Humorist Sinha Publishes Novel

by Todd Fuqua

A small-town writer living in the big city, the daughter of academics, sees disturbing signs of evil in the big city where she now resides. It’s not an autobiographical story, but Maya Sinha (BA 94) drew on her experience of living in the San Francisco Bay Area to create her first novel, “The City Mother.”

“I have wanted to publish a novel since I was 12,” Sinha said. “I was an English major and have always loved reading fiction.”

After graduating from ENMU, Maya worked in the editorial department of two magazines in San Francisco, California before returning to New Mexico to work for the Santa Fe Reporter as a staff writer.

Photo courtesy Maya Sinha

She later moved back to California, earning her law degree and beginning her career in law. Through all of that, Maya still had an urge to write. That urge turned into a humor column in the Davis (California) Enterprise newspaper entitled “Lowbrow.” That eventually turned into the column “Wit’s End” in The Saturday Evening Post and writing for other publications.

Finally, at the beginning of 2021, Maya got a contract for her draft novel. She spent the year revising “The City Mother” per her editors’ suggestions.

“One secret to writing a novel is to have a lot of help,” Maya said. “I was in a writing group that talked me through the chapters as I wrote them, and I had a very good writing partner for the second draft. It can be done if you stay with it and have a lot of moral support.”

Maya may have taken a while to achieve her dream as a professional writer, but she hopes this novel is only the start.

“I have at least a few more stories in me, and it’s been a very positive experience,” she said. “I’m hoping this will open the door for the next novel. My message for other writers is not to give up and persevere. For me, having other writers believe in my book is what made it possible.”