Meet Megha
The same stubbornness that made me an advocate made me a writer. The sidelines were never an option.
Three manuscripts. Three different categories. All grown from something I've lived. My YA historical mystery, Spill the Chai, set in 1987, reaches from a tiny village in Gujarat, India to Cape May, NJ. My upper middle grade novel Round Peg, Square Hole was inspired by my prank-loving, professional escape artist son. And my graphic novel series A Mosquito, a Fly, and a Roach Walk Into a Juice Bar exists primarily because I find bugs disgusting. My stories tackle serious subjects — disability, identity, resilience — with the firm belief that humor isn't just fun. It's survival.
Teaching in an inclusive classroom offered a glimpse into a world I'd soon inhabit fully when my son was born with Down Syndrome and later diagnosed with Autism. I stopped waiting for the right classroom to exist. The kitchen table became our school. With a master's degree in education from the University of Pennsylvania and years of lived experience, I eventually founded my own after-school learning center for diverse learners — teaching mathematics on an abacus and developing literacy curricula tailored to each child: visual, functional, and phonetic. My heart ran it like a parent, not a business. Those experiences didn't just shape my teaching; they shaped my stories.
Greatest pride — matching my kids cell for cell, heartbeat to heartbeat. It doesn't hurt that I can outflip them at a trampoline park.
The same instincts follow me everywhere. With three kids, I try on perspectives like people try on outfits. At the park, I go down slides face first. In the kitchen, we speak in accents and dance to Bollywood and hip-hop. Match them cell for cell. Be in it — messy, playful, emotionally loud and proud.
I also serve as Conference Coordinator for Women Who Write, Inc., building programs for women pursuing publication. I'm a member of SCBWI, a speaker on interprofessional collaboration in special needs care, and co-host of The Triplets podcast.
The work continues. Same vigor. Same fire. Same stubborn drive.
- M.Ed., University of Pennsylvania
- Children's & YA Author · Multiple Categories
- Co-Host, The Triplets Podcast
- Conference Coordinator, Women Who Write
- Speaker — Interprofessional Collaboration, Special Needs Care
- Member, SCBWI
- meghamalhotra1
Press Bio — Available for Media Use
Megha Malhotra
Megha Malhotra is a children's and young adult author whose work spans early reader graphic novels, middle grade fiction, and YA historical mystery. She writes about serious subjects — disability, identity, resilience — with a firm belief that humor is a tool for survival. Her manuscripts include the YA historical mystery Spill the Chai, set in 1987, between Gujarat, India and Cape May, NJ; the middle grade novel Round Peg, Square Hole, inspired by her prank-loving son; and the graphic novel series A Mosquito, a Fly, and a Roach Walk Into a Juice Bar, written primarily because she finds bugs repulsive.
A fierce advocate for diverse learners, Megha holds a master's degree in education from the University of Pennsylvania. She taught in elementary classrooms before her son, born with Down Syndrome and later diagnosed with Autism, brought her home to the kitchen table, where his education became her full-time work. Those years of teaching, parenting, and advocating shaped the after-school learning center she eventually founded. Her goal was never revenue; it was results. She ran it like a parent, not a business.
Megha serves as Conference Coordinator for Women Who Write, Inc., is an active member of SCBWI, speaks on interprofessional collaboration in special needs care, and co-hosts The Triplets podcast. She lives in New Jersey with her husband, three kids, and all-black goldendoodle, Shadow.
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