Debut Novel Sunny’s Secrets Wins American Writing Award
“Sunny’s Secrets” Won Silver Finalist from the American Writing Awards for FICTION – Mystery/Suspense
I am privileged to have been able to create many inspirational works, some of which have involved tremendous global collaboration
with experts from around the world. This year, however, I released my debut novel, Sunny’s Secrets, a Medical Mystery/Suspense Thriller. I’m thrilled to share that it’s won an award as a Silver Finalist from the American Writing Awards.
About Sunny’s Secrets, Now an Award-winning Medical Suspense Thriller
“Sunny’s Secrets,” a Medical Suspense Thriller, Won an American Writing Award
Sunny is a nurse who lost her husband, a USAF pilot, in 2003 to a suicide bomber in Afghanistan. At his funeral, she is approached by Rohan Ray, a mysterious Indian doctor. He intrigues her with talk of switching Life Force Energy between two people. As a nurse who is desperate to save her young patients, she accepts his offer to become part of his elite team of “switchers.” But will the unorthodox method for saving lives become too much for her?
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Why Sunny’s Secrets Took 20 Years
It’s been a long road to fiction success, with many detours along the way. After nearly twenty years in advertising and marketing, I resigned to pursue my passion for writing. I had always wanted to be a novelist, but I was naïve regarding the advice to “write what you know about.” In advertising, I had a reputation for being “The Queen of the Business Lunch” since my career involved taking clients to lunch every month. So, it made perfect sense that I would write my first book on how to succeed in sales by perfecting your business lunch “soft skills.” It turned out well; The Art of the Business Lunch, Building Relationships Between 12 and 2 (Career Press) is in twelve languages worldwide. Mission accomplished.
Becoming a Public Speaker vs Writing Sunny’s Secrets
You’d think I’d pursue writing my novel at this point, wouldn’t you? Not quite. I discovered that to sell my business book, I needed to become a professional speaker (See my speaking bio here.) Plus, in 2006, I founded the Las Vegas Convention Speakers Bureau, thinking, If I’m not right for your convention, I can find someone perfect for you. Talk about a naïve idea! The speaking industry is booming in Las Vegas, so I got sidetracked in a big, big way. Running the speakers bureau has been a huge undertaking.
Long story short, I ended up editing and publishing three anthologies, The Power of the Platform books, that feature nuggets from top thought leaders. From there, I wrote and produced three inspirational films, collectively known as The Key Movies. Would I ever have the opportunity to try writing fiction? It didn’t seem likely. Then, historic events changed everything!
In 2019, the day after the premiere of my third film, I hosted “The Keys Academy,” a one-day seminar that featured some of the movie experts sharing their messages with a group of friends and fans who were in Las Vegas for the premiere. Later that evening, I came home to discover my house was flooded! A washing machine hose had burst, and there were several inches of water throughout the entire home. It was devastating, as it took a year to repair it and make my house livable again.
In early 2020, just as I was about to get back to the business of speaking and booking speakers, the pandemic hit. One convention after another proceeded to cancel. Who could have foreseen that “two weeks to flatten the curve” would have turned into two years and economic devastation?!
Napoleon Hill said, “In every adversity, there is a seed of greater advantage.” I did the only thing I could; I pivoted! I seized the opportunity to finally try my hand at writing fiction. It took more than two years to complete it. Now, the validation of winning an award for my debut novel means the world to me, though I could never have imagined it would take me twenty years to write my first novel. Now, after completing Sunny’s Secrets, I know I could not have written it sooner. The life I’ve lived since resigning from my advertising career was essential to the content and success of this novel. Plus, I needed the confidence I have now to write such characters and such an intriguing plot. I now know the true meaning of “write what you know about”!
Reviews for Sunny’s Secrets
The reviews for Sunny’s Secrets – a psychological/medical suspense thriller – have sent me over the moon with joy! One reader wrote, “It is an intriguing novel that delves into a unique and thought-provoking concept of Life Force Energy (LFE) transfer. The characters in the book, especially Sunny and Rohan, are well-developed, and their internal struggles and emotions are portrayed with depth and authenticity.”
“Well-developed characters”! I was thrilled when I read this, as I’d hoped I had succeeded in creating real characters who would be relatable.
Another reviewer shared, “I just finished reading Sunny’s Secrets. What an amazing read! I enjoyed getting lost in the story. My husband served in the US Air Force as a Senior Master Sergeant for 26 years. As I read Robin Jay’s book, her story of Sunny and John really resonated with me. This is a great story that is authentic and believable, right down to the magical way that Sunny was able to switch lives between people. I highly recommend this book!”
I’m so happy and content to have accomplished my goal of writing fiction. Okay, so it wasn’t exactly an “overnight success”! Still, I’m thrilled that readers are enjoying it, and I can’t wait to write the sequel.
