A laptop on a wooden table with handwritten notes, a half-eaten muffin, and a purple water bottle, set on a balcony with potted plants, greenery, and a misty sky in the background.

Exploring ideas

Rachel writes stories that explores themes of relationships, identity, and feminism with sharp observation and honesty. Her writing draws from her experience of growing up Indian in Australia and includes narratives that challenge norms and celebrate the courage to change.

Find out more

Girl with black hair in magenta dress walking through a vineyard with friends

The latest from social media

Telling a story in an entertaining and emotional way is incredibly difficult. To do it while singing and dancing in heels and holding the audience captivated is something only insanely talented people like @seannmileymoore can blitz 🤩 I'm in awe! I went in not knowing much about @hedwigaus and came out being deeply moved with catchy rock songs stuck in my head. 🎵🎸 A fun night out 💃 #hedwigandtheangryinch #musicaltheatre #sydneymusicals #sydney #australia

This year I've said 'No' a lot - to working 5 days a week, to overseas trips, to socialising when I'm run down. This has translated into my reading life 🤓 I've said no to books that people raved about but weren't connecting with me. As a result, I seemed to have read more books than ever before. (My @audible_au subscription probably had something to do with it too 😅) Stand outs for this month: 🌟 The Burrow by @cheng_melanie - A simply beautiful short book about a grieving family in lockdown that buys a rabbit 🌟 The Year of Yes by @shondarhimes - How the creator of Grey's Anatomy, How To Get Away With Murder, Bridgerton and many other great tv shows learnt to take risks and set boundaries. Inspirational. 🌟 Model Minority Gone Rogue by @qinqin_writer - An autobiographical tale of the courage to step way from mould of a model Asian migrant to search for joy in life. I felt the heartbreak, the frustration and the feeling that something was mot quite right. Very relatable. #bookworm #bookstagram #booksbooksbooks #readingtime

Before AI, humans learnt from each other. This facinating exhibition @nationalgalleryaus lent from the @museumberggruen, shows how artists copied each others techniques starting from Cezanne. I loved becoming aware of the similarities in the paintings and seeing how artist's work evolved and grew. The variety of paintings on display from plaster, oil, lines and shapes made me feel like I could be an artist too 😂 #cezannetogiacometti #art #artgallery #picasso #braque #klee #giacometti #painting

May 2025 - Re-reads and audiobooks I spent a bit of time travelling then getting sick in May so I consumed more audiobooks than physical books. It could be why I re-'read' / listen to: 🤍A Touch of Darkeness' by Scarlett St Clair - a retelling of the Hades and Persephone story 💛 'Chain of Gold' by @cassieclare1 - the first book in sequel series to the prequel series (The Infernal Devices) of The Mortal Instruments series #ireadfantasyformysanity @audible_au had included these as part of my membership and reminded me that I loved them. Naturally now I need to buy and listen to them all again. Sneaky @audible for getting me addicted to consuming more 😅 Ironically my two favourite reads for the month were both physical books. 💚Hunger Games prequel 'A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes' by Suzanne Collins - after watching the movie four times and stumbling across this at a street library, I couldnot not read it. A brilliant story of President Snow's humble beginnings and the choices he made to get to the top. 🖤 'Memorial Days' by @ozbrooks100 - I am not comfortable talking, addressing or reading about death, however after listening to Ms Brooks recount how she was informed about her husband's death in the US made me mad and I had to find out more. Beautiful written and I was in tears for the most part. Last but not least, because this seemed like a podcast with story I could not say it was a favourite but I loved it anyway 🩷 'Live your best life' by @karanjohar - I don't know if it's because winter is coming down under (whoops it's 1 June, it's already here 😑) but I needed some serious motivation and this audio book did it for me! There were short interviews with Karan and actors, business owners, social media influencers etc about various life topics such as family, love, wealth, health and main character energy 😎 I highly recommend if you are in need inspiration 🙌🏼 🌹

A weekend in Melbourne - @melbwritersfest @lotronstage @hadestownau #melbourne #melbwritersfest #lotronstage #hadestownmusical #melbourneweekend

