This Sunday millions of people around the world will celebrate the Indian holiday of Diwali. The “Festival Of Lights” has fascinated me for the longest time but to be honest I never really understood what it was all about, we always treated it like an “Indian Christmas”. So today I invited author Anju Gattani onto the podcast to walk me through the Diwali celebration; how it compares to western holidays, the preparations that go into it, and what Diwali’s origins are.  Along the way we discuss her incredible experiences growing up in a multicultural community in Hong Kong (1:47), how Diwali compares to the American holiday season (4:28), exactly how Diwali is celebrated (5:30), the unique Diwali celebrations she experienced growing up (12:12)--including diverse Diwali Balls she attended (13:25). Anju and I spoke about the Indian culture’s love of celebrations (15:48), how she integrates Indian and Western traditions in her household (18:44), why she labors to keep up with both Indian and American holidays (21:09), how exposure to other culture’s celebrations is teaching her children respect (22:23), and how she portrayed Diwali in her novel Duty and Desire (29:09). Read Anju’s blog and find more information about her books on her official website. Make sure to follow her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram! Subscribe to Southern Life Indian Wife where you listen to podcasts, including Apple  Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Tunein. Keep up to date with the podcast and my upcoming book news by following me on Facebook,  Instagram and Twitter! Support the show: https://sherylparbhoo.com/support/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Southern Life, Indian Wife - Sheryl Parbhoo Podcast

Diwali primer with author Anju Gattani

This Sunday millions of people around the world will celebrate the Indian holiday of Diwali. The “Festival Of Lights” has fascinated me for the longest time but to be honest I never really understood what it was all about, we always treated it like an “Indian Christmas”. So today I invited author Anju Gattani onto the podcast to walk me through the Diwali celebration; how it compares to western holidays, the preparations that go into it, and what Diwali’s origins are.  Along the way we discuss her incredible experiences growing up in a multicultural community in Hong Kong (1:47), how Diwali compares to the American holiday season (4:28), exactly how Diwali is celebrated (5:30), the unique Diwali celebrations she experienced growing up (12:12)--including diverse Diwali Balls she attended (13:25). Anju and I spoke about the Indian culture’s love of celebrations (15:48), how she integrates Indian and Western traditions in her household (18:44), why she labors to keep up with both Indian and American holidays (21:09), how exposure to other culture’s celebrations is teaching her children respect (22:23), and how she portrayed Diwali in her novel Duty and Desire (29:09). Read Anju’s blog and find more information about her books on her official website. Make sure to follow her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram! Subscribe to Southern Life Indian Wife where you listen to podcasts, including Apple  Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Tunein. Keep up to date with the podcast and my upcoming book news by following me on Facebook,  Instagram and Twitter!Support the show.

Today previous podcast guest Heather Dobson joins me once again; in our last conversation we discussed life, chasing ghosts, and some of her more astonishing experiences with Paranormal Georgia Investigators. This time around, Heather and I examine our writing processes; she poured a lot of herself into her book, Memoirs of a Future Ghost, we talk at length about the therapeutic process of spilling your guts out onto the page for both non-fiction and fiction stories. Heather tells me how writing her memoir was therapeutic for her (2:05), we discuss how there's always some nugget of truth in every book--even fiction (4:37), why we both disguise some real life characters in our writing (11:49), how we're constantly learning--especially through bad experiences (17:05), why we both thrive on alone time as writers (19:55), how eating chocolate and watching 80s TV--especially TJ Hooker--helps Heather cope with writing about tough subjects (22:25), we discuss some of our favorite memoirs we read and why Heather is obsessed with British royals (23:20), and we offer up some advice for aspiring authors (31:54) including the reality that its perfectly ok to suck (34:33)! Learn all about Heather Dobson and get your signed copy of Memoirs of a Future Ghost, find her here: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and her website and Paranormal Georgia Investigators. Subscribe to Southern Life Indian Wife where you listen to podcasts, including Apple  Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Tunein. Keep up to date with the podcast and my upcoming book news by following me on Facebook,  Instagram and Twitter! Support the show: https://sherylparbhoo.com/support/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's OK to suck! The therapeutic qualities of memoir writing

