TCMMY - You Are Not Too Old To Start Writing w/ Beth Brookhart

You can buy a lifetime of experience, but you cannot fake it on the page. Author and grape grower Beth Brookhart joins us to explain how she publishes her first novel at 67, why she finally “pulls the trigger,” and what late-life creativity gives you that starting at 23 simply cannot. We talk honestly about learning the writing craft, walking into rooms where everyone is younger, and refusing to let a youth-driven publishing culture decide who gets to create.

Then we zoom out to the place that shapes her work: California’s Central Valley. Beth paints a vivid picture of a region that is more agriculture and grit than palm trees and ocean views, yet supplies a massive share of America’s fruits and vegetables. We get into the realities behind the food supply chain, including why many consumers never think about where produce comes from, and how water policy, infrastructure, and politics can leave rural farming communities without a strong voice.

We also preview her next novel concept, a Field of Dreams-style story for women that ties team sports, girlhood confidence, and a touch of history and magic together. If you care about writing a first book later in life, Central Valley California agriculture, or what it really takes to feed the country, this conversation will stick with you. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs a push, and leave a review. What dream are you picking back up this week?

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:23

Welcome back to the flagship. They call me Mr. You the Podcast. I'm your host, Mr. You, wherever you are and how you're watching this. Thanks for making us part of your week. We are live on Facebook and YouTube. And of course, you can find all of our shows on our brand across social media platforms or wherever you get your podcast from. Thanks for listening. Thanks for watching. We appreciate your support. Uh today we have a special guest, author, and I understand grape farmer. Beth Brookhart's in the house today.

SPEAKER_01 0:50

Hello.

SPEAKER_00 0:53

I'm excited. How long have you been growing grapes?

SPEAKER_01 0:55

Oh, my husband's family. He's he's on third generation. So they've been in it a long time. It's the kind of grapes you eat, not the kind you drink. So okay.

SPEAKER_00 1:05

So this this is a this is

Meet Beth And The Grape Farm

SPEAKER_00 1:07

a verifiable business, I would think, though. So in third generation. Wow, this is uh that's pretty awful.

SPEAKER_01 1:13

Yeah, it is.

SPEAKER_00 1:14

It's just a family business.

SPEAKER_01 1:15

It's a family business that they sell grapes all over the world, every they go everywhere. You'd find them probably in a lot of supermarkets wherever you are.

SPEAKER_00 1:23

You guys are global suppliers of grapes. That's standard.

SPEAKER_01 1:28

Yes, they're just next week, they're gonna start harvest, they're just about ready.

SPEAKER_00 1:32

Yeah, ours are not looking great right now. Last year was fantastic. This year we had like one cluster, so I'm not quite sure what's going on. But uh anyway, you have an incredible story. I want to get in chat with you with the time that we have in regards to your book. Your first book was the official work, The Four Queens of the Button Bush Museum. So I was something I watch on PBS. I love it already. I love the time.

SPEAKER_01 1:56

I wish.

SPEAKER_00 1:57

But you you did something amazing. You published your first book at age 67. You gotta explain to us what made you decide to know what to pull the trigger at that point when perhaps you could have done it earlier or not have done it at all. Why that time that that moment in time?

SPEAKER_01 2:13

Well, mostly it's because I forget how old I am and I still think I'm 23, but my my mirror and my body tell me otherwise, but my mind's still going. So I, you know, I'd had a career, I'd been working, raised two kids, I've got five grandkids now. And really, in about 2010,

Why She Published At 67

SPEAKER_01 2:32

I I just always wanted to write a book. And I thought, well, there's no time like the present. What am I waiting for? So it took me a long time because I really didn't know what I was doing at all. So I had to educate myself, and that took quite a while. But I just always wanted to do it, and I thought, well, it's not like I'm trying to be an Olympic pole vaulter, I can write still. So, and I and my career had been in journalism, so I had writing experience. So that's why I did it. And I it like I said, took me a long time.

