103: Judith Teitelman- Author of Guesthouse for Ganesha

After years of non-fiction and business writing, Judith Teitelman fell in love with the more creative side of the craft after a friend dragged her to a regular writing group. In this interview, we discuss how her magical realism tale is an amalgam of both her German grandmother’s life story, a long-forgotten journal from an early relationship, and Judith’s longtime interest in eastern religion. And if you think getting an agent means your book is set, listen in because Judith eventually had to go hybrid after two years of not finding a publisher who’d take a chance of her novel.   Judith has straddled the worlds of arts, literature, and business since she was a teenager and worked her first job as a salesperson at a B. Dalton/Pickwick Bookstore. Life’s journeys took her from bookstores to commercial fine art galleries to the nonprofit arts and cultural sector, in which she has worked as staff, consultant, and educator for more than three decades. Throughout this time, Teitelman continued her pursuit of all things literary, and over the years her writing has been published in a variety of formats and publications. Guesthouse for Ganesha is her award-winning debut novel. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and three beloved cats.  To learn more about Judith, click here.