Sarah K asked Alka Joshi:

Hi Alka, I don't really have a question but I enjoyed your style of writing and your book has become my favourite of 2020. I can't wait to read the sequel! What kept you inspired while writing The Henna Artist?

Alka Joshi What a lovely question! Time away from the manuscript was a great inspiration. I'd get busy with work (the paying kind :-) and abandon the manuscript for a while. When I would come back to it a month or a year later and read it, I would found myself intrigued all over again with the world of Lakshmi, herbal remedies and palaces, and I'd start writing. My husband, father and brothers and friends kept me going with words of encouragement as they read various drafts. My agent and editors all had great suggestions that had me exploring different subplots of the story. And, of course, my initial inspiration for the novel, my mother, never left me. She's with me every single day in my memories, my imagination, and my creative spirit. Reimagining her life was my intention for writing. When you have a concrete intention like that, you'll keep coming back to your story again and again until it's complete.

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