The importance and influence of books on me has been cumulative: the result of hearing and reading lots of stories about interesting people and places.
Much of my reading time over the last decade and a half has been spent reading aloud to my children. Those children's bedtime rituals of supper, bath, stories, and sleep have been a staple of my life and some of the best, most special times I can remember.
I'm working on a nonfiction book on Nepal and a novel about diasporas.
I could write an entertaining novel about rejection slips, but I fear it would be overly long.
The Dancing Girls of Lahore was offered to dozens of British publishers and was turned down by everyone. It is still on offer in the U.K., but I'm not confident there will be any takers.
