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We recorded this episode in September, and Rachael was under the weather at the time, but she’s not any more! And she also talks about her latest novel, The Lucky Sisters, maybe being out by the time this episode is - and that novel is indeed out now.
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.
For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com
For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com
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When Rachael and I were offered the chance to have Lyla Sage as a guest on the podcast, we said yes straightaway. While our focus is Australian books and authors, Lyla has created something special in her Rebel Blue Ranch series and new novel Soul Searching, which kicks off the new series Sweetwater Peak. The writing is first and foremost, and she’s a great writer. But there’s also ‘the package’ - the covers that she envisaged herself and worked on with a designer, to create and convey the world that she wanted to tell readers about.
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
For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com
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Note from Sophie:
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.
For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com
For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com
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Michael Brissenden had a long career as an esteemed journalist (see bio below) and all the while was writing fiction, as we found out when we spoke to him recently. We were interested in finding out more about how he has moved from investigative journalism to writing fiction that has won him lots of new fans, as those books - the latest of which is Dust - have become bestsellers.
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.
For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com
For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com
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‘So I just get this tiny snapshot of extreme humanity at its most tempestuous or its most vulnerable almost … I obviously have had a lifetime of influence of what humans can do when they're pushed to the edge in whatever way. And that obviously has to kind of influence how I see humanity and therefore how I write characters in a way.’
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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This year Holly Brunnbauer released her first novel, What Did I Miss? - but it is far from her first attempt at writing (and not even her first fiction manuscript). Holly began writing in earnest when she created a blog about motherhood in Melbourne and turned it into an enterprise. That taught her about writing to an audience, and she now assists other authors in understanding how to communicate with their readers (to the point that I asked if she would consider creating a course for it). This part of her story alone would have been enough for a conversation but we got into so much more … and then Holly had questions for us.
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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Renae Black (bio below) was a guest on the first season of Dear Rach & Soph, and at that time we talked about whether or not she needed a literary agent. This time around, we wanted to talk to Renae about how her work in child protection has influenced the stories she writes, including her latest, Second Chance Station. What followed was a discussion in which Renae not only talked about the sorts of stories she wants to tell but also of how writing fiction helped her manage postnatal anxiety after the birth of her second child. While her world felt so out of control, she told us, she could control the worlds she was creating in the novels. We so appreciated Renae’s honesty in discussing this and no doubt someone else will resonate with it or may indeed find it helpful in their own life.
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
For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com
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These are the Australian books being released in September 2025 that we know about. There is no one central place to find out about book releases so we rely on authors reporting to us and also on the publishers who have added us to their mailing lists for advance notice of releases (as opposed to newsletters). We hope these episodes help you find a great new book!
**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.
For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com
For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com
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When we started doing this podcast it was mainly us talking to each other. Then we started bringing guests onto the podcast and that has taken on its own life. And we certainly love talking to other writers! However, every now and again we go back to talking to each other, thanks to listener/viewer (aka ‘liewer’) Lucinda Ellen, who sent us several great questions. The questions ranged from to write opening chapters to crafting a pitch to developing characters, and some other things too.
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!
For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com
For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com
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Two guests join me and Rachael Johns in this episode, and they are both fabulous (you can read their bios below). Emma Pei Yin has just released her first novel, When Sleeping Women Wake, and is working on her second. Saman Shad released her second novel, The Sex Lives of Married Women, earlier this year. Something Emma said to me when we first met - about what it was like working on her second novel - sparked the idea for this episode, then Rachael saw something Saman had written on the same subject, so we decided to bring these writers together to talk about it.
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
For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com
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Patrick Lenton is the author of the book of short stories A Man Made Entirely of Bats (2015), the book of comedic essays Uncle Hercules and Other Lies (2019), and the full length short story collection Sexy Tales of Paleontology (2021). His debut novel, a rom-com called In Spite of You is out now from Pantera Press. And his actual bio is a lot longer than this because he’s a very accomplished individual!
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.
For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com
For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com
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Each time one of us releases a book (separately) we devote an episode of Dear Rach & Soph to discussing the book - Sophie will interview Rachael about hers, and vice versa.
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
For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com
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As the Romance Writers of Australia conference is taking place this weekend, we thought it was a good time to publish the episode we recorded with Amy Barry. Rachael is an expert romance writer; Amy is a romance writer and also an academic expert in romance fiction (her bio appears below).
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
For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com
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Kayte Nunn’s previous books were mostly historical fiction, and there was often an element of intrigue, so the signs were there that she was heading for crime, and it’s a genre that she has taken to like the proverbial duck to water in her latest novel, THE PALAZZO.
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.
For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com
For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com
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These are the new fiction releases in Australia for August 2025 – that we know about! We’re relying on information from authors and publishers, but not all of them send it to us, so if you’re an author with an upcoming release, please let us know!
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
For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com
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Maya Linnell is a beloved author of seven novels, the latest of which is COCKATOO COVE (blurb below). Her writing life began with journalism, and she worked at a rural newspaper before moving into public relations then into writing fiction as well as blogging for Romance Writers Australia. Maya currently lives in rural Queensland with her husband and three children.
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!
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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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We never know where a conversation will go on this podcast, whether it’s us talking to each other or talking to a guest. While questions are prepared, a script is never followed to the letter - we both tend to let conversations go where they go.
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)
For more information about Rachael Johns: https://www.rachaeljohns.com
For more informationabout Sophie Green: https://sophiegreenauthor.com
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Here’s the latest instalment of our ‘writer therapy’ and this time our guest is Ky Garvey (bio below), who volunteered herself for some of the tough love we seem to dish out. Please note we are not therapists! But we are writers (who may need therapy) and as Sophie is also a publisher (who often gives advice to writers) we feel somewhat qualified to talk other writers through any issues they may be having.
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.
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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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It’s a double episode today! That’s because we're late posting the July new releases. As it happens, Rachael recorded that one on her own, and as Sophie made the Emma Clancey episode (posted earlier) on her own, it has lined up nicely that we post both episodes today. So instead of one episode with us together, you have one from Soph and one from Rach. Lots of great new reading in this episode! Details of the books mentioned in this episode appear below.
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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‘Writing and healthcare aren’t that different. At their core it’s an interest in people and it’s an interest in telling and understanding stories.’
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.
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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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