SPEAKER_00 3:03

Wow. Do you feel as though? And I know this is the conversation I have with people who you know, in yours and my age bracket, do you feel like people overestimate or underestimate the power of older folks, if you will, starting something new?

SPEAKER_01 3:21

Totally underestimate. It's a young world, you know, it's a young world out there, and especially on the internet, people people don't want faces that look like this on Instagram and TikTok. They want young, fresh, you know. I guess I could have plastic surgery, but I'm not willing to go that far. Uh, and I really don't care. But it's a young world. So there's there's a couple of things too. I mean, I'm not, I mean, I have grandkids and I hear things they say, but I'm I'm not in that world. I don't know the lingo and all of that. So I had to write what I could write from my own experience and knowledge. I, you know, did a little research, but my book's set in the 50s, so that made it easier because that was a totally different time. I'm old, but I'm not that old to have grown up in the 50s. And um, so that made it a little bit easier. But I think publishing is a very young world, and as a lot of things are, a lot of arts are. So it was a challenge. It's a challenge, but I'm I don't know, I never let that stop me really.

SPEAKER_00 4:31

No, you you clearly have not because you're doing things that people have normally given up on at this stage of life. So it's very, very commendable. And you said that book was out of the 50s, that was the Four Queens book. I know people, me as an author as well. My first book, it holds a place that I don't think any book can replace. What was special about this book besides the fact that it was your first book? What made it special? Kind of give uh the viewers and listeners a little bit of a uh why you think it's so special for you.

SPEAKER_01 5:04

Well, I I think mostly because it had been inspired by some of the things I had done in my life. I spent 17 years on the board of my local historical museum, and a lot of things happened there. And I museums tend to attract a wider range of characters, lots and lots of pieces. And so I had a ton of inspiration. So that helped. And because it was inspired by my you know local museum, I had a real, I have a real love for where it's set. I I made up a fictional town of Buttonbush, but if anyone is at all familiar with Bakersfield, California, they will recognize it. It's unlike the rest of California. It is not palm trees and

Museum Stories That Became A Novel

SPEAKER_01 5:48

beach and surfboards, it's agriculture, it's oil, it's in the dry, dusty valley. It's not particularly gorgeous to look at, but it is full of really wonderful people, hardworking people. And that's what I wanted to showcase.

SPEAKER_00 6:03

I love it. I love it. We never hear about that part of California.

SPEAKER_01 6:07

No.

SPEAKER_00 6:08

My dad, my dad lives in in more of the upper part close to San Francisco. I got family in the LA area. I have friends in San Diego.

unknown 6:17

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 6:17

I never hear about the area that you're talking about. Tell us why that area is is so appealing. I'm not just for a writer, but just somebody who is thinking about maybe a different location in life. Why is that area, what area is it specifically, but what also why is it appealing?

SPEAKER_01 6:32

Uh the Central Valley, California is I two hours driving about north of Los Angeles, and it it spans a long stretch. It's it's sort of a it's just a valley in the middle of California. It is rich soil, it has tremendous farmland. About 20% of the nation's fruits and vegetables come from this area. It's it's a land of hardworking, a lot of immigrants and migrants. Uh in my particular area, we had a lot of Dust Bowl migration back in the 20s and 30s. A lot of people from Oklahoma, Texas came here. They worked in the potato fields and the cotton fields, and they worked very hard. And a lot

The Central Valley Behind Your Food

SPEAKER_01 7:16

of their uh children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren are still here. So it's a really special area to me. I've lived here for 46 years. I I came from Denver, Colorado. So that's a whole different, whole different thing. But a lot of California disparages this area because it's not pretty. It's definitely not Malibu. It is not San Francisco and all those beautiful scenes on the ocean. It is dry and dusty, it has its beauty in its own way. It's hotter than heck. I think today it's going to be 103 here. Tomorrow 105. Yeah, it's hot. But that's what makes all those crops grow. That's where you get your fruits and vegetables because that heat really makes them grow well, unless it's too hot.

