[00:00:00] Speaker A: Hello authors. I'm Joanne Morell, children's and young adult fiction writer and author of short nonfiction for authors. Thanks for joining me for the hybrid Author podcast, sharing interviews from industry professionals to help you forge a career as a hybrid author, both independently and traditionally publishing your books. You can get the show notes for each episode and sign up for your free author pass over at the hybrid author website to discover your writing process, get tips on how to publish productively, and get comfortable promoting your books at www. Dot.
Let's crack on with the episode.
[00:00:43] Speaker B: Hello authors.
I hope you're all keeping well in whatever part of the world you reside and listen to the podcast in today's interview is with illustrator, educator and author Rachel Robertson on just write for kids picture book our australian heart and we chat about the australian anthology raising money and literacy awareness for kids mass author and illustrator collaboration, trials and triumphs of working processes. Rachel's tips for creatives looking to illustrate or author picture books creating whilst parenting young children and a newborn her books and much more.
So in my author adventure this week I have been busy writing my YA fiction. At the moment, the working title is called the valley of giants and it's about a 16 year old girl who's interning at a lavender farm in a small town in Western Australia. And the hook line at the moment is a 16 year old girl saves a boy from prejudice in a small town of Western Australia.
So sort of that's the, the main kind of hook. It is a love story, but there's a lot of drama, family drama to do with the town, the characters in it, the treatment of the boy. This girl is a bit of a savior. There's a lot going on and I just absolutely love the characters in it. I really do. And I love the love story. I actually didn't think that I was someone who was so soppy.
But there's just something about it, you know, teenage romance. It is the first time you are falling in love in your life and it's full on. If you cast your mind back for however old you are. I'm actually turning. I'm in my last year of thirties, turning 39 on Monday. So cast your mind back, you know, for whatever age you are, to reminisce on either your first love or having a crush as a teenager. It's just. It's all consuming sometimes, isn't it? It's wonderful and it's horrible and it's. I guess it's just all the lovey dovey stuff. So I'm really enjoying that. I haven't gotten to any parts yet. I'm only sort of in the first sort of act, I guess, where, you know, the story's being set up. They've met. There's the inciting incident. I think I'm sort of at that's brought them together. Yes. I'm not actually at any of the scenes yet where doubt is placed in each other's mind about the other. And because of the boys, because of the boy's upbringing, his family, the treatment of him from the town, like, he's quite suspicious. And because of the place that she interns at and the company, she's keeping, the family there. Much to do with why the boy is met with prejudice. And so he's a little bit suspicious of her. And he obviously can't really believe that she, you know, likes him for him. But she's a beautiful soul, and she sees people for who they are. She doesn't judge. She's super kind. She's one with nature. She's an aspiring botany student. It's why she's interning at the lavender farm. And he's just besotted with her as well that it actually knocks him over, like, how strong feelings he has for her. So this is my work in progress that I'm taking across to Rottnest's writer's retreat, that I am having a critique with a traditional publishing house. And, yeah, we'll see if they like it as much as I do, and hopefully I will get a chance to submit my work. So this is me perfecting it, finishing it, and having the draft ready to go by the time I go over. So I. I'm clear on the story, I'm clear on the characters. I'm clear on what's actually going to go down in every aspect and the writings there in terms of structural language, blah, blah. Then I will have it critiqued by my peers and the publisher. You've heard me speak about this the last couple of weeks. If you're an avid listener of the podcast, which means many of you are, thank you dearly. Thank you kindly. And then I will do the finishing touches before submitting. And then I'm not sure what Allen and Omlyn's submission window's like. Most likely it's about three months. And then I will, yeah, review with, with the outcome there and see what happens. This is what this work's intended for. So there's no backup plan with this work at this point, but I will probably look at other.
