Karin Mitchell

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I started my career as a journalist in South Africa, where I covered major current events. From running through the streets to cover protests, to sitting in courtrooms to report on public interest trials, to analyzing latest political developments. I got exposed to situations and experiences I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world. I finally made the decision to become a full-time writer and spent 2 years writing a book about South Africa’s longest running criminal trial – which I’d covered for a number of years. I now live in a remote little town bordering the renowned Kruger National Park, where life some days feels too good to be true. I’ve just co-authored a memoir about a rhino monitor’s life in Africa. If I’m not writing, you’ll most likely find me on a golf course where I’m trying to work on my golf game.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My book’s name is South Africa’s High Treason Club, which tells the story of a nationalistic right wing group known as the “Boeremag”. I started covering the trial as an intern journalist, as I had to get familiar with court reporting. Not too long after starting to attend the trial, I started to talk to the alleged mastermind of the group and soon found myself going to visit him in prison to interview him. I interviewed him for 6 years and finally published the story of the mammoth trial in 2019.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think there’s anything too unusual about drinking way too much coffee and listening to piano music to stay focused.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Writing non-fiction means that I read quite a bit of non-fiction. I loved Bridget Hilton-Barber’s “Student Comrade Prisoner Spy”. South African journalist, and a work colleague, Mandy Wiener (Author of Killing Kebble) has always been an inspiration to know that writing a book was possible when I thought it would always only be a dream. I also really enjoyed Antjie Krog’s “Country of my Skull”.

What are you working on now?
I’ve just finished co-authoring a fascinating memoir of a monitor for black rhinos in the conservation area that I live in. Coming from the UK, he found himself in a unique position where he was tasked with looking after 20 black rhinos to help ensure their population growth and range expansion. The book also looks at mental health, as he takes the reader through his journey of dealing with depression and being diagnosed as being on the spectrum in his early 40’s.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I absolutely love Twitter for its interactive reach to anyone in the world. The fact that you can post several times a day without driving people up the walls, is also a plus.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Be sure to research everything you can about the actual journey of being an author. Read up about marketing and querying and everything you will be confronted with. There are days where it feels incredibly lonely and frustrating to get your project out into the world – but just know that it will all be worth it – even if your book doesn’t get published, there’s nothing quite as satisfying in this world as knowing that you have written a book!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
My editor Isabella Morris told me in one of our very early meetings that “a story will choose you”.

What are you reading now?
I’m busy with the adventurous Cry of the Kalahari by Mark and Delia Owens (author of Where the Crawdads Sing). My husband and I were in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve last year, the same reserve where they had set up a research camp, and it’s captivating to read their stories from this area we’d visited.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’d like to explore fiction, as I’ve been working on serious non-fiction for a few years now.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
The Bang Bang Club by Greg Marinovich and João Silva
The Earth is Enough by Harry Middleton

Author Websites and Profiles
Karin Mitchell Website
Karin Mitchell Amazon Profile

Karin Mitchell’s Social Media Links
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