Today previous podcast guest Heather Dobson joins me once again; in our last conversation we discussed life, chasing ghosts, and some of her more astonishing experiences with Paranormal Georgia Investigators. This time around, Heather and I examine our writing processes; she poured a lot of herself into her book, Memoirs of a Future Ghost, we talk at length about the therapeutic process of spilling your guts out onto the page for both non-fiction and fiction stories. Heather tells me how writing her memoir was therapeutic for her (2:05), we discuss how there's always some nugget of truth in every book--even fiction (4:37), why we both disguise some real life characters in our writing (11:49), how we're constantly learning--especially through bad experiences (17:05), why we both thrive on alone time as writers (19:55), how eating chocolate and watching 80s TV--especially TJ Hooker--helps Heather cope with writing about tough subjects (22:25), we discuss some of our favorite memoirs we read and why Heather is obsessed with British royals (23:20), and we offer up some advice for aspiring authors (31:54) including the reality that its perfectly ok to suck (34:33)! Learn all about Heather Dobson and get your signed copy of Memoirs of a Future Ghost, find her here: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and her website and Paranormal Georgia Investigators. Subscribe to Southern Life Indian Wife where you listen to podcasts, including Apple  Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Tunein. Keep up to date with the podcast and my upcoming book news by following me on Facebook,  Instagram and Twitter!Support the show.

Imagine moving from the US to India in your late 20s for work, only to fall in love with the people and their culture; now imagine meeting and marrying an Indian man who spent his late 20s in the United States. That experience would likely give you and your husband a fairly unique worldview to say the least. This week I’m joined by Jessica Kumar who, along with husband Abhishek, co-hosts The Invisible India Podcast which highlights lesser known facts of Indian culture from the perspective of a returning NRI--non-resident Indian--and an American living in India. Abhishek and Jessica are a cross-cultural couple exploring the mysteries of Indian culture and current social issues through conducting interviews with various experts, sharing personal experiences.  We discuss Jessica’s move from Chicago to India (1:16), her exposure to Indian culture (6:38), meeting her future husband (9:11), how she and Abhishek have blended their cultures (13:20), how they’ve adapted despite most in husband's family coming from arranged marriages (16:41), their strategy for revealing mixed-relationship to traditional Indian family (22:47), Jessica provides some choice advice for individuals going through a similar journey (25:25), she reveals the biggest-positive impact Indian culture has had on her life (28:24), the conscious vs unconscious changes she’s noticed after years of exposure to Indian culture (30:06), finally Jessica lays out her long-term goals for The Invisible India Podcast (32:51). You can find Jessica and The Invisible India Podcast everywhere you download podcasts (iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, etc) and on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.   Subscribe to Southern Life Indian Wife where you listen to podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts  and TuneIn. Keep up to date with the podcast and my upcoming book news by following me on Facebook,  Instagramand Twitter! And…email me at sherylparbhoo@gmail.com to order a signed copy of my book The Unexpected Daughter. Support the show: https://sherylparbhoo.com/support/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Not Inside but Beside: a Conversation on Marrying into Indian Culture

Imagine moving from the US to India in your late 20s for work, only to fall in love with the people and their culture; now imagine meeting and marrying an Indian man who spent his late 20s in the United States. That experience would likely give you and your husband a fairly unique worldview to say the least. This week I’m joined by Jessica Kumar who, along with husband Abhishek, co-hosts The Invisible India Podcast which highlights lesser known facts of Indian culture from the perspective of a returning NRI--non-resident Indian--and an American living in India. Abhishek and Jessica are a cross-cultural couple exploring the mysteries of Indian culture and current social issues through conducting interviews with various experts, sharing personal experiences.  We discuss Jessica’s move from Chicago to India (1:16), her exposure to Indian culture (6:38), meeting her future husband (9:11), how she and Abhishek have blended their cultures (13:20), how they’ve adapted despite most in husband's family coming from arranged marriages (16:41), their strategy for revealing mixed-relationship to traditional Indian family (22:47), Jessica provides some choice advice for individuals going through a similar journey (25:25), she reveals the biggest-positive impact Indian culture has had on her life (28:24), the conscious vs unconscious changes she’s noticed after years of exposure to Indian culture (30:06), finally Jessica lays out her long-term goals for The Invisible India Podcast (32:51). You can find Jessica and The Invisible India Podcast everywhere you download podcasts (iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, etc) and on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.   Subscribe to Southern Life Indian Wife where you listen to podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts  and TuneIn. Keep up to date with the podcast and my upcoming book news by following me on Facebook,  Instagramand Twitter! And…email me at sherylparbhoo@gmail.com to order a signed copy of my book The Unexpected Daughter.Support the show.