I don't know. I don't know, we will see. We'll see what happens. So the podcast is now on YouTube. I did a talk at Australia, I think it was around about March time, and I met a lovely lady there and she lived in Australia, was on a dip. And those, again, those that have been listening to the podcast know that I've aspired to get my podcast onto YouTube since last year. So it was actually super, super easy in the end, I was looking to hire like a va to do this. And this is the. Is a lesson learned. Like something that seems really a mammoth task, actually look into it first, because the way that YouTube's set up now. So one of the Vas had said that they need a video of the process of updating uploading an episode onto YouTube, which is fair enough, you know, you need to be shown what to do if you've never done it before, so they can copy and proceed. Now. I didn't really, I thought this would be a huge thing because I, you know, as of today, it's 126 episodes. Once I had a look, you could actually just copy and paste your RSS feed. So for those of you who don't know, that's like a link that's associated with the podcast. And as soon as I'd done that, it just uploaded all the episodes. It was just done like that. So effectively, I saved myself some money, time and all sorts, and it really wasn't that difficult. So anything that seems like a big task in your author, business, career, whatever, actually look into it first and gauge how bad, how much it's going to be to actually do these things first. So I feel like a bit of a silly person for that. And, uh, yeah, anyway, I was glad. So anyway, the, the podcast is up. You can find me on YouTube now.
And sorry, back to that story. The lady had asked me if my podcast was on YouTube at the australian talk, because her house is on a dip and she can only receive certain things, like she has trouble with her Internet and no Netflix, no anything like that. And for some reason she gets YouTube. And I was like, yeah, they've got aspirations for that. So I can now, and I will email the lady to let her know that the podcast is now on YouTube and she can consume the whole backlist if she likes and get an author education, a hybrid author education.
So you can now listen to the hybrid author podcast. And I will. It's not just going to be a podcast channel. I am going to start uploading videos for certain things, I've decided, but that will be another. That will be further down the track. For now, I've managed to get the podcast up on YouTube and I'm just basking in that. So if you go onto YouTube, it's hebridauthor. Www.YouTube.com thehybridauthorhehybridauthor and in women's fiction news. So if you listened in last week, I was not on the shortlist for the women's fiction competition that my women's fiction was on the writer, the hairdresser and the nurse. And this, this work was always intended to be self published. So I have, I will talk more in depth about the process, but I've gone ahead and hired an artist to do the COVID for me. I have decided I am going to run a Kickstarter campaign for the book and there will be more podcasts to come on that. I actually put a social media post out today about it because it's been mulling around in my head and I haven't really. I've started to do my research on Kickstarter. A lot of indie authors do it, and it's like a crowdfunding, if you haven't heard of it, it's like a crowdfunding platform where all, lots of creatives are uploading the project ideas up and getting what they call backers to support the project financially. But you obviously get rewards as well. You know, there's all sorts of things that people offer, and with this women's fiction project, I've had a lot of creative ideas around it. So for like Kickstarter, you can create beautiful books, and for people to fund that, because to create something in hardback, in special editions with, with lovely sort of print design stuff like foil and embossing and in pages and all that sort of things is amazing, but it costs a lot of money. So to have this platform that you can do these sort of things, I'm not sure if that's really what I want to do for this set of books. In my mind, these women fiction books, and I think of myself here as well, I think of women and I think that I want it to be floppy, flimsy, bendy, be able to fit in their handbag. So probably something that's quite a nice gloss, shiny, simple, plain, but something that's actually quite accessible for them to read on the go. So sort of handbag savvy is in my mind. And women's fiction people tend to take as a holiday read. I heard once upon a time that the difference between women's fiction readers and romance readers is that romance readers will consume books, you know, multiple books, weeks, months, whatever, whereas women's fiction readers, or so I read in this article. I'm not saying this is the case, but they tend to be more holiday readers, so they will read, say, you know, not that many books a year, more like if they're just having time out and things like that. So I'm more catering for that market in my mind. But I would like to offer an experience with my book alongside my book that coincides with my characters, the setting, like, all sorts of things like that. If you tuned into the podcast built in book marketing with Anna Featherstone, that was episode 120, and she talked about extended marketing and things like that, and offering the readers, you know, an experience. And I've actually got an upcoming podcast interview in