Joni Zalk asked Alka Joshi:

Phenomenal! Where do you get your inspiration for the storylines in these novels? and when is the next oncoming out?

Alka Joshi Hi Joni,
The Henna Artist started with my desire to thank my mother for the extraordinary freedom she gave me while I was growing up--the freedom that was taken away from her because of her conservative family upbringing in India. Through the fictional character of Lakshmi, I wanted to create a life for my mother where she had the power to make her own decisions about marriage, work and family. When that story was complete after 30 drafts, there were more than 150 pages that had been expunged from the novel, and Malik and Radha figured prominently in those. The character of Malik wouldn't leave me be. He kept urging me to tell his story. So I wrote The Secret Keeper of Jaipur to tell readers about his past and his life as an adult in 1969. I couldn't fit Radha into that story because she was supposed to be living in Paris at that time, so I knew I had to write another novel just for her. I'm finishing up that one right now, and it's so rich with perfumes and scents and a woman's longing for both family and meaningful work. Harper Collins/Mira Books will release the third novel in March 2023.

What interests me are the beliefs that are paramount in my life: that all women deserve to determine their own destiny, that there are many sides to each culture that you may not be aware of until you take a closer look, that we are ever-changing human beings whose needs and desires change with time. Thanks so much for your lovely question! :-) Alka

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