SPEAKER_00 8:00

I want to I want to get in check. I find that fascinating. This show is we talk about anything on this show, and this is where my mom is going. So that's kind of what the show's about. It's a format, it seems to be working. That situation you mentioned about how the other parts of California seemed to disparage where you are. I think I understand why based on what you just shared with me, but what what do they want you to do? What what are they or do they offer to try to build homes and and businesses on it?

SPEAKER_01 8:31

What no? Uh in fact, it's really difficult here. Politically, we're ignored a lot because we there's not the population. Los Angeles, San Francisco, you know, the Bay Area, it's a big population, got a big voting block. We don't have that. So, you know, to get something built like really major highways or infrastructure, water is huge for us in this valley. It's very difficult to obtain water, it's a very complicated process, and we don't have a lot of political clout in Sacramento or nationally, really. So it's hard to get the attention. And I think a lot of times, it's not particular to California, but a lot of times residents in very urban areas believe that people in rural areas are not real smart. Not, you know, they're kind of hillbilly. Well, I can tell you the people that run businesses here, that run the farms, that run the oil, they are they have to be smart. You can't do it and be successful if you are not pretty darn intelligent.

SPEAKER_00 9:36

So is it is it I will not make any assumptions here. Just have to say that what you guys do in your area in the uh Central Valley supplies for the rest of California. I mean, potatoes quite a bit. Quite a bit. They rely on what you do there.

SPEAKER_01 9:56

Sure they do. Sure they do.

SPEAKER_00 9:58

I mean, if you like to eat this sound hypocritical a little bit to to discourage who you are and what you guys do, but you need us to supply.

unknown 10:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:07

Is it me? Am I missing something there?

SPEAKER_01 10:09

No, you're you're right. If you like to eat, you might want to like the Central Valley of California. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:16

Why how is it possible you guys don't have a voice? I don't perhaps you can't answer that, but here's my other question. Because of what's going on now with food supply, what's happening around the country now. Yes, it feels like there is a big emphasis, a big onus on the farmer on those that are regulating food. So have you seen any changes in the perception of the area that you're in now because of that? Or is it just the same?

SPEAKER_01 10:43

I don't, I can't say that I've seen anything, but maybe I'm, you know, missing something. I think people are just really unaware. They're just they, you know, you just go to the grocery store, you pull the stuff off the shelf, you don't think about where it's coming from, you don't think who grew it or or what it took to make that not make it, grow it, whatever. And even, you know, package goods, those all take some sort of food product. And somebody somewhere is working pretty hard to put that out. And are they making money? Sure, but sometimes they're losing money quite a bit.

SPEAKER_00 11:18

Most of the time.

SPEAKER_01 11:19

Well, a lot, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:21

Yeah. Hope you guys start an online community of girls because you guys need to have your voice amplified because you do big things for California whether you realize it or not or appreciate it or not. We do. We do. For sure, for sure. Just a couple more questions and I'll and we end the broadcast for today. What do you think starting late in what you did with your book kind of gave you or provided you with that starting early probably could not have provided you? What'd you gain from that?

SPEAKER_01 11:52

Well, I I think I had a lot more depth of experience, a lot more ability to look back on things, analyze things, look at people differently than I did when I was young. You know, when you're young, you're just kind of going along and you're busy and you think you're all that, right? You think you know everything, right? When you get older, you realize you don't know anything. So it that helped. I'm probably way more humble because almost anything I've done with respect to writing, like taken

What Starting Late Gives You

SPEAKER_01 12:25

a class or been to a conference, I'm one of the older people in the room. They're all really young, and I'm pretty sure I'm always the one who is the only one that doesn't have a tattoo. Pretty sure. So it's just it's humbling in a lot of ways. I I probably am more quiet than I normally would have been at a younger age. And younger age, I was much more willing to jump in and speak my mind. I take it a little more easy now, but I think it it gives you as anything, as you grow older, you realize how much you don't know and how but how much you have seen along the way.

SPEAKER_00 13:04

Great segue to my next question, too. I was thinking about this. This should be my next to last question.

SPEAKER_01 13:09

Oh, sorry, sorry, sorry. I thought I turned it off.

