In addition there's chitchat about writing and rejection (rejection is a popular topic with our audience, we’ve discovered), and we end the episode discussing what we’re reading now.

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

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Thank you for your patience while Rachael Johns and I took a break to focus on writing our next books (two of them, in Rach's case) and other things. 

Over the hiatus we've both had feedback that you mostly like us talking to each other, so there will be more of that this season, interspersed with some guests. We're really open to suggestions for topics to cover, as well, so please feel free to leave a comment to that effect or contact us on social media. There are various ways to find us.

We hope you enjoy this episode. We had fun talking to each other, and we hope that translates.

And in this age of AI, where I'm probably meant to run this through a programme that will tell me what to change so it's more SEO friendly, you can probably tell from the absence of buzzwords that I'm not doing that. This is me writing to you, one human to another, just as the podcast is me and Rachael talking to each other, one human to another. At least, I was human the last time I checked. Maybe I'm a holograph? Time will tell.

Thanks for watching/listening! We appreciate your time and hope you enjoy spending some of it with us.

- Sophie

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

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This is a Soph-only episode as Rach has two books to write at once. She needs a restful summer break too! Indeed, this is our last episode for the year. Thank you very much for listening/watching to us this year. We don’t have a pod without you! We plan to be back next year and may well be asking which subjects you’d like us to cover … 

The full list of books mentioned in this episode is available on our Substack.

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If you haven’t read Rachael Johns’s latest novel, The Lucky Sisters, please be advised that in this bonus episode of our podcast, Dear Rach & Soph, we discuss the ending of the book. The episode was recorded before the book was published and held until now to give people time to read it. If you haven’t read it and decide to listen anyway, well … you’ve ruined your own surprise!

While we still intend to record a new releases episode for October, November and December releases - it’s been a packed few weeks, so we simply haven’t had a chance - this is the last full-length episode of the podcast for this year. THANK YOU to everyone who has listened to or watched the pod. We have plans to return next year! If there are any subjects you’d like us to cover, please leave a comment or send a DM or drop us a line. 

*** 

About The Lucky Sisters

The Australian blockbuster of the year - read it before someone spoils the ending! A moving and heartfelt story about life, death and the miracles in between by the award-winning author of The Patterson Girls.

What would you do if you thought each day on earth might just be your last?

Lucky by name. Not so lucky by nature.

Adopted twins Nora and Stevie Lucky have always been close, despite being total opposites.

When their mother dies, Nora convinces Stevie to search for their biological parents, only to come face-to-face with a life-changing revelation that sends them spiralling in opposite directions.

With their careers, love lives and even their sisterly bond at risk, they’re going to need more than luck to survive.

'Rachael Johns delivers one of her most heartfelt and emotionally layered novels yet ... a good choice for anyone who enjoyed Liane Moriarty's Here One Moment' Bookseller+Publisher

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Our guest for this episode is the wonderful Chiara Priorelli from audiobook publisher Wavesound. (Wavesound published the audiobook of Sophie's latest novel, Lessons in Love at the Seaside Salon.) We both know we have readers who have switched to audio for some books (and we have too), and from the publishing side Sophie knows that audio is growing in popularity. So we wanted to find out more about this sector of publishing and reading. Chiara said yes to our invitation and she was so generous with her insight and information - we found the chat fascinating, and not because of us!

This is our last ‘proper’ episode for the year (in the intro Sophie says it might be second-last if our planned last episode eventuated - we actually swapped the order, and the original planned last episode, with Lyla Sage, came out last week). We have recorded a bonus episode on The Lucky Sisters and that will be out towards the end of this month. It contains spoilers, so we’ve giving you a chance to read it beforehand. 

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Lyla was about to leave for her North American tour when we spoke to her. She very generously gave us an hour - a not inconsiderable amount of time for an author who is about to tour. 

It was a tremendous pleasure to talk to Lyla about ghosts, music, cover design and writing practice, amongst other things. She self-published Done and Dusted, the first book in the Rebel Blue Ranch series, so we also talked to her about that experience and how she came to be traditionally published. If you weren’t already a fan of Lyla’s books before you listen to this, we think you will be. She was fantastic (more about her and Soul Searching below).

NB: This is an audio-only interview, so while we have it on YouTube in case you like to listen there, you will not find video with it. Also, I had a cold, so you’ll hear me sounding suboptimal - but Rach is in top form!

***

ABOUT LYLA SAGE

Lyla Sage lives in the Wild West with her loyal companion, a sweet, old, blind rescue pitbull. She writes romance that feels like her favourite things: sunshine and big blue skies. She is the author of four books in the Rebel Blue Ranch series, Done and Dusted, Swift and Saddled, Lost and Lassoed and Wild and Wrangled. Her latest book is Soul Searching, the first in the Sweetwater Peak series. When she's not writing, she's reading.

ABOUT SOUL SEARCHING

The No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of the Rebel Blue Ranch series returns with a stirring Western romance about a new-to-town upholsterer, a photographer whose life has come to a halt, and the supernatural forces that bring them together.

Home is where the heart is - and this one is haunted.

Collins Cartwright does not want to go home. Sweetwater Peak, Wyoming, was supposed to be in her rearview mirror, but when she finds out a developer is trying to buy her parents' antique shop, she doesn't have a choice. At least, that's what she tells her family.

They don't need to know she's lost her job and is out of money. Or that the ghosts that have always been her companions have recently gone silent.

Brady Cooper is absolutely fine. Seriously, there's no secret reason why he decided to uproot his life and suddenly move to Sweetwater Peak. He just needed a change of pace. At least, that's what he tells himself.

But when he agrees to let Collins stay in his spare room, he doesn't realize that she constantly talks to thin air or that she looks like that. Good thing their arrangement is only temporary. Right?

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

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This is an episode featuring me alone - not because Rachael lost her voice or anything else, but because my guest is Qin Qin, and I published her book, Model Minority Gone Rogue: How an unfulfilled daughter of a tiger mother went way off script, so it made sense for me to do this one alone. 

Model Minority Gone Rogue has been shortlisted for The Age Book of the Year and at the time of writing is shortlisted for The ACT Book of the Year, with winners announced on 24 October during the Canberra Writers Festival - and Qin Qin works at that festival, so I wanted to ask her about what it’s like to be a writer working at a writers festival. 

There’s also a fair bit of discussion about what it was like for her to write her memoir - which was quite a process. We are also both yoga practitioners so there is some yoga chat as well, but it’s all in the context of writing and creativity. 

Qin Qin is a writer of great power, and she’s also wonderful in conversation. I hope you enjoy this chat with her, and seek out the book if you haven’t read it already. There’s some information about it below.

***

About Model Minority Gone Rogue

We all grow up with rules. Do this, be this, don't be that. Qin Qin was all about the rules: do your homework, be good, don't rock the boat. She was the model daughter, model student and model minority.

But doing everything right? It made her lost and miserable. So she decided to take a spectacular risk and change everything.

At 23, Qin Qin was an unhappy overachiever working for a prestigious law firm. So she quit. She didn't know what else was out there, but she wanted to find out. She changed paths, changed countries, changed her entire view of what the world could be, and who she could be - with some primal screaming and tree-hugging along the way.

In the process, she discovered the person she truly was, not who she thought she should be.

Model Minority Gone Rogue is a funny, sad, exhilarating and thought-provoking true story about what happens when you want to live life on your own terms, even when those terms go against everything you've ever known. It's a story of what happens when you choose love over fear and honour your authentic self: life can be bigger and brighter than anything you had ever imagined.

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We also found out that Michael has other creative talents! And all round it was very interesting to talk to him. His storytelling drive is immense and no doubt there will be many more novels to come.

This episode was recorded a few weeks ago as we are now both writing, but we’ll have episodes for you almost until the end of the year as we banked a few. 

***

ABOUT MICHAEL BRISSENDEN

Michael Brissenden was a journalist and foreign correspondent with the ABC for 35 years. He was posted to Moscow, Brussels and Washington, and worked in Canberra for many years in various roles, including as the political editor for ABC-TV’s 7.30 and as a reporter with the ABC’s investigative television documentary program Four Corners. Michael has published four previous books including his highly successful 2024 release, Smoke.

ABOUT DUST

Lake Herrod, a once-thriving community, now lies in the shadow of a nearly dry lake. The town, like the water, is evaporating and its residents are left clinging to what little remains.

When Aaron Love discovers a fresh corpse near the cracked lakebed – along with evidence his missing father is alive and linked to a web of organised crime – he is thrust into a world of deception, injustice and betrayal. With the town on the brink of collapse, Aaron and a haunted detective, Martyn Kravets, uncover a web of conspiracy that reaches far beyond the small community.

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Michelle Johnston is the author of THE REVISIONISTS and she is also an emergency physician, so in this me-alone episode (Rachael had lost her voice!) I had questions to ask her about the relationship between those two disciplines and also about the new novel (bio and blurb below). She had many interesting things to say, as I’m sure you’ll agree once you listen/watch!

- Sophie

***

ABOUT MICHELLE JOHNSTON

Michelle Johnston is an author and an emergency physician. She is a Staff Specialist at the Royal Perth Hospital Emergency Department, a busy inner-city trauma centre where she works as both clinician and teacher. Michelle's first novel, Dustfall, was published by UWA Publishing in February 2018 and shortlisted for the MUD Literary Prize for a debut novel in 2019. Her second novel, Tiny Uncertain Miracles, was published by HarperCollins in 2022. Her latest novel is The Revisionists, which is an absorbing, unputdownable novel about ambition – and how we curate our own stories and rescript our memories in order to survive.

ABOUT THE REVISIONISTS

Upper East Side, Manhattan, 2023: Christine Campbell, former journalist, turns on the television to watch a documentary paying homage to her Pulitzer Prize–shortlisted coverage of the unrest in 1999 in the North Caucasus. She is newly widowed, wealthy and attempting to write a memoir celebrating her bold life and significant achievements in writing about the silencing of women during conflict.

But truth has a way of resurfacing, even when buried deep beneath money, memory and reinvention. When Dr Frankie Pearson, Christine’s oldest – and estranged – friend, knocks on her door, the pair must reconcile their memories and come to terms with the far-reaching and disastrous decisions they both made over twenty years ago. The Revisionists examines the malleability of memory and the slippery nature of the truth – and the lengths that people will go to avoid facing both.

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

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So it’s a long episode and we cover a lot (A LOT) of ground about writing, publishing and creativity. It was wonderful to meet Holly and have the chance the chat to her.

Full episode out now on all podcast platforms, my YouTube and our Dear Rach & Soph Substack (links in bio). 

***

ABOUT HOLLY BRUNNBAUER

Holly Brunnbauer is a multi-award-winning emerging fiction author with numerous accolades in writing competitions across Australia, New Zealand and the US. Holly writes stories filled with heart, humour and hijinks. Her signature style includes a strong commercial voice, quirky cast and putting the 'com' in rom-com. She first caught the writing bug via blogging and later transitioned into copywriting. Holly’s now a sought-after virtual assistant for published and aspiring authors. 