the next couple of months with another author who is going to be sharing about experiences and things through books. And I just love that idea, and I've had some really creative ideas around it. So I think to fund it, I have had the idea. I've not actually solely looked into it to see if this is how. How elaborate this is, how harebrained, how hard it's gonna be or anything like that. But it's something that I'm not gonna shy away from. I'm actually gonna gonna look at doing. So I need to get my finger out and look at that. But I put a post up on social media the other day just because Kickstarter sounds crazy. And what I've been listening to, the conversations around it, is that it takes a lot of time to build an audience. It takes a lot of time to even do a campaign. There's a lot of work involved. It's not something that's just an overnight thing you can put up and forget. You hit milestones. You've got to be actively doing it, hustling it, you know, sort of making people aware of it. And obviously, it's a case of all or nothing. I think if you put a goal up and you do all this work, it's not guaranteed that if you don't hit the goal, you don't get. You don't get the funds to back what you want to do. So the whole thing could just not work, really. So I need to work out all that. I mean, in the beginning, I used to. I was. It's just daunting. It just daunts daunts me because it's a new thing. I haven't done it before. I'm always scared. You're always worried about putting yourself out there. So again, all these fears are starting to arise. Author fears. You hear me harp on about them all the time. And so I just put a post on social media saying, what do we do? What do you do when you begin to feel the fear about something new and you want to try it? And for me, it really is acknowledging these fears. So I sat down, wrote them down, and the fears that came out was, you know, I won't meet my goals. And it's a case of, okay, that's that whole succeed and fail thing. Maybe it'll work, maybe it won't, but maybe it will.
Why don't you think that maybe it will be so blooming successful that you'll be absolutely blown away? Why not, like, why sit and think it's gonna fail before it's even started? And what does it even mean? If you've tried, then you haven't failed, in my opinion. And then the second one was, I'll stuff up the campaign because I've heard, like, issues around currency and, you know, taking, delivering to people on time, and will people get the things you need? What if you fall behind? What if something? What if? What if? What ifs? Big what ifs. And that's maybe the case, but I plan on doing heavy research before even doing any of this. And I actually think that this campaign and the page you can create without going live is something that I've heard also can keep you accountable and can help your project further with understanding it and just on a deeper level as well. And the other one was, I don't have enough time to do a Kickstarter campaign properly, and, well, really, if that's the case, I can set a schedule, schedule, organize, execute is something I really adhere to and go forth with. And I think that if you have it all scheduled in, you know, what needs to be done. I am someone who is people driven. If someone's waiting on something for me, they're gonna get it. So it's not a case of I would if I, if I had backers, but the work's already done, the work's been professionally edited. It's good to go. I just, I've got the COVID design are already starting on it next week, I think he is, and there'll be more to come on that. And I just need to go to a printer now and find out about sizing, costing and which way I want to go in that regard. It's just these tiered parts of the Kickstarter and the things that I want to do that makes this a little bit difficult and a little bit tricky, which I will be sharing, obviously, going forward. So, you know, after writing those fears down, it was sort of you turn them on their head, you know, it just was a case of what have I got to lose? Why the hell not stop being so bloody scared all the time. Just do it.
Just do it. And so, you know, I need to go forward in this author adventure. You're all coming with me and I'd love to hear your thoughts and whatnot. Reach out to me on social media. I had the post on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. Twitter's too short a medium, and quite frankly, or x whatever, I hate it. I always have. I'm not bothering with it anymore. I put my stuff up there, but that's it. I don't engage there. But I do like the other longer form social medias and I'm also starting to be a bit more active on them as well. And I'm actually kind of enjoying it, kind of enjoying posting, being myself and whatnot. So yeah, it's all going well. So yeah, more on that to come. But again, I just want to say all that fears with the Kickstarter and things is another author fear or fears of mine that I might update my book at some stage? Author fears on how to overcome them? If you haven't heard of the book, it's a non fiction. It's part of my author lining series, which is short non fiction for the time. Poor author. And basically I've been told it's a bunch of my insecurities on the page and how I sort of how you might overcome them or what I done. But you can check out my books
[email protected] books slash so if you love the podcast or any of the episodes has helped you further in your author career, you can now pay it forward by buying me a coffee.
