Nima Morgan asked Alka Joshi:

hello, I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed The Henna Artist, I loved the book and I am so thrilled to see there is a second one on the way, I cant wait to see what happens. I have recommended this book to everyone I know. How did you find the characters? are they based on people you know?

Alka Joshi There are only 2 characters in THE HENNA ARTIST who are very loosely based on real people. The first is my mother, who was my inspiration for Lakshmi. I wanted to reimagine mom's life as a woman who could make her own decisions and shape her destiny. Like many Indian women of her generation, those decisions were made for my mother by her family. Mom loved the character of Lakshmi and encouraged me to keep going before she died. She was tickled that I'd imagined Lakshmi as a henna artist since my mother had always had someone else decorate her hands with henna :-)

The younger Maharani was inspired by the formidable Maharani Gayatri Devi of Jaipur, who started the MGD girls school still prized today for its excellent curriculum. In 2019, when I visited Jaipur, I was invited to speak to the senior class, which was such a treat! I gave them a writing prompt after my talk, and asked several to read their work aloud. I was so impressed with their self-confidence, their intelligence and their talent! Radha certainly missed out on an excellent education there!

Thanks so much for you question. The curiosity of readers keeps me energized to write the two sequels coming up!
Hugs, Alka

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