Asha Elias is Back with Author's Note for 'The Namaste Club'
Asha chats with us about giving a voice to her characters, how she landed her agent, and her big tip for aspiring authors
From the author of Pink Glass Houses, another delicious beach read about rich people behaving badly! The Namaste Club is a sly and hilarious send-up of the wellness industrial complex, rich ladies doing yoga, and all things fabulous and Florida.
Just inland from Florida’s sun-splashed Treasure Coast is the Namaste Club yoga center. An exclusive oasis of palms, lakes, and adorable guest villas, it’s perfect for getaways where Shakti, a serenely blond Instagram influencer, holds yoga retreats for well-heeled Miami ladies. The Namaste Club is a place of reflection, a place of release and redemption…or at least, that’s the sales pitch.
This weekend, however, is Transcendence Week, and a new bunch of South Florida burnouts have arrived. There’s Indira, fabulously wealthy after her divorce from the fast-frozen fruit king of Florida. There’s Indira’s bestie Jessica, also divorced and trying to get her groove back. There’s Barbara, heir to a massive family fortune, who’s taken a vow of silence for the retreat that will be sorely tested. And then there’s Carol Anne from Vero Beach, a happy tradwife and proud gun owner who recently did something...inadvisable; she’s just here while things cool off in her hometown.
And then, of course, there’s Daniel, the toned, man-bunned apprentice yoga instructor. He’s cute if you like that sort of thing. And many of the rich ladies do.
Last but not least, there’s Bubba, the retreat center’s resident twelve-foot American alligator. Before Transcendence Week is over, Bubba will have his moment of glory as well—when one of the visitors winds up in his jaws.
Who will be living their best life? Who will get their comeuppance? Pour yourself a spicy margarita and settle in for your new favorite read!
Asha Elias is back to speak with the Author’s Note book club about her second novel, The Namaste Club! She is our *first* second-time guest, and we were so excited to have her back.
Her first novel, Pink Glass Houses, was one of my favorites of 2024. The Namaste Club feels like a ~vibey~ continuation. Less Birkins, more Buddha. So if you liked her debut, I recommend picking up The Namaste Club, now! You can read an excerpt of our conversation with Asha, below.
Author’s Note: What was it like launching your second book?
Asha Elias: [When Pink Glass Houses was released] I thought a book came out, and you went on this glamorous book tour, and I didn’t realize it wasn’t really like that. Things move slowly, there’s a lot of word of mouth…I think my expectations were better managed going into this one.
AN: Why did your book come out in the summer?
AE: I don’t have anything to do with that, [it’s] my publisher. I know my books feel like summer reads, so they positioned them for people taking vacation.
AN: What was it like writing your second book?
AE: I had a better sense of pacing myself when I was writing. [When I wrote Pink Glass Houses] it was 50,000 words, and I was like great! I just wrote a book. But 50,000 words is not a book.
I also think I took a lot more swings because I felt like - if I’m going too far with an idea, if I made this character a little too crazy, if the behavior is too out there, then my agent or editor is going to reel me in. Someone will. They ended up not doing that!
AN: How true are the characters and how did you come up with them?
AE: They’re all composites, and [they are all] the different types of characters that I spend time doing yoga with in Miami. And I think I can put myself into some of their shoes.
AN: Why write in multiple POV again?
AE: It comes naturally, I enjoy it. I felt that this type of story was really a collaboration of those different characters experiences. And so hearing from all of them [was important]. A lot of times we’re seeing some of the same scenes or same situations from different perspectives - and that was the storytelling for this book. I love getting inside multiple heads, it’s really fun for me to try to think like them, sound like them, to put them in scenarios that might not even go in the book, and just imagine how they are all going to be sitting in a space and thinking and talking.
AN: How long did it take you to write the book?
AE: [It took less time than writing Pink Glass Houses]. I think for some reason, the story just came fully formed. And as a writer, that doesn’t always happen. I got it out in three months, and then was fully finished revising in another three months. Which is very, very fast for me.
AN: Do you outline your books?
AE: I do a very unstructured outline, so I always know where I am going to end, and I know the beginning, and then I give myself little plot points along the way - just as a scaffolding to keep the pacing correct and to make sure I don’t go veering off in any crazy direction.
AN: How did you get your agent?
AE: She was always on my list. I was really scared to query her…One day when I was fed up of querying I just shot her off one and she responded back within twenty minutes and said, I like these pages, can you send me more? I sent her the full and the next day, she asked to have a talk. She connected with the work so quickly, which is what you want. She was excited.
AN: What’s something you’d tell aspiring authors?
AE: You don’t just get one shot.
Big thank you to Asha for chatting with us again. Pick up The Namaste Club, out now!