This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my terms & conditions for more info.
This blog post is an interview with award-winning blogger and new author Zoe Morrison. Zoe is sharing more information with us about her new book Eco Thrifty Living – Save Money, Save the Environment and Live the Life You Want!
Firstly, please tell us a bit about yourself?
Hi, my name is Zoe Morrison. Around 8 years ago after having my second child, I decided that I wanted to quit my job and be a stay at home mum. My husband asked me how we were going to be able to afford it though because our living expenses had gone up, not down. We had just moved house, had another child and I liked buying expensive eco-friendly products.
I decided that was a really good question – how could I save money and the environment? I started up a blog www.ecothriftyliving.com to document my experiences and after a year of starting my blog I did quit my job.
And some more information about your new book?
After 8 years of learning how to save money and the environment I have now combined what I have learned into a book! It is called *Eco Thrifty Living – Save Money, Save the Environment and Live the Life You Want! It is an introduction to the eco-thrifty life and is a practical guide filled with tips and tricks. It covers how to save money and the environment in relation to stuff, food, clothes, kids, gardening, energy and much more!
What is the key theme or message of your book?
One of the key themes of my book is to reduce waste. I think is the best way to save money ever, because you don’t miss out on anything. You just don’t spend money on things you didn’t want or need anyway. For example, avoiding food waste doesn’t mean you go hungry in any way or can’t eat your favourite foods. What it does mean is that you only buy what you need and you use what you buy!
In some cases avoiding waste means you actually have access to more than you did before, because you become aware of the waste all around you, that you can make good use of. For example, clothes swapping with friends releases unloved clothes from the backs of cupboards and means you get a wardrobe refresh for free.
When did you first realise you wanted to write a book?
I have always wanted to be an author ever since I was a kid! It felt like a very daunting prospect though and it took me a long time to actually follow through on my childhood dream!
What inspired you to write a book?
I was inspired to write this book because I wanted to bring together everything I had learned. I want to make it easy for someone to just pick it up and get going with saving money and the environment and not have to start from scratch like I did!
How long did it take you to write the book?
That’s a tricky question! I guess you could say ever since I started writing my blog I was researching material for the book, although I didn’t realise it at the time and I wrote bits of what would lead to this book over several years. In the last two years though, I have actively focussed on writing the book alongside many other activities!
Is writing your full-time career?
I do lots of things including being a stay at home mum, blogger, author, artist (check out my @zoeszart Instagram page) and hosting students.
What was your favourite part, and your least favourite part, of the publishing journey?
Seeing the finished product was most definitely my favourite part! I also really enjoy writing, but I found editing and getting the formatting right hard.
What does success mean to you? What is the definition of success?
Good question! I’m going to quote someone here:
‘There is only one success – to be able to live life in your own way’ – Christopher Morley
What advice would you give a new writer?
If you are going to write a book, get a writing tool like Scrivener, which is a digital filing cabinet for your book. You can split up the chapters but keep them together in one project. Also listen to podcasts, read blogs and books about writing. Joanna Penn is especially worth checking out.
Are you on social media?
Yes I am! You can find me on Twitter and Instagram under @ecothrifty.
You can also find me on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/EcoThriftyLiving
And most importantly where can readers purchase your book?
It is available on Amazon as an *e-book and a paperback here
*My affiliate links
About Gina Caro
Gina is a content creator and award-winning blogger. Her aim is to help you live a more sustainable & simple life. Her blog covers zero waste, minimalism, wellbeing & thrift. She currently lives in Cornwall with her partner, two kids and Charles the dog.
