I am a southern author and podcast host, living, writing, and talking just outside Atlanta. I drink sweet tea and say “ya’ll,” but also love chai, and can curse in Gujarati, my husband’s native language. As you can imagine, this makes me pretty fun at cocktail parties.
My husband is pretty cool this way, too. He’s a South African-born Indian and can converse in an Afrikaans-Indian-Southern drawl like you wouldn’t believe. We met 31 years ago, and have five – yes, five- beautiful kids who are our world. Our large cross-cultural family has its quirks, to say the least, and those quirks are what I started writing about five years ago. Amidst the chaos of travel sports, diaper changes, and spicy southern-Indian fusion dinners, my blog Southern Life, Indian Wife and my debut novel The Unexpected Daughter were born. And then came my podcast Southern Life Indian Wife, too!
Overcoming cultural barriers in love, life, and society is my passion. My degrees in anthropology and education, along with my family life, have laid the foundation for the cultural themes in my writing. My blogs, featured writing across the web, and The Unexpected Daughter, have attracted attention and good things are happening, including radio and web interviews, a feature by PBSNewshour and a certain Ivy League School named Harvard mentioning me in an article. I’ve talked with BBC World News (listen here).
Want to know even more about me? Here are 10 fun facts.
- I’m an insomniac.
- Coffee is my best friend…hence fun fact #1.
- I couldn’t have gotten into Harvard, but was cited on Harvard Divinity School’s website. That’s something.
- My “Dab” and “Dougie” are pretty fly.
- Embarrassing my kids is a favorite past time…hence fun fact #4
- My favorite songs are “Tennessee Whiskey” by Chris Stapleton, and “Bazigaar O Bazigaar,” from the Bollywood movie “Bazigaar”, both of which I will sing for you at a cocktail party if you’re lucky.
- My greatest accomplishment was giving birth to my gorgeous four sons and one daughter, all of whom look just like their dad.
- I don’t talk politics with people, but if you ever say “Build a wall” around me, I will turn you into the most loathed character in my next book.
- I hold the door for everyone, smile at strangers, and believe in Karma.
- The Unexpected Daughter is my second greatest accomplishment, so you really should read it. It’s available at my events, in select Indie bookstores, and online at Indie Bound, Amazon, Books-a-million, and Barnes and Noble. My memoir Southern Life, Indian Wife will be released soon.
I absolutely love to chat with readers and other authors on social media. Follow me so we can always stay in touch.
Twitter: @SherylParbhoo
Instagram: SherylParbhoo
Goodreads Author Page: Sheryl Parbhoo