Varsha Bajaj

Episode 9 – Varsha Bajaj How did a bedtime game with her son and a flyer at the public library spark Varsha Bajaj's path to becoming a bestselling children's author?In this episode of My First Book Story, Meredith Davis talks with New York Times bestselling author Varsha Bajaj about the journey that led to her first published book, How Many Kisses Do You Want Tonight?. A sweet counting game with Varsha’s young son became the heart of her debut picture book. Varsha shares how she sold the manuscript without an agent at an SCBWI Editor’s Day in Houston, and how the years of doubt, rejection, and slow-building craft that followed shaped her commitment to writing the kinds of stories all kids deserve.Books mentionedThirst (Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/Thirst-Varsha-Bajaj/dp/0593354397)Count Me In (Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/Count-Me-Varsha-Bajaj/dp/0525517243)Abby Spencer Goes to Bollywood (Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/Abby-Spencer-Bollywood-Varsha-Bajaj/dp/0807563633)The Home Builders (Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/Home-Builders-Varsha-Bajaj/dp/0399166858)How Many Kisses Do You Want Tonight? (Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/How-Many-Kisses-Want-Tonight/dp/0316067350)Goodnight Moon (Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/Goodnight-Moon-Margaret-Wise-Brown/dp/0064430170)T is for Taj Mahal: An India Alphabet (Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/Taj-Mahal-India-Alphabet-Discover/dp/1585365041)Roar (Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/Roar-Varsha-Bajaj/dp/059369905X)LinksVarsha Bajaj (https://www.varshabajaj.com)Meredith Davis (https://meredithldavis.com)Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (https://www.scbwi.org)Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (https://www.lbyr.com)Sleeping Bear Press (https://sleepingbearpress.com)Nancy Paulsen Books (https://www.penguin.com/nancy-paulsen-books-overview/)Episode Webpage (https://open.substack.com/pub/meredithdavis/p/varsha-bajajs-first-book-story)Theme music by Nate DavisProduced by Clay Davis

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Varsha Bajaj

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This episode was published on May 11, 2026.

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