A Journey Through Crime, Dystopia, and Literary Fiction
Lisa de Nikolits discusses her South African heritage, genre-blending storytelling, the challenges of writing sequels, the thrill of translation, her work with the Mesdames of Mayhem, and the inspirations that drive her creativity.
Lisa de Nikolits is a literary force to be reckoned with. An award-winning author with eleven novels to her name, she has captivated readers across genres, from crime fiction to dystopian narratives and literary explorations. Her works have earned critical acclaim, international recognition, and devoted fans who eagerly anticipate each new release.
In this exclusive interview for Reader’s House Magazine, de Nikolits offers an intimate glimpse into her creative world. She reflects on the impact of her South African heritage, the unexpected directions her stories take, and the challenges of crafting sequels that stand on their own. She also shares fascinating insights into the experience of having her work translated, her involvement with the Mesdames of Mayhem, and the relentless curiosity that fuels her storytelling.
With a career spanning continents and a knack for weaving intricate, thought-provoking tales, de Nikolits continues to push boundaries in fiction. Her latest projects, including That Time I Killed You, promise more of the sharp wit, depth, and daring imagination that readers have come to expect.
How has your South African heritage influenced your writing, and do you find it shaping your characters or themes in unexpected ways?
First and foremost is the ingrained importance of ethical and social considerations in every sphere. But there is an unexpected way that it shapes my writing. When it comes to casual banter – or writing – South Africans are refreshingly blunt and honest. For example, a South African could say; “Oh don’t speak such rubbish!” and no offense would be taken. I could never say – or write – that in Canada unless my character was an antagonist I wanted everyone to despise. I have to go through my first drafts and apply a polite, non-South African filter.
Your novels span multiple genres, from crime fiction to dystopian and literary fiction. What draws you to such diverse storytelling styles?
It’s up to the books, not me, which is quite annoying because I start off with a different trajectory in mind. I map out the characters, timeline, plot arcs; the lot. But the minute I start writing it, it all flies out the window, which makes things tricky. For example, I wasn’t happy when The Rage Room veered into sci-fi. I wanted the novel to be about adults jumping back to a sunshiny time in their childhood when they were happy and carefree. My working title was The GoBack Junkies and I was quite in love with the idea. My plan was to write a character-driven book about memory rather than time travel because I’m not much of a sci-fi afficionado and my heart sank at the thought of all the research and work I’d have to do. Still, the novel was great fun to write.
Everything You Dream is Real is a sequel to The Rage Room but can also be read as a standalone. What challenges did you face when writing a sequel that maintains its own narrative strength?
A primary challenge was morphing the tech from The Rage Room into workable elements for Dream. When I wrote The Rage Room, my inventions only needed to hold substance to the last page. When it comes to sci-fi tech, readers know their stuff and if you mess with the narrative, you will not escape their wrath. Another challenge was shifting the POV from a single protagonist to three POV’s. Writing Dream was a challenge but I had to do it because I wanted to know what happened after The Rage Room as much as anyone else.
No Fury Like That was translated into Italian. What was it like seeing your work adapted for a different audience, and did it change how you view the novel?
It was a marvellous experience from start to finish and every time I look at una furia dell’altro mondo, I get a thrill. The publisher of Edizioni le Asassine, Tiziana Prina, organized a book tour and every moment was wonderful. Una furia dell’altro mondo means a fury from the other world, which is such a great title. Some of the questions on the book tour were different to Canadian interviews. One interviewer asked me why “I treat my men so badly” and we had a great chat about that. I objected, saying that Cedar Mountain Eagle (the winged man on the cover of una furia) is one of my favourite male characters and the interviewer agreed that he’s great but he insisted that my male characters didn’t have the power of the women. I also loved the cover of una furia and I saw the whole airport/purgatory aspect in a different light.
You’re a member of the Mesdames of Mayhem. How has being part of this writing community influenced your approach to crime fiction?
The best answer to this question to invite readers to watch this fifteen-minute documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4dxvaLCVBE. Meet The Women Who Love Murder. We’ve been together thirteen years and our latest anthology, The 13th Letter, was recently shortlisted for the prestigious Derringer Award/Best Anthology. “M” is the 13th letter of the alphabet (13 is clearly our lucky number!) and we also used “M” to stand for mayhem, maple syrup, mischief, mystery, Marilyn Monroe, murder, moolah, as well as messages and letters.
With forthcoming works such as That Time I Killed You, can you give us a glimpse into your creative process and how you develop your intricate plots and compelling characters?
I’m an avid fish keeper and I’ve got two adorable little shrimp and thirteen guppies. The shrimp never stop working. They rub their little feelers together 24/7 and it’s like I’ve got dozens of shrimp going crazy on my brain, scouring through incoming information for story ideas, plots, characters and setting.
Also, I’m a plot sponge! I’m constantly looking for links and loops and threads and ideas that will come in handy at some point. I run ideas past people constantly and I gauge their reactions carefully. If their body language is positive, I follow that path. I wouldn’t throw a book out of the window because of someone’s negative opinions but the less-than-enthusiastic body language tells me where I have to work harder. Sometimes people are very verbal about their feedback which I really appreciate.
I see the world through writer’s eyes. Now and then, I’ve thought that’s it, no more writing for me, but I can’t help myself, because I write, therefore I am.
