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.

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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.

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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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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 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

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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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From time to time on this pod and elsewhere Rachael Johns mentions her virtual assistant, Annie Bucknall. Through her business Well Creative Annie helps Rach with her social media, website and newsletter, and recently moved that newsletter to Substack.

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)

Subscribe on Spotify

Subscribe on Apple

Subscribe on YouTube

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

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