
S07 E02 Mike Nicol
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Mike Nicol is one of South Africa's leading crime writers. His Mace Bishop and Fish Pescado series have enthralled readers for years.
Mike joins Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel to talk about how he once wallpapered a room in his house with rejection letters. He describes how he found his latest protagonist Zara Dewane lurking in an earlier novel and decided to give her a story of her own. Falls the Shadow is out now from Pan Macmillan.
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Instagram: @thehiddenlivesofwriterspod
Twitter: @hiddenwriterpod
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Threads: @thehiddenlivesofwriters
Facebook discussion group: The Hidden Lives of Writers
Mike joins Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel to talk about how he once wallpapered a room in his house with rejection letters. He describes how he found his latest protagonist Zara Dewane lurking in an earlier novel and decided to give her a story of her own. Falls the Shadow is out now from Pan Macmillan.
For more details about the books, movies, series, and podcasts that are discussed on the show, sign up here for our weekly newsletter:
https://mailchi.mp/icon/the-hidden-lives-of-writers-newsletter-signup
Ask your writing-related questions here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc8i1_vFmUwsd7E_nvPgQOtqEscvZIircT0imdHm_qYJK5eXA/viewform
Fiona and Gail would love to hear from you. Please join the conversation here:
Email: hiddenlivesofwriters@gmail.com
Instagram: @thehiddenlivesofwriterspod
Twitter: @hiddenwriterpod
YouTube: The Hidden Lives of Writers
Threads: @thehiddenlivesofwriters
Facebook discussion group: The Hidden Lives of Writers
Chapters
- 00:01 Writing week updates and breakthrough techniques
- 03:57 Recent reading and viewing recommendations
- 10:15 Introduction to Mike Nicol and his writing career
- 14:11 Writing tools and process
- 17:05 Evolution from poetry to crime fiction
- 21:35 Research methods and character development
- 31:40 Teaching and mentoring philosophy
- 38:10 Essential writing advice and techniques
- 48:40 New series development and character continuity
- 51:35 Substack strategy and recent reading

