Lisa de Nikolits

Lisa de Nikolits
Lisa de Nikolits in 2020
Born	Lisa de Nikolits Johannesburg, South Africa
Occupation	Novelist Art director
Alma mater	University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
Notable awards	IPPY Awards [1]
Website
www.lisawriter.com

Lisa de Nikolits is a Canadian writer and art director originally from South Africa, who moved to Canada in 2000. ^[2] She is known for her novels, short stories, and poetry, with her work appearing in various international anthologies and literary journals. Her writing has received attention from publications such as Canadian Living magazine and Canadian Literature . ^{[3] [4]}

De Nikolits has received several literary awards, including an Independent Publisher Book Award. ^[5] Her novel The Occult Persuasion and the Anarchist's Solution was longlisted for the 2020 Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic. ^[6] Her book The Rage Room was a finalist in the science fiction category of the International Book Awards (IBA) in 2021. ^[7]

She is a member of Crime Writers of Canada, the International Thriller Writers, and Sisters in Crime. ^{[8] [9]} Her most recent book, Mad Dog and the Sea Dragon, was published in 2025, bringing her total of published novels to thirteen. ^[10]

Background

De Nikolits was born in South Africa. She grew up on a smallholding in Gauteng. She has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English literature and Philosophy from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. In 2000, de Nikolits moved to Canada where she became a Canadian citizen in 2003. She has worked as an art director in the United States, Australia and Britain for Marie Claire, Vogue Australia, and Vogue Living. She has worked on Hello! Canada, Canadian Health & Lifestyle, Canadian Living, Cosmetics and other Canadian magazine titles. ^{[11] [12]}

Writing

De Nikolits is the author of twelve novels ^{[13] [14] [15]} and the recipient of several awards and honours. ^[16] Her title The Occult Persuasion and The Anarchist's Solution was longlisted for The Sunburst Awards 2020. ^[17] The stories of de Nikolits and three other members of the writer's group Mesdames of Mayhem were presented in CBC Documentary in October 2019, The Mesdames of Mayhem, a CBC GEM documentary. Her books were chosen as a Chatelaine Editor's Pick, ^[18]

Published books

• Mad Dog and the Sea Dragon, ISBN   9781834210025, Inanna Publications and Education, 200 pages, 2025. ^[19]
• Everything You Dream is Real, ISBN   978-1-77133-930-8, Inanna, 336 pages, 2022 ^{[13] [20] [21] [22]}
• The Rage Room, ISBN   978-1-77133-777-9, Inanna, 312 pages, 2020 ^[23]
• The Occult Persuasion and The Anarchist's Solution, ISBN   978-1-77133-649-9, Inanna, 300 pages, 2019 ^[24]
• Una furia dell'altro mondo, ISBN   9788894979183, Edizioni le Assassine, 398 pages, 2019 ^[25]
• Rotten Peaches, ISBN   978-1-77133-529-4, Inanna, 300 pages, 2018 ^[26]
• No Fury Like That, ISBN   978-1-77133-413-6, Inanna, 320 pages, 2017 ^[27]
• The Nearly Girl, ISBN   978-1-7713-3313-9, Inanna, 312 pages, 2016 ^[28]
• Between The Cracks She Fell, ISBN   978-1-7713-3225-5, Inanna, 300 pages, 2015 ^[29]
• The Witchdoctor's Bones, ISBN   978-1-7713-3126-5, Inanna, 388 pages, 2014 ^[30]
• A Glittering Chaos, ISBN   978-1-9267-0892-8, Inanna, 344 pages, 2013 ^[31]
• West of Wawa, ISBN   978-1-9267-0824-9, Inanna, 312 pages, 2011 ^[32]
• The Hungry Mirror, ISBN   978-1-9267-0800-3, Inanna, 354 pages, 2010 ^[33]

Writing awards

• The Hungry Mirror, longlisted for a ReLit award, 2011 ^{[34] [ failed verification ]}
• The Occult Persuasion and the Anarchist's Solution, longlisted for a Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic, 2020 ^[17]
• The Rage Room, finalist International Book Awards (IBA), Science Fiction, 2021 ^[35]

Other published works

• Flash Fiction Online, The Love Triangle, Maudlinhouse.net, 2014 ^[36]
• Canadian Woman Studies Journal, Women Writing4: Remembering: Inanna, Winter 2012/Spring 2013, poem. ^[37]
• Short Story Online, Henry and Hannah, Maudlinhouse.net, 2014 ^[38]

Other honors

• Served as a judge for the Hamilton Literary Awards 2014, Fiction. ^[39]
• Guest Blogger on Open Book: Toronto, 2013 ^[40]
• Featured Guest on SheDoesTheCity, June 2010 ^[12]