[email protected] thehybridauthor if you do not have money to spare in these hard up times that we all know about and are feeling the pinch some people, then you can simply buy my books or you can borrow them from the libraries. You can certainly go in and ask for a copy of a freelance writing quick tips for fast success or author fears on how to overcome them. Two books that are part of my short non fiction for the time, poor author and again, that comes into the library, you still get royalties as an author. Or if you love the podcast, you can leave me a review. You can share word of mouth about my books, review them. Tell other people about my work or me. These are the ways that you can support me. The author Joanne Morel or the hybrid author podcast without spending a penny. Let's all support each other.
[00:17:05] Speaker A: Rachel Robertson is an author, illustrator and educator. She is passionate about engaging children in art and literature in a fun and interactive way. As a level three classroom art teacher, Rachel has a wealth of experience that can be transferred to school visits. In her debut picture book, my amazing Animal Alphabet alliteration book, Rachel utilized vibrant painted paper collage to create each page and wrote clever alliteration to both expand vocabulary and engage the reader. Welcome to the Hybrid Author podcast, Rachel.
[00:17:37] Speaker C: Thank you so much for having me.
[00:17:39] Speaker A: We're so excited to have you. Thanks for coming on and we'll just find out right away how come you joined the writing and publishing industry?
[00:17:45] Speaker C: I think I've always been really passionate about literature. I'm a primary school teacher. I taught in the classroom for about eight years and then have moved to the art teacher role, which is just the most perfect role for me as someone who's so passionate about art and engaging children in art. I really came to fruition after the birth of my second baby, Daisy. I had this idea and it was the alliteration, and the first page just kept popping into my head. Decided to write the alliteration book and then use the really small pockets of time that I had to create the illustration. And I used painted paper collage, which is really vibrant and sort of like a bit of a different technique to what you see a lot of people using. I then submitted to a range of publishers and read back publishing in New South Wales, saw something in it and decided to publish the book. Forever grateful to them. And I've actually got another book coming out with them in August, and they've just been really supportive and amazing for me. And I think publishing a book, I mean, I've, I'm an artist, so I've sold a lot of art over the years, like, you know, acrylic on canvas or canvases, and there's something so special about books that it can reach a wider range of audience. And I think that that's really special and important to me. So it's not just one person who benefits, but hopefully hundreds if not thousands of people that benefit from having book in their home.
[00:19:14] Speaker A: That's it. That's fantastic. With the second book that's coming out with Redback, is it kind of the same as your first, the Alphabet one? Is it all like the illustrations kind of similar, and the writing and things, or is it something completely different?
[00:19:27] Speaker C: It's totally different. The illustrations are created the same way, so it's painted paper collage as well. It was a labor of love. It's called Little Llama's big question and more of a storybook, but also educational. I mean, I just cannot take my teacher hat off.
It's all about baby animal names and the rules within it. And then it's really interesting when you start researching it. So there's, like, so many rules, but so many exceptions to the rules in terms of baby names. And I think that, you know, that's super interesting for kids. And there's so many weird and wonderful baby names that people may not know about. So they're in the book.
[00:20:03] Speaker A: Yeah, like groups of baby names or.
[00:20:05] Speaker C: Just like, for example, you know, a. If we're looking at african animals, most of the african animals call their baby, or the baby name is a calf. But then you have, you know, a zebra is a foal, so there's so many exceptions. Or chicks, you know, like this. Assume that a baby bird is a chick, yet a baby pigeon is a squab. So many weird and wonderful exceptions.
