The Hidden Lives of Writers

Ivan Vladislavic is a multi-award winning author, editor, and professor of creative writing. His new memoir The Near North is available now. Ivan joins Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel to talk about how not having grown up in Johannesburg has made him more curious about the city and how the words of other authors are the constant backdrop to his life. Ivan discusses the narrative choices one has to make as a memoirist and gives credit to his trusted early readers for helping his decide how to structure The Near North. For more details about the books, movies, series, and podcasts that are discussed on the show, sign up for our weekly newsletter. 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 Follow us on Instagram · Chat with us on Twitter · Join our Facebook group · Subscribe to us on YouTube · Join our newsletter

Lynn Joffe is a copywriter, a novelist, a short story writer, and an author of children's books. She is the author of the critically acclaimed picaresque novel, The Gospel According to Wanda B. Lazarus, published by Modjaji Books. Lynn joins Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel to talk about how she came to write a feminist reimagining of the antisemitic Medieval myth of the Wandering Jew. Describing antisemitism as a 'light sleeper', Lynn talks about how this myth was reverse engineered into scripture centuries afterwards. Lynn describes how losing her sister to cancer plunged her into a state of deep grief and how she is only now able to find her writing voice again. Fiona and Gail ask Lynn the secrets every writer should know about keeping their work at the forefront of the public's mind. 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 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 Follow us on Instagram · Chat with us on Twitter · Join our Facebook group · Subscribe to us on YouTube · Join our newsletter

Margie Orford is a writer, academic, activist, and award-winning journalist. She is the author of the acclaimed Clare Hart series of crime novels. Her most recent work is a much-anticipated memoir, Love And Fury. Margie joins Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel to talk about the narrative choices one makes for memoir rather than fiction, and how second-wave feminism influenced her life at every step. Margie discusses how she handles sexual violence on the page and how talking about one's own life is different to talking about fictional constructs. 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 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 Follow us on Instagram · Chat with us on Twitter · Join our Facebook group · Subscribe to us on YouTube · Join our newsletter

In this special episode of The Hidden Lives of Writers, Fiona Snyckers sits down with author, reviewer, and journalist Gus Silber to talk about her new novel THE HIDDEN, which is published by Pan Macmillan. Gus grills Fiona about her secret past as a child writer and whether her own children find her books difficult to read, and Gus does a deep dive into the culture wars and the historical and cultural antecedents of Fiona's new book. Watch the full video on YouTube, or listen to the audio version on all podcasting platforms. For more details about the books, movies, series, and podcasts that are discussed on the show, sign up here for our weekly newsletter. Fiona and Gail would love to hear from you! Please join the conversation: Email: hiddenlivesofwriters@gmail.com Instagram: @thehiddenlivesofwriterspod Twitter: @hiddenwriterpod YouTube: The Hidden Lives of Writers Threads: @thehiddenlivesofwriters Facebook discussion group: The Hidden Lives of Writers Watch on Youtube · Follow us on Instagram · Chat with us on Twitter · Join our Facebook group · Subscribe to us on YouTube · Join our newsletter

Helen Moffett is a writer, an editor, and an award-winning poet. Her novel 'Charlotte' was released internationally to great acclaim. Helen joins Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel to talk about how every writer needs to be edited and why the business of editing has remained untransformed for so long. Helen describes her writing process for 'Charlotte', much to the envy of Fiona and Gail, and explains why writing poems is very different. 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 Fiona and Gail would love to hear from you! Please join the conversation: Email: hiddenlivesofwriters@gmail.com Instagram: @thehiddenlivesofwriterspod Twitter: @hiddenwriterpod YouTube: The Hidden Lives of Writers Threads: @thehiddenlivesofwriters Facebook discussion group: The Hidden Lives of Writers Follow us on Instagram · Chat with us on Twitter · Join our Facebook group · Subscribe to us on YouTube · Join our newsletter

Diane Awerbuck is the award-winning author of multiple novels and short story collections. Her latest book is Inside Your Body There Are Flowers published by Karavan Press. Diane joins Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel to talk about being published at a young age and what a young writer brings to the table. Diane talks about why she believes that a writer's process shouldn't always be revealed to the world. She describes how her own process has changed since becoming a parent, and how parenthood has supplied her with new inspiration. For more details about the books, movies, series, and podcasts that are discussed on the show, sign up for our weekly newsletter. 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 Follow us on Instagram · Chat with us on Twitter · Join our Facebook group · Subscribe to us on YouTube · Join our newsletter

