Writing What’s Real: Sheila Yasmin Marikar on Career, Culture, and Her Upcoming Novel

"I want to see more narratives about changing your mind, starting over, messing up, growing and learning." Today’s woman dreamer, Sheila Yasmin Marikar, is an author and former journalist sharing stories on topics such as career, romance, and class that all women can relate to, while also highlighting narratives with South Asian American leads. Starting her career with ABC News and now the author of three books, she has been featured on Mindy Kaling’s book list on Amazon. In her Women Who Win interview, she shares her journey from journalism to fiction, and how she finds the inspiration behind each story. Enjoy!

1.Tell us your story. You began as a journalist whose work appeared in outlets like The New York Times and The New Yorker, and now you have published two books, with a third coming out end of March 2026. What sparked your interest in storytelling and how did you carve out your niche as an author? 

I began a career in journalism five days after graduating from college, working the overnight shift at the New York City headquarters of ABC News. During my eight years at that organization, I learned a lot — how television news comes together, how to write on deadline, what makes a story news worthy, and how to deal with the rigors of an industry that constantly demands more of your time and attention. 

I got sick of living by my phone and Blackberry, dreading the next email. I quit with the goal of writing for the New York Times, a paper that I grew up reading and had long admired. Seeing my name in print in that paper for the first time — on a Style section cover story, no less — will always be a career highlight, as was getting published by the New Yorker. But after a few years of writing for those publications as well as Inc., Fortune, Vogue, Bloomberg Businessweek, and others, I wanted to put something into the world that might last longer than a news cycle. That’s when I started writing my first novel, The Goddess Effect. 

2. Both of your books reflect the realities many young professionals face around career, class, and identity. How did your own experiences influence the characters you created and the stories you chose to center?

Growing up, I didn’t see a lot of women like me in popular culture. First generation Indian-Americans didn’t factor into the television shows I watched, albums I listened to, or the magazines I read. Long before I set out to be a writer, I saw myself in the world in the world of the arts, but I didn’t know how to get there. Many of my characters have the same ambitions and challenges. They want to make a mark on the world in some creative pursuit or another, but they also have to make a living, and there’s no blueprint.   

3. Back in October 2022, you were on a flight from New York to LA, fresh off launching your debut novel, The Goddess Effect, when you spotted Mindy Kaling and decided, on instinct, to hand her your book. The book is now listed as a part of Mindy's Book Studio on Amazon. What narratives within the South Asian diaspora do you think Gen Z and millennial audiences most need to see reflected today? 

They need to see that success isn’t a be all, end all. That perfection isn’t the goal. That no amount of academic, career, or materialistic accolades will equate to happiness. Like a lot of kids from the South Asian diaspora, I was taught to get the best grades and go to the best school and get the most prestigious job. I did all of that, and I was miserable. I want to see more narratives about changing your mind, starting over, messing up, growing and learning and doing you despite what the uncles and aunties will say. The uncles and aunties are going to talk regardless; you might as well give them something juicy to talk about.

4. Your next book is coming out end of March. What themes were you most excited to explore, and what sparked the idea for this story? 

Insecurity in a marriage. Women are taught that marriage is the ultimate security blanket, but what happens when your relationship wears, unravels? What if you lose trust in the person with whom you’d planned to build a life? What then? These topics are still largely taboo in the South Asian community despite our increasing rates of divorce. I rushed to get married before 30 and ended up divorced by 33. I’m happily married again, but no relationship is without its obstacles — certainly not my own — and the ups and downs of my marriages sparked the idea for INCIDENTALS, as well as a 2021 trip to the Maldives, which is a fabulously beautiful place for things to go wrong.

5. Finally, what is on your book list for 2026? 

I’m looking forward to the latest releases from Haruki Murakami, Salman Rushdie, and Mieko Kawakami, and immersing myself in authors whose works are new to me, like Martin Amis.