An interview with the dynamic, inspirational author of We Need Your Art 

There have been several well-known books written about creativity. The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron is a classic. Rachael and I talked about Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic in an episode last year. Both of them deserve the hype and longevity, and there are others too of course.&nbsp; 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 <a href="https://www.amiemcnee.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amie McNee</a>’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.&nbsp; Because what Amie says and how she says it have a way of making each day feel interesting and limitless.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; 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. <a href="https://www.penguin.com.au/books/we-need-your-art-9781761347627" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">We Need Your Art by Amie McNee</a> is out now from Penguin Books Australia. For more about Rachael Johns: <a href="https://www.rachaeljohns.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.rachaeljohns.com</a>Rachael's latest book is The Bad Bridesmaid (2025) For more about Sophie Green: <a href="https://sophiegreenauthor.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://sophiegreenauthor.com</a>Sophie's latest book is Art Hour at the Duchess Hotel (2024)

Why the World Needs Your Creativity | with guest Amie McNee

Writing software you may or may not wish to know about!

‘It’s solving overwhelm’.&nbsp; Our guest this week, novelist <a href="https://www.karinamay.me" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Karina May</a>, 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, <a href="https://thatromcompod.substack.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">That Rom Com Pod</a>, with author Clare Fletcher.&nbsp; Do you know about Scrivener? Use it? Love it? Loathe it? Let us know in the comments! *** ABOUT THAT ISLAND FEELINGFrom 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&amp;R that perpetual planner Andie Alcott needs.&nbsp;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&nbsp;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?

Season 3, episode 5 - Scrivener: The cases for - with guest Karina May

We talk about managing self-care during debut book promotion

Not that long ago I put a message on social media basically saying that Rachael Johns says she gets ‘writing therapy’ from me and asking if anyone else would like some. We had responses! Thus, this will be the first of several episodes of such ‘therapy’ [NB: neither Rach nor I is a therapist, although teaching yoga can feel like it sometimes]. Our guest for this episode is <a href="http://www.emilypaull.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Emily Paull</a>, 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: <a href="https://www.rachaeljohns.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.rachaeljohns.com</a>Rachael's latest book is The Bad Bridesmaid (2025) For more about Sophie Green: <a href="https://sophiegreenauthor.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://sophiegreenauthor.com</a>Sophie's latest book is Art Hour at the Duchess Hotel (2024)

Season 3, episode 4 - 'Writer therapy' with guest Emily Paull, author of The Distance Between Dreams

And some from earlier in the year too - find your next favourite book here!

This is our first episode dedicated to books that are being released, as we’d like you to know what’s coming out so you can find your next favourite read! 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.&nbsp; Unfortunately there isn't space here to list all the titles, so please go to <a href="https://sophiegreenauthor.substack.com/p/dear-rach-and-soph-april-new-releases" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://sophiegreenauthor.substack.com/p/dear-rach-and-soph-april-new-releases</a> for that.

Season 3, episode 3 - April new releases

And her new novel The Bittersweet Bakery Cafe

We like to have a subject on Dear Rach &amp; Soph, so when we learnt about Sydney author&nbsp;(originally from Canada) <a href="https://www.catherinegreer.com.au" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Catherine Greer</a> and her novel <a href="https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Catherine-Greer-Bittersweet-Bakery-Cafe-9781761471223" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Bittersweet Bakery Cafe</a> (Allen &amp; Unwin, March 2025), and saw her website <a href="https://www.loveourage.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Love Our Age</a>, we asked if she’d be interested in talking about stories for women in later life. What followed was a wide-ranging conversation about Catherine’s life, her interests as a writer, and her extensive writing background, which includes several works of non-fiction - <a href="https://www.catherinegreer.com.au/books" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Small Steps Are Perfect</a>, <a href="https://www.catherinegreer.com.au/books" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The 10 Minute Fix</a>, <a href="https://www.catherinegreer.com.au/books" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The 10 Minute Fix Journal</a>, and <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Choosing-Happiness-Catherine-Greer/dp/1846040329#ace-2181323937" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Choosing Happiness</a> - along with YA novel Love Lie Repeat (Penguin, 2019) and two picture books for children, <a href="https://www.catherinegreer.com.au/books" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Violin &amp; Cello</a> and <a href="https://www.catherinegreer.com.au/books" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jacaranda Snow</a>. And there was plenty more too.&nbsp; It was wonderful to talk to Catherine, and her novel is wonderful too! Here’s a little bit about it:&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; 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: <a href="https://www.rachaeljohns.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.rachaeljohns.com</a>Rachael's latest book is The Bad Bridesmaid (2025) For more about Sophie Green: <a href="https://sophiegreenauthor.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://sophiegreenauthor.com</a>Sophie's latest book is Art Hour at the Duchess Hotel (2024)

