Simone Yemm – 10 Questions (2023)

1. Why did you initially decide to write a book?

My book began as a cathartic journaling exercise in my mental health recovery journey. It then morphed into a public blog and from there I was encouraged to write a book. I am not quick so it took me a couple of years, but after much love and many tears, my story was born.

2. What genres do you enjoy reading?

I am actually a big fan of memoir. I love to read about other people’s journeys and the lives they have lived. But I do read almost anything. I used to read voraciously and quickly. Now I savour the words and read quite slowly. I am very fond of beautiful, descriptive language that evokes emotions and memories.

3. What do you love most about being an author?

The ability to express things that sometimes feel inexpressible. The knowledge that what I share may impact someone in ways I may never understand. And I love trying to help people understand worlds they have never before been in. I think understanding someone else’s story helps develop empathy.

4. What is currently on your TO BE READ pile?

I have just started the Pitch & Sickle series by DK Girl. I am loving the setting and the descriptive language. I think there are six books in the series and I’m up to number two. So it will keep me busy a while. I also plan on reading Lessons in Chemistry as it has been recommended to me on countless occasions.

5. What drew you to the subject of your latest novel?

My story is not a novel – unfortunately. I write about mental health from a lived experience and I have so often felt misunderstood. At the absolute root of my writing is a desire for other people to understand me, without judgment.

6. Where is your novel set? (If you write fantasy, how would you best describe the world of your latest novel)?

My memoir begins in Hobart, where I was born, then follows me around Australia as we moved over the years. But I have lived in Tasmania five times now, so a lot of my story is here.

7. What’s the most interesting book you’ve read in the last year – and why?

The Good Wife of Bath was a most fantastic book. The juicy descriptive language just made me feel like I was living in the 14^th century. The exploration of life from a woman’s perspective and the enormous challenges women faced in that era. Yet a woman could remain strong and become independent. I don’t know that I would have had the courage or strength to have lived the life she did.

8. What authors do you love to follow?

I don’t follow any particular author. I am in several facebook groups and a book club and I receive recommendations through them. When I was young I was a massive Raymond E Feist fan and devoured everything he wrote several times. Then George R R Martin came along and I did the same. Now I’m more circumspect and tend to pick up one off books.

9. Do you prefer paperbacks, hardbacks or ebooks, as a reader – and why?

I do love a paperback but I mostly read on my iPad with the kindle app. It’s convenient and dare I say it, cheaper, and I no longer have the storage for thousands of books. But there is something special about holding a book in my hand.

10. What else would you like your readers to know about you or your books?

My memoir may seem like a book that is targeted at people with eating disorders, but it is not. I firmly believe we should all be reading mental health stories in order to understand and show compassion for things people go through that may make no sense to us. Everyone just wants to feel understood and accepted. I am no different.

You can find Simone here:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simoneyemm

Instagram: instagram.com/simoneyemm

Website: https://simoneyemm.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59726234

Amazon.com.au: https://www.amazon.com.au/Stalked-Demons-Guarded-Angels- Disorder/dp/1646635329/