RACHAEL JOHNS “It was almost fifteen years from when I first started writing to when I saw my first novel on shelves.”
Rachael Johns is ‘The Undisputed Queen of Australian Women’s Fiction’ therefore as a women’s fiction writer, I literally jumped up and down on the side of a soccer pitch when I found out I was going to interview her! As an English teacher by trade, mum and all-round bright person, Rachael has become the bestselling, ABIA-winning author of The Patterson Girls and several other romance and women’s fiction books, including her recent bestseller, Something to Talk About.
Her latest novel is a contemporary romance inspired by a pretty famous character you may have heard of… The Other Bridget is the perfect beach read and I’m thankful to have had the opportunity to read an early copy and am excited to say, I absolutely loved it!
Kelly: Hi Rachael, thanks for taking the time to answer some writerly questions. Congratulations on publishing over 20 novels, The Other Bridget is such a fun read, would you like to start by telling everyone what it’s about and how you came up with the story idea?
Rachael: THE OTHER BRIDGET is about a librarian named after the famous Bridget Jones, who believes she’s cursed in love because of her name. She may be unlucky in love, but she has a superpower in which she can recommend books to turn any non-reader into a bookworm. In addition to following Bridget’s journey from giving up on love to finding it in the least expected place, we meet a colourful cast of characters in the form of her colleagues at the library, the members of the senior book club she runs, her sexy barista Fabio and her grumpy neighbour Sully. THE OTHER BRIDGET is a book celebrating the fact that the right book or books can change your life.
The idea came to me almost fully formed during a conversation with an author friend of mine. She was telling me she got a text message from the hospital with an appointment for her son, but as far as she knew he didn’t need this appointment. She ended up playing phone tennis with the hospital trying to work out what was going on and discovered that the appointment was for someone else with the exact same name and birthday as her son. She said, ‘It’s for the other James Sampson.’ And just the way she said this made me think ‘The Other Somebody’ would be a good title for a book. My mind immediately went to my favourite fictional character, Bridget Jones, and I started to imagine what it would be like if you shared your name with someone famous like this.
Kelly: I absolutely loved The Other Bridget! Thank you for providing me with an ARC, Bridget’s superpower is epic, and I adored the entire cast of colourful characters, especially the senior book club members! Also, I love how this idea came to you, it sounds so serendipitous! Now, let’s go back to where it all began, will you please share the story of how you became a writer? I just love it!
Rachael: When I was in high school, I was obsessed with a boy who in year twelve eventually became my boyfriend. I thought he was the love of my life, that we were going to get married, have beautiful babies, and live happily ever after until we were old and grey. I’d never been a massive reader or writer (probably because boy obsession is a full-time job at that age so it left little time for anything else), but when I accidentally dumped him, completely breaking my own heart, for some bizarre reason I turned to writing. I think my subconscious knew that writing can be a great form of therapy.
I wrote the story of me and that boy, only I knew you couldn’t end a book by accidentally dumping someone, so I gave him a horrific disease and killed him off. It was 80,000 words of absolute rubbish but really helped me deal with my heartbreak and best of all, I caught the bug. The writing bug, that is. I then switched from primary school teaching to a writing degree. TBH the degree wasn’t helpful at all, but I kept pursuing the dream and when I found the Romance Writers of Australia, I finally started learning things they should have taught me at uni. It was almost fifteen years from when I first started writing to when I saw my first novel on shelves. Guess the moral of the story is persistence pays.
Kelly: Thank you for sharing this story, it really does show the value and addictiveness of writing. I’m sure many aspiring authors out there will be encouraged to hear of your discarded manuscript and all the years you kept going even when you were unpublished. What came first the agent or the publisher, how did you get your first yes?
Rachael: I got two publishing contracts (one for a digital-only book and one for a rural romance) before I got my agent. I submitted both these manuscripts by myself to publishers, but I did think an agent would be a good person to have in my corner and possibly have the contacts to widen my opportunities. I pitched to my agent, Helen Breitwiser, at the Romance Writers of Australia conference in 2012. She read my novel, JILTED, on the plane back to LA and cried so much (in a good way) that the flight attendant asked her if she was okay. She called me in the cab on her way home to offer me representation.
Kelly: We are so lucky in Australia to be able to submit directly to publishers, but I’m glad you and your agent connected, she sounds absolutely amazing! I read somewhere that you read through every word you’ve written before you add to your WIP, so I want to know, are you a speed-reader, and is this true or has your process changed?
Rachael: HAH. This is not necessarily a habit I recommend, and I think it started with just reading the scene or the chapter before every time I sat down to write, so I could ground myself in the story again before I continued and also edited the previous day’s work. Somewhere along the lines - I think maybe when I became a full-time author - it got out of hand. I’m not a speed-reader but I do skim read, so I’ll start at the beginning, read a few sentences here and there, tweaking as I go. A few years ago, thinking I’d be more productive if I kicked this habit, I tried to stop but I realised pretty quickly that this is an important part of my process. Zoning (which is what I call the reading part of my day) often helps remind me of something I wrote in the early chapters that might be useful in my current or a later scene. I also pick up stupid errors along the way, which means I end up with a pretty clean draft and don’t have to revise multiple times before I hand in my manuscript.
