WELCOME back to Sparkle on Substack, the podcast. You can listen to this wherever on Substack or wherever you get your podcasts.

My second guest for Season 3 is the wonderful Emma Simpson. We recorded this episode back in September and I can hardly believe it’s been four months.

I first met the delightful Emma Simpson at Alnwick Story Fest this time last year actually. Since then, we have stayed in touch, met in London and cheer-leaded each other’s work from a far.

If you want to join us for tea and cake at this year’s Alnwick Story Fest, drop me an email. I’m excited to be meeting up with some fellow writers. Tickets are here. Emma and I are both speaking at the festival which takes place 2/3 March.

One of the things I love about Emma’s Substack publication is that it’s eclectic. It’s refreshing, unpredictable and she writes longer stories I want to snuggle up with.

Emma is headed towards 1000 readers and I’d love to help her get there ahead of her book publication date in March. Subscribe below for the good stuff!

Emma in her own words

I am a wild swimmer and life-long hobbyist writer specialising in narrative non-fiction. Having spent a couple of decades being distracted by a career as an air traffic controller and experiencing two life-wrenching events, I rediscovered my pen and my passion for storytelling at the same time as discovering how transformational cold-water swimming was for my health, wellbeing, and sense of connection with the world. Trained in coaching psychology, I have combined my years as an observer of human behaviour in high stress environments with my love for listening to people’s tales around the shores of a lake; mug of steaming hot tea in hand. I hold these stories with great care and trust as I reflect on the great oral storytelling traditions of our past.

My current book is an exploration into the primal powers of femininity and water; with stories gathered from around the world that demonstrate the power of connection and humanity in an increasingly crazy society. Future offerings include tales from Ireland, the land of my ancestry, and a collection of soul stories showcasing the astonishing beauty and simplicity of people’s actions in the everyday.

* Pre-Order Breaking Waves on Amazon

* Pre-Order Breaking Waves at Waterstones 

* Emma’s website 

* You might also enjoy these articles on lifting the lid on the book publication process. It’s truly fascinating!!

Watch on YouTube

Timestamped overview

00:00 From Air Traffic Control to Writing

06:12 Extraordinary Marathon Swimmer's Profound Moments

15:01 Wild Swimming: Community and Connection

17:39 The Great Unplugging

24:57 Social Media's Impact on Behaviour

30:20 Writing to Connect and Heal

35:08 Community Connections and Unexpected Success

39:23 "Embracing PR and Book Festivals"

48:25 Agent Feedback on Book Proposal

49:53 Agent Decision and Personal Connection

57:29 "Creative Influence and Recognition"

01:00:54 "Connecting with Creative Muses"

01:05:26 Emma Simpson's Literary Journey

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sparkleon.substack.com/subscribe