I started my publishing career in YA
Author Nisha Sharma
After finishing law school, I started my first big girl job at a company in New York City and went on submission with a book that same year. When it didn’t sell, I decided to go back to school part time to get my MFA degree in creative writing. In that program, I wrote My So-Called Bollywood Life, a YA contemporary romance that was purchased by Crown Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Even though I sold it in 2014, it wasn’t published until 2018. After that point, I published one to two books a year in either adult or YA romance.
2. I have a career in Diversity Equity and Inclusion
My passion for championing marginalized authors started with a passion for advocating for marginalized communities within a corporate workplace. As I was studying, then writing, I was making my way up the corporate ladder. At one point, I was the head of DE&I for a billion-dollar company where I was responsible for reporting to the C-suite on a regular basis. It’s a demanding career path, but one I’m very proud to have.
3. I cut my teeth on old school romances from the nineties and early 2000’s
My safe space has always been romance novels. I used to love Susan Elizabeth Phillips and Jennifer Crusie rom-coms, as well as romantic suspense novels from people like Jayne Ann Krentz, Cristina Dodd and Catherine Coulter. It wasn’t until I was older and had access to a larger library system, that I began to read more diversely.
4. I spent most of my twenties and early thirties in New Jersey
Even though I started working in New York City after law school, I wanted space, which meant I had to live in New Jersey. It was the best decision I ever made. I know there is a lot of hate for Jersey, but I have never felt more in tune with my bi-cultural identity than when I was a central Jerz resident. I would get Indian groceries easily or Indian restaurant takeout. I could get my eyebrows threaded whenever I wanted, go to community parties, shop for Indian clothes, you name it. The only reason why I moved back to Pennsylvania was because I wanted to be closer to my family.
5. As much as I love talking about food, I’m actually a very selective eater
This comes from disordered eating habits. I have PCOS, Hashimoto’s and I’ve been doing IVF for about six years which interrupts healthy food relationships. When I write about my favorite dishes in my novels, I feel a sense of peace with the way I engage with food.
6. Marriage and Masti was a hard book to write for a bunch of reasons
Marriage and Masti is the last book in a series that changed my life. It was also about the last single friend in a group of married friends, toxic parental relationships, and about two friends who fell in love. I know some authors adore the friends to lovers trope, but I’ve always struggled with it. Thankfully, since it’s a Shakespeare adaptation, I had the Shakespeare play as a blueprint.
7. My favorite Shakespeare adaptation isn’t really an adaptation, but a retelling
In 1993, Kenneth Branagh did the movie Much Ado About Nothing. It is a faithful retelling with zero deviation from the play. It is also my favorite movie, above Ten Things I Hate About You, and She’s the Man. This is mostly because the cast is hilarious, and the chemistry between Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson is INCREDIBLE. That is the kind of chemistry I tried to channel into my own writing.
Nisha's Latest novel Marriage & Mashi is released 27th August 2024 Check it out HERE
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