I hope you enjoy this final episode of the 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘉𝘺 𝘊𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 podcast. I’m so grateful I was able to finish with the author who was the very first person I ever interviewed for the podcast - and my first interview 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 - my wonderfully talented friend and bestselling author 𝗝𝗼 𝗗𝗶𝘅𝗼𝗻 🥰

Jo featured in the Book Boxes in January 2023 and January 2024, and was also the featured author in the 2025 RBC Advent Calendar. She is the only author to be featured three times!

In this episode, we talk in depth about Jo’s third book, 𝘈 𝘋𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘈𝘤𝘵 (no spoilers!), how her writing has evolved since her debut, and what the past three years have meant to her as an author.

I got a little teary at the end, thanks to Jo’s beautiful words about the podcast. It’s bittersweet to say goodbye, but I couldn’t have imagined a more fitting way to wrap things up - ending where it all began, with Jo. 🥹

I’ll share a proper thank-you post in a few days to reflect on three years of hosting the podcast and what it has meant to me. 🤍

All episodes of 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘉𝘺 𝘊𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 will remain available wherever you love to listen, with selected episodes also available on YouTube.

'Reading by Candlelight' is a book subscription that celebrates up-and-coming Australian authors, delicious beverages, and incredible creations. Each month features a different novel paired with a handmade scented candle, a seed paper bookmark, a beverage (choice of alcoholic/nonalcoholic), a surprise, and an invitation to join the RBC Facebook Community.

Join our host Fiona Taylor for the final RBC Book Club episode for 2025.

December’s @readingby.candlelight Crime/Thriller Book Box features the brilliant Matthew Spencer and his gripping new novel BROKE ROAD.

Broke Road is the second instalment in Spencer’s acclaimed Rose Riley series, and it’s an absolute masterclass in crime writing. When a woman is found dead in the Hunter Valley, Detective Sergeant Rose Riley is pulled back into the landscape of her childhood, where vineyards and luxury resorts sit uneasily beside prisons, drug dens, and long-held grudges.

As media pressure builds and old wounds resurface, Rose must navigate local secrets, small-town tensions, and the shadows of her own past… while true-crime author Adam Bowman is never far from the story. Taut, atmospheric, and compulsively readable, this is crime fiction at its finest.

If you loved Black River, you are in for an absolute treat, BUT this can also be a stand-alone story, complete in itself.

In this 30 minute chat, Matthew shares what inspired this story, how he gets police procedures SO RIGHT and what's next for Rose Riley ✨

'Reading by Candlelight' is a book subscription that celebrates up-and-coming Australian authors, delicious beverages, and incredible creations. Each month features a different novel paired with a handmade scented candle, a seed paper bookmark, a beverage (choice of alcoholic/nonalcoholic), a surprise, and an invitation to join the RBC Facebook Community.

December’s @readingby.candlelight Historical Fiction Book Box features the incredibly talented Emily Paull and her debut novel THE DISTANCE BETWEEN DREAMS — and our interview is now live!

The Distance Between Dreams is a sweeping dual-timeline love story spanning continents and generations. A long-buried family secret links two families from opposite sides of the tracks, and when their children fall in love decades later, that secret threatens to tear them apart.

Set against the backdrop of both World Wars — from Fremantle, WA to the horror of the Thai–Burma Railway — it’s a powerful read for fans of Natasha Lester and Kate Morton ✨

'Reading by Candlelight' is a book subscription that celebrates up-and-coming Australian authors, delicious beverages, and incredible creations. Each month features a different novel paired with a handmade scented candle, a seed paper bookmark, a beverage (choice of alcoholic/nonalcoholic), a surprise, and an invitation to join the RBC Facebook Community.