ABOUT WHAT DID I MISS?

Married young. Finally divorced. Turning thirty ...

Makayla has many regrets: a Chiko Roll impulse buy, not visiting the Big Pineapple and marrying her high-school dud.

Now, newly divorced, determined to hold on to her independence and facing the Big Three-O, Makayla makes a list of all the things she missed out on while her friends were single and running amok in their twenties.

But when her one-night stand turns up again, and a revenge plot on her ex spirals out of control, she has to decide if some things are worth missing. And if Makayla can’t sort herself out before her birthday, she might face the biggest regret of her life.

A fresh and feisty romantic comedy about what happens when you meet someone special before truly knowing yourself.

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

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The episode starts with a discussion of Rachael’s ‘Diet Coke top’ - it’s quite something, and you’ll have to watch the video version of the episode to see it! You can find that on my YouTube channel or our Substack, dearrachandsoph.substack.com

***

ABOUT RENAE BLACK

Renae Black lives in Queensland with her husband and two young bookworms. By day she works as a social worker within the child protection industry. By night, she escapes to the romantic fictional realms of rural Australia that transport her back to her childhood home, a large property that bred cattle and hosted the odd ostrich sale. Her latest novel is Second Chance Station.

ABOUT SECOND CHANCE STATION

A gritty, flirty and uplifting rural romance about taking risks, overcoming the past and standing up for the people you love.

Relationships on the station are forbidden ... but are some rules made to be broken?

At Windale Mountain Sheep Station there's only one rule: don't sleep with the guests.

In her ten years living on the mountain, Indigo Mills has never once thought about breaking the rules. After a childhood of neglect and an adolescence that still haunts her, the opportunity to live and work on the sheep station was a lifesaver - literally - and Indy won't do anything to jeopardise her mountain family and home.

That is until Carter Hendrix, the best half-back in the game of professional rugby league, turns up.

The Scorpions have come to Windale for a pre-season training camp, fresh off the loss of last year's grand final - a loss Carter's teammates blame him for. Carter's plan is to keep his head down and his sponsors happy so he can continue playing the game he loves.

Until he meets Indy. Now is not the time for distractions and Indy is full of reasons why they shouldn't explore their attraction: their vastly different backgrounds, their age gap, the rules. But their chemistry is impossible to ignore. Can Carter prove to Indy that he's worth the risk, or will it all be left on the mountain?

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

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**NB: This is a Soph-alone episode** 

Contemporary YA

Title: Summer, in Between

Author: Holly Cardamone

Publisher: Hawkeye Publishing

‘Looking for Alibrandi meets Puberty Blues'

Thriller/crime

Title: The Vanishing Place

Author: Zoe Rankin

Publisher: Moa Press/Hachette ANZ and Berkley US

A twisty and daring thriller about how those close to you can be even more dangerous than the deadliest wilderness.

Title: The Stolen

Author: Vikki Petraitis

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

An unputdownable crime thriller featuring Detective Antigone Pollard from the bestselling author of The Unbelieved.

Title: The Farm

Author: Jessica Mansour-Nahra

Publisher: Hachette

An eerie psychological thriller, rippling with the Gothic undertones of Rebecca, from a startling new Australian talent. The Farm enthrals from the very first page.

Romantasy

Title: A King's Fate

Author: Anneka-Rose Burrell

Genre: Epic romantasy 

Self-pubbed

Dual POV with a strong FMC and reluctant hero MMC

Romance 

Title: The Swiss Chocolatier: European Tycoons

Author: Leanne Lovegrove

Publisher: Indie

A chance of a lifetime that could make her career. Or break her heart …

General fiction

Title: Very Impressive For Your Age

Author: Eleanor Kirk

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

A profoundly relatable debut novel about chasing your dreams and losing your ambition from a stunning new Australian voice.

Title: Tenderfoot

Author: Toni Jordan

Publisher: Hachette

By the bestselling, award-winning author of Addition, an exhilarating novel about coming of age in 1970s Australia.

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As this was recorded a little while ago, in the introduction we talk about Rachael writing her serial Meanwhile in Mount Merry-Glen, which she’s now put on pause as she has two - two! - books to write at once. We also talk about the ergonomics of typing and how trying obey SEO rules into Sophie's country music writing made things less fun and she's abandoned it.

So, liewers, it’s a mixed bag and that is the way we like it! 

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A note: we recorded this episode on July the 6th, which is a day that has special significance for me - and you’re going to have to watch or listen to our intro to find out why.

ABOUT OUR GUESTS

Emma Pei Yin is an Australian-Hong Kong Chinese writer and editor. Her work has been featured in several publications. In 2023, she was nominated as Bookseller of the Year. That same year, her manuscript, Chasing Echoes in the Rain, was shortlisted for the Allen & Unwin Voices from the Intersection Mentorship Programme. She lives and works on Ngunnawal Country with her partner and their extremely barky dachshund, Lady. When Sleeping Women Wake is her first novel.

Saman Shad is a writer, journalist, and playwright whose storytelling spans stage, screen, and page. In the UK, she was a scriptwriter for BBC Radio, and after relocating to Australia she created programs for the ABC and became a sought-after voice in journalism. Her plays have been commissioned by theatres in both London and Sydney. Her debut novel, The Matchmaker, was published by Penguin Australia in 2023. The Sex Lives of Married Women is her latest novel.

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

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Sophie first met Patrick when he was working in marketing at Momentum, which was the digital-only arm of Pan Macmillan books, publishing a lot of romance novels about a decade too early for BookTok. He has always been smart and funny, and his novel is that AND SO MUCH MORE. It is warm and sweet and, yes, spiteful in parts but in a very charming way. 

We wanted to talk to Patrick about how he used to promote romance novels to the world and now he’s writing them, and we did talk about that, plus a lot more. We recorded this episode a while ago, so there’s mention of launch events that have now past, but we have left them in because everything future becomes the past, so someone watching/listening to this episode next year would have had them in the past anyway.

In the intro we discuss the fact that we both read multiple books at the same time - do you?

And we also talk about the Rachael Johns Online Book Club, which I encourage you to join if you’re not already a member.

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This latest episode, which we’re releasing as a bonus episode, is about Sophie's new novel, Lessons in Love at the Seaside Salon. There’s a short description below and you can hear Rach read the longer blurb in the episode.

We recorded this ep after we’d already recorded another episode so we were possibly a little tired and emotional - certainly Soph goes off on tangents - but, hey, that’s the way things go! You’re not getting our polished selves, you’re getting our real selves, and if you’re a regular ‘liewer’ (listen/viewer) you’ll be used to that. 

Lessons in Love at the Seaside Salon is out now through Hachette Australia.

ABOUT LESSONS IN LOVE AT THE SEASIDE SALON

Four women. Four loves. Four life-changing stories. At a little salon by the sea - on the windblown coast of 1980s Australia - four different women with intertwined lives will find themselves through love, heartbreak and learning to love again.

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

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Note from Sophie: I was passenger for most of this episode - to the point that my internet cut out, I dropped out of the Zoom and the conversation continued seamlessly! - but that wasn’t because I was being left out of the chat: it was because I was so fascinated listening to Rachael and Amy discuss romance writing that I felt lucky to be there. Being able to watch experts at work is a privilege, and whether you’re a romance writer or a romance reader - or both - you will, I’m sure, be as interested as I was in what they have to say.

NB: We recorded quite a few episodes in a short space of time a little while ago, so our intros are out of order and now out of date, but we are disinclined to not be genuine when we’re recording them, so all we can do is hope you don’t mind! 

***

ABOUT AMY BARRY

Amy Barry is the author of the romance series The McBrides of Montana. She is also Amy Matthews, an award-winning author and Associate Professor in Creative Writing at Flinders University. 

Amy’s novels have been published internationally and in translation and are available in print, audio and ebook. She has also written under the name Tess LeSue. As an academic, Amy publishes on genre fictions, specifically popular romance, historical fiction, and fictions of climate change. And she has a podcast, Amy &. 

Her latest novel is Seven Brides for Beau McBride.

ABOUT SEVEN BRIDES FOR BEAU MCBRIDE

From the beloved author of Kit McBride Gets a Wife and Marrying Off Morgan McBride comes a ‘sweet, hilarious and totally delicious’ love story (Hannah Grace). Beau McBride wants a wife, and his meddling little sister Junebug is itching to find him a mail-order bride. But why stop at just one?

Beau McBride reckons he’s ready for marriage. But his ego is bigger than his brain, and his little sister Junebug can’t trust him to find the right woman. So they make a bet, both placing ads in the Matrimonial News to find the perfect bride. Junebug is set on winning, but there’s a hitch: Beau has made his pick, and she’s beyond beautiful. Junebug knows looks ain’t everything, so to even the odds she invites six more women to meet her brother.

Ellie Neale doesn’t expect much from life. Which is good, since life hasn’t given her much, except a head full of daydreams and her beautiful best friend Diana. But after answering an ad to be a mail-order bride, Diana is leaving for Montana. Ellie is happy for her, really she is ... after all, she was the one who wrote Diana’s letters for her.

Ellie can’t bear the thought of losing Diana, so she answers an ad from a man in the same town her friend is headed for. But when they arrive, Ellie and Diana discover they’ve answered an ad for the same husband. Along with five other women.

With seven brides vying for Beau’s attention, he needs to make a decision – fast. The only problem is, his heart is pulled to the one woman who wants nothing to do with him.

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

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We loved speaking to Kayte about her decision to switch to crime, and how she came to create the intricate web of story in THE PALAZZO, as well as choose the location. This is a novel that gives you a very satisfying crime story while also completely making you want to go to Italy - so you have been warned. And there’s more about Kayte and the novel below.

This episode was filmed a few weeks ago - we banked some episodes due to upcoming commitments - and you’ll hear us talking about Rachael’s serial MEANWHILE IN MOUNT MERRY-GLEN. She has that on pause for a little while but the existing episodes are there for paid subscribers to her Substack. And it’s something of a joint project in that Sophie was her copy editor from the second episode. 

***

ABOUT KAYTE NUNN

Kayte Nunn is the internationally bestselling author of seven novels, most recently 2022's The Only Child. They are available worldwide in English, and have been translated into eleven languages.

She was brought up in England, lived in the US for a number of years as a child and now calls the Northern Rivers of NSW, Australia home.

ABOUT THE PALAZZO

They're all killers, but only one will resort to murder. The stunning new novel from international bestseller Kayte Nunn, for all fans of Lucy Foley and White Lotus.

Newly widowed beauty entrepreneur Vivi Savidge's fortieth birthday is fast approaching, and she plans to celebrate it at the Palazzo Stellina, a historic former convent in the foothills of the Italian Alps run by disgraced chef Marco Bianchi and his elderly grandmother.

