Writing Through the Fire: Barbara Nickless on Resilience and Craft

“Life’s tragedies can light the way to our greatest stories.” — Barbara Nickless On this episode of Uncorking a Story, Mike Carlon welcomes Barbara Nickless, a #1 Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestselling author whose journey into writing was shaped by a lifetime of adventure and an unshakable resilience. From cave rescues to falconry, Barbara’s path to success is as captivating as her novels. She discusses how losing everything in the Waldo Canyon wildfire fueled her passion for storytelling and dives into her latest book, The Drowning Game, an espionage thriller set against the high-stakes world of superyachts and international intrigue. Key Topics: Resilience Through Tragedy: How the Waldo Canyon wildfire became a turning point in Barbara’s writing journey. Crafting Complex Characters: Exploring Barbara’s character-driven approach to thrillers and espionage stories. The Art of Research: From interviewing CIA experts to studying yacht culture, how Barbara brings authenticity to her work. The Journey to Publication: Barbara’s whirlwind experience at ThrillerFest and the serendipitous meeting with her agent. Meditation and Creativity: How Barbara uses mindfulness to combat the pressures of writing under tight deadlines. The World of Espionage: Insights into Barbara’s first foray into the spy genre with The Drowning Game. Life Lessons and Detours: Why taking time to live and learn has shaped Barbara’s storytelling. Buy The Drowning Game: Amazon: https://amzn.to/40XZDfy Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9781662510014 Connect with Barbara Website: ​​https://barbaranickless.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barbara.nickless/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barbarannickless LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbara-nickless-81674a50/ Connect with Mike Website: https://uncorkingastory.com/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSvS4fuG3L1JMZeOyHvfk_g Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncorkingastory/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@uncorkingastory Twitter: https://twitter.com/uncorkingastory Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uncorkingastory LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/uncorking-a-story/ If you like this episode, please share it with a friend. If you have not done so already, please rate and review Uncorking a Story on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. #UncorkingAStory #BarbaraNickless #TheDrowningGame #EspionageThriller #ThrillerBooks #WritingJourney #CreativeResilience #StorytellingCraft #BookLaunch #CharacterDrivenStories