Public Holidays = More 🤓📚 #booklover #bookworm #aussiereaders

March was not the best month for me. I consumed more audio books while crocheting my way calm. So naturally the book that stood out for me this month was: 💥'The Body Says No - The hidden cost of stress' @gabormatemd It encouraged me to take a sick day when I really wasn't coping. And naturally I spent the days reading case studies of people who too had ignored the signs and the unfortunate impacts that had on their bodies. Very insightful for people who cannot say no and repress anger Other standouts included: 💥 'All the colours of the dark' @chriswhitakerauthor This story broke a lot of writing rules. Including sentences that Started a new line for no reason what so ever and could Be mistaken for poetry 😂. But the mystery, first whether kidnapped Patch would be rescued and then whether he imagined Grace by his side in the cellar while he traipses across the US to find her, was too enticing I couldn't put this down. And beautiful Saint who is unlucky in romantic love but is so beloved by everyone 🥲 #toorelatable 💥 The story of a new name @elenaferrante_official_fanpage I am trying to restrict binge listening to this series because the drama of this village in Naples is just too addictive. Lila who is now a bored married woman still has all the boys in the village in love with her and Elena decides to go after her childhood crush. Drama! #books #readingnerd #bookreviewer #booksbooksbooks

Last month, I put my name down to be an extra / background artist in a TV series and I got called! 🤩 So what does an extra do? A lot of sitting around waiting around until the Director needs background artists in a scene. And for the almost 12 hours I was on set, I only got called up once. Yes, once. Uno. Ichi. Ek. The younger me would have been part fuming - about being forgotten about and wasting my time - and part disappointed - I was a keen bean 😎 The more mature more experienced extra me had the following thoughts: 1/ TG I don't need to walk up and down a film set in heels with the camera following me until the Director gets the scene right like last time 2/ Being a writer and brutally cutting out characters I understand that the Director has vision he needs to complete. If Im not it, I am okay to scarifice the strand of my hair that maybe on telly 3/ Whoo! I get m a chance to read my book while waiting to be called 🤓 If you get a chance to be an extra, I highly recommend it! It was a fun day out. #filmlife #backgroundartist #extras

When I look back on the books I read in Feb, I noticed a lot of #girlpower in my reading. Yes, even the 3rd #bridgerton book is quite feminist once it diverges from the Cinderella story. Highly recommends for the month: 🩷 Tara is Visible - I could completely relate to the story of Tara who is diagnosed with the condition of invisibilty. It has hilarious observations about how women (and society) perceive themselves and their worth. This is a must read for anyone who has ever felt invisible or not good enough. 🧡 Bird by Bird - For those who want to know what it's like to be an author, you get an insight into Anne Lamott's experience. I listened to the 25th anniversary edition of the audio book read by the author and it was hilarious. Especially when you could hear her laughing at herself. 💚 My Brilliant Friend - The complexities of female relationships in a village in Naples in the 50s. I really enjoyed the descriptions of life and attitudes in this little Italian village and how the Elena persists with her academic dreams despite the expectations of her community. 💛 Goodnight stories for Rebel Girl: 100 Immigrant women that changed the world - Okay so I know this was written for children, but I absolutely love this series. Learning about incredible women of different ages both alive and from the past always motivates me to keep going and not to give up. A great present for the children in your life 😉 #bookworm #bookreview #books #bookstagram

Possession by Joan Ross @portraitau Ironically the first time I saw this exhibition was on the 26th of January. Given the controvertial nature of this date in Australia, this fresh perspective of: - the damage colonialism had on the country (ie 'Those trees came back to me in my dreams' 😢), - the assumption the land was uninhabited when it was clearly fully of people, and - the arrogance of Joseph Banks to so much after himself (eg banksia) 🤨 really grated on my nerves I've honestly never felt so angry when viewing an art exhibition. Except maybe walking through the British Museum... Despite getting mad, it made me wonder - Are we that different from the colonialists? Most of us love our possessions. What damage is accumulating these things damaging the people (aka slave labour) and planet we live in? Maybe we're not that different from the colonials. Maybe is a few hundred years someone will take our art and change it to depict how wasteful we currently are and how much we destroyed the planet. Though I sincerely hope not! If anyone sees this exhibition please let me know your thoughts!

Instagram

Let’s chat

Join my mailing list to keep up to date with my writing journey, direct message me on Instagram or contact me via the form below. I look forward to hearing from you!