Dear Rach & Soph

Sophie Hamley

Bestselling Australian authors Rachael Johns (The Lucky Sisters, The Other Bridget, The Patterson Girls) and Sophie Green (Lessons in Love at the Seaside Salon, Weekends with the Sunshine Gardening Society, The Shelly Bay Ladies Swimming Circle) talk about writing and books and all sorts of things. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. The Italian Correspondent with guest Belinda Alexandra

    22h ago

    The Italian Correspondent with guest Belinda Alexandra

    Belinda Alexandra is one of Australia’s favourite novelists, with very good reason - her books are wonderful! And there’s some biographical information about her below, as well as the blurb of her latest novel, The Italian Correspondent. She is also, as you shall discover in this episode of Dear Rach & Soph, an incredibly interesting woman who has lots of passions and pursuits, and a wide-open view of life and the world. This energy is part of why her books have such appeal, and it’s also why we could have talked to her for hours. If you’re familiar with Belinda’s books, no doubt you’ll want to be after that. In the introduction to this episode, Rachael asks Sophie when she first became interested in clothes, as the latter is writing about them in her next novel, The Frock Shop (publication date: 21 July 2026). Her answer may surprise you … ABOUT BELINDA ALEXANDRA Belinda Alexandra's bestselling historical fiction has been published around the world, including in the United States, Spain, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Turkey, Hungary and Poland. She is the daughter of a Russian mother and an Australian father and has been fascinated by world culture and travel since her youth. She lives in Sydney. Her hobbies include dancing, piano and foreign languages. And she co-hosts The Book Queens podcast and community with Jane Tara. THE ITALIAN CORRESPONDENT Rome, 1951. Veronica Gold is in the city as the correspondent for Vogue magazine. As Italy tries to shake off its dark fascist past and promote itself as the most glamorous nation in Europe, Veronica is trying to forget the horrific memories of her time as a war reporter attached to the Eighth Army at the brutal height of the Second World War. But just as she hopes to lose herself in la dolce vita, three men appear in her life: Lyle Cooper, her ex-husband and an American diplomat; Marcello Fabbri, an archaeologist and one-time partisan now working in the ruins of Pompeii; and the dashing Count Carlo Durazzo, husband of Veronica's estranged friend, the enigmatic heiress Emerald Evergreen. Complicated feelings arise, but before Veronica can resolve them, one of these three men is murdered. Veronica is quickly drawn into a sphere of spies and a world on the edge of nuclear war, one where nothing and nobody is quite as they seem. 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.

    1h 12m
  2. On bookshops and buried pasts with guest Sarah Clutton

    May 30

    On bookshops and buried pasts with guest Sarah Clutton

    From Sophie: At the time of recording this episode I had a cold and Rachael was in the middle of preparing her house to go on the market. When I pressed ‘record’ I forgot to pull my microphone close enough and my usual camera wasn’t connecting so it’s the substandard version, which the internet would likely say is far too low quality to be permissible on a podcast that has video options … but! We persisted. Why? We had a guest booked and we were not going to cancel on her. Indeed, we were determined to show up as best we can, and the act of showing up usually has its own momentum. Our guest in this episode is Sarah Clutton, an author from the Southern Highlands of New South Wales who won many fans with her last novel, The Remarkable Truths of Alfie Bains - which is not her first novel, so do ignore me saying that in the episode, and if I’d been feeling better at the time I would have done my research properly. But sometimes, liewers, the most a person can expect out of a day is to get out of bed and be presentable, and so it was on this day. Sarah is delightful, and I do hope you will read her new novel, The Bookshop of Buried Pasts, which features a quote by me on the back cover (an incentive, non?). Mainly read it, though, if you love engrossing stories about families and secrets - and books.  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.

    1h 1m
  3. Why are we posting on social media?

    May 2

    Why are we posting on social media?

    From Sophie: On this podcast Rachael Johns and I let these conversations go where they will, and in this episode we start talking about how important it is for grown-ups to engage in play. That means in our writing as well, even if - perhaps especially if - we are constrained by expectations and deadlines. So that’s the light stuff. The heavy - or heavier - stuff turns up when we answer a listener question about social media and why male writers don’t seem to be on it as much as female writers. Here’s an abridged version of the question: ‘Just wondering why (to me) male authors don’t seem to feel as compelled to spend a lot of time networking, social media-ing and touring as female authors … Why do women authors seem to feel they have to be ‘out there’ to be recognised for their work? Or is this above and beyond and makes more money for them? If so all good, but to feel it’s the only way to be known and recognised seems unfair.’ The short answer is that it is, indeed, unfair but Rachael and I have a much longer discussion about it. As someone who has worked in book publishing for most of my adult life, I’ve had occasion to make observations and form opinions about certain things that go on, and you’ll hear some of those in this episode. Rachael has over 20 books published and she too has experience and opinions. We hope that bringing you the combination of all of that makes for an interesting episode! 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.

    53 min
  4. We're baaaaack - season 4 begins

    Apr 4

    We're baaaaack - season 4 begins

    Hello longtime Dear Rach & Soph liewers (that's listeners + viewers to the uninitiated)! 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 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.

    50 min
  5. All about The Lucky Sisters

    11/22/2025

    All about The Lucky Sisters

    **SPOILER ALERT** 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 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.

    50 min

About

Bestselling Australian authors Rachael Johns (The Lucky Sisters, The Other Bridget, The Patterson Girls) and Sophie Green (Lessons in Love at the Seaside Salon, Weekends with the Sunshine Gardening Society, The Shelly Bay Ladies Swimming Circle) talk about writing and books and all sorts of things. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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