Can you imagine going to your dream college 7000 miles from home? My guest today is New York University sophomore Amin Ali and he did just that. I met Amin last year on dorm move in day, he had the privilege--or maybe the bad luck--to bunk right next to my son. I followed Amin's freshman year story, was fascinated by his journey, and--as a mama--I wanted to know more about him.  Amin and I connected over love of authentic middle eastern food (4:38), he told me about growing up in his native Pakistan (7:04), how his sister--Top Chef alum Fatima Ali--fell in love with cooking (14:51), his decision to move to New York for school (19:09), how Fatima inspired him to follow his dreams at NYU (20:50), how he shares his culture with Americans (23:28), Amin told me about some of the foods he misses from home (26:28), why he’s obsessed with NYC halal carts (27:40), we discuss his potential plans to return to Pakistan after college (28:43), and how his relationship with his siblings has evolved over time (29:54). Subscribe to Southern Life Indian Wife where you listen to podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts  and TuneIn. Keep up to date with the podcast and my upcoming book news by following me on Facebook,  Instagramand Twitter! And…email me at sherylparbhoo@gmail.com to order a signed copy of my book The Unexpected Daughter. Support the show: https://sherylparbhoo.com/support/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

7000 miles from home with NYU sophomore Amin Ali

Can you imagine going to your dream college 7000 miles from home? My guest today is New York University sophomore Amin Ali and he did just that. I met Amin last year on dorm move in day, he had the privilege--or maybe the bad luck--to bunk right next to my son. I followed Amin's freshman year story, was fascinated by his journey, and--as a mama--I wanted to know more about him.  Amin and I connected over love of authentic middle eastern food (4:38), he told me about growing up in his native Pakistan (7:04), how his sister--Top Chef alum Fatima Ali--fell in love with cooking (14:51), his decision to move to New York for school (19:09), how Fatima inspired him to follow his dreams at NYU (20:50), how he shares his culture with Americans (23:28), Amin told me about some of the foods he misses from home (26:28), why he’s obsessed with NYC halal carts (27:40), we discuss his potential plans to return to Pakistan after college (28:43), and how his relationship with his siblings has evolved over time (29:54). Subscribe to Southern Life Indian Wife where you listen to podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts  and TuneIn. Keep up to date with the podcast and my upcoming book news by following me on Facebook,  Instagramand Twitter! And…email me at sherylparbhoo@gmail.com to order a signed copy of my book The Unexpected Daughter.Support the show.

An author's journey often begins with a simple love of reading and many of us embrace that love by spending some quality time with local book sellers. My life was forever changed after taking a creative writing class in Woodstock, GA at the wonderfully cozy FoxTale Book Shoppe; that one class led me down the path to finally completing my first novel The Unexpected Daughter. There are a plethora of reasons why independent book stores are important for communities across the country. In-store readings, writing workshops, book clubs, and other offerings help bring like-minded readers together. Today on Southern Life, Indian Wife I'm joined by FoxTale owner Karen Schwettman.  Karen tells me how books have always been her lifeline (2:19), the incredible origin story of FoxTale Book Shoppe (3:31), how the store has become a stimulating environment for would-be writers (8:22), how she has enjoyed connecting with me early on in my writing journey (10:51), she discusses her incredible and sometimes difficult experience being an independent bookseller (12:11), how their incredible customers got FoxTale through the economic downturn (15:13), why it’s so important to buy books from local independent booksellers (22:51), how Amazon is creating an uneven playing field (27:54), how she’s working to build a community of readers at FoxTale (31:37), and how you can find an amazing local independent bookstore in your area (34:05). If you’re ever in Woodstock, GA don’t forget to check out FoxTale Book Shoppe and to find out more about their upcoming book club events, make sure to connect with them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! Subscribe to Southern Life Indian Wife where you listen to podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts  and TuneIn. Keep up to date with the podcast and my upcoming book news by following me on Facebook,  Instagramand Twitter! And…email me at sherylparbhoo@gmail.com to order a signed copy of my book The Unexpected Daughter. Support the show: https://sherylparbhoo.com/support/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The importance of independent booksellers with FoxTale Book Shoppe's Karen Schwettman