Vivi's little sister, Alice, is flying from Brisbane with her sixteen-year-old twins in tow. Ex-colleague Pete and his new husband, Nick, are coming from Boston, and old friend Caroline is driving from Turin. Every one of them is hiding a shameful secret.

Vivi's hopes for a relaxing holiday surrounded by those closest to her are soon overshadowed by an anonymous blackmail threat, and she begins to wonder if someone she thought she could trust might just as easily betray her.

Amid a suffocating heatwave, the holiday ignites an explosive cocktail of obsession, jealousy and greed. Before the week is over, secrets will be exposed and the gathering will turn deadly, leaving one victim, a handful of suspects, and a murderer in their midst.

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HISTORICAL FICTION

Until the Red Leaves Fall by Alli Parker

Daughters of Batavia by Stefanie Koens

The Midnight Estate by Kelly Rimmer

GENERAL FICTION

The Life Experiment by Jess Kitching

Lessons in Love at the Seaside Salon by Sophie Green

The Visitor by Rebecca Starford

CRIME

Stillwater by Tanya Scott

ROMANCE

In Spite of You by Patrick Lenton

Lights Camera Love by Natalie Murray

In the Long Run by Emma Mugglestone

YOUNG ADULT

Once a Villain by Vanessa Len

The Set-up Girl by Sasha Vey

Drift by Pip Harry 

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

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We wanted to talk to Maya about her writing life and her fiction, of course, but she also participates in a number of other creative activities - indeed, she lives a rich, full creative life. If you need some creative inspiration, this is the episode for you! 

***

ABOUT COCKATOO COVE

Maggie West has worked tirelessly to prove herself, establishing a successful cattle stud instead of following her father into the crayfishing industry, though it's never enough to stop local speculation about her family's holdings. And with her teenage daughter veering off the rails, she knows all too well that money doesn't provide immunity against heartache or hardship.

Since landing in South Australia's picturesque Limestone Coast, Scottish winemaker Fergus Abernathy has gone from strength to strength. But it isn't just the awards that are keeping him in the district; if he can put down roots, perhaps he can persuade his family to join him Down Under.

Missing his family back in Scotland, Fergus looks a little enviously at the close-knit West family, until a shocking phone call changes everything.

Misunderstandings and long-withheld secrets create roadblocks for Maggie and Fergus, and with a community fundraiser hanging in the balance, it seems they're never destined to be in the right place at the right time.

Set in stunning wine country with border collies, rugged coastlines and generous community spirit, Cockatoo Cove is an exceptional tale showcasing the richness of life on the land.

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

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This conversation with Jess Kitching, author of new novel THE LIFE EXPERIMENT (published by Simon & Schuster - blurb below), went to several extraordinary places as Jess told us her story. At one point Sophie has to ask Rachael to take over because she's crying, so that will give you a sense of it. 

Jess started writing thrillers; THE LIFE EXPERIMENT is something quite different, a love story that is completely unconventional and thought-provoking. It was inspired by the death of a friend of Jess’s, and that same circumstance also inspired Jess to move to Australia from the United Kingdom, where she was born and lived. There is so much more to Jess’s story, though, and the story behind this novel. Suffice to say that in changing genres, Jess also changed her life, and as is the way of things she may very well change readers’ lives too. You’ll have to read her book to find out, and we hope this conversation will inspire you to do just that. 

Did you know? Dear Rach & Soph is on Substack! If you’d like to peruse the archive - on video and audio - go to dearrachandsoph.substack.com

For more about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

Rachael's latest book is Outback Reunion (2025) Preorder The Lucky Sisters

For more about Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

Sophie's latest book is Lessons in Love at the Seaside Salon (2025)

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This episode was recorded quite a while ago - on Mother’s Day, in fact. It’s taken this long to publish because we banked a lot of episodes knowing that we were both heading into writing new manuscripts and would need to concentrate on that. So you’ll hear Mother’s Day mentioned and there’s bonus mention of us talking about whether or not the moon influences tiredness levels, and we also talk about how we can schedule worrying as an activity. 

***

Ky Garvey is a writer and podcaster based in Brisbane. She is the host of Totally Lit, an award-winning interview style podcast celebrating reading, writing and creating literature. Ky writes shorts stories, is a children’s author and an advocate within the disability and carers space. Her debut picture book, Easy Peasy, was published in 2023 and other writing has been included in several anthologies and recognised in several writing competitions. In 2024, Ky launched the Inaugural Totally Lit Micro Fiction Prize.  

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

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Title: What Did I Miss?

Author: Holly Brunnbauer

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Australia 

Genre: Romantic comedy

Title: Second Chance Station

Author: Renae Black

Publisher: HQ/HarperCollins

Genre: Rural romance

Title: August Reunion

Author: Juliet Madison

Publisher: Bloodhound Books - available on Amazon

Genre: Women's fiction/romance

Title: The Peak

Author: Sam Guthrie

Publisher: HarperCollins

Genre: Political thriller

Title: The Revisionists

Author: Michelle Johnston

Publisher: HarperCollins

Genre: Thriller

Title: Moonlight and Dust

Author: Jasmin McGaughey

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Genre: YA speculative fiction

Title: Fractured Pieces - The Nexus Series 2

Author: Mandi Kontos

Publisher: KDP

Genre: Fantasy

Title: Brooke Road

Author: Matthew Spencer

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Genre: Crime

Title: Ruins

Author: Amy Taylor

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Genre: Literary fiction

Title: Your Friend and Mine

Author: Jessica Dettmann

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Genre: Contemporary fiction

Title: The Path Through the Coorong Trees

Author: Léonie Kelsall

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Genre: Rural romance

Title: Love Overdue

Author: Ali Berg and Michelle Kalus

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Genre: Romcom

Title: The Trauma-Informed Writer

Author: Dr Alicia Leigh

Publisher: Gininderra Press

Genre: Non-fiction

Title: The Haunting of Mr and Mrs Stevenson 

Author: Belinda Lyons-Lee

Publisher: Transit Lounge

Genre: Historical crime

Title: The Neighbours

Author: Emma Babbington

Publisher: HQ/HarperCollins

Genre: Part psych thriller, part family mystery

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

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Sydney-based medical student and author Emma Clancey says this deep in Sophie's recent interview about her outstanding YA fantasy This Dream Will Devour Us (blurb below), which is out now from Allen & Unwin and which will be published in the USA next year. 

This is an interview Sophie did solo as while we have been pretty good at lining up times, we found ourself without a time in common for this chat. Emma was so interesting and inspiring to talk to – she is fitting in a vigorous writing schedule around her studies, and it is clear that she is passionate about both of these significant parts of her life. We talk about how she came to write the novel, the use of magic as a device in it, the importance of character development, and her overseas publication. 

***

ABOUT THIS DREAM WILL DEVOUR US

An intoxicating mix of magic and the machinations of the rich and powerful and a compulsive, bingeable read for readers who love Krystal Sutherland and Karen McManus.

Sometimes you've got to kill a dream to escape a nightmare.

Nora is the opposite of lucky. She's still wrangling her dead dad's debts when a mysterious illness lands her brother in hospital. But her fortunes take an unexpected turn when she wins the lottery to attend the Lamour family's exclusive magical Dream Gala. If Nora can win over the Lamour heirs, she'll get a coveted spot in their magical training program - and the money she needs to save her brother.

There's just one problem: Nora never bought a lottery ticket.

Determined to discover who wants her at the Gala - and why - Nora plunges headfirst into magical high society. Caught up in a decadent world of brutal billionaires and cutthroat celebrities, Nora is soon in over her head. When her search for answers uncovers a sinister conspiracy, will Nora stay silent or risk the wrath of a family powerful enough to get away with murder?

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

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After commencing studies in medicine at university, Miranda instead decided to pursue a creative life, training as an actor at at Jacques Lecoq in Paris from 2003 to 2005, then becoming a director and screenwriter, completing a Graduate Diploma in Directing at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School in 2010. 

That alone would have been reason enough for us to want to talk to her for Dear Rach & Soph, because the conventional path is often the easier one to take, due to there being less resistance along it – from family, friends and those around you – and there’s always a story attached to the decision to take a creative path instead. 

Miranda has taken it a step further, though. She’s had great success in screen - her short film, Perception, won the Dendy Award for Best Short Film at the 2014 Sydney Film Festival and her critically acclaimed debut feature as writer/director, Undertow, premiered at Melbourne International Film Festival and was released in cinemas in early 2020. The easier choice there would have been to stick to the artform she knew. Except she has taken on another: writing fiction. Her debut novel, New Skin, was released a few weeks ago by Allen & Unwin, and we speak quite a bit about that as well (blurb below). 

That’s not to say she has left screen behind! Miranda's original six-part series as creator/writer/EP, Playing Gracie Darling, will premiere on Paramount+ soon and stars Celia Pacquola, Anne Tenney and Harriet Walter.

So there was so much to ask her about, and Miranda gave great insight into the choices she’s made and what it’s taken to inhabit her creative being. We hope you enjoy meeting her as much as we did. 

In the intro we talk about Rach's Substack serial, Meanwhile in Mount Merry-Glen, which is being released one week at a time and it is fab! Want to find out more? Go to rachaeljohnsauthor.substack.com

ABOUT NEW SKIN

New Skin is Miranda’s powerful debut novel about first love and second chances. Alex and Leah meet at medical school and form an immediate and intense connection. Over the course of four years, they are caught in the push-pull of passion and betrayal, longing and reunion. Neither can quite give up the relationship, even as they question whether they are good for each other.

Years later, when Alex and Leah are drawn together once more, will they make the right choice?

New Skin evokes a coming of age in the 1990s and charts the course of first love and its power to shape who we become. Spare and compelling, this powerful debut introduces a dazzling new voice in Australian fiction.

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

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We wanted to talk to Léonie about the relationship between her counselling work, in particular, and her writing but – as often happens – this chat covered a lot of other territory, including Léonie being both a traditionally published and self-published author, how her writing process is not at all structured, and how a childhood without television led to a lifelong love of reading. 

We had a great time chatting to Léonie, who is a creative powerhouse, and clearly someone who makes the most of each day. You can read more about Léonie below.

***

Raised initially in a tiny, no-horse town on South Australia's Fleurieu coast, then in the slightly more populated wheat and sheep farming land at Pallamana, Léonie Kelsall is a country girl through and through. Growing up without a television, she developed a love of reading before she reached primary school, swiftly followed by a desire to write. 

An animal rescuer and carer, Léonie now divides her time between the lush Adelaide Hills, the location of her professional counselling practice, and the stark, arid beauty of the family farm at Pallamana, which provides both the setting for many of her stories and a refuge for the rescues that can't be released. 

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

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So Sophie know Allison well. And Allison and Rachael have known each other for a while through Romance Writers of Australia. Therefore this is a free-flowing conversation in which Allison is also really honest about what it was like to have what was her big dream at the time - to be a published novelist - be crushed. 

So it’s about a massive disappointment, and also what she made of that and what her career became afterwards.

