Alka Joshi’s mother married at 18 in an arranged marriage, as was the custom in India in the 1950’s. The choice was not hers. But what if she had fled and not married? What if she had been able to make her own choices? The Henna Artist is Alka’s story of what if. Ten years of research, ten years in the writing and we have the story of one woman’s journey to be self-made and discover herself. Choices that we have and those we don’t have or didn’t have, Alka expresses it all through the artistry in The Henna Artist.
Alka Joshi’s debut novel is on the New York Times Bestseller List, Reese Witherspoon’s May Book club pick and one of Ms. Magazine’s ‘8 Books That Will Transport You’. Born in the desert state of Rajasthan in India, her family immigrated to America in 1967. Alka has lived in India, Italy and France. She and her husband currently live in California. Alka earned her BA from Stanford University and an MFA from California College of Arts in San Francisco. Alka has spent over 30 years in marketing and is the CEO of Alka Joshi Marketing.