Julia Baird on savouring life, growing in the dark and finding solace in the natural world.

Featuring the bestselling Phosphorescence, forest therapy and moonbows, Rachel Carson on wonder, the rafts that keep you afloat, love of cuttlefish and a mother’s grace. Dr Julia Baird writes for The New York Times and the Sydney Morning Herald, and hosts the current affairs tv show The Drum. She’s also a mother of two, a regular ocean swimmer and has now written three books. Her biography of Queen Victoria was critically acclaimed internationally - Janet Maslin described it as ‘frisky, adventurous’ and ‘exhilarating’, which is like all of Julia’s writing really. Her new book is called Phosphorescence and it’s also taking the world by storm. It’s about how you find light within your life, not just when the world goes dark but all of the time. Subscribe to The Secret Life of Writers for new episodes every second Thursday. Hosted by Jemma Birrell, and presented by Tablo Publishing.