Pump Up Your Book Chats with Parenting Book Author Emma Piers

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Emma Piers is an author, wellbeing coach and narrator. She lives in rural Dorset in the UK with her life/working partner Mark Turner. Emma was born in a rambling old vicarage in Kent, in 1958. Her father was a vicar, and she had two siblings. During her early years, the family moved five times. During these years, Emma developed a deep love and sense of connectedness with the natural world around her. Walking and writing stories about mythical creatures and people became a big preoccupation, alongside a love of English that was instilled in her by two teachers who were both passionate about their subject. As a counter balance, she managed to fail her Maths ‘O’ level three times. Friendships came and went with five different schools in short succession being attended. A working year exploring the USA and France was followed by another year feeling out of place in a technical college studying pitman script, shorthand typing and profit and loss accounts. Many years and several homes later, after her younger child started grammar school, Emma started studying counselling and creative writing. After a number of years in counselling practice, and travels in Australia, Emma’s more recent studies are encompassing both traditional therapeutic and mythological storytelling. This form of storytelling incorporates understandings of the holistic ways in which human and environment interact.

Her latest book is Night Knight: Therapeutic Bedtime Stories.

You can visit her website at www.emmapiers.com.

Q: Thank you very much for this interview, Emma. Can you tell us why you wrote your book, Night Knight: Therapeutic Bedtime Stories?

To help young children develop self loving, contented and confident self identities.

Q: Which part of the book was the hardest to write?

The last two chapters.

Q: Does your book have an underlying message that readers should know about?

The world is as you are.

Q: Do you remember when the writing bug hit?

Late childhood/early teens.

Q: Besides books, what else do you write? Do you write for publications?

I love helping my partner’s children with their writing.

Q: Do you have a writing tip you’d like to share?

If you are writing a book: Every morning on awakening write 2 or 3 pages of completely flowing, unscripted and often nonsensical stuff. Think of it as releasing preoccupations and unhelpful thoughts, to allow you to dive deeper inside and move into the flow.

Q: Would you like to tell us about your home life? Where you live? Family? Pets?

I live in gorgeous North Dorset in the UK, close but not close enough to the sea. I share a beautiful little home full of character with a gorgeous man called Mark, who I’m also lucky enough to work alongside.

I have two amazing children in their twenties called Daniel and Isabel, and Mark has two children as well; Alanis and Luc. Would love another dog, but our routines are so variable, it just wouldn’t work. The kids bring us cuddly toys instead! What else? We have family all around the UK, which is fun. We live in a beautiful old town which is the friendliest place you can imagine.

Q: Can you tell us a little about your childhood?

I was born in Kent, in the UK. My father was a vicar. We moved several times during childhood. We lived in mainly rural environments which I loved. Overall, my happiest memories are of the countryside, forests and sea, and playing with my brother and sister and friends. I don’t remember much about my mother. She left home when I was about 9 years old. I couldn’t relate to the religious scripts, though I loved singing in the choir. I couldn’t integrate what I was being taught at home with what I was seeing happening around me. They were surreal years. Draughty old vicarages, friendly faces at school, but I felt lost inside as a child. It’s no coincidence that I ended up undertaking training and development that would lead me on my own healing journey!J

Q: Where’s your favorite place to write at home?

In the living room by the French windows where I can feel the sunshine and see the rain.

Q: What do you do to get away from it all?

I do a beautiful meditative/reflective practice which makes me feel incredibly vibrant and happy beyond words. It’s more about getting ‘into it all’ rather than ‘away from it all’ LOL J I often share it with my coaching clients, who watch in amazement as old feelings of anxiety and depression dissolve and slip away. I walk and explore the amazing environments where we live, spend time with our friends and families, sing, read, watch movies, listen to music, all sorts of things.

Q: What was the first thing you did as far as promoting your book?

We created our web site www.emmapiers.com and our business cards and moved on from there.

Q: Are you familiar with the social networks and do you actively participate?

Yes. My partner is more patient with them than me, but I’m learning!

Q: How do you think book promotion has changed over the years?

Massively. I think the onus is very much more on the author to self promote. We have to be willing to grow and evolve through our fears about showing up, and just keep getting out there. We have to wear so many hats it puts you in a spin!

Q: What is the most frustrating part of being an author?

Sometimes getting too attached to our work; to outcomes. Allowing the fun of it all to turn into a serious business. I’m not interested in being too serious anymore. I just want to love and appreciate every single moment I’m here. I’m realizing more and more that as soon as anything at all becomes a means to an end, it’s the end of contentment.

Q: What is the most rewarding?

Making a difference. Having parents tell us the ways our book or CD’s have helped their children. It’s very heartening.

Q: How do you think book publishing has changed over the years?

It’s moved away from intrinsic core values of mutual support and sustainable contribution to extrinsic values of success, speed and greedy self-interest.

Q: If you had one wish, what would that be?

Our global family at peace with ourselves and each other.

Q: If you could be anywhere in the world other than where you are right now, where would that place be?

On Maui and also Polynesian islands. I would love to learn more about their cultural mythologies in between swimming and just lolling around in the sea!

Q: Your book has just been awarded a Pulitzer. Who would you thank?

My partner Mark for being an original midwife (he won’t thank me for saying that!) and for his wonderful illustrations. Niko for his music. Others too – I’d have to really sit down and think about that one.

Q: Thank you so much for this interview, Emma. Do you have any final words?

Thanks for the interview. Have a good day as they say in the US of A!

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Question of the Day

How do you make sales happen for you?

A lot of hard work! I sponsor a lot of on line parties, festivals and contests. Book sales don’t magically happen, believe me. An author has to work hard to earn her readers. And then she has to work hard to keep them by giving them something they’ll enjoy reading. I try hard to make my books worth a reader’s time.

-- Sheila Roberts, Author of Winter at the Beach