Season 3, episode 2: Guest Catherine Greer on writing stories for women in later life

Lots of reader question, and one weighty writer question

When we started Dear Rach &amp; Soph last year, we named it that because we hoped readers (and writers) would send us questions. For this first episode of season 3, we have mainly reader questions to answer and one writer question. Plus we generally have a chat, per usual. 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!&nbsp; 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 &amp; 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: <a href="https://www.rachaeljohns.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.rachaeljohns.com</a>Rachael's latest book is The Bad Bridesmaid (2025) For more about Sophie Green: <a href="https://sophiegreenauthor.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://sophiegreenauthor.com</a>Sophie's latest book is Art Hour at the Duchess Hotel (2024)

Season 3, episode 1: All the questions

Rach has a new novel and we have a chat about it

Rachael Johns has a brand new book! And it is called THE BAD BRIDESMAID. Those who read and loved Rachael’s novel THE OTHER BRIDGET, which was released last year, will recognise the character Fred, who is Bridget/Bee’s best friend. In THE BAD BRIDESMAID (TBB for short) Fred has the starring role. TBB is a delightful rom com that you will not want to finish, and has a quite lovely hero in the form of Leo. 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 &amp; 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.&nbsp; We also bring back some greatest hits:<ul><li>Soph giving Rach a lecture about saying ‘sorry’ for things that don’t need an apology.</li><li>A bit of writer therapy (with Soph as the therapist).</li><li>Some talk about what we’re both up to writing wise.</li></ul> 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 &amp; 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. Subscribe on <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/5fcReROHagJhL7YWkWViOt" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Spotify</a>&nbsp;Subscribe on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dear-rach-soph/id1732889968" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Apple</a>Subscribe on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPpYyaC9JNGtYXOkM58ZcyjkZZWXTu1gm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">YouTube</a> For more about Rachael Johns: <a href="https://www.rachaeljohns.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.rachaeljohns.com</a>Rachael's latest book is The Bad Bridesmaid (2025) For more about Sophie Green: <a href="https://sophiegreenauthor.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://sophiegreenauthor.com</a>Sophie's latest book is Art Hour at the Duchess Hotel (2024)

Bonus episode: The Bad Bridesmaid

Part deux of our chat with the super-fabulous Tasmanian writer

We had such a great time chatting to Rachael Treasure on episode 10 of this season that we thought, heyyyyy - let’s ask her back! And we also wanted to have her back because in that first chat we barely scratched the surface of the richness of Rachael T’s life and endeavours. 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.&nbsp; *** 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.&nbsp; *** For more about Rachael Johns: <a href="https://www.rachaeljohns.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.rachaeljohns.com</a>Rachael's latest book is Outback Reunion (2024) For more about Sophie Green: <a href="https://sophie-green-author.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://sophie-green-author.com</a>Sophie's latest book is Art Hour at the Duchess Hotel (2024)

Dear Rach & Soph season 2, episode 15 - Christmas special with Rachael Treasure

What we've been reading, whether we like it or not

This week Rach and Soph discuss the Booker Prize-winning novel Orbital by Samantha Harvey and also delve into whether or not we usually read award-winning books and why/why not. We’d love to know if you read them or do not, and why, so please let us know in the comments! 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 <a href="https://rachaeljohnsauthor.substack.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://rachaeljohnsauthor.substack.com</a> Other books mentioned in this episode:Same As It Ever Was by Claire LombardoThe Bee Sting by Paul MurrayThe Editor by Sara B FranklinThe Naughty List by Jade WestThe Christmas Countdown by Holly CassidyEveryone This Christmas Has a Secret by Benjamin StevensonThe 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: <a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/what-i-learned-visiting-the-set-of-a-hallmark-christmas-movie" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.vogue.com/article/what-i-learned-visiting-the-set-of-a-hallmark-christmas-movie</a> *** For more about Rachael Johns: <a href="https://www.rachaeljohns.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.rachaeljohns.com</a>Rachael's latest book is Outback Reunion (2024) For more about Sophie Green: <a href="https://sophie-green-author.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://sophie-green-author.com</a>Sophie's latest book is Art Hour at the Duchess Hotel (2024) Subscribe on <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/5fcReROHagJhL7YWkWViOt" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Spotify</a>&nbsp;Subscribe on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dear-rach-soph/id1732889968" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Apple</a>Subscribe on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPpYyaC9JNGtYXOkM58ZcyjkZZWXTu1gm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">YouTube</a>

Dear Rach & Soph season 2, episode 14 - Award winners and Christmas grinners

A podcast with two writers ... who have lots to talk about

Bestselling Australian authors Rachael Johns (The Other Bridget, The Patterson Girls) and Sophie Green (Weekends with the Sunshine Gardening Society, The Shelly Bay Ladies Swimming Circle) talk about writing and books and all sorts of things - and they welcome questions from other writers and readers!

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