How did you become a writer?

I worked for years as a journalist and then an entertainment marketing strategist, traveling around the country, interviewing people, running focus groups. All the work I've ever done involved talking to people, interviewing them, and traveling. I would write fiction or screenplays in the evenings and on weekends. Finally, in 2012, I quit my job, took out my savings and took the plunge into full-time writing. It was a bumpy ride and I talk a little bit about it here.

Name your writing influences (writers, books, teachers, etc.).

My favorite author is Arundhati Roy, who often speaks of developing the skill of observing the world rather than focusing on writing per se. She urges aspiring writers to notice how people talk, to ask what motivates them, what their dreams are, what their fears are. To consistently see the world with new eyes. 

When and where do you write? 

Typically on my dining room table or in my backyard. Sometimes at a local cafe.

What are you working on now? 

A multi-generational family saga about a South Asian immigrant family.

Have you ever suffered from writer’s block? 

No. I typically go for a drive or walk when I'm stuck on a project. Or I transition to a new project.

What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever received?

To follow your inner weirdness. Every writer has their own unique perspective and we start out imitating our favorite writers, but trusting your own weirdness produces the most compelling and unique work.

What’s your advice to new writers?

Keep going. Writing is the best resistance against the furnace of this world. Create like your life depends on it. 

Aditi Khorana spent part of her childhood in India, Denmark and New England. She has a BA in international relations from Brown University and an MA in global media and communications from the Annenberg School for Communication. She has worked as a journalist at ABC News, CNN and PBS, and most recently as a marketing executive consulting for various Hollywood studios including Fox, Paramount and Sony. MIRROR IN THE SKY is her first novel and her sophomore novel, THE LIBRARY OF FATES, is feminist historical fantasy. Set in ancient India, the novel explores the overthrow of an idyllic kingdom by a louche, misogynistic dictator and the women who have to wrench it back from his hands. She lives in Los Angeles and spends her free time reading, hiking and exploring LA's eclectic and wonderful architecture. For more information, visit aditikhorana.com. Follow her on Twitter: @aditi_khorana.