Ron Irwin is the acclaimed author of Flat Water Tuesday and My Side of the Ocean, which was recently published by Pan Macmillan. He is a senior lecturer in Media Studies at UCT and teaches in the UCT Creative Writing Masters programme. Ron joins Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel to talk about how deciding to write a book that he would give an A to instead of a D, transformed his writing career years ago. Ron shares what it is like to have a novel in script development in Hollywood, and tells us why his latest book features a female protagonist who makes choices that readers may choose to judge. Fiona and Gail would love to hear from you! Please join the conversation on any of our socials. Follow us on Instagram · Chat with us on Twitter · Join our Facebook group · Subscribe to us on YouTube · Join our newsletter

Shafinaaz Hassim is an author, activist, and sociologist. She has written extensively about GBV, human trafficking, and women's issues. Her latest novel, Darlings of Durban, has everyone talking. Shafinaaz joins Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel to talk about how she built her literary career from the ground up and developed a network of loyal readers and reviewers. Shafinaaz describes how her use of domestic oral lore in her Nisa Qamar series for children has won her fans among their parents too. Shafinaaz hosts the Book Bytes radio slot on Salaamedia and has started her own publishing imprint. For more details about the books, movies, series, and podcasts that are discussed on the show, sign up here for our weekly newsletter: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/r4a9m8 Fiona and Gail would love to hear from you! Please join the conversation on any of our social platforms. Follow us on Instagram · Chat with us on Twitter · Join our Facebook group · Subscribe to us on YouTube · Join our newsletter

Sven Axelrad is a Durban-based writer whose debut novel Buried Treasure took the South African literary world by storm in 2023. Sven joins Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel to talk about how he balances his day job as an accountant with the demands of his lively literary imagination. He talks about the influence of the South American magical realists on his work and discusses the significance of the Bob Dylan lyrics that appear at the start of each chapter of his book. Fiona and Gail disagree about whether Buried Treasure is a light book with dark moments or a dark book with light moments. They also debate the significance of the dog named God. Sven reveals how many stories he envisions for his fictional town of Vivo and gives listeners inside information about his upcoming novel God’s Pocket. For more details about the books, movies, series, and podcasts that are discussed on the show, sign up here for our weekly newsletter: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/r4a9m8 Follow us on Instagram · Chat with us on Twitter · Join our Facebook group · Subscribe to us on YouTube · Join our newsletter

In their first-ever remote interview, Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel are joined by the charming and delightful Qarnita Loxton. As well as being an award-winning novelist, Qarnita is a regular listener to the podcast, so it was great to have her on this side of the microphone. Qarnita is the author of the 'Being' series of novels, including Being Dianne, Being Lily, Being Kari, and Being Shelley. Qarnita describes how she recently submitted a new manuscript to a publisher and is now feeling bereft without it, as she waits to be drawn into a new idea. She tells Fiona and Gail how a writing course run by Mike Nichol got her into authorship, and how she situates her plots within detailed timelines. Gail asks Qarnita whether she feels obliged to use her voice to speak on behalf of the South African woman's Muslim community or feels free to write about whatever she likes. Fiona asks about the importance of women's friendships in Qarnita's books and in real life. For more details about the books, movies, series, and podcasts that are discussed on the show, sign up for our weekly newsletter! Fiona and Gail would love to hear from you! Please join the conversation on any of our socials. Follow us on Instagram · Chat with us on Twitter · Join our Facebook group · Subscribe to us on YouTube · Join our newsletter

We have an episode locked & loaded and ready to go early in 2024. Gail and Fiona are going remote, and their first guest connects from Cape Town. Follow us on Instagram · Chat with us on Twitter · Join our Facebook group · Subscribe to us on YouTube · Join our newsletter

