Solid Gold Podcasts #BeHeard The Hidden Lives of Writers

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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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
30 Mar English South Africa Books · Arts

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