Readers will experience raw emotions, watch as I overcome great obstacles within myself and finally grow towards understanding of my value, or purpose, in life – but not quite reaching it. Thus the title… Towards Understanding. Originally there were 300 poems that Dave helped me whittle down to the 120 in this 152-page paperback. His experience as a musician helped fine-tune several of the poems in the book.
I am proud to say that Dave conceived of the cover designs for all three of our published books – the cover images on Towards Understanding and Purple Snowflake are based on his photography. The cover for Towards Understanding was a photo of me on a beach during a vacation. The cover image for Purple Snowflake Marketing was taken during one of our snowshoe adventures along the abandoned railways in the mountains – you can see that there was a snowstorm at the time.
Q. What were some of the challenges you faced in writing your nonfiction books?
Nonfiction needs to have ample information that is conveyed in a comfortable manor. For example, the e-book makes use of examples to break up the monotony of learning. We chose to employ multiple headings, which readers will find useful when they wish to refresh their memory on a particular aspect. Organization and being concise yet detailed is certainly a challenge when writing non-fiction. At the same time, writers won’t want to bombard, overwhelm or alienate their readers. For instance, if I wrote a book about the fact that snowshoeing is very nice… not too many readers will be happy when they get half way through the article only to find it doesn’t have much substance. Instead, I would talk about the gear, specifics about technique, warm up exercises, recommend high energy foods to take along and even information about different kinds of terrain, injuries that could happen on the trail, how to take the dog along, or perhaps different weather and how this affects the quality of snow. Now, THIS is interesting stuff!
Q. Now, tell us about your radio show. Why did you decided to start it?
Thank you for your interest in our radio show! Well, Conscious Discussions started when I was invited to host a program on another station based on the concept of Trash Talk. I did some research and decided that station was not the one for me, and later on the opportunity arose for me to host the show at Blog Talk Radio – an online radio station. At first, due to being a little nervous and having shaky confidence in my ability to host a live show – my husband joined whenever he could as a co-host. Now, however, I host most of the broadcasts on my own, unless Dave has an interest in joining once in a while for a particular segment.I decided to go with the concept of our lifestyle – conscious living and being proactive individuals - for the show. It was, and remains, my greatest desire to help inspire individuals to realize their value and to become more proactive in life. Psychologists have long known that simply performing one small proactive step will aid in defining a positive outlook in life and will also inspire further participation from the individual. So many of us are depressed, overwhelmed and bombarded by negativity in our lives – yet studies show that 66% of us would do more if we knew our action had an impact. For this reason, our writing and our radio show divulge the real and measurable impact that an individual can have with a single small action. As we keep telling our listeners - "WE are the heroes that we are seeking in society – You and I"...
While Dave and I reside in Canada, our show is International. Our audience ranges from West Africa, Southern France, the UK, Germany, the US, Canada and so on... Basically it is a global audience. Interview discussion topics range from environmental issues, sustainable business practices, eco-building alternatives, water conservation, author promotion, literacy and waste reduction.
I would like to invite your readers to visit the home page for Conscious Discussions (http://www.blogtalkradio.com/consciousdiscussions). While the shows air live every week at 10 AM (PST), archived shows are convenient for people to access at their leisure, 24 hours / 7 days a week. All archived shows are available through the blog on the site. Visitors simply scroll through to find the show they want to hear. To find a list of all the archives, look to the lower right of the Conscious Discussions home page.
Q. According to your Web site http://www.sunshinecable.com/~drumityou’re involved in other activities, as well. I’m especially interested in your musical talents.
Well thank you very much, Dave will be thrilled to hear it! Dave has been a professional musician and drum teacher for more than 25 years. We operate a drum teaching/repair business called: Drum-it Percussion and have an instructional CD now available.In the past, Dave has voluntarily contributed to fund raising events for the women’s support centers, SPCA (animal rescue center) and for community theater productions.
Dave currently performs with a band known as Groove Yard, a group of 6 seasoned musicians. Groove Yard is recording another CD project – this one is for the band’s all-original work. I am proud to say that several of these songs use lyrics that Dave wrote; one or two of them are based on excerpts from my book of poetry – and the other members wrote the lyrics for the rest of the songs. Every song has had creative input from each of the talented musicians. There are some excerpted songs from the CD project available at: http://www.myspace.com/okgrooveyard.com
Q. What can your readers expect from you next?
At the moment I am taking a rest from book review article projects and we ended the Trash Talk column in early 2007. My time is currently consumed with hosting the Conscious Discussions radio show once or twice a week and the book promotion activities for all three of our books. However, once I have recovered a bit and had a break from literary creation for a while, I do have full intention of getting back to freelance work. I also have two short fiction stories that I’ve been dying to get back to working on as well.
Q.Any other tidbits about yourselves or your writing you’d like to share with us?
Anyone interested in ordering our books can do so quite easily. Trash Talk and Towards Understanding, like most books, can be ordered through traditional retailers, bookstores or libraries. They are also available across the globe through most online bookstores. Purple Snowflake Marketing is available through e-book suppliers such as: Fictionwise.com and Booklocker.com – or – through the publisher at: Twilighttimesbooks.com Excerpts from the books, book reviews, information about our radio show and drum business can be found on our site: http://www.sunshinecable.com/~drumit
Visitors will find radio shows on both the Trash Talk and Towards Understanding pages that explain why these books were written and what they are about. On this site, visitors have access to hundreds of free articles on the About Us and Writing pages. As well, we have included more than 80 links on conscious living and waste management organizations and businesses. All of this is offered at no charge. Our radio show is also free – visitors are welcome to come by anytime and listen to any live or archived broadcast at their convenience: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/consciousdiscussions
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Authors - Dave & Lillian Brummet:
Purple Snowflake Marketing - How to Make Your Book Stand Out In A Crowd (e-book) ISBN#: 193335304X Trash Talk - An Inspirational Guide to Saving Time & Money through Better Waste & Resource Management ISBN: 1-4137-2518-X / ISBN-13: 978-1413725186 Towards Understanding - a collection of 120 poems on society, the environment & overcoming trauma. ISBN: 1-4137-9337-1 / ISBN 13: 978-1413793376
Conscious Discussions Talk Radio show: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/consciousdiscussions
Websites: http://www.myspace.com/canadianauthorhttp://www.sunshinecable.com/~drumit
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