Alka Joshi

Alka Joshi is an Indian-American author who has gained worldwide recognition for her compelling and engaging literary fiction. Born in the desert state of Rajasthan in India, Joshi and her family immigrated to America in 1967. After earning a BA from Stanford University and an MFA from California College of Arts in San Francisco, she ran an advertising and marketing agency for 30 years.

Joshi's literary career took off with the publication of her first novel, "The Henna Artist," which was a Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club pick and has since been optioned for a screen adaptation. Her writing is known for its unique and exciting storytelling, with strong characters and robust stories that retain a universal truth. Readers from all over have been captivated by her ability to bring a lot of weight to the medium, making her a household name in the literary world.

"The Henna Artist" was inspired by Joshi's own experiences and her re-imagining of her mother's life. She began to see her mother as a person separate from her family, with an identity outside of motherhood. This re-imagining became the basis for her debut novel, which took 10 years, a lot of research, and many trips to India to complete. Joshi currently lives with her husband on the Northern California Coast and is working on the sequel to "The Henna Artist." She enjoys sharing her writing and publishing process on YouTube and connecting with her readers.