Like many writers, I have a tendency to work things into my books which are important to me. In The Right & the Real, both coffee and chocolate play an important role in the book…coffee, more-so, but chocolate makes an appearance. While I was writing the book, I read an article in the Vancouver Sun about the world chocolate industry (it was Valentines). I was amazed and appalled to learn both how fragile the industry is, and how poor the farmers are who grow chocolate. Most of the world’s supply is grown in the Ivory Coast, a country torn by war and poverty. The chocolate bean plants are old, the young people are leaving the farms because they are tired of working so hard for nothing, and it actually could all go quickly. The good news is, there is a man trying to reform it, first singlehandedly, and now with help of a few of the large chocolate companies.

But that brings us to what can we do? Well, the main thing is to buy organic, fair trade chocolate, which I have done ever since I read this article. I’ve walked away from my stand-by chocolate loves, and found new ones. And one of my absolute favourites is a company called Grounds For Change out of Washington state. They also (or mainly) produce freshly roasted Fair Trade, Orgainic, Shade Grown, Carbon Neutral coffee, which we drink almost exclusively.

When I launch a book, I like to give away gifties at my signings that are built around the themes of my books. When Restoring Harmony came out, Salt Spring Seed company gave me vegetable seeds to give away. Just last week, someone told me they had won the packet of Rainbow Chard seeds and it had inspired them to try gardening and two years later, they have a garden! How cool is that?

A few weeks ago, I emailed Grounds For Change and told them about my book, and my idea for prizes. When I arrived in Portland, there was a box from them at my mum’s – orgainic, fair trade chocolate bars and small sample bags of their wonderful coffee! If you’re looking for the real deal, I highly recommend this company. And yes, this may sound like an advertisement, but honestly, it’s just important to me, and I love their company, so there you go!

Most of these goodies will be given away at my signings (Powell’s Books, Beaverton, Saturday 5 May, 2pm – with Holly Cupala!), but I’m still waiting for someone to send me a picture of my book “in the wild” (i.e. in a bookstore). If that person is you, I’ve just upped the ante from “something chocolatey” to include “something aromatic and coffee-y”!

Believe me, you don’t want to miss out on this chocolate…it’s “agent approved”, right Michael?

Okay, I’ll get off my soap chocolate box now!