Cendrine Marrouat: As a self-published author, what are some of the challenges that you encounter?

Michael Everett: The learning curve! There are so many parts of the process and so many frustrations and setbacks that it really takes a lot of drive and desire to see it through. I decided to self-publish because I was in a hurry and I'm a bit of a control freak when it comes to my message, both of which are the two biggest drawbacks that I perceived about working with a publisher. It takes a long time to get an agent, a publisher and a printer and you give up a lot of creative control by going that route.

To read part 1, click here. To read part 2, click here. 

Cendrine Marrouat: How has "Recessions End" been received so far? Have you noticed differences between American and Canadian readers?

Michael Everett: It has been the exact opposite of what I expected! I figured that the book would virtually fly off the shelves because I'm one of the only authors that isn't looking for who to blame or predicting that it will get worse. I'm actually reminding people that down times are the perfect time to take a step back and reinvent oneself.

Cendrine Marrouat: On your website, you say that, "your particular experience of recession will end when you take the simple steps of deciding that it will, creating a plan and taking action toward that end." How can people reinvent themselves in this challenging economy?

Michael Everett: Reinvention is exactly what it's all about! The larger economy will reinvent itself because that's what it does. It's up to us to reinvent ourselves. My story is extreme, but it illustrates what a lot of people are feeling right now, which is that it's time to make an important and dramatic change.

Michael Everett is originally from British Columbia, but currently lives in Florida. He speaks and writes on economic and personal recovery.

Cendrine Marrouat: Hello Michael, it is great to have you. First, tell us a little more about you.

Michael Everett: Hi Cendrine! Thanks for your interest. My family emigrated from B.C. to Northern California in 1981 when I was in the 7th grade. Therefore, I am perfectly confused with regards to the metric and imperial systems. I can't differentiate a liter from an inch.

I majored in communications at U.C. Santa Barbara, traveled the world for ten years, living in places such as Milan, Tokyo, New York and Paris and finally settled in Miami, where I met my wife on a blind date that was set up by her sister. We now have two great kids and live in coastal Central Florida close to where the rockets take off at Cape Canaveral. My wife Heather is an accomplished painter, so our lives straddle the line between Yuppie and Bohemian. I "dabbled" in writing for many years before dedicating myself fully in January of 2010. "Recessions End" is my first full-length published work.

Cendrine Marrouat: Despite the fact that your family's work has been collected worldwide, how challenging was the research process? And how did you choose the paintings that will be released as limited editions?

To read part 1, click here.

Cendrine Marrouat: The Simpkins have left their marks on Canada. Jim Simpkins, for example, designed the first hockey stamp in the country and created Jasper the Bear. Your grandfather, Henry J. Simpkins, drew the first Captain Morgan on the bottle of rum. Tom Simpkins worked as the art director in Hudson Bay company for 30 yrs. And there is also your father, Ron Simpkins. Would you tell us a little about him? [Contd.]

Cendrine Marrouat: How have people reacted to the book, so far?

Andre Gerard: The response has been terrific. Readers love the selections. They love the quality of the pieces. They love discovering great writers, writers they may have heard about but have never taken the time to explore. Take, for instance, Saul Bellow, Winston Churchill, Seamus Heaney, Doris Lessing and Derek Walcott. All five are Nobel laureates, and Fathers offers a chance to sample some of their best writing and then perhaps go on to read more.

Cendrine Marrouat: Would you share a short extract from "Fathers: A Literary Anthology"?

Andre Gerard: Copyright reasons prevent me from sharing some of my favourite pieces, pieces such as Robert Hayden’s “Those Winter Sundays” or an excerpt from Philip Roth’s Patrimony.  I could, I suppose, share my own poem, “Sauvez Vous, Les Enfants!” but I don’t want to abstract the poem from its context in the anthology. What I’ll do is to share a couple of paragraphs from my introduction, paragraphs which discuss the history of the father genre.

Today, I am pleased to feature Andre Gerard. This tutor has recently become an editor and publisher, and released his debut anthology. He lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.  

Cendrine Marrouat: Hello Andre, thank you for answering my questions. First, tell us a little more about you. 

Andre Gerard: I was born in Vancouver and raised in Powell River, British Columbia. I have an MA in English Literature from the University of Washington and over twenty-five years of private tutoring experience in Vancouver, British Columbia.