[00:20:31] Speaker A: Oh, well, that sounds fantastic. We can't wait to see that one. But today we are chatting about our australian heart picture book, which was released with just right for kids. And can you tell us about this really amazing project and what you're was in it?
[00:20:45] Speaker C: Yeah. Our australian heart is a beautiful anthology from authors and illustrators all around Australia, celebrating what it means to be australian. So there's a wide range of mediums and styles in the book. So there's digital watercolour, obviously. Mine is collage and it's just a diverse celebration of the demographic, of what it is to live in Australia. It's a project spearheaded by Romie Sharp. She's just the most beautiful human, and she is from just right for kids. And she really wanted to give illustrators an opportunity to submit their work in a similar way to the way authors are able to submit their work. And. Yeah, so a portion of the proceeds from this beautiful book go to the Indigenous Literacy foundation, which is an incredible organisation that gives quality literature to in the hands of children who deserve it. So the book itself, I was given a colour theme or a brief, so mine was red and my theme was flora and fauna, and I just sort of ran with that. So my involvement is that my artwork is on the front cover, which is super exciting, and I've managed to use, as I mentioned earlier, painted paper collage, which is something that I'm super passionate about. And my piece is titled Poppies in Kings park. And my daughter's. My eldest daughter's name is Poppy and my second daughter is Daisy.
[00:22:10] Speaker A: Yeah, I was going to say poppies.
[00:22:13] Speaker C: And daisies riddled through it. I've just had a little boy, so he didn't get the flower name, but yeah. So my page is about poppies in Kings park, which is obviously coming up to Anzac Day.
Important. And it's a dedication to soldiers who fought during the war for our beautiful country. And some, and many made the ultimate sacrifice to do so.
[00:22:36] Speaker A: Were you aware that your artwork was going to feature on the front cover or was it just submitting through and.
[00:22:41] Speaker C: Then they made just submitting. So I saw the project come up on, I think it was Instagram and I thought, wow, that sounds like a great opportunity to get my work out there. And then I got the email from. I was at school, I was at work, and I got the email from Remy and I was, yes. So overwhelmed and grateful to have my work feature on the front cover. So it was really special.
[00:23:02] Speaker A: Yeah, it's stunning as well. So congratulations and I love that, you know, as you say, you're so passionate about paper collage and that seems to be probably unintentionally your niche or brand with your. Your books going forward, you're going to be known as the paper collage lady.
[00:23:21] Speaker C: I can say that. Yeah.
[00:23:22] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:23:23] Speaker A: But that's great. And I guess, were you sort of just collaborating with Romy or were you in like a group chat? How was it kind of conducted for it to come together?
[00:23:34] Speaker C: She created a group chat after the fact, so after the, you know, everyone had been selected and it was really nice just to be able to connect with other authors and illustrators who, you know, I think it's. It's sort of for people who are just, you know, trying to get their work out there a little bit. So it's. It's been super supportive and everyone's been just beautiful, like, so kind and lovely and. But it is, you know, we've obviously got a whole range of people from a whole range of places around the country, so it's not as easy to meet or create book launches or things like that. So I guess in some ways, it's been amazing to meet and connect with other authors and illustrators, but also somewhat challenging in that I'm obviously in Perth and it's just like a couple of people over here that had their work selected. But I think, you know, being able to connect with people and meet with them. It's been lovely.
[00:24:26] Speaker A: That's amazing. And did they, so did they formally launch it or was there lots of little different launches from people that were involved or.
[00:24:34] Speaker C: I think rummy's planning an official launch but not being done yet. We had one planned in Perth at a beautiful bookshop called Openbook, but unfortunately it had to be posted. It was like a 43 degree day. And one of the other authors, and she was not from directly in Perth, so she was going to be traveling for 2 hours, a round trip, and she just, you know, understandably was too much. And I was also, like, 35 weeks pregnant or something, so I was like, oh, I don't know if this is a great idea, so we're definitely going to do it in the future, but hopefully, I mean, it would be great to organize something as a collective group at once, at a period of time. That would be lovely.