***

Allison Tait (A.L. Tait) is the internationally published bestselling author of 12 middle-grade novels, including fantasy adventure series The Mapmaker Chronicles the Ateban Cipher novels, and the Maven & Reeve Mysteries.

Her first contemporary middle-grade novel THE FIRST SUMMER OF CALLIE McGEE was published in 2023 and was longlisted for the 2024 Margaret and Colin Roderick Literary Award.

Allison’s latest middle-grade novel WILLOW BRIGHT’S SECRET PLOT is out now (Scholastic 2025), with DANGER ROAD (Scholastic 2025) to follow on 1 July.

A multi-genre writer, creative writing teacher and speaker with many years’ experience in magazines, newspapers and online publishing, Allison is co-host of the top-rating Your Kid’s Next Read podcast and former co-host of the So You Want To Be A Writer podcast.

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

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Mona volunteered a little while ago for writer ‘therapy’, in which writers bring us their writerly challenge and we try to help them through it. Mona has been working on a manuscript for a while and wanted our advice on what she should do about it. Suffice to say Soph declared that this would be a ‘tough love’ session! Thanks to Mona for her honesty and as she is no doubt not alone in this challenge, perhaps some of you will find the episode of interest.

If you’d like to receive some of our tough love, please send Soph or Rach a DM on social media or email sophiegreenbooks [at] gmail [dot] com

The delay on releasing this means the intro we recorded is technically out of date but as Soph listened to it in preparation for publication, she realised it’s kinda not! We talk about ideas we have for books and also those ideas being rejected and us not being attached.

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

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Kim has an Honours degree, a Masters degree and a PhD from The University of Queensland where she is also a senior lecturer. There is very little Kim does not know about writing and her readers are the beneficiaries of that knowledge and her experience and her pure, passionate drive to tell stories. 

In this episode of the podcast, we talk to Kim about all of that and also about why she chose the Zara Holt - widow of Prime Minister Harold Holt, as well as an acclaimed fashion designer - as her subject and what it’s like to write fiction about a real person. The novel is glorious and if it’s your first Kimberley Freeman novel, it definitely won’t be your last! 

***

About The Secret Year of Zara Holt

A richly imagined novel of love, fashion, scandal and one captivating woman's passionate life.

Melbourne, 1927. The summer flowers smell like Christmas the night Zara Dickins meets Harry Holt. Zara is wearing a dress she has designed and made herself: white organdie over a short black slip, with black embroidery and a crimson taffeta sash. It's party season and the university crowd are celebrating end-of-year exams. Zara loves dancing with the boys and flirting with them, but it's a game to her. Nothing serious. Until Harry.

He plans to be a politician once he finishes law. She, a fashion designer, if she can find a way to break out of the secretarial pool. When he takes her hand, she doesn't want to let him go.

The spark they ignite that night will last forty years.

Portsea, 1967. When Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt disappears while swimming, his wife Zara loses herself in the memories of their volatile relationship. She always believed Harry when he said no matter what happened, he'd never leave. Their bond has stretched to London, Europe, India, America. It has survived anger, loss and heartbreak, media scrutiny, secrets and lies. But now all Zara wants is for Harry to come home.

A vibrant and compelling story inspired by the fascinating life of fashion designer and businesswoman Dame Zara Bate.

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

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All these books are by Australian (and one New Zealand) author and released in the month of June 2025.

GENERAL FICTION

Title: Rise and Shine

Author: Kimberley Allsopp

Publisher: HarperCollins

HISTORICAL FICTION

Title: The Secret Year of Zara Holt 

Author: Kimberley Freeman

Publisher: Hachette

CRIME/MYSTERY/THRILLER

The title: The Palazzo

Author: Kayte Nunn

Genre: Mystery

Publisher: HarperCollins

Title: Boney Creek 

Author: Paula Gleeson

Genre: Mystery/thriller 

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Title: A Beautiful Family

Author: Jennifer Trevelyan (NZ author)

Genre: Thriller

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Title: Whiskey Valley

Author: Joan Sauers

Genre: Mystery 

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

SCI FI/FANTASY

Title: Ever Blessed

Author: Olivia O'Flynn

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: HarperCollins

Title: Galaxy Grifter

Author: A Zaykova

Genre: Sci fi

Publisher: Orbit US (Hachette)

Title: Shadow of Ruin, book 2 in the Donare series

Authors: Melissa and Andre Hattingh

Genre: Romantasy

Publisher: Blue Gryphon

Title: Raven and the Witch: The Bloodlines of Destiny book 1 of 3

Author: Wendy Pym

Genre: YA

Indie published 

ROMANCE

Title: Cockatoo Cove 

Author: Maya Linnell 

Genre: Rural romance

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Title: An Academic Affair

Author: Jodi McAlister

Genre: Romance

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

LITERARY FICTION

Title: New Skin

Author: Miranda Nation

Genre: Literary

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

YOUNG ADULT

Title: The Foal in the Wire 

Author: Robbie Coburn

Genre: YA verse novel

Publisher: Hachette

For more about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

Rachael's latest book is Outback Reunion (2025)

For more about Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

Sophie's latest book is Art Hour at the Duchess Hotel (2024)

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It turns out Karly’s pace has not slowed, as she’s writing two books a year, and in this episode of the podcast you’ll almost hear Sophie's jaw drop open (and likely see if it you watch the video version) as Karly talks about how she maintains that pace.

For Sophie this conversation was also a rare opportunity to talk to two authors with many books behind them, as Rachael has over 20 books published.

Karly was so interesting to talk to, and I think for aspiring writers there’s much that’s inspirational in the things she says in this chat. For established writers it’s fascinating too because of the rate at which she works. And for readers, it’s a glimpse ‘behind the curtain’ of an author who continues to deliver compelling stories.

You can find out more about Karly Lane at https://karlylane.com.au

***

NEEDLE IN A HAYSTACK by Karly Lane

Lottie Fairchild has two loves: history and, well, history. She's fascinated by the legends of love and curses handed down through her family.

Owner of a little antique shop in small country town Banalla, Lottie is on the committee that is about to launch a new festival celebrating local history, including gentleman bushranger Jack McNally. 

Altogether, Lottie feels happy. Mostly. But when festival guest speaker Professor Damian Loxley roars into town a week early, Lottie is caught off guard. 

As a professor of history and an author, Damian arrives keen to research Jack McNally and a historic cold case: the mysterious disappearance of a colonial lady - in essence the search for a needle in a haystack. Then he meets Lottie Fairchild ... the perfect local guide. 

Little do they realise what danger can come with treasures and truths. But least of all do they know that the hardest jewel to grasp is happiness itself ...

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

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The reason Rach wanted to invite her on the pod, though, was to talk about plotless novels, which Danielle says she loves to read and teach but cannot write. When I contacted Danielle beforehand we talked about adding children’s and YA books and ‘genre creep’ to the agenda; as a children’s author and agent who represents children’s author, she obviously has a lot of knowledge in this area. 

Danielle is brilliant and passionate and so, so knowledgeable. By the time we said goodbye to Danielle, Rach and I both felt like we’d had a masterclass. But one of those riveting, time-passes-so-quickly masterclasses, not one where you want to nod off. You’ll be riveted too because there’s no other way to be when Danielle speaks. And if you’d like to know more about her, there’s a bio below, but here’s the potted version: her latest book is called Six Summers of Tash & Leopold.

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

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Until recently Chloe Berry worked at HQ/HarperCollins, where she masterminded their digital marketing and appeared in quite a bit of it - if you follow them on socials you’ll know her. Chloe also has her own bookish social accounts - @chloeraebooks on TikTok and @chloeraeberry on Instagram. She is the co-founder of the hugely successful @booktokbookclub.

Chloe has now started The Berry Agency (@theberryagency on Insta and TT), which she plans to be a different kind of literary agency, not only because of the genres she specialises in but because she can offering marketing expertise to her clients in a way that is tailored to their genres, because she has the knowledge and experience to do so. 

Rach and I both ‘met’ Chloe on TikTok - in my case, because Chloe commented on a video I made about literary agents in Australia. Then we met IRL. She had some questions about agenting and I suggested she come on the pod to ask them. So she did, but mainly the three of us ended up having quite a long discussion about book marketing in the age of social media, and I think you’ll find what she has to say fascinating!

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

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Dinuka was honest about her perfectionism and how it affects her writing, for good and bad, and the good includes the Detective Kate Miles crime series, with novels The Torrent, Taken and Tipping Point published in Australia and the UK. 

Dinuka was the winner of the 2020 HarperCollins Australia Banjo Prize. Her writing has been shortlisted for the Sisters in Crime Davitt Awards, the Bad Sydney Crime Danger Awards, and longlisted for the Richell Prize. Her short fiction appeared in the 2022 Dark Deeds Down Under Crime and Thriller Anthology. 

She is also an ambassador for Chapters for Change, which is a reading challenge (or readathon), so we asked her about the organisation and the upcoming readathon in July this year. 

Registrations open on 15 May for the next readathon and you can find more information at https://chaptersforchange.org

ABOUT CHAPTERS FOR CHANGE

Chapters for Change has to date raised $40,000 to combat Cambodia's high illiteracy rate, where 1 in 5 individuals over 15 lack literacy skills. Funds will maintain a library, support English, Khmer, and preschool classes for disadvantaged children.

These programs have successfully made children literate in their native language within a year and in English within four years. Over 730 children have studied in the programs, with around 100 attending the library daily.

For more about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

Rachael's latest book is Outback Reunion (2025)

For more about Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

Sophie's latest book is Art Hour at the Duchess Hotel (2024)

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

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General fiction

The Remarkable Truth of Alfie Bains by Sarah Clutton (Allen & Unwin)

Lonely Mouth by Jacqueline Maley (HarperCollins)

Everything Lost, Everything Found by Matthew Hooton (HarperCollins)

The Good Mistress by Anne Tiernan (Hachette) – NZ author

Boom Town Snap by Jay Martin (Fremantle Press)

Romance

Salty, Spiced and a Little Bit Nice by Cynthia Timoti (Pan Macmillan)

Last Breath (Blood Wine Dynasty Book 2) by Emma Pignatiello (Penguin Random House)

Needle in a Haystack by Karly Lane (Allen & Unwin)

One Last Night by Lauren Ford (Canelo/Hardie Grant)

Crime/thriller

VANISH by Shelley Burr (Hachette)

The Unquiet Grave by Dervla McTiernan (HarperCollins)

The River Whispers by Deb Jordan (Bloodhound Books - UK and US)

Historical fiction

The Butterfly Women by Madeleine Cleary (Affirm Press)

The Ladies Guide to Utter Ruin by Alison Goodman (HarperCollins) 

Literary fiction

The Opposite of Lonely by Hilde Hinton (Hachette)

Fantasy

The Quest Begins - The Crystal Dynasty Book 2  by Abigail Mader (independent)

Children’s

Made of Steam and Stardust by Bianca Breen (Stag Beetle Books)

Silverborn: The Mystery of Morrigan Crow – Nevermoor 4 by Jessica Townsend (Hachette)

For more about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

Rachael's latest book is The Bad Bridesmaid (2025)

For more about Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

Sophie's latest book is Art Hour at the Duchess Hotel (2024)

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

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None of the books I’ve read about creativity or writing, even a book that might be classified as inspirational self-help (or perhaps I just made up that category), has quite the combination of warmth, compassion, urgency and practicality as British-resident, Australian-raised Amie McNee’s new book We Need Your Art.

