Alka Joshi‘s 10-year journey to get The Henna Artist into the hands of readers required three things: a condo in Jaipur, an economic recession, and an amazing mother. Alka will take you on that journey.

Born in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India, Alka Joshi has lived in the U.S. since the age of nine. Her debut novel, The Henna Artist, became a NYT bestseller, a Reese Witherspoon Bookclub pick, an LA Times bestseller, a USA Today bestseller, Longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, a top 10 Goodreads book of 2020, and top 10 Indigo book of 2020, and is being developed for an episodic TV series starring Freida Pinto. The sequel, The Secret Keeper of Jaipur, premieres June 22, 2021.

Alka has a BA from Stanford University and an MFA from California College of the Arts. She ran her own advertising and PR agency for 30 years.