It's said that many - if not most - of us, have a novel inside just waiting to get out. And, especially during Covid lockdowns, many people did just that - break open the mental shackles and begin to write a book.

But getting the words down is only the very first part of the challenge; there's a whole lot more before your book can end up on the shelves of a book store and you find yourself signing the film rights away.

In this episode I talk with established New Zealand author, poet and publisher Mary McCallum about the writing process and getting your work published.

Here in Aotearoa/New Zealand we are home to the world's smallest penguin, the Kororā, also known as the Little Blue Penguin.

Living in coastal areas, they're fragile wee creatures, easily spooked and can literally be frightened to death, especially by dogs.

In this episode, I talk with Ross Gilmour of the penguin Avoidance Scheme, about how dogs can be trained to avoid the Kororā as soon as they smell them.

Private Bill Broad was just 21 when he set off on a ship from Portsmouth in the dead of night on 6 June, 1944. His mission, along with 160,000 other allied troops, was to land on the coast of Normandy and overpower the German forces. This is his story. However, not everyone in France was pleased to see the allied troops arrive...

Is there an easy way to learn another language? Or is it just practice and perseverance? And how useful are old-fashioned phrase books?

Join me as I talk with Associate Professor Anna Siyanova-Chanturia, of Victoria University's School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies, and hear a multi-linguist's view on language learning!

The fear of public speaking is a real thing - it's even got a name: Glossophobia. In this episode, I talk with Jason of a local public speaking group that meets weekly, about how the group helps people overcome the terror of facing an audience.

If you ever thought, 'Nah, I won't need travel insurance,' you MUST listen to this next episode of 'Mike On...'

Most people come back from holiday with a T-shirt or fridge magnet. But when Roy McGuinness returned from Rarotonga, he brought something nobody would want: necrotising fasciitis - a flesh-eating disease.

Two legs and eight partial fingers later, this is his shocking yet heart-warming and inspirational story about transitioning to life in a wheelchair.

In a recent survey of New York Public Library users, 92% of respondents reported feeling somewhat to very “calm / peaceful” after visiting the library. But that's not all to do with being surrounded by books.

In this episode, we find out more about how librarians today are far more than shelf-elves: they're photocopier technicians, internet wizards, town hall officers, and even social workers. And yes, they know about books. In short, they're superheroes!

New Zealander Ros discovered quite by accident that she needed a triple bypass operation, and a new aorta. The surprises didn't stop there. Listen to her engaging and informative story, and find out why she's now called 'Daisy'...

New Zealand photographer and award-winning science communicator Louise Thomas took up bird photography just five years ago. From an initial collection of blurry backyard birds, she now takes pictures of dozens of species, all in sharp focus and with a Wow! factor.

Hear how she went from raw amateur to 'fully-fledged' photographer, and how her bird images now grace both canvas and calendar. Check out her website: https://www.louisethomas.co.nz/photography/

In this podcast I look at the possibility of alien life existing, both in the wider context of the universe and, closer to home, here on Earth.

It’s a controversial subject that, despite all the science we have at our disposal, still comes down to belief: whether you believe alien life exists elsewhere in the universe or not, because, as of right now we have no proof that it does.

And, equally controversially, we’ll discuss whether aliens have visited, or are indeed visiting, us here on Earth.