References

1. Rushanthi Kesunathan & Bill Maclean (April 15, 2019). "Beach author Lisa de Nikolits releases her eighth novel, Rotten Peaches". Beach Metro Community News. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
2. "DE NIKOLITS, LISA". Crime Writers of Canada. Retrieved September 16, 2025.
3. Buchner, Jill (October 22, 2015). "Must-read books of 2015: Between the Cracks She Fell". Canadian Living. Retrieved September 16, 2025.
4. "A Quarterly of Criticism and Review". Canadian Literature. Retrieved September 16, 2025.
5. "About Lisa de Nikolits". Lisa de Nikolits Official Website. Retrieved September 16, 2025.
6. "2020 Longlist". Sunburst Award. Retrieved September 16, 2025.
7. "WOW WHAT A YEAR 2021 – PART ONE!". Mesdames of Mayhem. January 11, 2022. Retrieved September 16, 2025.
8. "DE NIKOLITS, LISA". Crime Writers of Canada. Retrieved September 16, 2025.
9. "Members". International Thriller Writers. Retrieved September 16, 2025.
10. De Nikolits, Lisa (2025). Mad Dog and the Sea Dragon. Toronto, Canada: Inanna Publications and Education Inc. ISBN   978-1-83421-002-5.
11. "Lisa DeNikolits: Art Direction and Design". www.lisadenikolitsdesign.com. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
12. "Lisa de Nikolits – Art Director and Author of The Hungry Mirror". Shedoesthecity. June 1, 2010. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
13. Katianna Manakis (November 2, 2022). "A conduit for fantastical stories, local author Lisa de Nikolits releases her latest book Everything You Dream is Real". Beach Metro Community News. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
14. "Lisa de Nikolits". Goodreads . Retrieved March 3, 2021.
15. "Lisa de Nikolits Archives". Inanna Publications. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
16. "Beach author Lisa de Nikolits releases her eighth novel, Rotten Peaches". Beach Metro Community News. April 15, 2019. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
17. "2020 Sunburst Award Longlist! | The Sunburst Award Society". sunburstaward.org. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
18. "West of Wawa is our next book club pick". www.chatelaine.com. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
19. De Nikolits, Lisa (2025). Mad Dog and the Sea Dragon. Toronto, Canada: Inanna Publications and Education Inc. ISBN   183421002X.
20. "65 works of Canadian fiction to watch for in fall 2022". CBC Books. September 1, 2022. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
21. "Books·Canadian: Everything You Dream is Real - Lisa de Nikolits". CBC Books. September 1, 2022. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
22. De Nikolits, Lisa (2020). Everything You Dream is Real. Toronto, Canada. ISBN   978-1-77133-930-8. OCLC   1337926815.
23. De Nikolits, Lisa (2020). The rage room : a novel. Toronto, Canada. ISBN   978-1-77133-777-9. OCLC   1153476672.
24. De Nikolits, Lisa (September 20, 2019). The occult persuasion and the anarchist's solution : a novel. Toronto, Canada. ISBN   978-1-77133-649-9. OCLC   1096469921.
25. De Nikolits, Lisa (2019). Una furia dell'altro mondo. Edizioni Le Assassine. ISBN   9788894979183.
26. De Nikolits, Lisa (2018). Rotten peaches : a novel. Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ISBN   978-1-77133-530-0. OCLC   1078550109.
27. De Nikolits, Lisa. No fury like that : a novel. Toronto. ISBN   978-1-77133-416-7. OCLC   1011500992.
28. De Nikolits, Lisa, 1966- (2016). The nearly girl. Toronto, Ontario. ISBN   978-1-77133-313-9. OCLC   953887615.
29. De Nikolits, Lisa, 1966- (August 20, 2015). Between the cracks she fell. Toronto, Canada. ISBN   978-1-77133-225-5. OCLC   910530601.
30. De Nikolits, Lisa, 1966- (2014). The witchdoctor's bones : a novel. Toronto, Canada. ISBN   978-1-77133-126-5. OCLC   871318780.
31. De Nikolits, Lisa (2013). A glittering chaos : a novel. Toronto. ISBN   978-1-77133-041-1. OCLC   861786925.
32. De Nikolits, Lisa, 1966- (2011). West of Wawa - a novel. Toronto: Inanna Publications and Education. ISBN   978-1-926708-24-9. OCLC   748088977.
33. De Nikolits, Lisa, 1966- (2010). The hungry mirror : a novel. Toronto: Inanna Publications and Education Inc. ISBN   978-1-926708-00-3. OCLC   441760914.
34. "ReLit Awards 2011 Longlists". Open Book: Toronto. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
35. "2021 International Book Awards — 12th Annual Awards Sponsored by American Book Fest". International Book Awards (IBA). Archived from the original on June 18, 2021. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
36. "The Love Triangle by Lisa de Nikolits in Flash Fiction". September 2014. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
37. "Women Writing4: Remembering". Inanna Publications. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
38. "Henry and Hannah by Lisa de Nikolits in Fiction". September 2014. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
39. "Announcing the FINALISTS FOR 21st Annual Hamilton Literary Awards". Hamilton Arts Council. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
40. "Harry Crews, Writerly Yardstick: A Guest Post from Author Lisa de Nikolits". Open Book: Toronto. Retrieved June 11, 2020.

External links

• Official website