Amie is an author, speaker, creative guide and the founder of the popular Instagram account Inspired to Write, where she has over half a million followers. She writes historical fiction and has released two novels, Regrettably, I Am About to Cause Trouble and The Rules Upheld by No One. She is known for speaking, teaching and coaching artists all over the world, and We Need Your Art is a way of having her coaching you all the time. 

Because what Amie says and how she says it have a way of making each day feel interesting and limitless. 

It was a tremendous privilege to have the opportunity to talk to Amie about her work, her teaching, and her fiction, and to delve into how We Need Your Art was written and why. 

It is a book for everyone, because Amie fervently believes that EVERYONE should be creating. Everyone should be making art. So if you need a jolt - or a lightning bolt - or just a reminder that whatever project you’re working on is worth getting back to or persevering with, read this book. There is so much that’s great about it that we couldn’t possibly cover it in this interview, but hopefully that gives you that much more incentive to buy the book.

We Need Your Art by Amie McNee is out now from Penguin Books Australia.

For more about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

Rachael's latest book is The Bad Bridesmaid (2025)

For more about Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

Sophie's latest book is Art Hour at the Duchess Hotel (2024)

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

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Our guest this week, novelist Karina May, is an experienced user of writing software Scrivener and the above is one of the reasons why she uses it. Rachael has tried using it; I never have. Will I be convinced to try by the end of this episode? Listen and find out!

We cover this subject because we like to have a theme to these episodes, and mainly because we thought it would be interesting and useful to chat about. And we also wanted to talk to Karina about her latest novel, That Island Feeling (out now from Pan Macmillan) - there’s a blurb below should you wish to know more. Karina writes romcoms, and she is terrific at it! She also has a podcast, That Rom Com Pod, with author Clare Fletcher. 

Do you know about Scrivener? Use it? Love it? Loathe it? Let us know in the comments!

***

ABOUT THAT ISLAND FEELING

From holiday fling to homecoming ... A whirlwind island romance becomes something more in an uplifting romantic comedy about finding yourself after heartbreak

A week on Pearl Island is exactly the R&R that perpetual planner Andie Alcott needs. Except instead of sipping pina coladas by the beach, she's busy throwing her freshly divorced bestie, Taylor, a girls' trip to remember, dealing with a double-booking fiasco and worrying about her ailing father on the mainland. But it's cool – she has it covered. After all, everyone would be lost without her, right?

The last thing habitually barefoot local Jack Cooper wants is the headache of managing tourist bookings. But since he's to blame for the island's dwindling supply of holidaymakers, he'll do whatever it takes to keep them happy - in particular, a beautiful visitor named Andie …

With sun-kissed sands, sapphire waters, oysters and wine, Pearl Island promises the perfect getaway - and maybe even a hot holiday fling. But what happens when the emotional baggage comes in excess, and island life suddenly feels all too real?

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

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Our guest for this episode is Emily Paull, whose debut novel, The Distance Between Dreams, is historical fiction and out now from Fremantle Press. Like Rach, Emily is from Perth. Her ‘therapy’ question was specifically about managing the promotional process for the book, so we talked about that and also about her writing background and the story behind the novel. (If you’d like to know more about her novel, you can find that below.)

Emily is so engaging, just like her writing. I thank her for her honesty in talking to us about the process of writing and promoting the book, and I’m sure, whether you’re a writer or not, you’ll find something to relate to in her story.

***

THE DISTANCE BETWEEN DREAMS by Emily Paull

A heart-wrenching romance set around WWII that was shortlisted for 2023 Fogarty Literary Award.

Sarah Willis longs to free herself from the expectations of a privileged upbringing, while Winston Keller can’t afford the luxury of a dream. Despite their differences, the pair are drawn together in a whirlwind romance that defies the boundaries of class. But when a dark family secret pulls the young lovers apart, and WWII plunges the world into chaos, it seems impossible they will ever find their way back to each other – or even hold onto the dream of what might have been.

***

For more about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

Rachael's latest book is The Bad Bridesmaid (2025)

For more about Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

Sophie's latest book is Art Hour at the Duchess Hotel (2024)

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

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As it’s the first one, and organised quickly, there’s no order to how we present the books, other than sequestering April titles from titles released between January and March (as we decided to do those too). Please note that these are the titles we were told about and the list is not comprehensive. 

Unfortunately there isn't space here to list all the titles, so please go to https://sophiegreenauthor.substack.com/p/dear-rach-and-soph-april-new-releases for that.

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

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It was wonderful to talk to Catherine, and her novel is wonderful too! Here’s a little bit about it: 

A woman’s midlife reinvention and a beach village of eccentric Aussies collide with stupendous results in this witty, razor-sharp and immensely enjoyable debut from author Catherine Greer.

In The Bittersweet Bakery Café, Catherine Greer takes readers on an emotional rollercoaster when Audrey Sweetman is left shattered by her husband’s betrayal, and uncertain of her career as they both crumble in one horrible day. With everything to lose, she leaves her fast-paced city life behind and heads for the picturesque seaside town of Whitehaven Bay where she holidayed as a child.

As Audrey immerses herself in her new surroundings, she finds herself in financial strife and the locals rally around to help her embark on a business venture no one saw coming. 

She’s humbled by the unexpected bonds that have come with making a fresh start in this close-knit community with its cast of oddball characters.

***

For more about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

Rachael's latest book is The Bad Bridesmaid (2025)

For more about Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

Sophie's latest book is Art Hour at the Duchess Hotel (2024)

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

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Coming up this season we have some fabulous guests to talk about a range of subjects and we’ve had some writers volunteer for ‘writer therapy’ so you’ll see/hear that too. Plus we’re adding an episode a month to cover newly released Australian fiction, so if you’d like to find your next favourite read, tune in! 

If there’s anything you’d like us to cover on the pod, please leave a comment, send a DM or email me on sophiegreenbooks [at] gmail [dot] com

***

If you have a question for us, please email sophiegreenbooks [at] gmail [dot] com and put ‘Dear Rach & Soph’ in the subject line.

And if you’d like to actually be in the podcast with us while we answer your question, please let us know in the email.

For more about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

Rachael's latest book is The Bad Bridesmaid (2025)

For more about Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

Sophie's latest book is Art Hour at the Duchess Hotel (2024)

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

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You can find a blurb for TBB on a gazillion bookseller websites so we're not going to reproduce it here. Instead we're going to tell you that in this bonus episode of Dear Rach & Soph, we talk about how TBB came to be and why Rach chose to set it on Norfolk Island, which involved a research trip, and other things to do with the novel. This discussion is spoiler free. 

We also bring back some greatest hits:

• Soph giving Rach a lecture about saying ‘sorry’ for things that don’t need an apology.
• A bit of writer therapy (with Soph as the therapist).
• Some talk about what we’re both up to writing wise.

And Soph asks Rach why she’s work-wife cheating on her with Anthea Hodgson over at the Reading Between Deadlines pod.

Thanks to everyone who has asked about whether or not there will be a season 3 of Dear Rach & Soph - yes, there will be! We’ll be back in March. Right after Rach delivers her next novel and Soph does the copy edit on her next one.

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For more about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

Rachael's latest book is The Bad Bridesmaid (2025)

For more about Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

Sophie's latest book is Art Hour at the Duchess Hotel (2024)

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

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In this episode we catch up on Rachael T’s latest daring adventures, as well as talk about what we’ll be reading over the Christmas break [NB: we recorded the ep in late November as it was the only time the three of us were available before Christmas], and we answer a question that author Nina Kenwood posed to Rach and me a few weeks ago, about our predictions and thoughts on the book industry and where it’s going in 2025 and beyond. She also asked us for our thoughts on the state of romance/women’s fiction in Australia. So we give that a go. Mostly we chat to Rachael T, who is a brilliant writer and brilliant human. More about her below in case you’re not familiar. 

***

Rachael Treasure is a best-selling author, regenerative agriculturalist, and mother who grew up and still lives in Tasmania. A graduate of universities in Orange and Bathurst, Rachael uses story to empower women and change mindsets towards healthier food systems.

Drawing on her experience working on a Queensland cattle station, Rachael published her first novel Jillaroo, in 2002.

In the two decades since its release, Jillaroo has cemented itself as an iconic work of contemporary fiction, changing the face of Australian publishing and opening the floodgates to a plethora of novels in the ‘rural lit’ genre.

She is co-founder of Ripple Farm Landscape Healing Hub, a 100-acre regenerative farm in Southern Tasmania that showcases Natural Sequence Farming, soil health principles, ecological restoration, and holistic farming. The farm sells meat, eggs and other produce directly to conscious consumers via Open Food Networks – an online system offering an alternative to major supermarkets.

Rachael has travelled widely, writing wherever she goes. She has worked a number of jobs as a jillaroo, professional wool classer, veterinary nurse, rural journalist, stock camp cook, high country cattle drover, truffle sniffer dog handler and family farm manager.

Her eighth novel Milking Time was published this year. She is also the author of the memoir Down the Dirt Roads and some short story collections. 

***

For more about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

Rachael's latest book is Outback Reunion (2024)

For more about Sophie Green: https://sophie-green-author.com

Sophie's latest book is Art Hour at the Duchess Hotel (2024)

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

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Also for the comments: an answer to a question Sophie poses near the start … about the title of her 2025 novel. It was to be called one thing - a title she gave it at inception - but now it’s not. There are some options. Which should she choose? Let us know!

Plus we talk about our Christmas-themed reading and viewing. Spoiler alert: Rach has a TBR stack of festive novels! And she will be covering them in her Substack this coming week. You can find that at https://rachaeljohnsauthor.substack.com

Other books mentioned in this episode:

Same As It Ever Was by Claire Lombardo

The Bee Sting by Paul Murray

The Editor by Sara B Franklin

The Naughty List by Jade West

The Christmas Countdown by Holly Cassidy

Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter

The article Soph mentions about Hallmark Christmas movies was in Vogue (not New York magazine, which is what she says on the pod) and you can find that here: https://www.vogue.com/article/what-i-learned-visiting-the-set-of-a-hallmark-christmas-movie

***

For more about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

Rachael's latest book is Outback Reunion (2024)

For more about Sophie Green: https://sophie-green-author.com

Sophie's latest book is Art Hour at the Duchess Hotel (2024)

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For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

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Rach and Soph have been talking about Substack, especially about the fact that there’s a lot of book coverage on there at a time when book coverage is disappearing from mainstream media. We have read some opinion pieces (on Substack) about how traditional media should no longer be the focus for book promotion. As authors who have books recently released and due for release next year, we have to think about these things, as our publishers will do some promotion but can’t do it all, and while some authors will say that they ‘just want to write’, it has never been the case, really, that authors can just write. If we believe in our books we want them to reach readers and we need to give them the best chance of doing so.