An author's journey often begins with a simple love of reading and many of us embrace that love by spending some quality time with local book sellers. My life was forever changed after taking a creative writing class in Woodstock, GA at the wonderfully cozy FoxTale Book Shoppe; that one class led me down the path to finally completing my first novel The Unexpected Daughter. There are a plethora of reasons why independent book stores are important for communities across the country. In-store readings, writing workshops, book clubs, and other offerings help bring like-minded readers together. Today on Southern Life, Indian Wife I'm joined by FoxTale owner Karen Schwettman.  Karen tells me how books have always been her lifeline (2:19), the incredible origin story of FoxTale Book Shoppe (3:31), how the store has become a stimulating environment for would-be writers (8:22), how she has enjoyed connecting with me early on in my writing journey (10:51), she discusses her incredible and sometimes difficult experience being an independent bookseller (12:11), how their incredible customers got FoxTale through the economic downturn (15:13), why it’s so important to buy books from local independent booksellers (22:51), how Amazon is creating an uneven playing field (27:54), how she’s working to build a community of readers at FoxTale (31:37), and how you can find an amazing local independent bookstore in your area (34:05). If you’re ever in Woodstock, GA don’t forget to check out FoxTale Book Shoppe and to find out more about their upcoming book club events, make sure to connect with them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! Subscribe to Southern Life Indian Wife where you listen to podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts  and TuneIn. Keep up to date with the podcast and my upcoming book news by following me on Facebook,  Instagramand Twitter! And…email me at sherylparbhoo@gmail.com to order a signed copy of my book The Unexpected Daughter.Support the show.

Today I'm joined by "momedian" Heather Tolley-Bauer. She's a drop-dead funny, stay-at-home mom, colon cancer survivor, stand-up comedian. Her comedy is for moms, women, and couples and covers everything from parenting to Pintrest, the PTA, and really anything else that keeps us awake at night. She's also the producer and host of the wildly popular, sold out show called 'Laugh Lines and Stretch Marks' and she's even appeared on season four of the Weather Channel's top-rated original program called 'Weather Gone Viral'. Heather walks us through her "day job" (4:03), details how having a comedic outlook has helped her deal with the "tough stuff" (7:19), she talks about moving to the south as a "hot mess" (12:08), why she enjoys bringing a much needed laugh break to her audience (15:25), how she seeks to find a version of truth in her comedy (17:21), brags about the handsome doctor who convinced her to get the colonoscopy that saved her life (19:43), describes her amazing relationship with her son and why it's important for him to see that "mommy's have bad days" (31:22), how her family handles most things in their house with laughter (34:47), and how she hopes they're teaching their son the right things (38:51). Check out some of Heather’s hilarious stand-up on her YouTube channel and don't forget to connect with her on Facebook and Instagram! Subscribe to Southern Life Indian Wife where you listen to podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts  and TuneIn. Keep up to date with the podcast and my upcoming book news by following me on Facebook,  Instagramand Twitter! And…email me at sherylparbhoo@gmail.com to order a signed copy of my book The Unexpected Daughter. Support the show: https://sherylparbhoo.com/support/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Musings of "momedian" and cancer survivor Heather Tolley-Bauer

Today I'm joined by "momedian" Heather Tolley-Bauer. She's a drop-dead funny, stay-at-home mom, colon cancer survivor, stand-up comedian. Her comedy is for moms, women, and couples and covers everything from parenting to Pintrest, the PTA, and really anything else that keeps us awake at night. She's also the producer and host of the wildly popular, sold out show called 'Laugh Lines and Stretch Marks' and she's even appeared on season four of the Weather Channel's top-rated original program called 'Weather Gone Viral'. Heather walks us through her "day job" (4:03), details how having a comedic outlook has helped her deal with the "tough stuff" (7:19), she talks about moving to the south as a "hot mess" (12:08), why she enjoys bringing a much needed laugh break to her audience (15:25), how she seeks to find a version of truth in her comedy (17:21), brags about the handsome doctor who convinced her to get the colonoscopy that saved her life (19:43), describes her amazing relationship with her son and why it's important for him to see that "mommy's have bad days" (31:22), how her family handles most things in their house with laughter (34:47), and how she hopes they're teaching their son the right things (38:51). Check out some of Heather’s hilarious stand-up on her YouTube channel and don't forget to connect with her on Facebook and Instagram! Subscribe to Southern Life Indian Wife where you listen to podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts  and TuneIn. Keep up to date with the podcast and my upcoming book news by following me on Facebook,  Instagramand Twitter! And…email me at sherylparbhoo@gmail.com to order a signed copy of my book The Unexpected Daughter.Support the show.