SPEAKER_00 13:13

It's okay. Sorry. Here's my penultimate question for you before we call the show out. I heard you talk about you know being more humble. Because what we just discussed in regards to the perception of the area where you are in Central Valley and the importance of what you guys do, not just for the state that you're in, but also for the nation and for what you said, even beyond that. Is there a fighting you to do more? Is there fighting you to kind of push against some of the doors that are being closed to you guys as farmers and growers? Do you personally have that in you? Do you see that as something that you need to develop? Do you want to do more than what you've been doing? How do you feel about that overall?

SPEAKER_01 13:58

Well, in truth, I think that's what I was doing at a younger age. I was an agricultural journalist.

Finding A Voice For Rural Growers

SPEAKER_01 14:04

I worked in water, and so I think I had the fight in me a little bit more then. Now I feel like sort of pass it on to my children and grandchildren, hopefully the people around me. I see a lot of young up-and-coming leaders in those in my area, and I'm so proud of them. I think they do they're working hard. So I'm hoping they'll kind of take up the banner. But I think any signs of that yet?

SPEAKER_00 14:30

Any signs of that yet?

SPEAKER_01 14:31

Uh yeah. Yeah. Okay. Uh, I think so. I think so. And honestly, I mean, when I started my career, there was no internet. So there's a lot more ability now to convey your message. As I know you've probably heard nine million times, but it's true. So it helps a lot in that respect. You can get your message out a lot easier. So I'm really hopeful for the next generation.

SPEAKER_00 14:53

I love that. We got your website up on the screen so people can find you and your work, Beth Brookhart.com. It's spelled B-R-O-K-H-A-R-T.com. For those that are listening but not watching us, Beth Brookhart.com. Whether you're watching live on the replay, you can see us up on your screen. You can get in contact with Beth, hear more about her work from a literary standpoint, and of course, her work also in farming and growing. She's important to our country and beyond. All right, final question for you, Beth. I think you said that your next book coming up is kind of a field of dream for women. I love baseball, so I'm already interested because I'm not a woman, but already excited about it already. What would you say at the close of the show out is a dream that most women give up on too soon?

SPEAKER_01 15:42

I think a lot of times, especially girls, when they hit about 13-ish, they start diminishing themselves. They don't realize their potential. They start, you know, they get a little weird about their bodies, they're growing and all that. So I think team sports can be really great for young girls. And it that's a little, well, it's a lot about what this

Her Next Book And Girls’ Dreams

SPEAKER_01 16:08

book is about. And and young young girls growing into themselves by playing a team sport. Boys tend to have a lot more of that. It's open to girls these days much more than it was when I was young. But what I really wanted to convey in this book is the sense of girls becoming more than they thought they could be, and also their sense of history, what's in their past. Like in Field of Dreams, there's a past, a little magical past that's going to come into this.

SPEAKER_00 16:37

Ooh, sounds pretty exciting. Thank you for being here for sharing so much of your story about your books, but also, I think even more importantly, what's going on with the farm and growing agricultural situation. I know you're uh looking at rising leaders in your area to kind of jump in and start taking the mantle, if you will. But we're excited about that. I'd love for you to stay in contact with us, stay in support of us, follow us on whatever social media you use. I want to stay in, I want to hear what's going on in your area. I need to be a part of that. So thank you for continuing to share that. All you guys that are watching and listening, thanks for giving Beth a little bit of your time. Uh drop your questions and comments. Whether you find the episode, we'll have her answer those directly. But again, Beth, thanks for being here and being a part of this conversation.

SPEAKER_01 17:23

Thank you so much. This has been really fun.

SPEAKER_00 17:25

Same here. Historian, I believe, great farmer, and the author, Beth Brookhart. Thanks again for being part of this time and this conversation today, and thanks again for being for doing this. This is really great.

SPEAKER_01 17:37

Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 17:38

Have a great day, guys. This is the Call Me Mr. You, the podcast. That's

Where To Find Beth And Wrap

SPEAKER_00 17:42

Beth Brookhart. I'm Mr. You. Have a great day. Thanks again for watching and listening.