However, there’s plenty authors don’t know about book promotion and don’t have time to do or learn. That’s where someone like Annie comes in. Rach has always raved about Annie, so we thought we’d talk to her about what she does for her author clients, why social media is important for authors, and also whether Substack is the right platform for newsletters. 

While we’re talking about Annie’s business, this is not sponsored content - we are talking about it because we want to. And thanks to this chat Soph became a client of Annie’s because there are some things she just doesn’t have time for either!

For more about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

Rachael's latest book is Outback Reunion (2024)

For more about Sophie Green: https://sophie-green-author.com

Sophie's latest book is Art Hour at the Duchess Hotel (2024)

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Sophie's latest book is Art Hour at the Duchess Hotel (2024)

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

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This was the first time Soph had met Sally, although of course she was very much aware of her as the author of international bestsellers such as THE SOULMATE and THE YOUNGER WIFE. Sally is delightful - so interesting and funny - so we loved having this chat with her. Sally’s latest book is THE DARLING GIRLS. 

***

Writers - do you have a challenge or conundrum, or a question about process, how to get started, or anything at all to do with writing? We’d love to be your writing agony aunts.

Readers - we would love to hear from you too! You can ask us questions about our books … and we’d also be happy to be YOUR agony aunts. We may not have professional qualifications but we sort out problems for our characters all the time, so if you’d like to get something off your chest/ask for some input/just see what we think about something, let us know.

If you have a question for us, please email sophie@sophie-green-author.com and put ‘Dear Rach & Soph’ in the subject line.

And if you’d like to actually be in the podcast with us while we answer your question, please let us know in the email.

For more about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

Rachael's latest book is Outback Reunion (2024)

For more about Sophie Green: https://sophie-green-author.com

Sophie's latest book is Art Hour at the Duchess Hotel (2024)

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

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Rach and Soph wanted to find out more about the phenomenon from someone who has been involved in it for a while: Sophie's colleague Claudia, who works in book marketing. Claudia was a BookToker before she started working in publishing and she is still a reader of books that are popular on BookTok, as well as making content for that audience. Therefore she is eminently qualified to talk to us about the phenomenon: what it is, what it means, who it’s for and more besides.

For more about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

Rachael's latest book is Outback Reunion (2024)

For more about Sophie Green: https://sophie-green-author.com

Sophie's latest book is Art Hour at the Duchess Hotel (2024)

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

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I met Rachael Treasure for the first time in the middle of this year on the Gold Coast, as we were both attending authors at Rachael Johns's Readers Retreat. I've read Rachael T's books, including her now-classic Jillaroo, which can be said to be the first ever rural romance (even though she wouldn't necessarily classify it as that).

To say that Rachael T is a delightful human being is to seriously undersell her. She is whimsical, hilarious, astute, generous and hugely warm hearted, as well as being a (r)evolutionary in agriculture. We have some things in common - she practises yoga (indeed, she came to the yoga class I taught during the retreat) and she loves country music, and has even written some songs with fellow Tasmanians The Wolfe Brothers - but I don't like her because she's like me. I like her because she's a terrific person and a brilliant writer. Rachael J is also very fond of her, so it seemed like a very logical thing to have Rachael T on the podcast.

About Rachael Treasure

Rachael Treasure is a best-selling author, regenerative agriculturalist, and mother who grew up and still lives in Tasmania. A graduate of universities in Orange and Bathurst, Rachael uses story to empower women and change mindsets towards healthier food systems.

Drawing on her experience working on a Queensland cattle station, Rachael published her first novel Jillaroo, in 2002.

In the two decades since its release, Jillaroo has cemented itself as an iconic work of contemporary fiction, changing the face of Australian publishing and opening the floodgates to a plethora of novels in the ‘rural lit’ genre.

She is co-founder of Ripple Farm Landscape Healing Hub, a 100-acre regenerative farm in Southern Tasmania that showcases Natural Sequence Farming, soil health principles, ecological restoration, and holistic farming. The farm sells meat, eggs and other produce directly to conscious consumers via Open Food Networks – an online system offering an alternative to major supermarkets.

Rachael has travelled widely, writing wherever she goes. She has worked a number of jobs as a jillaroo, professional wool classer, veterinary nurse, rural journalist, stock camp cook, high country cattle drover, truffle sniffer dog handler and family farm manager.

Her eighth novel Milking Time was published this year. She is also the author of the memoir Down the Dirt Roads and some short story collections.

***

For more about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

Rachael's latest book is Outback Reunion (2024)

For more about Sophie Green: https://sophie-green-author.com

Sophie's latest book is Art Hour at the Duchess Hotel (2024)

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

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‘Which has been the book you've written that you've most enjoyed writing, and did reader feedback reflect your own feelings?’

There’s a bit in there about the one time Soph drew heavily on her own near-death experience to for a chapter in THE SHELLY BAY LADIES SWIMMING CIRCLE and then subsequently forgets details about a character in that novel (hey, it happens!) so please enjoy her correcting herself …

At the start of the episode Rach talks about attending the recent Festival of Fiction in Perth, organised by @tesswoods. As the Perth Writers Festival is not taking place next year, perhaps this festival can return! Do let us know if you went to it and, if so, what you thought - and if you agree with the attendee who thought there should be ‘more memoir’ in a fiction festival …!

Writers - do you have a challenge or conundrum, or a question about process, how to get started, or anything at all to do with writing? We’d love to be your writing agony aunts.

Readers - we would love to hear from you too! You can ask us questions about our books … and we’d also be happy to be YOUR agony aunts. We may not have professional qualifications but we sort out problems for our characters all the time, so if you’d like to get something off your chest/ask for some input/just see what we think about something, let us know.

If you have a question for us, please email sophie@sophie-green-author.com and put ‘Dear Rach & Soph’ in the subject line.

And if you’d like to actually be in the podcast with us while we answer your question, please let us know in the email.

For more about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

Rachael's latest book is Outback Reunion (2024)

For more about Sophie Green: https://sophie-green-author.com

Sophie's latest book is Art Hour at the Duchess Hotel (2024)

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

Subscribe on Spotify 

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***

Writers - do you have a challenge or conundrum, or a question about process, how to get started, or anything at all to do with writing? We’d love to be your writing agony aunts.

Readers - we would love to hear from you too! You can ask us questions about our books … and we’d also be happy to be YOUR agony aunts. We may not have professional qualifications but we sort out problems for our characters all the time, so if you’d like to get something off your chest/ask for some input/just see what we think about something, let us know.

If you have a question for us, please email sophie@sophie-green-author.com and put ‘Dear Rach & Soph’ in the subject line.

And if you’d like to actually be in the podcast with us while we answer your question, please let us know in the email.

For more about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

Rachael's latest book is The Other Bridget (2024)

For more about Sophie Green: https://sophie-green-author.com

Sophie's latest book is Art Hour at the Duchess Hotel (2024)

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

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Possibly the most important information we could convey in this post is the list of books mentioned in the episode, and this is it in the order of mentioning:

Save the Cat! by Blake Snyder

Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody

Pride and Prejudice: The Story Grid Edition by Jane Austen, Shawn Coyne

Into the Woods by John Yorke

Romancing the Beat: Story Structure for Romance Novels by Gwen Hayes

The Complete Writers Guide to Heroes and Heroines: 16 Master Archetypes by Tami D Cowden, Carolyn LaFever, Sue Viders

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

45 Master Characters by Victoria Lynn Schmidt

Ten Things About Writing by Joanne Harris

Bestseller by Celia Bradfield

Story Trumps Structure by Steven James

The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi

Writing into the Dark by Dean Wesley Smith

The Pocket Guide to Pantsing by M.L. Ronn

The Bestseller Code by Jodie Archer and Matthew L Jockers

Should we start a ‘craft book’ club? Rach already has her online book club which is for reading fiction, mainly, but if you’re a writer and you’d be interested in a craft book club, let one of us know in the comments or by DM or whatever means works for you. 

***

Writers - do you have a challenge or conundrum, or a question about process, how to get started, or anything at all to do with writing? We’d love to be your writing agony aunts.

Readers - we would love to hear from you too! You can ask us questions about our books … and we’d also be happy to be YOUR agony aunts. We may not have professional qualifications but we sort out problems for our characters all the time, so if you’d like to get something off your chest/ask for some input/just see what we think about something, let us know.

If you have a question for us, please email sophie@sophie-green-author.com and put ‘Dear Rach & Soph’ in the subject line.

And if you’d like to actually be in the podcast with us while we answer your question, please let us know in the email.

For more about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

Rachael's latest book is The Other Bridget

Her next book is The Work Wife (to be published in January 2025)

For more about Sophie Green: https://sophie-green-author.com

Sophie's latest book is Art Hour at the Duchess Hotel (published in August 2024)

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

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Hosted by bestselling Australian novelists Rachael Johns and Sophie Green

Rach is currently writing a book about twins who are adopted. As can happen for an author, she needed to do some research. Which is where Soph comes in … she's adopted. It’s not something you’ll find in her author bio because for her it’s a mundane fact. She's always known. But it is out of the ordinary, and it is complex, and there is often heartbreak on at least one side of it, and there can be confusion and problems on the other. 

So here’s almost an hour of Rach asking Soph questions about adoption, and what makes this an episode that is still about writing is that you’re watching Rach at work, essentially. This is her work as a writer doing research. This is Soph not being a writer but, rather, an adoptee. She doesn't get the chance to talk about it often because the people who know she's adopted are past the point of asking me questions about it! 

And in this episode we refer to the fact that we are both the products of affairs - something we covered in our second episode of season 1, in case you’re inclined to go back and listen.

For more about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

Rachael's latest book is The Other Bridget

Her next book is The Work Wife (to be published in January 2025)

For more about Sophie Green: https://sophie-green-author.com

Sophie's latest book is Art Hour at the Duchess Hotel (published in August 2024)

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

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So this is a 'craft' episode, and we do get feedback from listeners that you like us talking about craft, so here you go! If there's anything related to writing craft that you'd like us to cover on the pod, please drop us a line at sophie@sophie-green-author.com

Other books/writers mentioned:

Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty

Elin Hildebrand

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

Nora Roberts

For more about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

Rachael's latest book is Outback Reunion (2024)

For more about Sophie Green: https://sophie-green-author.com

Sophie's latest book is Art Hour at the Duchess Hotel (2024)

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

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There's more about Christine and her latest novel, THE PARIS GOWN, below. 

*** 

Christine Wells writes historical fiction featuring strong, fascinating women. 

