Summer Heat; Publisher News

 -- Chatter -- 

I've just learned from one of our publishers that the softcover format for Trash Talk (environment) and Towards Understanding (poetry) will no longer be available. Instead, the publisher is switching to hardcover formats only! - And they are doing this at the same retail price, which is really cool. 

The hardcovers will, of course, be much more durable and will retain their value (for resale in second hand stores, for instance) - I think that will appeal to today's readers. From what I understand this change will occur in early June. It will be interesting to see what will come of this. Watch for the changes via your favorite online retailer over the next couple of weeks, as their systems become updated with the format change.

-- Brummets in the Media --

I am excited to share that I will be interviewed on on http://SellingBooks.com today - the interview between myself and Cathy Stucker will be posted around 2 PM (pacific), or soon after. Please check it out and feel free to contact me or leave a comment on the Selling Books Site :)

-- Summer is Here! --

Well summer is definitely here; sunscreen bottles litter our counter tops while lip balm and water bottles replace sweaters and jackets. We are going to share several "cool" tips over the next month - ways you can reduce power use and live more comfortably.

An interesting statistic can be found in BC Hydro’s recent Information Supplement, Smart Thinking: 

“If every building in BC [Canada] alone reduced their electricity consumption by just 10 % it would save enough electricity to power 150,000 homes”. 

After getting the home cool enough to withstand summer heat, the last thing we want to do is create more heat through meal creation. While in the winter, one may enjoy the benefits of meals that take hours to bake or simmer, but the summer months require a different meal plan entirely. We can look at meals that take less time to prepare, that don't require boiling (heating water requires a lot of heat and takes a long time to cool down), and do not require the use of the oven except for quick broiling perhaps. 

Cooking methods can also play a role in the amount of energy you consume and heat you generate in the summer months. Consider using a pressure cooker or a crock-pot for creating your meals whenever possible – they consume very little power compared with other cooking methods and generate less heat, which is beneficial in the summer. In fact because these items are portable they can be placed on the deck or patio, or even in the carport outside the home where it is safe from the reach of animals, inattentive visitors and children. By doing this you are keeping the heat outside, rather than defeating the energy you've spent in cooling down the house. 

Barbeques and little camping stoves come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. These are wonderful alternatives for summer cooking. When choosing this alternative, we find ourselves tending to the meal and enjoying the outdoors. Time saving techniques can include making sure you have a clean plate with the tools you need for basting, brushing or turning the foods as they cook. Have a second plate ready for the finished product. If your meal requires measured ingredients, do the measurements and have the ingredients set aside in little bowls to ease the chore of cooking outside. 

Find Dave and Lillian Brummet, excerpts from their books, information about their radio shows and free resources and more at: www.brummet.ca

Support the Brummets' fundraising efforts for charity, and help keep their work going (such as this blog) by purchasing a copy of one of their books: www.brummet.ca