Hello, Protagonists!
My podcast guest today is Alka Joshi, New York Times bestselling author of The Henna Artist, The Secret Keeper of Jaipur, and The Perfumist of Paris. The Henna Artist was a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick and is currently in development at Netflix as a series.
But that’s not why I chose Alka for you. I invited her because she is a role model for anyone who worries it’s too late to change careers and follow their dreams. Alka is so transparent about her own writing journey (writing is her fourth career!) and she generously gives advice to anyone who craves more creativity in their lives.
Alka and I are both Stanford alumni, and it was wonderful to film this episode in person together, on location on the Stanford University campus.
Today we talk about:
beginning a writing career later in life,
what it's like to work with Reese Witherspoon and her book club team,
Alka's ideal writing schedule,
advice for getting started as a writer, and so much more
»Watch here, or listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify Podcasts! (please leave a rating for me on Apple or Spotify 💛)
» Past podcast episodes live HERE
✍🏼 And don’t forget about our $1,000 Scholarships for Aspiring Writers (more info here).
It’s meant exactly for writers who are already in a different career but want to study more about writing—through continuing education, community college courses, or elsewhere. Applications are open now.
I hope you enjoy the show!1
The CREATIVE.INSPIRED.HAPPY Podcast is an interview series with incredibly successful writers about how they rose out of obscurity to build fulfilling careers. With each episode, I hope you'll learn something to make you more creative, inspired, or happy!
Want more of Alka?
You can find her in so many places online:
Website: alkajoshi.com
Instagram: thealkajoshi
YouTube: AlkaJoshi
Facebook: alkajoshi2019
Alka Joshi is the internationally bestselling author of the Jaipur Trilogy: The Henna Artist, The Secret Keeper of Jaipur and The Perfumist of Paris. Her debut novel, The Henna Artist, immediately became a New York Times Bestseller, a Reese Witherspoon Pick and was LongListed for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize. It has been translated into 29 languages and is currently in development at Netflix as a tv series. In 2023, Forbes selected Joshi as one of 50 over 50 women empowering other women. Joshi was born in India and came to the U.S. with her family at the age of nine. She has a BA from Stanford University and an MFA from California College of Arts. She lives in California.
Becoming a Writer Later in Life with Alka Joshi, New York Times bestselling author