After graduating from university with a law degree, Christine worked in a large city firm, specialising in corporate mergers and acquisitions. She might still be a lawyer if she hadn’t accepted a challenge from her friend to try her hand at a novel.

Christine has gone on to publish sixteen novels set in periods ranging from Georgian England to post World War II France. Her next novel is The Paris Gown and it will be published in August this year.

Passionate about helping other writers learn the craft and business of writing fiction, Christine enjoys mentoring and teaching workshops whenever her schedule permits.

https://christine-wells.com 

About THE PARIS GOWN 

Paris, 1956

Three friends—Claire, Gina, and Margot—who parted as very young women with their whole lives ahead of them, reunite in Paris years later, determined to start life anew.

Parisian Claire has been working hard to become a Michelin-starred chef one day, but ever since the heady time she spent in the company of socialites Gina and Margot, her dream has been to own a Dior gown. This seemed like a far-off fantasy, until the eccentric and wealthy Madame Vaughn, who lives above Claire’s family brasserie, abruptly leaves Paris, asking Claire to mind her apartment. More bafflingly, Madame Vaughn also makes Claire a very special gift: a stunning Dior gown.

Meanwhile Gina, a cool American blue blood, lands on Claire’s doorstep nursing a broken heart and a broken engagement after her father lost all of the family money in a risky business venture. A journalist aspiring to be a novelist, Gina has returned to Paris in the hopes of pursuing her dream. But when her father begs her to attend the United States Embassy ball in the hopes of persuading Hal Sanders, her former fiancé, to invest in her father’s new business venture, she is torn. She wants to help her father, but seeing Hal again will be exquisitely painful. And what on earth is she going to wear?

Warm-hearted Claire insists Gina wear the Dior gown to the ball, and after some hesitation, Gina accepts. At Dior for Gina’s fitting, who should assist them but Margot, the friend they thought had gone back to Australia to be married. But Margot is living in Paris and working at Dior under an assumed name, and clearly, she is not happy to have been found.

Is their close friendship at an end? Or will the wonder and delight of the Dior gown bring these young women back together?

Gorgeous, perfectly fitted, lustrous and luxurious, the Dior gown has the power to change lives—as these three remarkable women are about to discover…

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

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Soph reads spicy books. Both Rach and Soph have both written spicy books - although Soph's are no longer available and were under a completely different name - and Rach writes spicy scenes in other books. So when Rach suggested we talk about writing spicy scenes, of course Soph agreed.

What follows in this podcast episode is Soph doing a lot of laughing and Rach essentially giving a masterclass in how to write spicy scenes. [Note from Soph: writers, I thoroughly suggest you take notes because she has so many good tips!]

Writers - do you have a challenge or conundrum, or a question about process, how to get started, or anything at all to do with writing? We’d love to be your writing agony aunts.

Readers - we would love to hear from you too! You can ask us questions about our books … and we’d also be happy to be YOUR agony aunts. We may not have professional qualifications but we sort out problems for our characters all the time, so if you’d like to get something off your chest/ask for some input/just see what we think about something, let us know.

If you have a question for us, please email sophie@sophie-green-author.com and put ‘Dear Rach & Soph’ in the subject line.

And if you’d like to actually be in the podcast with us while we answer your question, please let us know in the email.

For more about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

Rachael's latest book is The Other Bridget

Her next book is The Work Wife (to be published in January 2025)

For more about Sophie Green: https://sophie-green-author.com

Sophie's latest book is Art Hour at the Duchess Hotel (published in August 2024)

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

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If you'd like to read more about the book and Lainie, you're in luck! That information appears below. 

ABOUT THE DEATH OF DORA BLACK 

A charming, uplifting cosy murder mystery inspired by the true story of Australia's pioneering policewoman Kate Cocks Summer, Adelaide, 1917. 

The impeccably dressed Miss Kate Cocks might look more like a schoolmistress than a policewoman, but don't let that fool you. She's a household name, wrangling wayward husbands into repentance, seeing through deceptive clairvoyants, and rescuing young women (whether they like it or not) with the help of a five-foot cane and her sassy junior constable, Ethel Bromley. 

When shop assistant Dora Black is found dead on a city beach, Miss Cocks and Ethel are ordered to stay out of the investigation and leave it to the men. But when Dora's workmate goes missing soon after, the women suspect something sinister, and determine to take matters into their own hands. After all, who knows Adelaide better than the indomitable Miss Cocks? 

*In 1915, Fanny Kate Boadicea Cocks became the first policewoman in the British Empire employed on the same salary as men. This novel is a rich exploration of that little-known chapter of Australian history.* 

ABOUT LAINIE ANDERSON

Lainie Anderson is a writer whose 35-year career in journalism and public relations includes 17 years as a columnist with Adelaide's Sunday Mail, as well as stints at Melbourne's Herald Sun, London's The Times and the South Australian Tourism Commission. After being awarded a Churchill Fellowship, Lainie published her debut novel Long Flight Home in 2019. In 2024, Lainie completed a PhD with the University of South Australia, researching the life of Kate Cocks, the inspiration behind The Death of Dora Black. In 2023 she was announced as the Emerging Historian of the Year by the History Council of South Australia. The Death of Dora Black is her second book. 

For more about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

Rachael's latest book is The Other Bridget

Her next book is The Work Wife (to be published in January 2025)

For more about Sophie Green: https://sophie-green-author.com

Sophie's latest book is Art Hour at the Duchess Hotel (published in August 2024)

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

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Well, we decided that it’s too bad if anyone sees us as cringey - or, rather, we don’t care, because we do have ambition and we wanted to talk about it. Partly because we hope that by naming it, by talking about it, other writers (especially female writers, since girls and women tend to be socialised to not have or own up to ambition) may feel that they can claim their own ambition. And also consider what they’re ambitious for.

So in this, the first episode of the second season of Dear Rach & Soph - a podcast that exists partly because we have ambitions: to make interesting stuff, to communicate with other writers, to be useful - we discuss our ambitions, what forms ambition can take and how it can affect writing.

As with last season, this season’s episodes are released out of recording order, so don’t attach too much to the timing of what’s in the intro for each …

We hope you enjoy this episode, and this season, and while we’ve already had some listener questions to cover, we welcome more. Either send one of us a DM or email sophie@sophie-green-author.com

Thanks in advance for listening! And for another take on 'grand ambition', go here.

For more about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

Rachael's latest book is The Other Bridget

Her next book is The Work Wife (to be published in January 2025)

For more about Sophie Green: https://sophie-green-author.com

Sophie's latest book is Art Hour at the Duchess Hotel (published in August 2024)

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

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We have so appreciated the feedback from listeners, including telling us that you miss the pod, so we hope you enjoy this episode and we'll be back soon. 

For more about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

Rachael's latest book is The Other Bridget

Her next book is The Work Wife (to be published in January 2025)

For more about Sophie Green: https://sophie-green-author.com

Sophie's latest book is Art Hour at the Duchess Hotel (published in August 2024)

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

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In this, our final episode of season 1 (as we do plan to do a season 2), we discuss Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, a book that Rach has held dear for a while and which Soph read for this podcast but wishes she’d read earlier. She listened to the audiobook, narrated by Gilbert, and loved that experience, but then went and bought the print book as I wanted to have it to refer to. It’s a special book, partly because of how cleanly and clearly Gilbert expresses herself. In this episode Rach and Soph discuss some elements of the book - definitely not all - in light of our own experience as writers. 

Happily listening, and we’ll be back!

For more about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

Rachael's latest book is The Other Bridget

Her next book is The Work Wife (to be published in January 2025)

For more about Sophie Green: https://sophie-green-author.com

Sophie's latest book is Weekends with the Sunshine Gardening Society

Her next book is Art Hour at the Duchess Hotel (to be published in August 2024)

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

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In this episode we were very happy to chat to Susannah Begbie, author of The Deed, which won the Richell Prize in 2022. The Richell is a joint project of @hachetteaus and @emergingwriters; entries for the 2024 prize are open now and closing on 7 July. Details at https://emergingwritersfestival.org.au/the-richell-prize-for-emerging-writers/

If you’ve ever thought about entering a literary competition, it’s worth listening to Susannah talk about how and why she did and what it’s meant to her. She’s also all-round interesting!

Susannah Begbie grew up in rural New South Wales on a sheep farm and is now a GP who has worked all over Australia. In 2006, Susannah started a Graduate Diploma in Professional Writing at Canberra University and was awarded the Editor's Pick for her short story 'Fly to Meet You' in the University's First Anthology. She was also awarded the best-written text for her children's book Don't You Dare! in The Get Real Project. The Deed is her first novel.

This episode was recorded as the Sydney Writers Festival was starting so we have a bit of a chat about festival programming, as Sophie anticipates going to see Michael Connelly at his event at Sydney Town Hall.

Speaking of events … Rach will be in Sydney to do an event with Lizzy Dent on Wednesday 3 July at 6 p.m. and Soph will be there too, in the audience. If you’d like to join us go to: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1209662

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

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This week we have a wonderful guest: children’s author Ashleigh Barton, who has written several CBCA Notable and Shortlist titles including What Do You Call Your Grandpa? and What Do You Call Your Grandma? (more information below). 

Ashleigh’s latest book is the picture book Dinosaur in My Pocket and on 26 June she’ll release two Freddie Spector, Fact Collector titles: Go for Gold and Space Cadet. 

Ashleigh writes for a range of ages of children and is endlessly creative. We talk to her about where she gets her ideas, how she manages writing while running a household and family, and her path to publication. 

ABOUT ASHLEIGH BARTON

Ashleigh Barton is a children's author and copywriter. Before writing full time, she pursued her love of books (children's books especially) by working in some of Australia's biggest publishing houses, running marketing and publicity campaigns for globally renowned authors and illustrators. Ashleigh has previously published five successful and highly acclaimed picture books and a junior fiction series. She lives in Sydney with her husband, three children and their dog.

For more about Ashleigh: https://www.ashleighbarton.com/

For more about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

Rachael's latest book is The Other Bridget

Her next book is The Work Wife (to be published in January 2025)

For more about Sophie Green: https://sophie-green-author.com

Sophie's latest book is Weekends with the Sunshine Gardening Society

Her next book is Art Hour at the Duchess Hotel (to be published in August 2024)

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

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As a publisher, and when she was an agent, Sophie does some rejecting, and she also sees a lot of submissions, so she has some things to say about where writers go wrong in the submission process. (She made a ten-minute TikTok about how to write a submission letter and that is linked below.)

Therefore, if you are a writer - or engaged in any creative pursuit - and want to here us chat about being rejected, how to deal with rejection, what leads to manuscripts being rejected, and who knows what else we have in there, this is the episode for you. 

