Yosha Gunasekera: I Got Rejected More Times Than I Can Count
In this interview, author Yosha Gunasekera discusses how a cab-ride home from night court helped inspire her debut mystery novel, The Midnight Taxi.
Yosha Gunasekera is a Sri Lankan-American attorney who represents people who have spent decades behind bars for crimes they did not commit. She teaches a course at Princeton University focused on wrongful conviction and exoneration. Yosha is a former Manhattan public defender and has written and spoken extensively on the criminal legal system. She lives in New York City with her husband. Follow her on Facebook and Instagram.
In this interview, Yosha discusses how a cab-ride home from night court helped inspire her debut mystery novel, The Midnight Taxi, her advice for other writers, and more.
Name: Yosha Gunasekera
Literary agent: Michelle Richter
Book title: The Midnight Taxi
Publisher: Berkley
Release date: February 10, 2026
Genre/category: Mystery
Elevator pitch: The Midnight Taxi follows a Sri Lankan American taxi driver, Siriwathi Perera, who is accused of killing her passenger in her locked cab and must find the real culprit by following clues around New York City's five boroughs. It’s a twisty mystery with social justice themes that is an ode to service people, immigrants, and the hidden treasures of New York City.
What prompted you to write this book?
A little after 1 a.m., following hours spent at Manhattan’s night court representing indigent New Yorkers—charged with everything from stealing toothpaste to attempted murder—I climbed into a yellow cab to head home. As we drove across the Brooklyn Bridge, the city lights of Lower Manhattan fading in the rearview mirror, my cab driver struck up a conversation about true crime. He told me he loved picking up lawyers leaving night court to discuss it more.
Once I got over the initial unease of being in a locked cab with someone recounting grisly New York crimes, we had a true moment of human connection—one of those rare, quintessentially New York experiences.
My fascination with taxi drivers’ stories comes not only from marrying someone whose father and grandfather both drove cabs, but also from my husband’s love of Curry in a Hurry, located by a taxi stand in Curry Hill—a neighborhood full of some of Manhattan’s best South Asian food. There, cab drivers grab quick cups of chai to fuel their late-night shifts. I wondered about the lives behind those hurried stops—the people who remain largely anonymous to most of us.
This novel is a celebration of the service workers and immigrants who make New York City so extraordinary. These personal experiences inspired my debut novel, The Midnight Taxi.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
The idea for The Midnight Taxi had been swirling around in my head for years. I began writing the novel in earnest in 2022 and began querying agents the following spring. While I thought writing was the hard part, the revision and editing process took even more time than it took to write the book! Based on feedback from my invaluable writing group friends and my excellent agent, the novel changed considerably. The plot became more twisty and even more voice-driven. I needed the time to make it the best it could be and I’m grateful that even though the process took four full years from start to finish, my agent encouraged me to not rush anything.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
There were so many surprises! One of the most pleasant was discovering how wonderful and supportive the writing community is. I have made so many new author friends—many of whom I have admired for years. It’s been a totally pinch- me moment to have some of my favorite authors read my debut.
I also was surprised at much work goes into a novel after it has been acquired. There are so many more rounds of edits, discussions about the cover, publicity, marketing, and more. While my name is on the cover, the success of a book is due to the many people working incredibly hard behind the scenes. I am humbled that so many people would spend so much time and effort over something I wrote.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
The many emotions of the writing process surprised me. I love writing and it’s so joyful, but the dread and panic of writing a hard scene or having to edit something that I’ve written that’s bad—my first drafts are usually a wreck—feel like an emotional rollercoaster. I often found myself doubting my writing, but luckily, I just kept on editing.
I also really have appreciated the importance of having other people read and critique my work. As writer you get so close to your work, it’s impossible to edit with an impartial eye. I always thought writing was such a solitary activity, but fresh perspectives help you see your novel in a totally different light.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
I hope readers will be entertained and charmed, but also learn something about the criminal legal system. There are so many ways our system gets it wrong, and the consequences couldn’t be more dire: someone’s life and liberty. My day job is as an innocence attorney where I work to free the wrongfully convicted. I see the assumptions that can be made about someone ensnared in the criminal legal system and how that leads to innocent people in prison.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Keep going. I brainstormed and wrote this book in courtrooms and jails, at 5 am and late at night. I got rejected more times than I can count. I’ve dramatically dumped printed copies of my novel into the trash, questioned my ability to string together a basic sentence, and given up numerous times. Writing is a hard path, but we want to hear your stories. Don’t give up.