Mandy Wiener is a superstar of South African journalism. Currently the presenter of the Midday Report on 702, Mandy is the award-winning author of Killing Kebble, Behind the Door: The Oscar Pistorius and Reeva Steenkamp Story, Ministry of Crime, The Whistleblowers, and more. Mandy joins Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel to talk about how the first idea she ever pitched to a publisher was rejected, but the second was enthusiastically accepted. She describes how she wrote that book in three months, and regularly produces ten thousand words a week when she is writing. Mandy traces her early enthusiasm for the written word back to her Polokwane High School and the incredible English teachers she encountered there. She tells us what it was like to be accused of being a 'brand journalist' when her name first became known, and how it is the actual journalism that still attracts her. Gail asks Mandy whether she ever feels afraid while investigating the South African underworld, and Fiona asks how she manages to keep a distance from her sources while still getting them to trust her. For more details about the books, movies, series, and podcasts that are discussed on the show, sign up for our weekly newsletter. Fiona and Gail would love to hear from you! Please join the conversation on our socials. Follow us on Instagram · Chat with us on Twitter · Join our Facebook group · Subscribe to us on YouTube · Join our newsletter

Jo Watson is an internationally bestselling and award-winning author of romantic comedies. Her latest huge hit is What Happens on Vacation. Jo joins Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel to talk about how she got her start writing on Wattpad, building such a huge online audience that her first book garnered offers of representation from three major literary agents. Jo discusses romance as a genre, and how it is really made up of hundreds of sub-genres, providing something for everyone - from dark mermaids to Amish romance. Jo tells Gail and Fiona how she has resisted setting her novels anywhere except in South Africa, and has managed to achieve international success, nevertheless. She emphasises the importance of a strong social media presence and discusses the rise of BookTok as a major force in the publishing world. For more details about the books, movies, series, and podcasts that are discussed on the show, sign up for our weekly newsletter. Fiona and Gail would love to hear from you! Please join the conversation on socials. Follow us on Instagram · Chat with us on Twitter · Join our Facebook group · Subscribe to us on YouTube · Join our newsletter

Craig Higginson is an award-winning novelist, playwright, and theatre director. His most recent book, The Ghost of Sam Webster, is currently making waves on the South African literary scene. Craig joins Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel to talk about how writing for him is a thing that flows in to fill the spaces that are left in a day. Sometimes this means writing in his car in the parking lot before work, and sometimes it means trying to write while on holiday in the countryside. Craig talks about how he got his start writing poetry, and how he is once again working on putting together a collection of poetry for publication. He describes how the mentorship of the late Barney Simon introduced him to the theatre world, and why he was only really able to find his voice as a novelist when he returned to South Africa after a long time abroad. Gail asks whether the story or the writing comes first for Craig, and Fiona asks about the inspiration behind his latest novel, The Ghost of Sam Webster. For more details about the books, movies, series, and podcasts that are discussed on the show, sign up for our weekly newsletter. Fiona and Gail would love to hear from you! Please join the conversation on our socials. Follow us on Instagram · Chat with us on Twitter · Join our Facebook group · Subscribe to us on YouTube · Join our newsletter

Ekow Duker is the author of White Wahala, Dying in New York, The God Who Made Mistakes, and most recently Yellowbone. Ekow was a finalist for the European Union Literary Award in 2011/2012 and is currently a judge in the fiction category of the Sunday Times Literary Awards. Ekow joins Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel to talk about how he got his start writing anecdotes about his life while working as an engineer in the oil fields of Libya and Algeria. He describes how he self-published his first novel, only to have a major publisher approach him to publish it. Fiona asks Ekow about the gap between his extremely contained and thoughtful real-life persona, and his wild and provocative fiction. Gail asks Ekow to describe what it is like when his writing is going well, and it feels more like taking dictation from an external source than creating it from scratch. Ekow breaks down his backlist for us, taking us through the inspiration and process behind each book. For more details about the books, movies, series, and podcasts that are discussed on the show, sign up here for our weekly newsletter. Fiona and Gail would love to hear from you! Follow us on Instagram · Chat with us on Twitter · Join our Facebook group · Subscribe to us on YouTube · Join our newsletter

