Author Zia McNeal’s parents met in 1966 in Bombay, India. They were engaged after knowing each other for 10 days and were married for over 48 years before her father passed away. McNeal draws inspiration from her parent’s romance in her new novel, “Number Eleven: A Love Story in 1960’s Bombay," which follows a young man named Amir racing the clock to find love in India.

Born in India, Amir moved to the U.S. for college. Now he is returning to Bombay, where he hopes to find a bride. There’s just one problem: he only has three weeks to find her. Nazeera, a recent college graduate, is looking for a decent guy to marry. Despite several of her friends having arranged marriages, her parents are letting her choose her own husband. "Number Eleven" charts the relationship between Amir and Nazeera as they struggle to decide if they’re the right match. 

About the Author: 

Zia McNeal is a first generation Indian-American. To celebrate her first birthday, she returned to Bombay (now Mumbai) as the first grandchild born in America. Her next projects include another Indian-inspired novel and a juvenile fiction book with her son. She now lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with her husband and son.