[00:25:15] Speaker A: Yeah. Even online or in the future to all come together and rehash it again. That would be cool. So you've obviously touched on some triumphs and what seems like some trials of the project. Is there any sort of highs and lows from working with such a large group or anything with the work or.
[00:25:35] Speaker B: That sort of got you stuck or.
[00:25:37] Speaker C: No, no lows for me. I think the highs have been seeing the diverse range of illustrations in the book. So obviously, as I said, some people used digital and some people have done watercolor. And I think just seeing people's different interpretations of the same sort of brief has been really quite inspiring just to see, you know, we all got the same brief, but we all created such different, diverse works. So I think that that's been really cool to see. And also, like, you know, as, in terms of, as a teaching point in the classroom, you know, you can take one page and do a unit of work on one page, and I think that's really special.
[00:26:17] Speaker A: Yeah, no, that is really cool. Absolutely. And so I suppose, are you both, is everybody just promoting it by themselves or in schools and things like that?
[00:26:26] Speaker C: Yeah, I think that people can. I think that Romy is doing most of the promotions with just right for kids. So, I mean, she posts interviews and on her website and she is super supportive of all of us, so. But then again, everyone's promoting it separately themselves as well.
[00:26:42] Speaker A: No. Oh, well, it sounds amazing. And as I said, it looks absolutely gorgeous. In terms of your overall, do you have any advice to creatives, you know, looking to illustrate and author picture books?
[00:26:54] Speaker C: Absolutely. I think the biggest thing is to just go for it, since I've had a book published. So many people have sort of mentioned to me that they would love to do it, and I just tell them, just do it. If you've got an idea, run with it. I think also finding your style, as you said, you know, mine's very quickly becoming the painted paper collage lady. I think that having your style and running with it, and it can be challenging when you see so many amazing illustrators on Instagram or online and sort of comparing yourself to them. But I think staying true to what you love and what you're passionate about will ultimately get you to where you want to be. But it's also a lot of hard work. It's certainly not something that just happened. You have to put in a lot of work and do what you believe in. I've submitted illustrations and manuscripts and the rejections come in thick and fast. And I think just being really resilient and believing in yourself, I think that ultimately you'll get to where you want to be, but you have to, to be prepared for the projections to come through, because they will.
[00:27:55] Speaker A: Yeah, no, that's all really sound advice. And I concur in terms of, like, writing for the rejections and the length of time things take and all that, but it's just part and parcel, isn't it, really?
[00:28:09] Speaker C: And I think also, like, when I first got my first few rejections, I was so upset and I thought, oh, my God, I can't believe this. And now the rejections come in. I'm like, okay. And my husband says to me, he's like, every rejection you get is your growth. Like, you're going to grow, grow from that, and you're refining your skills and you just need to, you know, improve. And it's true. And every submission I'm hoping is slightly better than the last one or every illustration is slightly more detailed or whatever than the last one. So, yeah, it's hard, but you do get used to it.
[00:28:39] Speaker A: Yeah. I think though, as well. It's because it's so personal, isn't it? And you've spent, and it's you. It's you on the page, it's your heart and body and soul. You've taken it's long time, you've put a lot into it, and then just not even cruelly, but for someone just to be like, nah. But then I also feel like there's a reason for all that. It just sort of sets you up in terms of, I think when eventually your work does emerge, you have that thick skin because there will be reviews that might not always be good because everybody's got different opinions and I mean, it's probably different in the picture book world and with art and stuff, everybody has different tastes. So I suppose, like, in my thinking, you know, rejection sort of sets someone up to bring to ground them almost, that, you know, you can't just say alone and everyone's like, oh, amazing, amazing, amazing. Although I feel like I know some of those people, but then they've probably. Then I'm probably judging from afar and not seeing the hard slog that they've put in for their work. Takes like twelve years and stuff, so.
