Howdy! Amy is off on holiday so we (the collective & of AMY &) have taken this opportunity to do a sneaky takeover of the pod 😈 Welcome to WESTERN MONTH! Yee, and I cannot stress this enough, haw 🤠 🌄🐎🌾🐄🌵

We’re keen as a tin of hot beans to deep dive into all things both country and western, from cowboy heroes to spirited heroines, rugged outlaws to lonesome ranchers, the wild mountains of Montana to small desert towns that, try as we might to huddle close together, just can’t quite seem to fit the two of us.

In this episode we’ll be asking the big questions: Why are westerns so hot right now? What is it about the rough masculinity of cowboys that’s so attractive to readers? What makes a good heroine and why is the answer “spunk”? How can we navigate the fantasy of fictional frontier life with the violent reality of settler colonialism? And of course, what’s the sexiest kind of farming?

Our Book of the Month for July is Seven Brides for Beau McBride by Amy Barry! Grab a copy of the book, read along and join us at the end of the month for our live book club!

LINKS

• Watch the full episode on YouTube: @AmyAndPodcast
• Follow the Amy & Podcast on IG: @amyandpodcast
• Join the Amy & Bookclub: Amy & Bookclub
• Follow Amy Matthews on IG: @amymatthewsauthor
• Follow Amy Barry on IG: @amybarryauthor
• Our theme music is by Mass Wisteria. Stream their single "Same Old" here.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hi Booklovers! This week, Amy & the podcast team sat down to chat about Melanie Saward's novel, Love Unleashed, for Pride Month! We discuss the boundaries of genre, bisexual representation, the sheer quantity of layers and depth that Melanie has weaved into this narrative, relationships and love, and the importance of community.

Melanie Saward is a proud Bigambul and Wakka Wakka woman. She is a writer, editor, and university lecturer based in Tulmur (Ipswich), Queensland. Her debut novel Burn was published by Affirm Press in September 2023 and she’s also had work published in the literary journals Griffith Review, Meanjin, Overland, Kill Your Darlings, and has fiction published in the anthologies Flock: First Nations Stories Then and Now, and New Australian Fiction. Her first romantic comedy novel, Love Unleashed, was published by Penguin Random House in 2024.

• Follow Melanie on IG: @littleredwrites
• Check out more from Melanie here: littleredwrites.com.au
• Follow the Amy & Podcast on IG: @amyandpodcast
• Check out our YouTube for video content: AmyAndPodcast
• Follow Amy Matthews on IG: @amymatthewsauthor
• Follow Amy Barry on IG: @amybarryauthor

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this third week of Pride month, Amy & Justina and Harry interview THE Patrick Lenton, author of In Spite of You, who joins us for a wildly honest chat about queerness, the chaos of writing, and the unexpected beauty of Gimli and Legolas. We dive into craft, community, and smile with equal delight about the splendour of the romance community!

Patrick Lenton is a journalist and writer who lives in Melbourne. He is an amazing comedy writer and a regular arts and culture commentator in the media, having appeared on The Project, ABC's The Mix, ABC Breakfast, and more. His independent publication, Nonsense, covers comedy, queer news and culture, and his debut rom-com novel, In Spite of You, releases this year (2025).

LINKS

Pre-order your copy of In Spite of You here.

Find Patrick Lenton on instagram: @patrick_lenton

. . . and his queer culture and comedy newsletter, Nonsense, here.

• Watch the full episode on YouTube: @AmyAndPodcast
• Follow the Amy & Podcast on IG: @amyandpodcast
• Join the Amy & Bookclub: Amy & Bookclub
• Follow Amy Matthews on IG: @amymatthewsauthor
• Follow Amy Barry on IG: @amybarryauthor
• Our theme music is by Mass Wisteria. Stream their single "Same Old" here.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.