Sheila Yasmin Marikar
Author Interview - Sheila Yasmin Marikar
Author of The Goddess Effect
Anita is over her life in New York: her dead-end job, tiny studio apartment, self-obsessed friends, and overbearing mom. She moves west to Los Angeles in search of a new career, enlightenment, and that nebulous target…wellness. She discovers an elite workout class called the Goddess Effect, run by a lifestyle guru named Venus who’s the very definition of #goals. One look at her Lululemon-clad acolytes sweating out their demons while dripping with confidence and Anita’s all in. When one of the class regulars takes Anita under her wing, Anita’s sure she’s found her people. But Anita’s not so smitten that she doesn’t wonder about a few things: an inexplicable invitation to a Goddess Effect retreat, a strange tradition of secret sharing, and whispers about “enhancements” that only Venus can provide. Anita is awakening to a terrifying epiphany: the Goddess Effect isn’t quite what it seems, and it may turn her world―and that of everyone around her―upside down.
Author Interview - Sheila Yasmin Marikar
Author I draw inspiration from: There are so many: Haruki Murakami, Pola Oloixarac, Kevin Kwan, Maria Semple, Rumaan Alam, Beth Morgan, Gary Shteyngart, Halle Butler, Jonathan Franzen, Sanjena Sathian, and Rachel Yoder, to name some of the contemporary authors whose work I admire and tear through. J.D. Salinger was one of my early inspirations. In 7th grade, I attempted to write a book report about "The Catcher in the Rye" in the style of Holden Caulfield ... it was not well received.
Author Interview - Sheila Yasmin Marikar | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book: In a body of water or nearby (and with a good view of) a body of water. Ocean, sea, swimming pool, lake — I don't discriminate.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with: Whitman Tagore from The View Was Exhausting by Mikaella Clements and Onjuli Datta
Author Interview - Sheila Yasmin Marikar | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author: I don't know if there was a precise moment. I have always been a reader, I like few things more than getting lost in a book, but it wasn't until, maybe, a decade ago that I began to wonder if I could write a book in which readers could get lost. I remember being in the news room where I was working and telling a co-worker that I wanted to write a book. He asked if I knew how to write fiction. I didn't. The fact that I didn't know how to start discouraged me for a long time.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook: In an ideal world, hardback. In reality, ebook.
The last book I read: Fates and Furies, Lauren Groff
Author Interview - Sheila Yasmin Marikar | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer: Computer. I've been known to switch to pen and paper if I'm really struggling, but my hand cramps quickly.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with: I don't think I'd be best friends with any character I love. They're all pretty unreliable and self-centered.
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a: Visual artist. I grew up painting and drawing but couldn't figure out a way to turn it into a profession.
Favorite decade in fashion history: The one we're in now.
Place I’d most like to travel: Africa, especially Morocco, Egypt, and Zanzibar.
My signature drink: Negroni with a freakishly clear cube of ice.
Favorite artist: Too many to pick just one. Some favorites: Jackson Pollock, Daniel Arsham, Dali, Rothko, James Turrell, Keith Haring, Barbara Kruger, Klimt, Mondrian, Matisse, Magritte, Miro.
Number one on my bucket list: Why did "skydiving" come instantly to mind when I am terrified of the prospect? Hm ...
Anything else you'd like to add: I'd love to hear from any readers who enjoyed The Goddess Effect. Tell me what resonated!
Find more from the author:
@sheilaym on Instagram and Twitter
Author Bio: Sheila Yasmin Marikar’s work has been published in the New Yorker, the New York Times, the Economist, Fortune, Bloomberg Businessweek, Vogue, and many other publications. Her New York Times Magazine profile of the chef Gaggan Anand was selected for the 2021 edition of Best American Food Writing. Sheila began her career at ABC News. A native of New Jersey, she is a graduate of Cornell University, where she studied history. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband. For more information visit www.sheilamarikar.com. Follow her on social media @sheilaym.