Kelly: I do see the benefit of reading the whole thing back but, sadly, speed-reading/zoning is not my superpower. Back in 2021 I was a Zoom participant in your CYA Conference session, What I’ve Learnt in 10 Years of Publishing and I absolutely loved what you shared! I took notes on strong characters and premise, high stakes, post-it notes and more. Can you share with everyone your top tip, maybe the one-word technique?
Rachael: When I remember, I like to give each character ONE word that sums up their essence/personality. It might be something like anxious, lost, nurturing, angry, control, etc. Often this word is how they are at the start of the novel, and they need to grow in order to change, so that by the end of their novel they would probably have a different word if I thought about it. The word helps ground me in the character’s head whenever I’m in their point-of-view. Their word colours their thoughts, their reactions and what they do in every scene.
One more bonus tip: Don’t compare your draft with someone else’s finished product. With so many great books out there it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and wonder why we are even bothering when we read an amazing book; try to remember that even acclaimed bestsellers probably started with a shitty draft.
Kelly: Your one word technique is such a great way to keep a character consistent and heading towards change. Also, thanks for the reminder, I never thought to consider the shitty first draft of a bestseller. That certainly brings it all down to a more encouraging level.
You’ve had huge success with writing award-winning books and are about to be internationally published with your Heart Talk series, what tips can you share for writers who are striving for their work to stand out in a submission stack?
Rachael: Be true to yourself. Don’t try to emulate your favourite authors or the ones who seem to be doing well, find your own voice. Don’t follow trends, cos they vanish as fast as they arrive. Hone your craft. Don’t rush to get published, but read widely and write lots, so that you’re absolutely putting your best work forward. If someone rejects you and gives you feedback, listen, but also remember that they are only one person and someone else might think differently. The fact of the matter is there is a lot of luck in publishing, lots of things we can’t control, but you can control your work. Make sure you’re passionate about your story and try and have fun while you’re writing; it will shine through on the page.
Kelly: So many great tips! Paitence, persistence, and pleasure are so important. Let’s talk about the importance of writing connections, how much do you love the Romance Writers of Australia (RWA) and why?
Rachael: I love it so much that I dedicated my last book, TALK TO THE HEART, to the organisation and I also joined the committee a couple of years ago after being a member for 16 years. I would not be where I am in my writing journey today without the support of fellow members, the wisdom I’ve learned from them and through the conferences, contests, online courses, the monthly magazine and more offered by RWA. Even if I gave up writing today, I’d probably still stay a member because the annual conference is also a whole load of fun! I recommend it to writers of any genre.
Kelly: I really must get involved in this. I’ve heard so many great things!
You run a book club and currently have a watch-along in progress, do you have any advice for aspiring authors who are trying to grow their community and increase their social media presence?
Rachael: To be honest, a lot of what I’ve done online was spontaneous. Even the book club – I thought about it one morning and by the afternoon I’d launched it. (You can join here btw: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1417551485018792. But I think the one thing I’ve always done is be genuine. What you see is what you get. My number one tip for aspiring writers, perhaps goes against what others might say, and that is not to focus too much on building your platform until publication is imminent. We put SO much effort into branding and platform these days, often at the expense of the actual writing. Join other communities, writing and reading ones, interact with other writers and readers, and I think you’ll find your community will grow itself. Most of all, only be on social media if you enjoy it. Remember you don’t have to be everywhere. If you prefer one platform, focus on that, but also consider where your readers are. Different demographics are on Facebook compared to Instagram and compared to TikTok.
Kelly: Social media can be so time consuming. I agree that it’s important to prioritise your wriring and only post when you’re inspired.
What are you currently reading and loving?
Rachael: I’m rereading Marian Keyes ANYBODY OUT THERE before the sequel, MY FAVOURITE MISTAKE, comes out in April (SQUEE). Marian is one of my favourite authors on the page and on her socials, and the good thing about getting old is I didn’t actually remember much of the story, except that it was fabulous. And it is! I also just finished an early copy of Dervla McTiernan’s WHAT HAPPENED TO NINA, which Is also a compelling page-turner.
Kelly: I love rereading after so long I’ve forgotten what happens, lol! Marian Keyes and Dervla McTiernan are two top authors. So, what can we expect from you next?
Rachael: I hope readers will be happy to hear that I’m writing Bridget’s best friend, Fred’s story next. This novel is called THE WEDDING TRAP and I’m calling it a ‘reverse Parent Trap for grown-ups’, as it’s a twist on one of my favourite children’s movies, but there will be heat and adult themes. Hopefully, it will be out early 2025.
Kelly: Yay! I can’t wait to read more about Fred’s writring journey! It has been an absolute dream to interview you, thanks so much for your time.
The Other Bridget is avaialbe now, read my review to find out why you need to check it out!