Humorist, columnist, author, and social media star, Ndumiso Ngcobo needs no introduction to the South African audience – his column in the Sunday Times Lifestyle section has been a beloved institution for more than fifteen years. Ndumiso joins Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel to talk about how his early efforts as a blogger led to a national newspaper approaching him to write for them. We get deep into the weeds about writing humorously, and particularly about observational humour. The bad news is that there is no way to teach humour. The good news is that Ndumiso has more than his fair share of natural wit, which makes for a very entertaining podcast. Fiona and Gail ask about how to deal with writer’s block when you have an immovable weekly deadline and Ndumiso talks about using material from everyday life to inspire creativity. For more details about the books, movies, series, and podcasts that are discussed on the show, sign up here for our weekly newsletter: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/r4a9m8 Follow us on Instagram · Chat with us on Twitter · Join our Facebook group · Subscribe to us on YouTube · Join our newsletter

Nechama Brodie is a distinguished academic, journalist, novelist, and pioneer in the field of fact-checking. She joins Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel to talk about how the different career hats she wears make her feel at times as though she has multiple personalities. Nechama talks us through how she got started as a journalist and how a random tweet got her involved in fact-checking and ultimately in training fact-checkers all over the world. She talks about the research she did to make her novels as authentic as possible, and what it was like to release a book at the height of the pandemic. Nechama has a new book out right now on domestic violence. She explains how she works to protect her mental health while researching such distressing topics. Fiona talks about how being a writer is like having homework every day for the rest of your life. And Gail tells us why Phillip Pullman is not for her. For more details about the books, movies, series, and podcasts that are discussed on the show, sign up for our weekly newsletter: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/r4a9m8 Follow us on Instagram · Chat with us on Twitter · Join our Facebook group · Subscribe to us on YouTube · Join our newsletter

In 1985, a young Hamilton Wende watched the South African security forces drag seven bodies into Casspirs at Crossroads township and lie about it on the evening news. Since that day, he has dedicated himself as a war reporter to keeping the record and telling the truth in wartime situations. Hamilton Wende joins Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel to break down how he went from being a 16-year-old boy who used to hide Pride and Prejudice behind his Maths textbook at boarding school to a seasoned war reporter, historical novelist, and children’s author. Hamilton is the author of numerous historical novels, set in wartime situations, as well as the Arabella series of novels for tweens. Fiona talks about dealing with professional jealousy as a writer and Gail tells us how her break from writing has freed up different parts of her brain. This episode provides fascinating insight into how one man’s day job – war reporting – can feed into decades of fiction writing. Follow us on Instagram · Chat with us on Twitter · Join our Facebook group · Subscribe to us on YouTube · Join our newsletter

Prolific writer, reviewer, columnist, co-author, and ghostwriter Kate Sidley joins Fiona and Gail to educate us on the nuts and bolts of being a co-writer. Kate takes us from her earliest days as a young girl who was “good at English” growing up in a small town in England, to being an in-demand magazine writer, to a much-requested ghostwriter. Kate explains the various forms of ghostwriting, from total anonymity to open co- writing that receives acknowledgement on the cover. She talks us through the process of interviewing a subject for many hours before writing can begin. Then Kate and Gail explain how they split up the plotting and writing for their hugely successful Katie Gayle cosy mysteries. Gail talks about not writing until the tank is empty, but saving some for the next day, and Fiona talks about paying attention to the little voice in your head that tells you when something you’ve written is not good enough. For more details about the books, movies, series, and podcasts that are discussed on the show, sign up here for our weekly newsletter: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/r4a9m8 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 Follow us on Instagram · Chat with us on Twitter · Join our Facebook group · Subscribe to us on YouTube · Join our newsletter

Siphiwo is an award-winning novelist, short story writer, playwright, and academic. He is a noted scholar of Can Themba and the Drum generation. Siphiwo joins Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel to talk about how academia is taking over his writing time, and the effort he puts in to keep his creative work alive. He takes us through his earliest days as an idealistic young writer, when he quit his job after having a short story accepted by a journal - and how he quickly rejoined the working world after that! Siphiwo talks about how toxic masculinity has become more of a problem since he wrote 'When a Man Cries', rather than less. He tells us about what it is like to teach a university course that includes his own work, and how he decides whether a new project should be a novel, a short story, or a play. Fiona tells us about using the Pomodoro method to work on more than one project at a time. And Gail tells us about how it feels to get past the halfway point in writing your book. And, of course, we discuss the progress of Siphiwo Mahala's famous beard - both on social media and in real life! Follow us on Instagram · Chat with us on Twitter · Join our Facebook group · Subscribe to us on YouTube · Join our newsletter