Fellow Atlanta-area author Beth Hermes joins the podcast this week. Beth has been a professional writer for over 30 years, she teaches creative and business writing workshops to children and adults, and is the author behind the spiritual/fantasy fiction series The Lightbearers. I wanted to speak with Beth about what it’s like being a writer, teaching writing, and learning about writing as an adult. We discuss Beth's early career as an author and how she got her start as a shadow artist (2:01), how being an outsider seems to be a requirement for being a writer (8:51), why she believes it's important to keep her writing life separate from her regular life (10:25), what techniques she uses to draw stories out of some of the non-authors she works with in writing workshops (15:42), why she advises new authors to read as much as possible (21:51), what it's like teaching this new generation of kids to read and write (25:13), her advice for aspiring authors (28:15), how writing about dragons has taught her that we're not so different from one-another after all (36:22), and how losing her beloved horse taught her so much about life (38:16). Learn more about Beth on her website and don't forget to connect with her on Facebook and Instagram! Subscribe to Southern Life Indian Wife where you listen to podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts  and TuneIn. Keep up to date with the podcast and my upcoming book news by following me on Facebook,  Instagramand Twitter! And…email me at sherylparbhoo@gmail.com to order a signed copy of my book The Unexpected Daughter. Support the show: https://sherylparbhoo.com/support/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Advice for aspiring authors with writer and teacher Beth Hermes

Fellow Atlanta-area author Beth Hermes joins the podcast this week. Beth has been a professional writer for over 30 years, she teaches creative and business writing workshops to children and adults, and is the author behind the spiritual/fantasy fiction series The Lightbearers. I wanted to speak with Beth about what it’s like being a writer, teaching writing, and learning about writing as an adult. We discuss Beth's early career as an author and how she got her start as a shadow artist (2:01), how being an outsider seems to be a requirement for being a writer (8:51), why she believes it's important to keep her writing life separate from her regular life (10:25), what techniques she uses to draw stories out of some of the non-authors she works with in writing workshops (15:42), why she advises new authors to read as much as possible (21:51), what it's like teaching this new generation of kids to read and write (25:13), her advice for aspiring authors (28:15), how writing about dragons has taught her that we're not so different from one-another after all (36:22), and how losing her beloved horse taught her so much about life (38:16). Learn more about Beth on her website and don't forget to connect with her on Facebook and Instagram! Subscribe to Southern Life Indian Wife where you listen to podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts  and TuneIn. Keep up to date with the podcast and my upcoming book news by following me on Facebook,  Instagramand Twitter! And…email me at sherylparbhoo@gmail.com to order a signed copy of my book The Unexpected Daughter. Support the show.

Deborah Mantella is a Yankee-Italian transplant to the South and she is the author of a very Southern novel called My Sweet Vidalia. It's full of very Southern characters. Critics have compared it to books like The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, The Color Purple by Alice Walker, and The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. Deborah has said before that writing fiction gives her a place where she can work out her own personal questions about things in life and the personal song and dance that lives inside her. So how--as a Northern born author--did she discover her Southern voice? What is the author's voice? How do you find the author's tone? I wanted to find out the answers to those questions and more about Deborah's process, so we sat down to discuss how her traits--Northerner, Southerner, writer, and mom--combine to make her a unique individual. She told me about the importance of bringing her personal experiences to storytelling, how she finds a way to live in her character's skin for awhile before relinquishing control and seeing where the story takes you, and we discussed a few tricks we use to get folks to open up at book events. Don't forget to connect with Deborah on Facebook and Instagram! Subscribe to Southern Life Indian Wife where you listen to podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts  and TuneIn. Keep up to date with the podcast and my upcoming book news by following me on Facebook,  Instagramand Twitter! And…email me at sherylparbhoo@gmail.com to order a signed copy of my book The Unexpected Daughter. Support the show: https://sherylparbhoo.com/support/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How author Deborah Mantella found her Southern voice

Connect, learn, and laugh with the host of Southern Life Indian Wife, Sheryl Parbhoo. Sheryl is an author, blogger, female podcaster, mom of five, and a grits-loving Southerner married to a spice-addicted South African Indian man, whom she divorced and remarried.  The show is about honest stories of identity and relationships.  Sheryl minces no words about her interracial marriage and family journey, collision with Indian culture in the Deep South, motherhood, writing books, and general bumbling toward defining her own identity.  Hear Sheryl’s irreverent conversations with diverse guests from different walks of life about what matters to them. Ask her for life and relationship advice, and she’ll give you her two-cents-worth. But there is no money-back guarantee.

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Southern Life, Indian Wife - Sheryl Parbhoo Podcast

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