Episode 40: Rachael Johns is one of Australia's best-loved authors. Her novels are international best sellers that include the 2016 ABIA award-winning "Patterson Girls" a host of rural romances and more recently books that she terms "life lit". In her words, the stories she writes are "about normal people creating pretty amazing happy every afters." They are about characters you can relate to and whom you come to care about. Her books keep you glued to your seat, becoming lost in the world that exists within their pages.

Her latest release "Just One Wish" (released by HQ Fiction) has been on the shelves for just over a month and. . .it's a cracker of a story. I loved it.

Join Rachael and I as we chat about her latest book baby, what inspired her to write it, Mars, boys and so much more.

Don't miss this highly entertaining and informative interview!

Sara Foster is the best-selling author of six psychological suspense thrillers. Her latest “You Don’t Know Me” (Simon & Schuster) is a stunning example of why Sara is fast becoming an international sensation.

A darkly compelling tale that is part murder mystery and part family drama, set in Sydney and Thailand, “You Don’t Know Me” will keep you on the edge of your seat until its mind-blowing conclusion.

Join Sara and I as we chat about her inspiration, life as a mother, full-time writer, PhD candidate and much more.

Rachael Johns is one of Australia’s best-loved authors. Her novels are international best sellers that include the 2016 ABIA award-winning “Patterson Girls” a host of rural romances and more recently books that she terms “life lit”. In her words, the stories she writes are “about normal people creating pretty amazing happy every afters.” They are about characters you can relate to and whom you come to care about. Her books keep you glued to your seat, becoming lost in the world that exists within their pages.

Her latest release “Just One Wish” (released by HQ Fiction) has been on the shelves for just over a month and. . .it’s a cracker of a story. I loved it.

Join Rachael and I as we chat about her latest book baby, what inspired her to write it, Mars, boys and so much more.

Don't miss this highly entertaining and informative interview!

Jenn J McLeod writes stories about small towns with big hearts, loveable characters and embracing second chances. A former city girl and corporate high-flyer, Jenn is now a nomadic novelists who travels across this wide country of ours in a fifth wheeler caravan she calls Myrtle the Turtle. Jenn's 6th novel, 'House of Wishes' is about to be released into the world. It's the third of her books set in the fictional town of Calingarry Crossing and centres on three women and a forty-year-old secret pact made between two teenage girls. Join Jenn and I as we chat about this beautifully moving story, Jenn's inspiration and what it's like to roam the country connecting with her readers.

In addition to being an internationally-exhibited painter, Melbourne-based author Kate Murdoch has written two historical fiction titles and a host of short stories. Her latest novel, 'The Orange Grove' (Regal House Publishing), set in 18th century France is a remarkable study of domestic politics within the French aristocracy. Full of intrigue and heart-stopping tension, this beautifully written book offers a glimpse at what life might have been like for women of the time. Join me as Kate and I chat about her inspiration for this book, her research, writing, painting and much more.

'Maternal Instinct' by Rebecca Bowyers is a book that reconstructs our world, reimagines it as a place in which the welfare of children in a paramount consideration. Set in 2040, the world within the pages of Rebecca's novel is one where child-bearing and child-rearing is a state-sanctioned event. Where women give birth to babies and then hand them over to professional carers - the Maters and Paters - after six months - as the law forbids biological parents to raise their own children. Although children are guaranteed a life free from poverty, are raised in stable, loving homes, what might you ask, is the cost of such utopia? Listen in to this fascinating chat with the creator of such a world in this week's podcast episode. Find out what inspired her to write it, what it says about modern child-rearing, society and much more.

Luke Devenish is an internationally acclaimed Australian author with a long list of stage and screen credits to his name. He wrote scripts for long-running Australian TV dramas Neighbours and Home and Away before making the leap to novel writing. His latest book, 'The Heart of the Ritz' released by Simon & Schuster earlier this year is a beautifully evocative, witty exploration of Nazi-occupied Paris during World War II. One that will no doubt illuminate readers about the extent of the Resistance movement in war-torn France. Tune in to our entertaining chat about the book, his research, inspiration, writing life and much more. Happy listening!

Fiona Palmer is a best-selling rural fiction author, farmer and speedway racer who's brand new novel 'Matters of the Heart' (published by Hachette) reimagines Jane Austen's classic novel, 'Pride and Prejudice' - transporting us from rural 19th century England to a remote farming property in 21st century Australia. 'Matters of the Heart' is a rich, heart-warming tale about family, finding love and female empowerment in an era when first impressions can be skewed by social media and getting to know someone means letting your guard down. If you loved 'Pride and Prejudice' as much as I did, I know you're going to enjoy Fiona's modern adaption. Listen in to this week's Episode of Talking Aussie Books as Fiona and I chat about her inspiration for reviving this classic tale, the parallels between Jane Austen's world and ours, Fiona's life on the farm and much, much more.

Pamela Cook is the author of 4 rural fiction titles published by Hachette Australia between 2012 and 2016. Titles which Pamela herself describes as fiction about 'feisty women, tangled family relationships and a healthy dose of romance'. Three years after her last book, Pamela is releasing her fifth novel. Only this time, she's going it alone, plunging headfirst into the world of self-publishing. Join me as I chat to the talented and wonderfully insightful Pamela Cook about her beautiful new novel 'Cross My Heart', about writing, the people who inspire her and find out how she's fared on the self-publishing path.

Barbara Hannay is the multi-award winning author of more than 50 novels. Barbara had always enjoyed writing and discovered romance novels whilst teaching high school English deciding then to pursue her dream of becoming a published writer. Her brand new novel, "Meet Me in Venice" (Penguin) a beautifully written, compelling Australian drama that shows why Barbara is one of Australia's most popular writers. Join me as we chat about her inspiration for this novel, romance novels, the craft of writing and much more.