From a parenting email to being a US bestseller with Emma Grey

Emma Grey is a novelist, feature writer, photographer, professional speaker and accountability coach. She wrote her first adult novel, The Last Love Note, in the wake of her husband’s death. It’s a fictional tribute to their love, an attempt to articulate the magnitude of her loss and a life-affirming commitment to hope, which has gone on to win hearts around the world. In the US, it was selected as a featured title for the Book of the Month and Target Book Clubs, a Washington Post noteworthy book and listed in the top 25 new releases by the American Bookseller’s Association. Emma lives near Canberra, where her world centres on her family, writing, photography and endlessly chasing the Aurora Australis.Our interview begins at  33.00We've got a Substack publication now! On the last day of the month, we share recommendations for two things we reckon you should read/watch/listen to. The beauty of Substack is you can revisit all our old editions and comment on our episode updates to share your thoughts. Come say hi! Mini (film) club: WickedOf course, we had to hold space and discuss the movie of the moment. In short: we loved it. In this interview, we chat about:How can we tell stories about complex issues like violence against women in fiction?Why Emma also wanted to explore amnesia through the storyThe experience of having an American bestsellerThe parenting email that launched Emma's writing careerExploring grief in her first adult novel and the interesting journey to publication via a YA novel inspired by Harry StylesHow Emma dealt with the way the book was received in the UK given the difficult subject matterBooks and other things mentioned:Pulp Kitchen (podcast)Deadpool and Wolverine (film)It Ends With Us by Colleen HooverNational Women's Safety OrganisationTuesday Evenings at the Copeton Craft Resistance by Kate SollyMoms Don't Have Time to Read Books Podcast by Zibby OwensFollow @emmagreyauthor on InstagramPictures of You is available now. The publisher provided us with copies of the book in preparation for the interview. Connect with us on Instagram: @betterwordspod