I am the only-child, first-generation daughter of Indian immigrants, born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee; alumna of St. Mary’s Episcopal School, Rice University (B.A. in Religious Studies), & The University of Arizona (M.F.A. in Creative Writing); proud adoptive mom of a fabulous ten-year-old named Shiv, former middle & high school English teacher, and resident of Houston, TX, the most underrated food city in America (fight me).

My publications include two books: The Pomegranate King, self-published in 2013, and Brown White Black, published by Picador in February 2019, printed in paperback (with a new afterword) in August 2020.  I am currently at work on a new collection of essays and am represented by the lovely Maria Massie of Massie & McQuilkin.

True facts:

I am a sucker for historical fiction and YA romance, though I don’t think I could ever write either. My boxer/pit bull mix Loki is the canine love of my life (see above) and truly one of the best things to ever happen to me. Feeding people makes me happy—I feel deep joy when I cook for others (I also have a weird fetish about cooking in other people’s kitchens. It’s so fun! Invite me over!) And, last but not least, I will reliably make a fuss over every baby I see in public, much to my daughter’s chagrin.

If you’d like, you can follow me on Twitter and/or Instagram. ALSO, I am rebuilding my email list after a long website hiatus, so if you signed up in the past, I fear you may need to do so again (apologies!). If you are new here and interested in signing up, yay! Either way, go here.

Questions? Concerns? Recipes? Suggestions? (an old line from my teaching days) Feel free to reach out to me directly using this form. Thank you!