[00:29:37] Speaker C: Absolutely. And I like no one's an overnight success as much as it looks like it never is.
[00:29:43] Speaker A: No, that's it. I know. And how are you going like, in terms of creating with young children and babies? Do you find you've got more time or less time?
[00:29:53] Speaker C: I think I've got more time, as crazy as that sounds. Obviously my baby's only five weeks old now and I've done one painting and started another. I think for me it's really important to do some creating. A little bit of creating. Maybe not every day. I mean, yesterday I did none but a little bit every day just for me and my mental health. Otherwise, you know, and obviously it's my third baby, so it's totally different to my first, which I don't think I would have been able to do it with my first just because I was, you know, so bogged down and the change in becoming a mum. But also my two older girls are at school now, so one's in year one and one's just started kindy. So she does a five day fortnight. So the days when she's at school and the baby is sleeping, you know, that's after doing the chores and the cooking and the cleaning, which I try and smash out as quickly as I can.
Even if I get, you know, half an hour to do something, obviously sleep right now is my priority. So if I can sleep, I do. But, yeah, I think more time. And I think also, like, since becoming a mum, my priorities have totally changed and I'm trying to do things that are for me but also make them really proud.
[00:31:05] Speaker A: And are you getting well? Actually, I think this is a silly question, but are you getting inspired by your children in terms of you talking about the baby, the baby book? And is that coming from all that?
[00:31:15] Speaker C: Absolutely. My kids are my everything. So my books are riddled with poppies and daisies and my next book is dedicated to the baby and yeah, absolutely. I think I just want to, you know, I want them to be proud of their mum and realize that they can do anything that they set their mind to regardless of what's going on. And when they're older, I can tell them, I did this when you were a baby and I was working and their dad works away. He's Fifo. So yes, you can do it all.
[00:31:45] Speaker A: Yeah, no, that's amazing. But no, I hear what you're saying and I feel some people can feel a bit guilty. I took my, started to take my writing seriously way back when I had my first child and again when they slept is when I did my writing and stuff. I think the balance that people struggle with children is real. But I think when you say, like your art and your work, it's for you as well. And I think sometimes having children, you can get lost and it's all about them because they really demand a lot of you and a lot of your time. So the guilt shouldn't be there, I don't think.
[00:32:19] Speaker C: Well, I don't think so. And I think, you know, some people do, some people exercise or some people cook or. You just got to find what it is for you. And obviously for you it's writing and for me it's, you know, creating. So you got to do, you can't get too lost in, in motherhood, I think. I think it's so easy to get lost in it. But if you can do some. One thing for yourself.
[00:32:41] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. Well, congratulations on the new book and the books to come and the new baby and everything. Rachel, it's been wonderful chatting to you. Can you share with us where our listeners and discover all the things that you do on and offline?
[00:32:53] Speaker C: Sure. Instagram's probably the best. I'm RachelRobertson creates. Also got a website, rachelrobertsoncreates.com. Dot au dot.
[00:33:01] Speaker A: Amazing. Well, thank you so much for your time and expertise, Rachel.
[00:33:04] Speaker C: Thank you so much for having me.
[00:33:12] Speaker B: So there you have it, folks. The truly beautiful Rachel Robertson. And I absolutely adored talking to Rachel. I hope everyone will go and check out just right for kids picture book. Our australian heart as it's absolutely divine. Next time on the hybrid Author podcast, we have fiction author and screenwriter working in publishing for the last 15 years, specializing in structural editing and self publishing. Les Zig, chatting to us on setting up as a micro publisher through print on demand pod. I wish you well in your author adventure this next week. That's it from me.
[00:33:46] Speaker C: Bye for now.
[00:33:47] Speaker A: That's the end for now. Authors I hope you are further forward in your author adventure after listening, and I hope you'll listen next time. Remember to head on over to the hybrid author website at www.hybridauthor.com dot au to get your free author pass.
[00:34:02] Speaker B: It's bye for now.
