Episodes

  • S07 E04 Karen Jennings

    S07 E04 Karen Jennings
    Apr 13 2026
    Karen Jennings is an internationally acclaimed author whose work has been rewarded with a Booker Prize longlisting.

    Karen joins Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel to talk about how new ideas sometimes come to her in the form of a colour, and how she writes multiple drafts of the same manuscript in search of incremental improvement. She describes where she was and what she was doing when she found out about the Booker longlisting.

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    Fiona and Gail would love to hear from you. Please join the conversation here:

    Email: hiddenlivesofwriters@gmail.com
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    1 hr and 3 mins
  • S07 E03 Jassy Mackenzie

    S07 E03 Jassy Mackenzie
    Apr 6 2026
    Jassy Mackenzie is a multi-award-nominated author who combines talent with hard work and an excellent head for business.

    Jassy joins Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel to talk about how she got her start writing gritty, Joburg-based crime, before being approached to write with James Patterson. She talks about the obligations of being a contracted ghostwriter and how she is already planning to ensure the longevity of her writing career.

    For more details about the books, movies, series, and podcasts that are discussed on the show, sign up here for our weekly newsletter:
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    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 Follow us on Instagram · Chat with us on Twitter · Join our Facebook group · Subscribe to us on YouTube · Join our newsletter · Ask your writing-related questions here
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    1 hr and 11 mins
  • S07 E02 Mike Nicol

    S07 E02 Mike Nicol
    Mar 30 2026
    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.

    For more details about the books, movies, series, and podcasts that are discussed on the show, sign up here for our weekly newsletter:
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    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 · Ask your writing-related questions here
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    1 hr and 13 mins
  • S07 E01 Sally Andrew

    S07 E01 Sally Andrew
    Mar 23 2026
    Sally Andrew is a South African literary superstar. Her Tannie Maria books are loved by many thousands of readers and have been turned into a successful international TV series.

    Sally joins Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel to talk about how she plots her books under a huge and ancient tree, and how the voice of Tannie Maria arrived in her head fully formed. The fifth book in the Tannie Maria series, Wild Things Never Die, will be available in May.

    For more details about the books, movies, series, and podcasts that are discussed on the show, sign up here for our weekly newsletter:
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    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 Follow us on Instagram · Chat with us on Twitter · Join our Facebook group · Subscribe to us on YouTube · Join our newsletter · Ask your writing-related questions here
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    58 mins
  • S06 E10 Lauri Kubuitsile

    S06 E10 Lauri Kubuitsile
    Nov 10 2025
    Botswana-based Lauri Kubuitsile is the multi-award-winning author of The Scattering and But Deliver Us From Evil, as well as many, many books for children, teens, and adults.

    Lauri joins Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel to talk about writing what she likes and not being afraid to stand up for herself both creatively and in negotiating contracts.

    For more details about the books, movies, series, and podcasts that are discussed on the show, sign up here for our weekly newsletter:
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    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 Follow us on Instagram · Chat with us on Twitter · Join our Facebook group · Subscribe to us on YouTube · Join our newsletter · Ask your writing-related questions here
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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • S06 E09 Anna Stroud

    S06 E09 Anna Stroud
    Nov 3 2025
    Anna Stroud is the award-winning author of WHO LOOKS INSIDE, an extraordinary debut novel that probes beneath the surface of small-town life.

    Anna joins Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel to talk about how doing an MA in Creative Writing gave her permission to take her writing seriously, and why she composes her stories on a secondhand, offline laptop called 'Gandalf'.

    For more details about the books, movies, series, and podcasts that are discussed on the show, sign up here for our weekly newsletter:
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    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 Follow us on Instagram · Chat with us on Twitter · Join our Facebook group · Subscribe to us on YouTube · Join our newsletter · Ask your writing-related questions here
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    55 mins
  • S06 E08 Tom Eaton

    S06 E08 Tom Eaton
    Oct 27 2025
    Tom Eaton is a popular and widely read columnist. He has a long career as a novelist and writer of non-fiction. His latest book is a laugh-out-loud cosy mystery. AN ACT OF MURDER is out now from Penguin Random House.

    Tom joins Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel to talk about how to write humour, and how his own acerbic wit has softened over the years. Tom explains why he believes that cosy mysteries are having a moment in South Africa right now.

    For more details about the books, movies, series, and podcasts that are discussed on the show, sign up here for our weekly newsletter
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    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 · Ask your writing-related questions here
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    1 hr
  • S06 E07 Claire Robertson

    S06 E07 Claire Robertson
    Oct 20 2025
    Claire Robertson is a South African literary superstar and winner of multiple major awards. Claire is the author of numerous works of contemporary and historical fiction. Her most recent novel THE IMMORTALITES is out now from Penguin Random House.

    Claire joins Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel to talk about how her work as a journalist led to novel-writing and how her use of language captures the rhythms of the past

    For more details about the books, movies, series, and podcasts that are discussed on the show, sign up here for our weekly newsletter:
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    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 Follow us on Instagram · Chat with us on Twitter · Join our Facebook group · Subscribe to us on YouTube · Join our newsletter · Ask your writing-related questions here
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    58 mins