Sandhya Menon is a New York Times bestselling author, and is popular for her teen romantic comedy books such as When Dimple Met Rishi (2017), There’s Something About Sweethearts (2019), Curses and Kisses (2020), and more.
Wiki/Biography
Sandhya Menon is from Mumbai, India. At the age of 15, she moved to the United States with her family when she was in the tenth grade. From a young age, Sandhya had a passion for writing; however, in her 20s, she decided to pursue writing professionally. In an interview, she said,
Yes, from a very young age! I used to write on my clothes and furniture around the house. Then my parents got smart and bought me a set of notebooks, and the rest is history! It wasn’t until I was in my late twenties that I really considered becoming a professional writer…”
Growing up in two different cultures, India and America, she had a tough time as she had to deal with a culture clash with her family. In an interview, she shared her mother’s experience of applying sindoor, a red powder that married Indian women apply on their hair partings. Americans would often stop them in panic and tell her mother that she was bleeding. As a teenager, Sandhya felt embarrassed and just wanted to fit in and not draw attention to herself. Later, her family convinced her to study medicine as they believed that writing was not a respectable career choice for Indian girls. In an interview, she said,
I showed no talent for biology at all, and even ran out of class in tears when my teacher insisted I dissect a pig fetus. She took pity on me and asked me to write a paper on genetics.”
Sandhya Menon’s childhood photos
appearance
Hair color: Black
Eye color: Black
Family and caste
Parents and siblings
We know very little about her family.
Relationships, husbands and children
Around 2003, she married her high school boyfriend after dating for three years. She lives with her husband and two children (a son and a daughter) in Colorado in the western United States, where the mountains are either covered in fog or snow, and the scenery is fascinating.
Signature/Autograph
Profession
Her debut novel, When Dimple Met Rishi, was published by Hachette on May 30, 2017. The storyline of the book revolves around two Indian-American teenagers, Dimple and Rishi, whose parents are trying to arrange their marriage.
When Dimple Met Rishi (2017)
When Dimple Met Rishi was greatly appreciated by the readers and Sandhya also won the Colorado Book Award (2018) in the Young Adult Fiction category. Later, in 2020, the book was adapted into the Netflix series Mismatched (2020).
After that, her second book, From Twinkle, with Love, was published by Simon Pulse on May 22, 2018. Later, she wrote many other books such as There’s Something About Sweetie (2019), As Kismet Would Have It (2019), 10 Things I Hate About Pinky (2020), etc.
I’m Crazy About Honey(2019)
In addition to teen romantic comedies, she has also written an adult novel, Make Up Break Up (2021), under the pseudonym Lily Menon. She chose to write adult novels under a pseudonym because her readership is so broad, with readers as young as 11 years old. In an interview, she said,
The reason I made sure to differentiate between the sexy romantic comedies and the more innocent teen romances was because I had 11-year-olds in my signing line. I wanted to make it as easy as possible for parents, booksellers, and librarians to tell which of my books were for adults and which were for teens.”
Awards/Honors
- The novel When Dimple Met Rishi won the 2018 Colorado Book Award in the Young Adult Fiction category
- There’s Something About Sweetie wins 2020 Colorado Book Award for Young Adult Literature
Favorite things
- Bollywood movies: Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008), Chalte Chalte (2003), Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995)
- Hollywood movies: When Harry Met Sally (1989), Sleepless in Seattle (1993), You’ve Got Mail (1998), My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997)
Facts/Trivia
- Although Sandhya Menon is a die-hard fan of Bollywood movies and most of her stories are filled with kissing, girl power, romance and attractive boys, she denies being a romantic. In an interview, she said,
I like writing [romance] You read about it and see it in Bollywood movies, but in my personal life I am more practical.”
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education