How to write a query/submission letter (TikTok video)

https://www.tiktok.com/@sophiegreenbooks/video/7360218814610443538?_t=8mdflLRbf5G&_r=1

For more about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

Rachael's latest book is The Other Bridget

Her next book is The Work Wife (to be published in January 2025)

For more about Sophie Green: https://sophie-green-author.com

Sophie's latest book is Weekends with the Sunshine Gardening Society

Her next book is Art Hour at the Duchess Hotel (to be published in August 2024)

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

Subscribe on Spotify 

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Books mentioned:

Regeneration by Pat Barker

The Tea Ladies by Amanda Hampson

Jackie by Dawn Tripp

Expiration Dates by Rebecca Searle

We are releasing out of our recording sequence so please forgive us for little anomalies like saying Fiona is our third guest when we’ve had some other guests on!

If you have a question for us, please email sophie@sophie-green-author.com and put ‘Dear Rach & Soph’ in the subject line.

And if you’d like to actually be in the podcast with us while we answer your question, please let us know in the email.

For more about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

Rachael's latest book is The Other Bridget

Her next book is The Work Wife (to be published in January 2025)

For more about Sophie Green: https://sophie-green-author.com

Sophie's latest book is Weekends with the Sunshine Gardening Society

Her next book is Art Hour at the Duchess Hotel (to be published in August 2024)

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

Subscribe on Spotify 

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We also catch up on our news, which includes Soph writing a Farmer Wants a Wife recap for Rach, and generally enjoy chatting to each other, as always.

For more about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

Rachael's latest book is The Other Bridget

Her next book is The Work Wife (to be published in January 2025)

For more about Sophie Green: https://sophie-green-author.com

Sophie's latest book is Weekends with the Sunshine Gardening Society

Her next book is Art Hour at the Duchess Hotel (to be published in August 2024)

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

Subscribe on Spotify 

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rach also asks Soph if she has a tattoo - and she wants to know if any of you have a literary-themed tattoo …

We recorded this one before last week’s episode, so you’ll hear Rach saying it’s her first time introducing the episode … even though she introduced last week’s. This is our prerogative, to change order! 

Visit Renae Black's website: https://renaeblack.com/

Writers - do you have a challenge or conundrum, or a question about process, how to get started, or anything at all to do with writing? We’d love to be your writing agony aunts.

Readers - we would love to hear from you too! You can ask us questions about our books … and we’d also be happy to be YOUR agony aunts. We may not have professional qualifications but we sort out problems for our characters all the time, so if you’d like to get something off your chest/ask for some input/just see what we think about something, let us know.

If you have a question for us, please email sophie@sophie-green-author.com and put ‘Dear Rach & Soph’ in the subject line.

And if you’d like to actually be in the podcast with us while we answer your question, please let us know in the email.

For more about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

Rachael's latest book is The Other Bridget

Her next book is The Work Wife (to be published in January 2025)

For more about Sophie Green: https://sophie-green-author.com

Sophie's latest book is Weekends with the Sunshine Gardening Society

Her next book is Art Hour at the Duchess Hotel (to be published in August 2024)

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

Subscribe on Spotify 

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the course of answering their questions Rach and Soph talk about why they write, how they define success, and how they move past blocks in their writing and get out of their own way.

If you have a question for Rach and Soph, you can email it to sophie@sophie-green-author.com

For more about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

Rachael's latest book is The Other Bridget

Her next book is The Work Wife (to be published in January 2025)

For more about Sophie Green: https://sophie-green-author.com

Sophie's latest book is Weekends with the Sunshine Gardening Society

Her next book is Art Hour at the Duchess Hotel (to be published in August 2024)

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

Subscribe on Spotify 

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So Rach suggested that we invite Natasha and Jack come on the podcast to discuss this with us, and a lively and highly interesting discussion ensued. Whether you're an author wondering if you need to build a social media presence or scale back the one you have, or just generally wondering about it, we hope you'll find what we have to say thought-provoking. 

Books mentioned:

Stolen Focus by Johann Hari

Doppelganger by Naomi Klein

For more about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

Rachael's latest book is The Other Bridget

Her next book is The Work Wife (to be published in January 2025)

For more about Sophie Green: https://sophie-green-author.com

Sophie's latest book is Weekends with the Sunshine Gardening Society

Her next book is Art Hour at the Duchess Hotel (to be published in August 2024)

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

Subscribe on Spotify 

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode bestselling novelists Rachael Johns and Sophie Green talk about the different stages of the editorial process, both the ones we go through before turning in a manuscript and what happens as a manuscript is turned into a book. Hopefully it’s interesting for writers who haven’t experienced it yet and for published authors it may be cathartic to listen to! We certainly liked chatting to each other about it and hope you enjoy listening in.

Writers - do you have a challenge or conundrum, or a question about process, how to get started, or anything at all to do with writing? We’d love to be your writing agony aunts.

Readers - we would love to hear from you too! You can ask us questions about our books … and we’d also be happy to be YOUR agony aunts. We may not have professional qualifications but we sort out problems for our characters all the time, so if you’d like to get something off your chest/ask for some input/just see what we think about something, let us know.

If you have a question for us, please email sophie@sophie-green-author.com and put ‘Dear Rach & Soph’ in the subject line.

And if you’d like to actually be in the podcast with us while we answer your question, please let us know in the email.

For more about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

Rachael's latest book is The Other Bridget

Her next book is The Work Wife (to be published in January 2025)

For more about Sophie Green: https://sophie-green-author.com

Sophie's latest book is Weekends with the Sunshine Gardening Society

Her next book is Art Hour at the Duchess Hotel (to be published in August 2024)

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

Subscribe on Spotify 

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So the three of us did talk about it, at length, on episode 7 of the podcast and even if you don’t have imposter syndrome (although don’t we all at some stage?) we hope you find this episode interesting. Many thanks to Amanda for her honesty and vulnerability. 

Writers - do you have a challenge or conundrum, or a question about process, how to get started, or anything at all to do with writing? We’d love to be your writing agony aunts.

Readers - we would love to hear from you too! You can ask us questions about our books … and we’d also be happy to be YOUR agony aunts. We may not have professional qualifications but we sort out problems for our characters all the time, so if you’d like to get something off your chest/ask for some input/just see what we think about something, let us know.

If you have a question for us, please email sophie@sophie-green-author.com and put ‘Dear Rach & Soph’ in the subject line.

And if you’d like to actually be in the podcast with us while we answer your question, please let us know in the email.

For more about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

Rachael's latest book is The Other Bridget

Her next book is The Work Wife (to be published in January 2025)

For more about Sophie Green: https://sophie-green-author.com

Sophie's latest book is Weekends with the Sunshine Gardening Society

Her next book is Art Hour at the Duchess Hotel (to be published in August 2024)

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

Subscribe on Spotify 

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During the episode Soph mentions Gretchen Rubin's Four Tendencies quiz and you can find that here.

Writers - do you have a challenge or conundrum, or a question about process, how to get started, or anything at all to do with writing? We’d love to be your writing agony aunts.

Readers - we would love to hear from you too! You can ask us questions about our books … and we’d also be happy to be YOUR agony aunts. We may not have professional qualifications but we sort out problems for our characters all the time, so if you’d like to get something off your chest/ask for some input/just see what we think about something, let us know.

If you have a question for us, please email sophie@sophie-green-author.com and put ‘Dear Rach & Soph’ in the subject line.

And if you’d like to actually be in the podcast with us while we answer your question, please let us know in the email.

For more about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

Rachael's latest book is The Other Bridget

Her next book is The Work Wife (to be published in January 2025)

For more about Sophie Green: https://sophie-green-author.com

Sophie's latest book is Weekends with the Sunshine Gardening Society

Her next book is Art Hour at the Duchess Hotel (to be published in August 2024)

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

Subscribe on Spotify 

Subscribe on Apple

Subscribe on YouTube

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For more about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

Rachael's latest book is The Other Bridget

For more about Sophie Green: https://sophie-green-author.com

Sophie's latest book is Weekends with the Sunshine Gardening Society

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

Subscribe on Spotify 

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The track listing is:

‘Nataraja’- The Dum Dum Project

‘Im Ninalou’ - Cheb i Sabbah

‘Into the Groove’ - Madonna

‘Dig’ - Fanny Lumsden

‘Abalele’ - Kabza De Small, DJ Maphorisa ft Ami Faku

The book mentioned in this podcast is DANCING IN THE STREETS by Barbara Ehrenreich.

Writers - do you have a challenge or conundrum, or a question about process, how to get started, or anything at all to do with writing? We’d love to be your writing agony aunts.

Readers - we would love to hear from you too! You can ask us questions about our books … and we’d also be happy to be YOUR agony aunts. We may not have professional qualifications but we sort out problems for our characters all the time, so if you’d like to get something off your chest/ask for some input/just see what we think about something, let us know.

If you have a question for us, please email sophie@sophie-green-author.com and put ‘Dear Rach & Soph’ in the subject line.

And if you’d like to actually be in the podcast with us while we answer your question, please let us know in the email.

For more about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more about Sophie Green: https://sophie-green-author.com

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

Subscribe on Spotify 

Subscribe on Apple

Subscribe on YouTube

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We recorded this episode on the day our first episode was released, so we didn't yet have listener questions - we have since had some, and upcoming episodes will cover those! And we'd love to have your questions.

Writers - do you have a challenge or conundrum, or a question about process, how to get started, or anything at all to do with writing? We’d love to be your writing agony aunts.

Readers - we would love to hear from you too! You can ask us questions about our books … and we’d also be happy to be YOUR agony aunts. We may not have professional qualifications but we sort out problems for our characters all the time, so if you’d like to get something off your chest/ask for some input/just see what we think about something, let us know.

If you have a question for us, please email sophie@sophie-green-author.com and put ‘Dear Rach & Soph’ in the subject line.

And if you’d like to actually be in the podcast with us while we answer your question, please let us know in the email.

For more about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

Rachael's latest book, The Other Bridget: https://www.rachaeljohns.com/books/the-other-bridget/

For more about Sophie Green: https://sophie-green-author.com

Sophie's next book is Art Hour at the Duchess Hotel: https://linktr.ee/arthourattheduchesshotel

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

Subscribe on Spotify 

Subscribe on Apple

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

***

This podcast is called ‘Dear Rach & Soph’ for a reason - YOU! We would love to answer your questions.

Writers - do you have a challenge or conundrum, or a question about process, how to get started, or anything at all to do with writing? We’d love to be your writing agony aunts.

Readers - we would love to hear from you too! You can ask us questions about our books … and we’d also be happy to be YOUR agony aunts. We may not have professional qualifications but we sort out problems for our characters all the time, so if you’d like to get something off your chest/ask for some input/just see what we think about something, let us know.

If you have a question for us, please email sophie@sophie-green-author.com and put ‘Dear Rach & Soph’ in the subject line.

And if you’d like to actually be in the podcast with us while we answer your question, please let us know in the email.

For more about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more about Sophie Green: https://sophie-green-author.com

For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com

For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com

Subscribe on Spotify 

Subscribe on Apple

Subscribe on YouTube

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.